The wedding on Friday was absolutely gorgeous, but there will be more of that and pictures in the next couple of days.

Yesterday however wasn’t such a pleasant day. It started with my hangover, so I decided to have a late checkout. About 12.30pm as I was packing up my stuff I realised my purse was nowhere to be seen. I emptied and checked both my bags. Twice. I searched every inch of the hotel room. No purse.

This is where the fantastic staff of the Days Inn came into their own. As it dawned on me that I was stuck at a service station on the M40, alone, with no money to get me back to Oxford I called reception and promptly burst into tears. The receptionist said not to worry. She would check lost property and if all else failed they would find a way to make sure I got to the station. I thanked her, managed to just about stop crying and checked the room again before I left it.

When I got downstairs and chatted the manager I realised when I must have lost it. Returning to the hotel in my champagne and white wine haze I dropped my stuff. It was dark and I was drunk, and though I thought I’d picked everything up I obviously hadn’t. The manager went out with me to double check it hadn’t ended up in the bushes. But no, some chancer had probably picked it up, nicked the cash and chucked the rest away.

The manager told me not to worry. I was feeling exhausted and stupid for losing my purse. But the lovely fantastic manager made it as easy as he could for me. He let me use the hotel phone to cancel my cards, whilst the receptionist looked up the numbers I needed. He organised a lift to Oxford station (and was worried because it was in the maintenance van and he apologised for it being messy!!!). He gave me a cup of tea. And he made me get out my train tickets and prove I could get back to Durham, he wanted to be certain I would make it back in one piece.

Once cards had been cancelled the receptionist chatted to me when she had any spare moments. She was absolutely lovely and from Slovakia. We chatted about various things, and by the time the guy showed up to take me to the station I was feeling calm and even had a smile on my face.

The staff were no less than amazing. I just feel lucky to have been staying in that hotel at the time. I’ve stayed in a fair few these past few years and from experiences at various places (e.g. a Travelodge where there’d been an after party in corridors until the wee small hours, a Marriott where I left my phone charger) the staff at the Days Inn were by far the best. I imagine elsewhere people would have been helpful, but for the Days Inn it wasn’t about appearing helpful, it was about making sure I was alright.

I’d also like to thank the Oxford Belfry who I was initially going to stay with. When I phoned to enquire about early check in their rude staff informed me that “I would not find a hotel in the world that offered early check in”. I can only imagine had I been staying there I would have been made to hike back to Oxford. But it was down to their rudeness, and the contrast in the welcoming response from the Days Inn to the same question (“Of course, no problem at all!”) that meant I ended up in the nicer hotel.

I can’t thank them enough, and another task today is to send them a thank you card and a letter to HQ telling them they have lovely and fantastic staff.

As for me I finally made it back to Durham in one piece. Exhausted but alive and well. These things do happen, but they can be made so much less stressful by people who are happy to help!