Not long after I checked in to a specific hotel, I eventually spent the night in a rental car instead because the property was revoltingly disgusting — with plenty of photographs of my experience to prove that observation — and also because all of the other lodging options within 25 miles had no vacancy.
A Hotel Property So Disgusting, I Spent the Night in a Rental Car.
I walked through the door of the original room on the ground floor in which I was to stay, which opens up to the outside instead of an interior hallway — and it sorely needed to both be cleaned and freshly painted.
The walls of the room were not much better…
…as every wall was covered with filth and scuff marks. They desperately needed to be cleaned and painted as well.
Of the three drawers to the dresser, two of them included hair as well as particles of some unknown origin.
Thankfully, I rarely put any of my belongings in drawers — especially clothing.
The bottom drawer had no hair in it — but it still was far from clean.
I am not sure what happened to this miniature refrigerator to be beaten up like that — but even though it was aesthetically displeasing, I really did not care as long as it worked properly.
I then pulled the covers on what otherwise initially appeared to be a clean bed…
…only to notice several obvious stains of dried blood — as well as other patches of soiled areas on the sheets and covers.
I cannot imagine anyone looking at this coffee maker — which was caked with dust and who knows what else — and think about actually brewing something to drink.
The dusty frame of the spotty mirror was not properly attached or secured. This area is located just before the entrance of the bathroom, into which I went to inspect.
Splotches of mold of various sizes was all over the ceiling over the bathtub. A close up view of one small portion of the ceiling with the mold is shown below, with smaller spots which are not immediately visible upon first glance.
The Second Room
I had had more than enough of what I saw, as too many potential hazards deemed the room uninhabitable, in my opinion — so I went to the front desk to let the agent know. When he came out from the back office, I explained to him what I saw — as well as showed him several of the photographs. He shook his head in disgust and acted extremely embarrassed, as he explained to me that he only had two full-time employees in housekeeping due to the current shortage of labor in the United States; and a couple more employees were in training.
“I appreciate your situation; but these conditions are still unacceptable,” I replied politely. “I am not staying in this room.”
He agreed — and shortly thereafter, he gave me the plastic keys to a room on the second floor. I walked in to immediately inspect that room.
The first thing I noticed is when I attempted to secure the door, it was impossible because both parts would not align properly — which means that my safety and security in the room was compromised at best…
…and if you are wondering what that red and white coloring was on the gray curtain…
…well…so was I. I still have no idea or clue.
I did not even have to pull the worn and pilled cover to notice what appeared to be holes created by burns from cigarettes…
…as well as long hair which was obviously not mine.
More holes in the sheets and cover — as well as more hair — were immediately found upon pulling the covers partially off.
The bathroom did not seem to be moldy; but it was still stained and repulsive — and I had no idea what may be lurking behind the walls, as mold could be there as well.
As I descended down the outside staircase, I noticed something on the floor which caught my eye: it appeared to be a rat trap.
Final Boarding Call
I went to the front desk again and let the agent know that even though the second room was much better than the first room, it still did not meet the basic requirements of a reasonably clean place to spend the night. I then showed him more photographs; and he once again appeared to be mortified. He downloaded all of the photographs from my mobile telephone while simultaneously agreeing with my assessments of both hotel rooms.
“I just want a reasonably clean hotel room in which I can work, shower, shave, and brush my teeth” is what I responded when he asked me what he could do to make things right. He tried to book me a room in a different hotel property; but it was sold out.
He then did something which I thought was strange: he said that one guest still had not shown up; so he did not know if he could release that room to me yet. He even attempted to contact the guest but was unsuccessful — so he offered for me to wait until that guest called back before he could release the room to me. I was not about to waste an inordinate amount of time waiting for some guest to call back; and I was already there. Why not release the room to me at that moment?
I told him I would let the parent company know about my experience; that my night was already ruined — the time was after 12:30 in the morning at that point — and that at that point, I would rather spend the night in the rental car…
…which I did. I do not expect absolute perfection; but I do not believe that the hotel property in question would pass a routine health inspection. It should be closed down until it is cleaned up and meets the basic standards of cleanliness, in my opinion.
I am not naming the specific hotel property just yet, as I am awaiting the response and outcome of the lodging company of which this hotel property is part of one of its brands, as I had contacted the customer service department via telephone immediately after getting into the rental car.
Please stay tuned…
