Woman wakes at Tennessee hotel to snake slithering across her body

July 29 (UPI) -- A woman staying in a Tennessee hotel said she had a rude awakening when she opened her eyes to find a snake slithering across her body.

Melinda Major of Nashville said she traveled to East Memphis for a doctor's appointment and stayed at the Hampton Inn Walnut Grove, where she awoke Friday morning to an unexpected bedfellow.

"I'm not a snake person," Major told CNN. "I can deal with spiders and all the icky things, but snakes are not my thing."

She said she first felt something on her arm and opened her eyes to discover the green snake.

"It was a scary, scary situation," Major said.

Major said she quickly flipped the snake off her arm and called for help.

"It landed back on the bed and I jumped up on the desk and called the front office for them to come," she told WHBQ-TV.

Major said hotel staff ushered the snake out of her room. She said they compensated her for her stay.

The snake is believed to have been a harmless garden snake.

"The safety and security of our guests is our utmost priority at all times at the Hampton Inn Memphis-Walnut Grove/Baptist Hospital East," the hotel said in a statement. "Upon learning of the incident, the hotel immediately removed the snake and alerted pest control who surveyed the room further."