A Hotel in Atlanta - Sunday Scribbling Hotel Stories

In 1976 I began a new career as a media specialist for the Methodist Church, traveling throughout the southern part of the United States, assisting churches and church leaders in the use of various audio/visual equipment.

One trip led me to Atlanta, Georgia, to a convention of church communicators from all over the United States.

My office secretary scheduled the trip, booked my plane reservations, and found me a hotel. When I reached Atlanta, we deparked the plane, walked across the tarmac, and entered the airport. This was, of course, before many of the new, modern airports. I had left the newly built Dallas/Fort Worth airport and arrived at what looked like a cow pasture!

I hailed a taxi for my ride into Atlanta, and saw, for the first time, hookers on corners handing out menus! This was explained to me by the cab driver. Being somewhat unworldly at the time, that was a true eye opener.

The cab left me in from of an old hotel in downtown Atlanta. It seems to have been modernized, but it was definitely not what I expected. The bellman took me to my floor and upon leaving the elevator, I spied a huge stain in front of what turned out to be my room.

Eyeing it silently, I walked slowly toward my door. The bellman smiled at me and confided that Atlanta had quite a bit of gang trouble in the downtown area. He went on to explain that the stain was indeed blood from the body of a mafia-type who had been killed there several years before.

Whether this was really true or not, the incident has stayed with me, and I have never been particularly comfortable in Atlanta.

Comments

Jessie said…
dang, the underbelly of hotel experiences! If nothing else, you got an interesting story out of it!
Kamsin said…
Makes it sound like they left the stain there just so they could tell that story. I'm not sure I believe it though! Good story anyway!
Michelle said…
Hooker menus? Like for their services? This is new to me. (The small-town hick emerges...)

That blood-stain just HAD to have been a story...it is just too gross to be real. I hope.
Sue Seibert said…
Hooker menus...yes, as in services. I am one of those hicks, too, and just didn't know they did that. Atlanta is famous for it...and the blood stain...after being in Atlanta for a while, I think it could have been true, but probably wasn't.
Cez said…
Thanks for coming on my blog!!!
great blog....and post
Verity said…
Ugh! Creepy. It actually reminded me of another hotel story I had that I totally forgot about!
paris parfait said…
Well it's no wonder you don't feel comfortable, if that was your first impression! Great story, but no doubt not a good experience!
Wendy said…
Yikes! Don't they have area rugs in Hotlanta? Maybe get that crazy Billy Somebody from the Oxywhtever commercials to come and do an infomercial in their hotel and get the stain up?
Anonymous said…
Oh dear.. hooker services? I must be small-town too, never heard of those before. Except for perhaps in Las Vegas, but they're more like hooker brochures. ;)

ACK. I think I would have run screaming away from the blood stain. Why wouldn't they cover it. Eeeeep. Definitely makes for an interesting hotel story.

-Aly
GoGo said…
macabre! Thanks for sharing it. It was fun to read.
Kim said…
Yikes! This is definately an unforgettable story.
Ack! I think I would have said "ok thanks" and left! I would think that they would have cleaned up or replaced or covered such a stain, gross!!
~Gabi
NuttersNotes said…
When they said it was a blood stain, I think I would have replied, "yeah...looks like A negative!" ...or I will say that now that you have prepared me. I would have loved to get my hands on the hooker menu as a souvenier...wow, I didn't know anything could be that bold.

I have been to Atlanta a couple of times. At the risk of being sexist, I do have to say this....there are as many pretty ladies there as anywhere that I have been. But you say it is heavily hookered...hmmmm....I wonder....

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