Let's Hope This Doesn't Affect Val's Future Free Room Comps

After our casino buffet breakfast, with the majority of my facial skin cells unincinerated, we headed back up to our room to gather our bags and check out. Hick and I had used my free room comp, and we'd used Hick's to get another room for The Pony. It was an adjoining room. With those doors that each room can lock if the parties are not together.

This set-up was handy, since The Pony could come in without going out into the hall to get to our room. It was a thorn in The Pony's side, though, because Hick would walk over to The Pony's room whenever he felt like it.

Anyhoo...that morning, The Pony had come to our room when we were ready to go down to breakfast. Hick asked if he had his room card on him, and he did. Not that it mattered, because we'd asked for an extra, just in case, which Hick had in his pocket.

Hick was in a hurry to get on the road after breakfast. All we had to do was make a last minute bathroom visit, and pull our bags downstairs. We all entered our room. The Pony started to go through the adjoining doors to get his bag. He couldn't get through.

The Pony had pulled his adjoining door closed behind him when he came through to walk down to breakfast with us, but he had set it to lock. There's no handle or lock on our side. No way to get through that door. No problem, though. He had the card to unlock the hallway door to his room. He went out to do just that.

Oopsie! Back came The Pony. His card wouldn't work.

"I guess I had my phone against the card, and it demagnetized."

"I was afraid of that," said Hick. "That's why I got this extra card."

Off Hick went to open The Pony's door, and come through the adjoining one. Except he didn't. His card for The Pony's room was also demagnetized. Hick said he was going down to the desk to get another card. We heard him come back. Still didn't work. Back down again. This time, the card worked, but Hick couldn't get in, because The Pony had locked the deadbolt. And flipped that little door-blocking lever thingy!

"Huh. That's great. Now we'll never get in. They'll have to destroy the lock."

"Oh, come on! Out of all the hotels in the world, The Pony can't be the first person ever to leave the deadbolt and the lever on, and the adjoining door locked. Think about it. ALL those rooms. All over the world. All the people. I'm pretty sure they have encountered this situation before, and have a way to get in. Probably have a little gadget they can poke in to push that lever out of the way."

"Yeah. A bent coat hanger could do it," said the criminally-minded Pony.

Hick went back down. Returned, saying "They're sending up someone from maintenance."

Hick went out in the hall to supervise. It took less than three minutes for the maintenance guy to get in. Hick came through the adjoining doors.

"He unlocked the deadbolt. Used a screwdriver to push that latch out of the way."

So...after a 30-minute delay after breakfast, to get The Pony's bag out of his room, we were on the road. Well. Technically, we were waiting 20 minutes for the valet. But then we hit the road.

I certainly hope The Pony's room-locking shenanigans, and Hick inadvertently stealing that woman's $141 out of a slot machine, don't keep me from getting future FREE ROOM comps! Think of how many weirdos that would disappoint.