We started looking in to reservations for the Denver Convention. There are no hotel rooms available in about a 30 mile radius. The closest rooms we could find were in Boulder and Colorado Springs and they start around $250 a night. I hate to think what it costs down near the convention center.

We were calling to ask about pets (in case Pupster's up for it and we make it into a road trip), traffic into Denver, etc. I like to call the hotel directly for local information, because the 800 number reservation call centers usually don't know anything or have wrong information in their directories.

So the Mrs. called the one in Boulder. The guy was a real dipstick. He said the reservations people would have all the answers so she should would have to talk to them. The Mrs. said they probably won't know about traffic getting in to Denver. The guy says he doesn't know either, because he's not in Denver, he's in Boulder. He was argumentative and basically didn't have time to waste talking to a customer. So the Hilton Homewood Suites made our decision pretty easy and lost some business in the process.

The folks in Castle Rock were much more helpful and accommodating. I guess it's a more laid back, friendlier place than Boulder. They explained their pet policies and fees, and talked about the traffic to Denver at various times of the day and generally what to expect. Score one for the nice folks at the Hampton Inn in Castle Rock .