Hotel Horror Stories-- Let's Share

[kilee]

For Fun let's share hotel horror stories--- they can be in Orlando or anywhere (since this is the "hotel & accomodation's" board).

It will make for some good holiday weekend reading.

 

[Hedy]

Worst hotel EVER-Red Fox Inn Somewhere in the great beyond of VT. My mom found it in the back of Boston magazine and it had a great rate.
We get there and it's deserted. No one is there at registration. We leave and come back. We go in to register-it's my mother, father, grandmother and myself (I was 12 or so at the time). There's a dude passed out drunk (at least that's what we always hope he was). We check in.
We go to dinner. At dinner, the waiter informed us that we're in the middle of a watch area for a murder on the loose. We return and for some reason return to the lobby. There is human excrement on the floor. We go to bed. When I awake the next morning, my grandmother informs me there was a mouse in our bathroom that night. I report this to my parents. My dad announces we're switching to our usual motel. I responded with something along the lines of "Daddy, please!" My grandmother and mother did not want to move. We stayed.

 

[RUDisney]

My worst hotel stay was in Moscow, Russia. When we were first there, we stayed at 2 different 5-star Marriots. These hotels were lovely in every sense of the word.

In order to finalize our adoption, our coordinator told us that he wanted us to stay at the Belgrad hotel because it was closer to the US Embassy. The Belgrad is a 3-star Russian hotel. Russian stars are far different from American stars, BTW. We kept protesting this hotel. There was a 5-star European hotel across the street and there were other hotels also close to the Embassy. Our translator kept telling us how nice the Belgrad was, plus it was only $120 per night compared to the $300+ to stay at the other hotels. We kept insisting that we didn't care how much things cost. We finally gave in because the other family that was with us said they could stand to save a few dollars.

When we got to the room, it was like something straight out of The Brady Bunch. While clean, it was awful. The windows of our 9th floor corner room were filthy. I actually have video of the area and through these grotesquely filthy windows. The only English speaking channel was the BBC's version of headline news. That's fine for a while but it gets boring watching the same show every 1/2 hour.

Since we were leaving the next day, we decided to go to bed at 9:00. Around 9:15, the couple in the next room started <ahem> making noises. My DH and I were giggling like school girls. If we could hear them, they had to have heard us. When they were finished we thought about applauding them. That's when Round 2 started... then Round 3... then a shower and Round 4. We figured that they either weren't married or there was more than one man in the room. For all of the cheap places I ever stayed in college, I never heard anyone in the next room.

Anyway, more on the Belgrad. They had breakfast included in the cost of the room. We went to see what they had. It was typical Russian fare, done cheaply. My DH took one look at it and went across the street to McDonald's. The kids and I were able to find things that were edible.

When we were checking in, there was a guest comments book displayed. We started to thumb through it and everyone's comments were similar. "Run! Fast and far from the Belgrad!" "This is the worst hotel in which I've ever stayed!" and on and on like that.

The only other hotel that was a horror story was in Colorado Springs. AAA had it listed as a 3 diamond hotel and it was cheap. DH and I were just married and we couldn't afford to prolong our stay after a conference at the Broadmoor. When we got to the parking lot, our rental was the nicest car in the lot. DH said we should leave immediately. I said that they already had our cc number, and maybe it was nicer inside than out. From checkin to checkout we took about 5-minutes. The room was very dirty and smelled.

When we went back to the front desk to tell them that we were leaving, the woman at the desk asked if we had used the beds. I told her that if we were going to be that quick about things, we'd have stayed in the car. I told her I didn't want to step on the carpeting let alone get on the beds. We drove up the highway and found another inexpensive hotel that was at least clean.

 

[willise]

Ours was Cuba in 98. We had booked a 5 star resort for three couples, two through one tour operator and one through a travel agency. The two couples were advised at teh airport in Holguin that the hotel had been flooded and was not available. The other couple, strangely, went on to the hotel! Anyway we were advised that we would be taken to the hotel in the morning and that we would be put up for the night in a "comparable" resort. By this time it was after midnight. So we drove to the comparable hotel in the town of Moron. Our first impression was a man urinating on the front steps of the hotel. There were others standing on the steps, just looking, as if this was the norm. As we walked into the hotel, my wife was asked how much she "charged"!! We ignored the comment and the four of us went to our "room" after the tour operator got into a huge argument with the desk clerk, who obviously wasn't prepared for our arrival. The door to the room was about 2" off the floor, so that all manners of bugs could crawl in. The beds were messed up, stains on the sink, and what looked like streaking fingers on the mirror. You had to put your finger into a small hole in the air conditioner to turn it on. We never slept at all that night! LOL We stood up in our room the whole night, afraid to lie in the bed or touch anything.

The next morning, we went downstairs to learn they had been arranging breakfast for us. There was no way that we were going to eat there no matter how hungry we were. So we waited in the courtyard where there seemed to be a small farm. We then saw what we guessed was the "chef" come out of the kitchen door, grab a peacock by the neck and go back into the kitchen!!!!

Luckily, the tour bus arrived at that moment and EVERYBODY ran for the bus. We arrived at the resort, and it truly was beautiful. The rest of the trip was fantastic, but we will never forget our Moron visit!

 

[kilee]

Our's was at the Travelodge in Daytona Beach-- don't know what we were thinking. My husband wanted to stay across from the racetrack.

We paid $99/nt for this room. Which isn't much-- but $20 would of been too much.

We found feces smeared all over the shower curtain. The bedding had numerous burn holes in it- sheets, pillowcases, and comforters. The carpet was extremely crusted over. It was disgusting. Made you feel filthy just to be there.


The worst people exp at a hotel we had was at the Marriott Courtyard in VA Beach. We had a gorgeous suite here, w/ an oceanfront balcony. The hotel itself was newer, and well worth the price.

BUT...... for 2 nights we had a family in the room next to us--- from what we could hear the father was beating the kids. They were rowdy kids-- but from the sounds of their voices they were terrified of him. He said he was going to hit them w/ his belt- and we could hear the sound of something striking skin. Then the terrified begs and pleads from each of the kids and the mom. This happened 7 times in 2 day's. I really didn't know what to do about it. It just really made for an upset vacaton--- I didn't want to hear that in my $275/nt suite. I wanted to call the front desk. My husband told me to stay out of it, because we didn't know for sure what was going on. Still bugs me to this day.

 

[Firedog]

Mine would have to be a hotel in Daytona Beach also. My GF (now DW) and I had flown into Daytona, but spent the week at Disney. The day before we flew out we decided to spend a day at the beach in Daytona. Picked a 3 star hotel (The Ivanhoe) out of the AAA book, which I also had friends stay out 6 years earlier, and thought everything was fine.

Checked in, everything looked great, dropped off luggage in the room and hit the beach. Returned to the room early evening and notice an abnormal amount of cockroaches scurrying up and down the walls. We see them crawling on our suitcases as well.

Called front desk to request another room, and am told that it's impossible that they have any bugs in their hotel. Get moved to another room which ends up being directly under the previous room. Walk in and immediately see cockroach races going on. Call front desk to tell them we'll be checking out.

As we arrive at the front desk there is another couple checking in and they overhear our conversation with the manager regarding the bugs. He reassures them that they have no bugs in their hotel. After receiving our refund, I told the manager that although you say you don't have any, you can keep these ones, and I dump my carry-on bag onto the front counter and three or four bugs fall out and go scurrying off.

I don't think the other couple completed their check-in.

Spent the next hour finding another hotel with vacancy, and going through every article of clothing checking for bugs (found one).

 

[meloneyb21]

Ours was Cuba in 98. We had booked a 5 star resort for three couples, two through one tour operator and one through a travel agency. The two couples were advised at teh airport in Holguin that the hotel had been flooded and was not available. The other couple, strangely, went on to the hotel! Anyway we were advised that we would be taken to the hotel in the morning and that we would be put up for the night in a "comparable" resort. By this time it was after midnight. So we drove to the comparable hotel in the town of Moron. Our first impression was a man urinating on the front steps of the hotel. There were others standing on the steps, just looking, as if this was the norm. As we walked into the hotel, my wife was asked how much she "charged"!! We ignored the comment and the four of us went to our "room" after the tour operator got into a huge argument with the desk clerk, who obviously wasn't prepared for our arrival. The door to the room was about 2" off the floor, so that all manners of bugs could crawl in. The beds were messed up, stains on the sink, and what looked like streaking fingers on the mirror. You had to put your finger into a small hole in the air conditioner to turn it on. We never slept at all that night! LOL We stood up in our room the whole night, afraid to lie in the bed or touch anything.

The next morning, we went downstairs to learn they had been arranging breakfast for us. There was no way that we were going to eat there no matter how hungry we were. So we waited in the courtyard where there seemed to be a small farm. We then saw what we guessed was the "chef" come out of the kitchen door, grab a peacock by the neck and go back into the kitchen!!!!
Luckily, the tour bus arrived at that moment and EVERYBODY ran for the bus. We arrived at the resort, and it truly was beautiful. The rest of the trip was fantastic, but we will never forget our Moron visit!

OMG!!!

I would have DIED if I saw that!

 

[Grumpy23]

My worst experience was probably at the Hilton Springfield in Alexandria, VA. It wasn't a bad hotel, we had stayed there before, but the one time, we arrived late at night. They brought a fold out cot into the room for my son. We were all tired and went right to sleep.

The next morning we woke up and were getting ready to head to DC for the day. My son and husband were out in the hotel hallway walking around and I went into the bathroom to shower. I got completely undressed and turned on the shower. When I went to sit down to go to the bathroom, I looked next to me and hanging on the wall is a BAT! Here I was, completely naked, in a small hotel bathroom with a bat in the room. I got so freaked out, I ran out of bathroom and grabbed a sheet to throw around me and ran into the hallway screaming for my son and husband.

We called the front desk and they didn't believe us at first. They came up and promptly removed the bat, the poor guy was in there banging around with the door closed for what seemed like forever. They suggested that maybe we brought it into the hotel with us.

I was so mad, I said you have got to be kidding me, no, a BAT was not on my list of things to pack. We later found out that they store their cots in a room that is on the top floor of the hotel. A housekeeping person said more than likely it was in that room since it was used for storage and was in the cot when they delivered it to our room. It still skeeves me out to think we slept in the room that night with a bat in there.

Anyway, the hotel staff was very unapologetic so we checked out and went to a different Hilton in the area for the rest of our stay.

 

[lookingforward]

Los Angeles at a "nice" hotel near the airport the night before we flew to Japan, 1991 (with our baby). Checked into what was termed by the clerk as "our last room available". It was a mess, and as I waited for housekeeping I found a "used" adult magazine in the drawer, various hairs in and on the bed, and an uncleaned bathroom. The baby crib they brought was a porta-crib and sticky and dirty. The housekeeper was not too happy about being called out so late and said that our "room" was the staff rest area. NICE.
Needless to say, I did not sleep. I asked her for several clean sheets and put them on top of the bed and lay there with my son in my arms until the morning.

One positive...I slept really well on the long flight to Japan.

The employee rest area, yea right. Did not look like they went there to sleep.

 

[Mkrop]

my story was when DH and I went away for a weeknd in the Poconos. We were booked into the Fernwood Resort. Well we open the door to a completely red room with a round bed, mirrors on the ceiling, red crushed velvet wallpaper and a heart shaped tub. We were not expecting this at all!
Also given all the red, it made the room VERY dark so I went over to open the window to let in some light to be greeted by a brick wall. We made the best of it but we actually found that when did want to sleep that the round bed was not the easy thing to sleep on!

 

[RUDisney]

my story was when DH and I went away for a weeknd in the Poconos. We were booked into the Fernwood Resort. Well we open the door to a completely red room with a round bed, mirrors on the ceiling, red crushed velvet wallpaper and a heart shaped tub. We were not expecting this at all!
Also given all the red, it made the room VERY dark so I went over to open the window to let in some light to be greeted by a brick wall. We made the best of it but we actually found that when did want to sleep that the round bed was not the easy thing to sleep on!

You see, this is EXACTLY what I would have expected in the Poconos. That's what places like Fernwood and Caesars were known for. We were asked if we wanted a champagne tub when DH's uncle bought and razed a hotel in the Poconos. It was more of a joke than anything, but he threw a TON of them away. That was the "thing" in the Poconos for a long while.

 

[disneypalgal]

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Probably the only little hotel behind the "Cat". A few of us were staying in adjoining rooms and were having a get together (read: a few bottles of wine were being devoured). The toilet backed up on one of the ladies, and she called out to us to call the front desk for help. Well, help arrived - the lady from the front desk knocked on our door to hand us the plunger. The PLUNGER. I could not believe it. Guess this was the Yarmouth 'fix it yerself hotel.

 

[Mkrop]

You see, this is EXACTLY what I would have expected in the Poconos. That's what places like Fernwood and Caesars were known for. We were asked if we wanted a champagne tub when DH's uncle bought and razed a hotel in the Poconos. It was more of a joke than anything, but he threw a TON of them away. That was the "thing" in the Poconos for a long while.

Call us clueless!

 

[dvcnewgirl]

In Deltona on the way to Disney. We stayed at a comfort inn I think? Anyway, We checked in and the room was dirty, I would not have stayed but we were so tired we could not drive one more minute. So I laid out some of my husbands clothes and laid on top of them. Then we went to sleep 2 hours later a prostitute and 2 drug dealers got into a fight in the room next door. They were screaming about not getting there $$ and I was afraid there was going to be gunfire. So we packed up and headed out. It was SO scary!

 

[kydisneyfans]

We had a mouse in the room eating peanuts at 3:30 one morning-everyone thought it was just someone else in the room up eating, but it wasn't. This was an interstate motel in Medina, OH.

We also had another creature in the room under the bed in VA, we packed and left several hours early as we did not want to find out what we were living with.

 

[KimAshton]

Ok this post is so creeping me out.

 

[miss missy]

I cant read this thread since I already get skeeved out by things that can happen....

One hotel we got not in DISNEY, a guy left his undies on the shelf, they were about size 60!! totally made me ill.

DH and I just went to one that had massages too. It is also a family hotel. We were walking down the hall and hear someone screaming and I was like when DH laughed at me it dawned on me, they were doing the horizontal shuffle!

 

[marivaid]

In London with my sister & her friend - that was her friend's first time out of the country. I was about 16 at the time.
We'd booked a hotel we read a good review for in a guidebook. It was "affordable" (for London!!!) at about $120 for a room with 3 twin beds.

We go inside and there's a guy sitting behind a glass partition who doesn't acknowledge us. Some guy is passed out on the stairs and there's a dirty, half naked little kid sitting next to him playing with a doll.

We talk to the guy and he says something about the hotel being full and he's going to take us to another of his hotels but we have to wait for his friend to bring the car. In the meantime we can wait downstairs in the kitchen. He takes us downstairs in the basement and tells us to wait here. It's dirty and there's roaches under the sink. A mentally handicapped man is here boiling water for his tea and he's drooling on the table.
By that time the three of us are pretty freaked out but we don't have a lot of options - if we go back upstairs the guy will see us. So we went to "explore" and found a back door in the basement, ran outside and kept on running !!! We found a great little hotel in Earl's Court and had a good laugh, but it definitely wasn't funny at the time.

That whole trip was kind of a disaster anyway. Because my sis & her friend wanted to stay & play video games at Segaworld, we missed the last train back to Paris and had no money for a hotel. We ended up sleeping on the couch at the police station.

Yeah and these are the 2 people I want to take to Disney soon, maybe I should reconsider

 

[inkkognito]

I've had two memorable hotel experiences:

The first was at the Park Inn near Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. We apparently were staying there at the same time as a HUGE high school group. At 1 a.m. they were still running through the halls, screaming, pounding on doors, etc. I called the front desk, and apparently they told them to go in their rooms...so they all pile into the room next to ours! More noise and another call to the desk at 2 a.m. Clerk says he can't do anything because their chaperones are staying in a different section of the hotel and he doesn't want to wake them. I was furious, and neither DH nor I slept all night. Thank goodness we were only there for one night, but the thing that ticked me off was that we had paid cash for the room when checking in. We NEVER NEVER do that but did it this once since it was just one night and we had some extra money from the trip. The next morning, I was spitting bullets and demanding a discount; the clerk says, "Well, you can eat at the breakfast buffet for free" (it was overrun with the same kids tearing it up, slopping food around, etc.). No thank you! If I had paid by credit card, I would have stopped the charge immediately, but unfortunately I had no leverage whatsoever. I wrote a letter when I got back home, but it was ignored.

The second experience was at a hotel in Daytona Beach where I was on a church retreat. It was supposedly a "Conference Center" but didn't even have internet access. The pillowcases were stained with an unidentifiable substance. The elevator routinely stopped at random floors or even between floors, but I was stuck taking it because there was a huge pool of vomit in the stairwell that was never cleaned up in the entire weekend I was there. Ugh!! Needless to say, the retreat was at a different place this year.

 

[WatchinCaptKangaroo]

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia
Probably the only little hotel behind the "Cat". A few of us were staying in adjoining rooms and were having a get together (read: a few bottles of wine were being devoured). The toilet backed up on one of the ladies, and she called out to us to call the front desk for help. Well, help arrived - the lady from the front desk knocked on our door to hand us the plunger. The PLUNGER. I could not believe it. Guess this was the Yarmouth 'fix it yerself hotel.

Do you remember the name?

Signed a SoCali girl.