Last week, 79-year-old Joy Bricker checked out of the TownePlace Suites in Virginia.
She had been living there for 10 years.
The former pilot made headlines when movers came to her Falls Church, Virginia, hotel room to mark the end of her stay. Now ailing with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis, the otherwise active woman is leaving her decade-long home to move in with her daughter, Christy Winton.
Before leaving, she served tea to staff and media, all eager to meet the woman with the title of "longest extended-stay guest" in Marriott hotel history, in her 500-square-foot suite. She outlasted six different managers at the hotel.
Bricker moved into suite 202 on August 4, 2001, having relocated from New Hampshire to Virginia to work with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) after the death of her husband. A homemaker for most of her life, Bricker's professional life didn't begin until she was 50. She moved into the TownePlace Suites at the age of 68.
"I wrote that one check, and I knew I was good for that month," Bricker said of her move-in day. Her decision to stay long-term was a gradual one.
The place offered convenience: round-the-clock security, complimentary continental breakfasts, free WiFi, and no electricity or cable bills. With the addition of just one familiar chair and a few family photos, the suite soon became home.
Over the years, she intentionally sought to built community at the place, despite many of the residents being short-term.
"I call it community planning," she told CNN. "I turned it into a community."
Still determine to offer "whatever I am able to give," go-getting Bricker plans to devote her time to church.
She'll likely have to adjust to her new life, sans hotel luxury.
"There's no continental breakfast at the Winton Inn," she joked about her daughter's house.
And, yes, she's a Platinum Premier member of the Marriott rewards program.
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