Part of the joy of travel is the unexpectedness of the adventure. There’s the absurdity of delightfully insane conversations with strangers, new food and (ideally) charming hotels.
But charming took on a new meaning—or at least a stretched one, for one budget traveler who discovered that his hotel room needed an inventive way in. When one man checked into his room at a price-friendly hotel/motel in Montana, nothing seemed amiss.
As his TikTok video started, Cayman says, “My room number is 247.” He shows the key card but blocks the name of the hotel with his thumb.
The problem becomes clear when he tries to climb the exterior motel stairs.
There aren’t any.
“There it is up there, but how do you get up there,” he asked as he pans the camera upward. Only the structural skeleton of the staircase remains and the walkway in front of the second story rooms is gone too. It appears the hotel may have tried to offset the cost of the presumed repairs by keeping second floor rooms available during renovations.
The internet wanted to know exactly how badly Cayman wanted to crawl into bed. The comment section filled with jokes.
“I was thinking take the stairs but it looks like someone else already took them,” said ironicallypineapple.
There were plenty of video game comparisons and “advice.
“You haven’t unlocked it yet,” commented Beni.com124, recalling something like the book series Dungeon Crawler Carl where the titular character is dropped into a live-actions video game.
Majorasjess referenced the comedy Arrested Development, writing, “Finally the Bluth family stair car comes in handy.”
The good news is: if a hotel isn’t closed during construction, it has been judged to be safe for guests and employees. However, a stay can be affected if common areas like the lobby, restaurant, or pool are off limits. So what recourse would you have? Many hotels offer perks for guests inconvenienced by renovations or offer replacement arrangements.
Perks might come in the form of lower nightly rates, free drinks or meals, a room upgrade, or extra loyalty points. If the hotel doesn’t offer them up front, it can’t hurt to ask. Because the reality is, “most hotels don’t close down during renovations because it isn’t cost-efficient.” Even at a budget hotel, a renovation will likely cost thousands.
The real question seems to become: do I want to stay at a quasi-construction site, even one with a bar? If you’re looking for a relaxing resort stay, maybe not. But, if like Cayman you’re on an adventure—later he visited Yellowstone National Park—you may be fine with being a little inconvenienced. After all, the room really just needs to be clean and quiet enough for you to sleep, use the restroom, and bathe.
Cayman got into his room (and did not disclose how), he did face an aesthetic challenge: silver tape around the upper edge of the room’s walls.
BoardingArea reached out to Cayman with a message via TikTo direct message, and with a comment on his post. We will update this if he finally discloses how he got into his room.
@caymandreaming OMG This is my budget hotel! How do i get in my room #cheap #hotel #lost #home ♬ original sound – caymandreaming
