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As this year's BlogHer annual conference approaches, many conference goers have found or are still looking for roommates. (If you are looking check the room share forum) Every year after the conference, blogs abound with tales of new friendships formed through the serendipity of room sharing.
In my last post I focused on sharing your home with a guest. Sharing a room with someone you know only online, however, can be either be its own unique potential minefield or a wonderful opportunity. There are a few simple steps you can take to help ensure your experience is the latter not the former.
1. TV or no TV?
I fall asleep to the TV at home. Bad habit, I know, but it's mine. I do not turn on the TV without asking my roommate what her preferences are. Thank goodness for DVRs and the decline in quality television because now there is nothing I feel like I'm missing. And though it makes it tougher for me to fall asleep or if the hotel TV doesn't have a sleep timer, I can eventually lull myself to sleep. And it certainly helps if you are completely exhausted in a totally good way like I am at BlogHer.
This also applies to things like lights, music and talking which brings me to my next tip...
2. Calling home.
As I have no spouse to call this is not an issue for me. However, I don't particularly enjoy listening to one side of an hour-long intimate conversation my roommate is having with her husband. It helps if you have a balcony or separate suite space in which to have your conversation but, if not, it is considerate to your roommate to try and have your long schmoopy talk or intense discussion of the kids and goings on back home sometime other than while sitting right next to your roommate.
3. Falling asleep.
I am a total princess with a pea problem. I have difficulty sleeping in a bed that is not mine. Add in a fun but tiring, intense conference schedule, the nighttime party circuit, having a few drinks, being in a different time zone, waking and going to sleep on a different schedule - suffice it to say it can be more than a bit difficult falling asleep and staying asleep. Bring an eye mask, ear plugs, noise canceling headphones or whatever sleep aids you find helpful. If you take Ambien or other drugs to help you sleep, consider giving your roommate a heads up as there are potential issues with sleepwalking and other odd behavior.
4. Bathroom time.
How long I need in the shower varies greatly depending on whether or not I am washing my hair. I have a lot of hair. So I try to coordinate with my roommate timing based on how much time we each need in the morning. Perhaps one of you can shower at night and one in the morning. And, if you'll need extra towels give housekeeping a heads up well in advance so you don't find you've run out when you are stepping out of the shower.
5. Timing of in-room activities.
Will you need some quiet, quality time to write a blog post and plan on doing it in your room? Know that you'll need some nap time during the conference? Don't assume your roommate will be so absorbed in the conference that you'll have the room to yourself when you need downtime.
6. Money, money, money.
Clearly understand the payment policies of the hotel. Will they require everyone to put their name on the room and offer up a credit card or can one person cover everyone? Will you tip the housekeepers? How much? Who will leave it? Will you leave it daily or at the end of the stay? Will you both be there at checkout to review the bill for errors? I remember vividly the long line at check-out two years ago when many of us were asking to have bills split and applied to separate cards. And Dana has a story from last year about not being able to check in because of the hotel's credit card policies:
Once I got to the hotel, I tried to check-in but didn’t realize the intricacies of hotel check-in procedures.
Turns out, I need a credit card with a huge limit in order to stay at the fancy Starwood hotel. For security reasons, we keep our credit limits low ($500 max) to avoid huge losses in the event our cards
