On Hotels

The most important things are cleanliness and sound. It is not design, not layout, not amenities nor even the disposition of the thankless employees. It’s ideal is that of a quiet third space that pantomimes as your home in a place that is decidedly not your home. It is a passing gesture of comfort, safety, stability, and calm.

One is not entitled to aesthetics or even pleasantries. That the experience be pleasing is a bar too high, but that it be adequate is a small miracle.

Our time on this earth is temporary. Our hotel stays are even more so. That they come and go without memory of their dereliction or excess is a precious gift.