It’s last call for Global Traveler’s annual reader survey. Since I’m a staff member, I don’t vote, nor do I intend to sway anyone else’s vote. What it makes me think of, however, is all the times that non-frequent-traveler friends ask these types of questions. What’s your favorite city? What’s the best vacation destination? Along with “Can I come with you to carry your luggage/hide in your luggage?” they’re probably the most common questions that frequent travelers get from friends and acquaintances.

While our survey asks your personal opinion about “best,” the answer to a friend’s question is always harder. I usually fall back on anecdotes. For example: The best hotel room I ever had was in Houston. It was a quick overnighter booked at the last minute, and when I arrived I was told I’d been upgraded to a suite. When I walked in, my jaw hit the floor: It was the Presidential suite, complete with grand piano and circular staircase.

But my favorite “suite story” comes from a hotel in Chicago. There, I’d booked a suite, because I had some meetings lined up. The first was scheduled an hour after my arrival. When I checked in, the bellman showed me to my room–and this time, it was the bridal suite. Mirrors on the ceiling, round bed, but no separate sitting area. When my first appointment rang up from the lobby, I quickly switched the meeting to the bar. The story even has a great punch line: On the day I was to check out, I asked for a later departure and was told that, regretfully, they couldn’t accommodate me; the convention of bishops was arriving. I’d like to know what bishop got my bridal suite.

My “best airport lounge” story doesn’t reflect particularly well either on me or on the airline in question, which was TWA. I’d just come off a lovely but long flight on Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to Los Angeles and was tired, jetlagged, and looking forward to sleeping on my transcon TWA connection. When I got to the TWA gate, my flight had been cancelled. I had a comp ticket, so I couldn’t fly anyone else, and the next TWA flight wasn’t for six hours. My luggage had already been checked through, so I wasn’t allowed to leave the post-security area, and there was certainly no comfy place to sleep gateside. No one at the airline was being particularly friendly or accommodating, but the members-only club had access from the gate. There were no day passes at the time, so I bought a membership for $150. I found a long, lovely couch and slept until my flight was called. As soon as I got home, I cancelled the membership and got the price credited back to me. But I do have fond memories of that couch.

-Mary Hunt, Editor, eFlyer