SLAMMING HOTEL DOORS!

Don’t you HATE them?!!

A Closer Look…

with Anthony Newcombe

🚪This month’s topic: BOOM!

Why do hotel doors cause so much of a racket when closing?

No matter the quality, rate, or general cleanliness of a hotel, they all seem to have one irritating trait very much in common:  Their room doors make a ton of noise when they closeBe it coming or going, all we hear is BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

WTF?

Think about it:  when’s the last time you visited even a 5-star property that, well, won’t wake you up with a better success rate than the cheap alarm clock or the unreliable automated operator call?

In fact, I just completed back-to-back trips in completely different cities (and hotels) and both times I was awakened by the constant slamming of some jerky in the hallway either having a really late night out or trying to get to the airport just in time to find out his flight was cancelled.

Solutions

Did the hotel chains ever consider hiring Rolls Royce to design their doors?  RR has a pretty good reputation for designing doors that assure “soft landings.”  Or, how about Sub-Zero? Their iceboxes (does “icebox” date me?) seem to be pretty quiet when I open (and close) them for my sleepwalking snack(s).  I know, it’s probably a bit pricey. But you’d think that being in a copycat industry, SOMEONE might have already figured this one out.  Spoiler Alert: they have NOT.

You’d think the hotel chains would be excited about this.  Then, they have something better to promote than “free breakfast and Wi-Fi” offered! They really do need our help, folks. 

Any ideas?

-A.N.

Happy fall quarter!

See you next month

Profile

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur. He is also a published author and narrator and a full-stack web developer. Anthony can be reached for appearances via our CONTACT PAGE.

A Closer Look …

with Anthony Newcombe 👀👀

Let’s take a closer look

October’s topic:  

The “Cottage Industry” has caught up with me (finally)

20-plus years working in a remote setting … and wouldn’t change a thing! 


Well, it took a while, but what can I say:  I TOLD you so!  Well, not entirely.  I spent much of my time since 1999 believing I had to keep some sort of secret or something. I asked myself: 

  • Will they ever find out that I tend to wear shorts and sandals during my business calls and videos? 
  • Do you they know that have no interest in driving downtown for any reason at all?  Including closing giant deals? 
  • Will they be mortified if one of my little ones barges into my home office and vomits mac and cheese all over my desk in real time?  Did I care even if something like that happened? 

The answer to the above and many other questions, is, well, NO.  I didn’t care.  I don’t care today either.  And I probably won’t care at any time in the future.  I mean, let’s face it:  Nobody I know out-works me.  In fact, I haven’t been on a real vacation since the end of 2017.  Oh yeah, we probably shouldn’t even count that one because I was finalizing my book, Sorry, 50 is NOT the New 30, during that trip. 

I look around and see Congress on break most of the calendar year.  I see neighbors who can barely roll out of bed by noon and spend their weeknights getting high and drinking all night.  I come across those on social media pretending they’re working, but still, can’t figure out what they’re even working on.  Working on their tans

I suppose, though, it took the Covid pandemic to convince more than a few professionals to “hang up their car keys” and settle into whatever makeshift workspace they could create within their 4 walls.  And looking around, it’s hard to see many other benefits of this whole health scare period in the United States and beyond.   

However, one thing I do know is the cottage industry is here to stay and that’s a good thing because it will keep me plugging along, my sanity in check, and, of course, my dry-cleaning bill will remain where it belongs – in the home office shredder! Ciao! 

So, what’s your story? 

We’ll catch up with you again in about 30 days … I’m out! 

-A.N. 

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A Closer Look …

with Anthony Newcombe

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Q: WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES?

A: 3 WORDS: BUY, BUY, BUY!

PROFILE

Anthony Newcombe is a 4-time entrepreneur, published author & narrator, and full-stack web developer. He can be reached directly for appearances via our CONTACT PAGE.

AND ONE … FINAL … NOTE

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A Closer Look

with Anthony Newcombe

Let’s take a closer look

Arena: Healthcare and Politics (and why they don’t mix), Vol. III

Topic: How do we manage to blame the ‘other party’ during a global pandemic?  

I understand all too well that America in 2020 is in the midst of a political tug o’ war over, well, almost everything.  We have demonstrated that we can brawl about just about anything: from guns and ammo, to impeachment, and just about every bit of minutiae worded in a congressional bill.   

But, the coronavirus, seriously?  I mean, do we really think that this little bugger even cares whether you are pro-life or not?  Or, how about whether you have open carry permissions in your state?  Or, whether you voted for Hillary or Trump in 2016?  The obvious answer is NO, it does NOT. 

It only cares about finding a way into your bloodstream (and mine, too) and causing enough harm to hopefully derail us from future family births, graduations, weddings, and the like.  The virus is the real enemy, not your next door neighbor (with the Bernie bumper sticker you may despise). 

Let’s try to bear all this mind moving forward.   Remember, the people who #StayAtHome aren’t lazy, foolish or have an aversion to sunlight.  They are, hopefully as you are too, trying to get this monster to go away.  For good.  So, let’s try to bury the egos, the bravado, and, in some cases, the reckless disregard for stay at home orders.   

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A Closer Look …

with Anthony Newcombe

Let’s take a closer look

Arena: Sports & Cheating

Topic: Why do we seem to care more today about cheating in sports?  

I know a little bit about professional sports. In fact, without getting too far into the weeds, let’s just say I practically grew up in professional locker rooms, dugouts, and on and off fields, diamonds, and courts. However, since this op-ed is about something else and not about me, let’s just dive right in and get to the bottom of the matter.  

Recently, we have been inundated (much more so than usual) with television/ radio shows, and online debates focusing on the issue of “cheating in professional sports.”  In them, pundits rave and rage about how horrible it is that the Houston Astros (allegedly) stole signs in order to win a World Series Championship in 2017. They go on to argue that these same Astros (allegedly) continued to cheat in subsequent years – and perhaps, even as recently as just last year.  

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