Hotels; sight unseen, regrets, downright fuck ups
Muddy
USA
You guys have any hotel horror stories out there? Be it OTC or no. To save money I’ll book online sometimes before I’m present at the property but over time I’ve become less inclined to do that. One dad visiting his son in college for family weekend im Poughkeepsie, NY was shot by some crooks who were probably staying there on some type of government vouchers, and that’s was at a Marriot for Christ’s sakes but it got me thinking of the topic. https://nypost.com/2022/10/04/marist-col…
One OTC I had I was in Northeast Philadelphia, didn’t look bad, a chain spot but literally a crack den, riddled with drug addicts. I’m glad I wasn’t staying there just hooking up with a girl and right the hell out. And this was daytime I can’t imagine what night is like.
Another wasn’t OTC just tired and driving on way to North Carolina. It was in Virginia a place called Southhold. It was a days inn this place was literally the projects, you could not tell the difference. My door was busted anyway so I’m was able to get a refund and I got the fuck out of there. Never again shit was fucked up.
You also got stuff going on around the country like in LA with a proposal where hotels got to report all vacancies so they could put homeless in those rooms. https://abc7.com/amp/homeless-hotel-los-… It looks like the bullshit is only gonna get worse.
One OTC I had I was in Northeast Philadelphia, didn’t look bad, a chain spot but literally a crack den, riddled with drug addicts. I’m glad I wasn’t staying there just hooking up with a girl and right the hell out. And this was daytime I can’t imagine what night is like.
Another wasn’t OTC just tired and driving on way to North Carolina. It was in Virginia a place called Southhold. It was a days inn this place was literally the projects, you could not tell the difference. My door was busted anyway so I’m was able to get a refund and I got the fuck out of there. Never again shit was fucked up.
You also got stuff going on around the country like in LA with a proposal where hotels got to report all vacancies so they could put homeless in those rooms. https://abc7.com/amp/homeless-hotel-los-… It looks like the bullshit is only gonna get worse.
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16 comments
I've had bedbugs at the Tropicana in Vegas, a Hilton Doubletree. The most overrated and expensive hotels I stayed in were in Manhattan. The Waldorf-Astoria and Helmsley may have been nice back in the day, but they are old and antiquated now. You get a room the size of a broom closet with no amenities for top dollar.
Bedbugs can show up at even the nicest hotels so you always have to take precautions.
I went to one that a friend had stayed at before and told me was clean and had great rates. I put my suitcase and bags on the coffee table, as well as the clothes I was wearing; I always do this and sleep naked my first night at any new hotel no matter how nice it is because of fear of bedbugs.
So I get into the bed to lay down and watch TV. After a few minutes, my arm was itchy. I figured it was just a hive from anxiety/stress about staying at a new hotel. So I stayed in the bed and watched some TV for a few minutes. Then I saw a bed bug crawling across the comforter right in front of me. I leaped up, put my clothes on, grabbed my bags and got the fuck out. Took the freeway 15 mins west to the nice, more expensive hotel that I usually would stay at. The first thing I did once I got there was take a nice hot shower. When I got out, I looked in the mirror and my body was covered in bed bug bites. Dozens and dozens of different bites. I had only laid in that awful hotel's bed for like 15 mins total.
Luckily the nicer hotel I fled to was one I'd stayed in many times and never had a problem with, and none of the bed bugs from The Bed Bug Hotel latched on to any of my stuff since I had been so cautious in the first place.
I gave that hotel a horrible google review and obviously never stayed there again. It was traumatizing.
The worst experience if other lodging is allowed to be mentioned: There was this one airbnb where I had parked on the street right next to the house and I got a parking ticket. The airbnb host never said anything about parking in a driveway, and generally if the hosts don’t tell me to park there then I’ll assume it’s more polite to park in the street. I called and asked why there weren’t any signs up on the street and was told “the signs are clearly marked when you drive into town.” ….??? If I had more free time on my hands, I would have driven the perimeter of that stupid place to look for the sign and possibly call them back to ask where it was. But alas, I caved, bailed out of there, and paid the thing. I won’t say exactly where the area was but that neighborhood really cares about one particular sports team and there were signs all over in huge support of them and that team alongside of the douchebags that are its fans can be deported off to Russia for all I care. F that place.
Around 1AM I heard someone trying to open the door to my room. I had the chain lock in place so he couldn't get the door open. Through the door I asked WTF he was doing and he said trying to get into his room. We went to the office together and found out that they had tried to rent my room to another person. At least I got to keep my room.
a friend and i were looking for a motel to crash for the evening. we found one in south jersey and were shown a room. on the carpeted floor was a chalk outline.
Maids trying to get in are always a problem if you are with a woman. I always remember to use the physical lock in those instances, but the maids still try to force their way in at inopportune times.
I used to enjoy the Royal Motel for OTC - as it was filthy and right on route 3 - not far from the Lincoln tunnel. It was sketchy on Saturday nights, and there were some unsavory characters around. Back in those days, bed bugs weren’t such a well known issue.
I’ve also done OTC at Newark airport holiday inns - that had a guard house and barbed wire fencing. The rooms were non smoking, but the smoke smell was already in the walls and ceilings. The walls were so thin, you could hear the folks fart in the next room.
On one road trip south - with a buddy - we stayed in a hotel that was cash only - and there was a strip club out by the road - and a gate to drive into the hotel parking lot. I turned the lights off in the room - and sat watching the roaches run under the door.
I used to take a Reading Pa dancer OTC to America’s Best Value inn - because it was very cheap - and it was close to her club. I always would get a room on the first floor - and make her walk across the parking lot wearing only her heels. She called me a dick - but she knew I loved the show - and she loved my money! There are some odd rodents out in Pa!
I immediately called the front desk to let them know that Houston we have a problem. They were duly horrified at the mistake and things were quickly made right.
And I’m just a single guy if you got a young family you really got to get it right.
But it is above probably the best strip club in the entire world.
My mind was hardly set at ease by the two-inch thick bulletproof glass at the reception (revulsion, lol?) desk. Well, it was the only room available, and the hotel did date back to rougher times....so, I registered, shoving my ID and credit card through the slot.
The room was dated, and mostly clean, and the decrepit window A/C worked noisily to keep the room cool.
I happily checked out the next morning and returned to Pittsburgh after my meeting.
Thankfully, that old hotel was leveled all the way to the basement three years ago to make room for a gentrified apartment!😁
I've stayed a LOT of places, and as mentioned by others, if it's a place I'm not overly familiar, I try to map the location and go through reviews. But even in areas that appear "nice", I can guarantee there will be reviews about how water isn't hot, bed bugs all over, noisy, etc. And these will be top brands with Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, etc - granted maybe not luxury line but far from Super 8 or something unknown.
I've had good stays in the hood and bad stays in the burbs and vice versa. I've left 1 star spots thinking "that wasn't so bad" and 4 star places thinking "what did I just pay for?"