We have been in a mid of a legal immigration process to Canada back home (Central Asia) and it was a decade and a half ago. One day me best friend called me and asked if I want to come over as she want to introduce me to someone. I stopped by just to find out that her relatives came in to the country for their first visit in last 17 years. I never saw them before but knew that they left the country to another country to another country and then they haven’t been heard of for quite a while.
We were introduced and I learned they ended up living in Canada in the same city we had in mind to settle at upon getting our visas. They were nice people with two teenage girls and they even invited us to stay over with them when we arrive and till we would be able to find an apartment. I politely declined the offer as I didn't feel comfortable imposing my entire family including two boys (one as a toddler back then) and all newcomers’ issues on them. They insisted and I left it hanging in the air hoping to deal with it later on. Almost two years have passed since the meeting; we didn’t stay in touch with that family that went back to Canada.
Eventually we got visas and I started looking online for a hotel in that city in Canada with more or less prolonged stay and at a reasonable price. One evening I put a list of hotels together and decided to start sending the availability requests to general hotels’ e-mail addresses – booking online wasn't an option back then.
I sent the first e-mail to the hotel being on top of my list and in approximately 20 minutes I got a reply back saying: “Hello, hello, webnetcat! We haven’t heard from you! Happy to know you got your visas! I just called Mom and she said no way they stay in the hotel and told me to tell you that you stay with us!..”
Somehow I managed to pick up a hotel where the elder daughter of that visiting family worked as a part-time (!) receptionist/booking agent - the family I met just once two years ago and the girl somehow managed to remember me and my name! She didn't work back then as she was still in Grade 10 neither her Mom or anyone else worked or was somehow connected to that hotel.
Moreover, there was no mentioning of that hotel or any other particular hotel at all as I simply wasn't at that stage of my planning yet! What were the odds of me contacting that specific hotel in a city with a population over 3 million people and getting in touch with that girl, I don’t know…