– If the energy is good, take a 2-minute walk to the ice machine or vending area. This public motel walk builds camaraderie before the private room.
– If you or they don't feel the physical chemistry within 10 minutes of the door closing, offer to leave or call them a ride. No one owes anyone anything.
– Have an extra towel ready. It sounds trivial, but after a shower or a spill, reaching for a dry towel without leaving the room is a pro move.
– Do not invite them to a second motel or your home after the first. Picking up at a motel works because it's a contained, neutral zone. Don't complicate it.
– Get two keys. Leave one in a magnetic box under your car's bumper. If the night goes south, you can leave without asking for the key back.
