Most hotels will have a courtesy late check out time but they don't really tell you about it. You have to ask if you can stay an hour later or ½ hour or whatever. The last several times I have asked for this courtesy, I’ve been told, "We have to ask housekeeping". Wow, who knew that housekeeping runs the hotels these days? They are just like secretaries apparently. Behind the scenes but know all and manage all and are the real bosses.

            Upon arrival at our hotel in Prague, we got a free basket of fruit. Most of it was not ripe so we ate a couple of pieces and left the rest to ripen and have in a day or so. When we came back to the hotel after our first day out and about, our fruit was gone. At 6:20 P.M. we called guest services and asked where our fruit was. They apologized and said housekeeping would bring up another basket. At 8:30 P.M., we called again and asked if they were coming today. At 9:00 P.M., they called us and the guest services lady apologized again and said she was so angry that housekeeping had not brought our fruit yet and somebody was going to get into trouble.

            At 9:30 P.M., she called again and said the fruit would be delivered between now and 11 P.M. if that was alright. The fruit was delivered at 10:20 P.M. Since we had asked to get it back because we wanted some fruit, I looked in the basket to see if I could eat something then. Someone in housekeeping must have gotten in trouble for taking our fruit but they got even. They brought us a rotten peach, a dry orange, and the rest is still not ripe and waiting for a day when we might be able to sink our teeth into the skin.

            Housekeeping wasn’t finished with us. The next day one of our robes disappeared. We haven’t called to ask for it back because no telling how they will return it. We have learned our lesson. Don’t mess with housekeeping.