We checked in this evening to the Hampton Inn on Pacific Highway in San Diego.

For the second time in my life of over a thousand hotel stays, I was asked for picture ID to check in, even though I had print out of the booking, Hilton Honors diamond card, and non-picture ID from the discount provider.

The clerk averred that it was "for our safety".

After some hemming & hawing, the desk clerk let me check in with my husband without the picture ID. My husband (LexPassenger), who got fairly exercised over this issue, said prominently "I do not feel safe in a hotel that is so worried about its customers as to demand picture IDs from tired middle aged people."

So we go off about our business of dinner with my son and planning our return to SAN two days from now. Then back to the hotel for the night, very late. We stop by the desk to inquire about how the shuttle runs.

First we're asked when our flight is. 8:25. Hmmm, he says, you'll have to be there 1 1/2 hours early. We say, oh an hour will do, we can bypass to the front of the security line, we're in first class. This seems to have been a mistake, as he ludicrously informs us that we cannot do this as bypasses are not allowed in SAN as "it's a military area". We are not making this up.

Well, turns out the shuttle runs on a booking system, and is All Booked, at least for us now. Fine (we know we can taxi), but the desk clerk adds that "it's a courtesy shuttle", so only runs to schedule.

I head for the room but Lex makes the mistake of staying to ask, for information, if it is now common policy to ask us for photo IDs.

The clerk claims that it is standard Hilton policy for our protection.

Lex suggests that it is not. We have stayed at another Hampton and Embassy Suites in the previous THREE days without this question.

(Between Lex & me, we have been asked for photo IDs at hotel check in precisely twice before. Lex once in Durham NC where he declined, and they checked him in anyway. I, once in Anaheim, where Lex insisted that we walk away. We walked across the street to the Marriott, where they were happy to check us in on personal recognizance.

The clerk then proceeds to spend several minutes attempting to get Hilton Diamond Desk on the phone to explain to Lex that photo ID is now required from all registrants (this time the explanation is "to avoid identity theft" -- well, at least this time it's a better lie). But Diamond Desk isn't answering (aren't you glad it's not just you they don't answer?). The clerk repeats that it is company wide Hilton policy across all chains of some indeterminate long standing.

Lex says again that in 35 years of hotel stays and a recent week of Hilton stays it is news to us. Clerk is enraged, and finally tells Lex that when he can get through this morning he will "see that your (sic) Diamond status get revoked".

I am kind of speechless as Lex tells me this. He is mixedly mad and apologetic. Is this the Brave New World? Must we stop traveling?

I know that if these "policies" are really being widely adopted, they are for the protection of the corporation, not of me, but is this becoming more common? Should I try to call this clerk on this amazing overreaction? Who is empowering clerks to threaten customers like this?