Few people are as adept at traveling on a budget as classical musicians, especially when they're on tour. Being musicians, they tend to visit culturally vibrant cities and towns and seek out reliable hotels in artsy neighborhoods.

I sometimes scroll through the blogs of some classical musicians to see what funny experiences they have on the road and what trends they're noticing.

Does the following story from one classical musician Nico Muhly strike a chord with you?

Something to think about: When traveling (or sometimes when not) there are a lot of moments where you approach somebody in a position of some sort of authority, say, a hotel clerk. You brandish your paperwork, you give her your last name. She makes a FACE, and it's this FACE that I want to explore for a second.

The FACE is like, "Oh, I don’t think we have your reservation." Even if it lasts a microsecond, that face is the difference, I think, between Okay Service and Not Okay Service. Seeing that face is completely devastating, especially after complicated travel. I got that face yesterday about seventeen times, attendant to every appointment I had.

Have you ever experienced this? Or is this peculiar to him?