2 Steps Forward…
Reopening the Hotel
We finished our major hotel remodeling project in early 2019. Except we weren’t REALLY finished.
We still had to complete the 2 new Suites that we were building as part of the remodel. We also needed to finish our owner’s apartment as Mark and I were still moving around the hotel every few days - still living out of our suitcases.
As with everything in this remodel project, we were behind on those projects too. I am usually a positive person, but it certainly seemed like it was always 2 steps forward, 1 step back.
With the pool fixed and filled (2 steps forward!), the construction team could now focus all efforts on the next priority – finishing the 2 new Suites.
Then came the 1 step back.
Each of the new Suites was an exact mirror image of each other, so I needed 2 of everything for the rooms. I was able to find 2 identical gorgeous stone bathtubs at a local store. These bathtubs must have weighed a thousand pounds each! Not only was it a challenge getting them up our mountain road but moving them from the delivery point at the hotel entrance to the Suites on the side of a steep mountain without machinery was another issue.
Each bathtub needed to be moved to the front of the Suites where the bathroom was located – on a steep incline! To lift these monstrosities, we needed the hands of both the construction team and our hotel staff.
We placed giant straps underneath the bathtubs and with about 5 men on each side, they lifted the bathtub and walked (very slowly) with the bathtub about 3 inches off the ground and moved about 3 feet before they had to set it down to rest! This took A. Long. Time! I think this technique was the same one the Egyptians used to move stones to build the pyramids!
When they got the tub close to the Suites, there was another issue. The stairs leading down to the Suites weren’t yet completed. There was just a slippery, muddy slope. Mark decided it was too dangerous for the guys to carry the tubs down the slope, so they made wooden rails from the top of the slope down to the entrance of the Suites. They placed the heavy tubs on the rails one at a time and carefully slid them down the slope.
My blood pressure was through the roof watching this delicate process! If they dropped the tub, the stone would’ve broken. If they lost control of the tub as it slid down the muddy slope, either bye-bye tub or bye-bye worker!
When they finally got the tubs positioned in front of each Suite where the bathroom was, they moved the tubs into the Suites, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Then it was time to connect the plumbing. Luckily, at that moment, I decided I should look at the tubs in their new locations. As I looked at the tubs, I noticed something seemed off. Keep in mind that I have no background in interior design. We had remodeled a house in the U.S. and built a home, but no formal training. I guess what I do have is common sense.
The tubs were free-standing with the faucet mounted in the wall. I noticed the space between the wall and the tub was too large for the length of the faucets we had purchased. The way it was, the water would hit the rim of the tub and spill out, not in! Did I measure the bathtub size wrong? Did I select a faucet that was too small for the space? Did the guys not position the tub close enough to the faucet wall? We remeasured everything, looked at the drawings, and everything looked correct. But the faucets were not long enough – what was the problem?
When I looked down into the bathtub, I noticed that the drain-hole appeared to be slightly off-center. The drain looked as if it were in the center of the tub. Was I seeing things? No. It seemed that the length of the tub on one side of the drain was a little shorter than the length of the tub on the other side of the drain – by just few inches. The guys positioned the tub with the short end toward the faucet. I realized that if we spun the tub around, it might fix the problem.
I called Mark over to look. He agreed. The tubs needed to be turned around.
Believe me when I say that after watching this moving process and how tired the guys were, I did NOT want to tell them that the tubs needed to be turned around. I explained as gently as I could that they’d have to turn the tub around. Each tub. Each Suite. That meant sliding the tub out the front of the Suite, turning it 180 degrees and placing it back in. Ugh.
They did it with only a few groans, no damage to the new tile, and the tubs looked great! Best of all, the faucets now fit perfectly.
We opened the 2 new Suites at the end of January. We had missed having these rooms ready for the holiday season and all of the January high season, but we were finally glad to have them added to our inventory! We were hopeful now, that things would start to look up.
As we were now not completely tethered to the hotel with the construction, Mark and I were finally able to better enjoy our Costa Rican home! We explored other restaurants and spent some time on the beach. 2 steps forward!
Our friends Jack and Natalie (famous for giving us the world’s 2nd best flashlight) had visited us the year before and were returning this year to see the remodeled hotel! On their previous visit, Natalie had seen my frustration first-hand with not having my own space. She knew I was patiently waiting for our owner’s apartment. I was hopeful our apartment would be ready so she could see it while she visited.
It wasn’t.
As the old proverb says, ‘the cobbler’s wife has no shoes.’ She is shoeless because all the cobbler’s efforts were focused on their customers. Well, same for us. All our efforts were understandably focused on the parts of the remodel that would make money. The customer spaces.
Our personal space was not yet ready. It was last on the list. Understandable, but frustrating still. Still back, 1 small step.
But after baring my bottom climbing over our neighbor’s fence to find a room at their inn, and my ultimatum with Mark that I would return to the U.S. if my room wasn’t done soon, I had about had it. My birthday was quickly approaching in early March and the only thing I wanted was my own space!
For almost 18 months, I’d say I had the ‘patience of Job’! After Jack and Natalie left, our owner’s apartment finally was ready! 2 steps forward!
No more moving around, living out of my suitcase. I had my own bed and closet! (I secretly wonder if Natalie had a word with Mark on my behalf before she left?!)
Well, Marlo…not too fast! If it was 2 steps forward, it seemed 1 step back was always looming.
Shortly after my birthday one morning in March, I heard a scream coming from one of the new suites. Uh oh!
I knew the guests had checked out and the housekeepers were cleaning the room for the next guest. Next thing I knew, the housekeeper was at the front desk crying.
And bleeding. OMG. What happened? Was she okay?
While she was cleaning the new Suite, as she closed the giant glass door that framed the front of the suite, the glass door shattered! Into a million pieces.
No more door. A custom ordered - not even 6 week old - giant glass door! 1 step back.
The housekeeper had been cut on the arm by a small piece of glass. She was otherwise fine but shaken. Maybe more shaken thinking that Mark and I would be mad about the new glass door. As part of our team, she also had experienced the frustration of the slow construction, had seen our tension, and was frightened she’d be fired. But it wasn’t her fault.
The door was made of tempered glass which is designed to break into many small pieces instead of large shards. It is a safety feature to prevent serious injuries. The problem with tempered glass is that a tiny chip on the edge can weaken the whole piece of glass and it can shatter very easily or even spontaneously. There are videos on YouTube of tempered glass shattering for no apparent reason, and we think that’s what happened to our glass door. There was probably a teeny-tiny chip in the edge. It seems when she shut the door, it caused just enough vibration and - pow -shattered.
Our new revenue stream was now halted until we could get a new door ordered and installed. We had to move any schedule guests to other rooms. We expedited the door order and got it installed as soon as we could!
2 steps forward, 1 step back.
Maybe now we’d finally just have steps forward. We will see.
Oh god, Marlo! The tub thing-- unreal. But wow, what a beauty of a tub! And that view!!!!! You guys really were put through the paces.