A 70-year-old woman decided to treat herself to something special for her birthday and booked a night at an expensive hotel. She checked in politely, enjoyed her quiet evening, and went to sleep expecting nothing more than a comfortable stay. But the next morning, everything changed the moment she saw the bill.
The desk clerk handed her a charge for $250.00. She was appalled. She immediately demanded an explanation. “This is outrageous,” she said. “It’s a nice hotel, but the room certainly wasn’t worth $250 for just one night. I didn’t even have breakfast.” The clerk calmly explained that $250 was the standard rate. That answer didn’t sit well with her at all, so she insisted on speaking with the manager.
The manager introduced himself and confidently explained that the hotel featured an Olympic-size swimming pool and a huge conference center, both available to guests. The woman crossed her arms and replied, “But I didn’t use them.” Without missing a beat, the manager smiled and said, “They were there, and you could have.”
Trying again, the manager mentioned the hotel’s famous in-house shows. “We have world-class entertainers performing here,” he said proudly. The woman shook her head. “But I didn’t go to any of those shows.” The manager repeated calmly, “They were available, and you could have.”
No matter what luxury the manager listed — the pool, the shows, the facilities — the woman had the same response every time: “But I didn’t use it!” After several minutes of back-and-forth, clearly frustrated but unwilling to argue any longer, she finally agreed to pay the bill.
She reached into her purse, wrote a check, and handed it to the manager. He glanced down at it and froze. The check was made out for $50.00.
Shocked, he looked up and said, “Madam, this check is for only $50!”
She smiled sweetly and replied, “That’s correct. I’m charging you $200 for sleeping with me.”
The manager turned red. “What?! I didn’t sleep with you!”
She shrugged and said calmly, “Well, I was here… and you could have.”
