I'd say I'm an experienced Twitter using. I'm closing in on 3,000 tweets. When traveling somewhere, I try to follow as many places I will be doing business with as possible.  It keeps me in the loops on deals and events I would have otherwise not heard of.

Before traveling to Chicago, one of the accounts I began following was @HyattChicago. I soon followed a couple members of their social media team; @jenkedinger and @sarahmordis. With little expectation, I asked them to set me up with a room with a great view. When they said they'd do their best, I thought it was all talk. I began asking them for a few recommendations on things to do in the city. I was surprised when I got replies which were not canned responses. It's at this point I became a believer.

When I get to the hotel, I am blown away by the room I get. I am given a room on the 32nd floor with a view of the river. I don't know if my twitter connections had anything to do with this, but I'm assuming there weren't very many Priceline customers in my neighborhood of the hotel. Early in the evening, room service brings me a couple of beers, a bag of popcorn and a hand-written card from Jennifer. In only a few hours at the hotel, I felt like a VIP

I have a theory about why all this happened. I don't know the exact statistics, but I do know people with negative experiences tend to share their experiences with much more people than those with positive experience. If you're a business, the trick is to find those consumers who will shout about their positive experiences from the rooftop. If you're a consumer, the trick is to be one of those people who shout about their positive experiences from the rooftop.

I'd still be very pleased with Hyatt Regency Chicago if none of the above happened. Because it did happen, I've tweeted about it numerous times, and have made a blog post happen. I made sure I wrote great reviews on Yelp and TravelAdvisor. There's hundreds of hotels to choose from when traveling to Chicago, but they've now got a customer who will choose them.

Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 East Wacker Drive
Chicago, Illinois, USA 60601
312 565 123

I have a confession to make. I'm an addict. I'm addicted to the deals Groupon.com, LivingSocial.com and Tulsa Food Deals offer. On the way back to the airport, I met a girl who said her roommate worked for Groupon. To me, it felt like she lived with a rock star. (The funny thing is she thought I was a rock star when I told her I worked for Amazon.com)

I've bought in on deals that you would expect somebody to purchase; deals for restaurants, sporting events, Old Navy, RedBox, NuttyGuys.com, Bath & Body Works (don't judge!) and Fandango.

Then there's the not so conventional deals...

RiverWalk Dental Spa: This is the the deal I broke the ice on. I bought in on a deal for Zoom! Whitening at this place. That's not big in itself. My relationship grew with this dental office, and they offered me a $1000 discount for my eventual Invisalign treatment. I don't know how many other people can say they found their dentist on Groupon. I drive 90 miles to their office, but it's worth it to not "feel" like I'm seeing the dentist. It is "dental spa" after all.

Strictly Ballroom Dance Studio: For the past year or so, I've been telling myself I need to learn how to dance. I'll be getting three half-hour private lessons, one group lesson, and a studio party. It includes me and a partner. I still need to find a partner. It can be kind of awkward to ask a female friend to travel with you an hour (1 night each week for 3 weeks) so she can engage in an activity which requires physical contact with you. I'll get it done.

To top everything off, I found the best website for Groupon addicts; Grouspawn. It's for couples who used a Groupon on their first date, or individuals who want to use Groupon on their first date. Unfortunately, Grouspan does not provide service for the Southeast Kansas/Northeast Oklahoma area.

Are you addicted to a deal site? What is an odd deal you purchased through a deal site?