For the past two nights I have been in an upmarket Westin in the center of Boston. This was because we were using their function space for a meeting and we got a block of rooms cheap. But I don’t like staying there. It is a very comfortable hotel, but it is way too expensive for what it provides, and I’m terrified to touch anything in case I incur an extra charge. Top quality hotels should not need to stoop to littering your room with things that look great but cost extra if you use them. That’s the sort of behavior I expect from Ryanair.

So today I moved to a rather downmarket Doubletree. As US hotels go it isn’t great, but it is a US hotel so there is masses of space and the bed and shower are good. There’s no restaurant, but that just means I’ll eat in the city before coming back here. The wi-fi is a bit temperamental, but it works. It is $120/night cheaper. It still has enough pillows to terrify John Scalzi. And most importantly, it has one of those nifty alarm clocks that allows you to plug in your MP3 player and play your own music. That, my friends, is civilization (and it is something the Westin can’t manage).

Oh, and I get more Hilton points…