mold at the swan?

[ittybittykitty]

We will be staying at the Swan for the first time and I keep reading posts (here and on other sites) about mold problems in the rooms. Is this in a majority of the rooms or are we just hearing about a few bad rooms over and over? I'm getting a little worried...

 

[rere]

Be worried, I was at the Dolphin, which I LOVE, 2 weeks ago and had to change rooms due to the mold/smell. And the new room was not much better. Had friends stay higher up and their rooms were ok. Good luck

 

[spoon full of sugar]

I was at the Swan Sept 30-Oct 2, the mold in our first room was so bad, you could see it on the wall paper. The second room was better, but still had the smell. Don't hesitate to ask to move if your first room is bad, I commented on it when we first walked in, but the bellman said it would air out with the a/c on. We came back after MNSSHP and it was worse. Had a really hard time getting a new room at 1 in the morning. If I hadn't told the front desk I had an allergy I don't think they would have moved us. It still took them an hour and a half to get us a new room. Other than that we had very good service. I wouldn't go back, because on top of the mold I hated the decor, but that's just me!

 

[SB in KY]

We have stayed there 3 times in the past2.5 years and never had a room with mold issues....of course I think in FL where the humidity and heat are "on" all year it is a very common problem (especially where they have the movement controlled AC units (like at the Swan and Dolphin)...so I am not doubting the experiences of others....but FL mildew is not the same as black molds that bother many allergy sufferers....I think they just see a little mildew and decide there is a problem...

Check in early and if you are unhappy with the state of the room/bathroom then call the desk and ask to move or have the room scrubbed (or carry a bottle of Tilex or X-14 and squirt it down yourself)

 

[WendyMichaelJohn]

Any more thoughts on mold? This would be a huge trip-killer for us, even if they moved us to another room.

Any thoughts?


Shel

 

[NancyIL]

I was at the Swan for 8 days...Oct 9-17...and no problems with mold in my room.

 

[spoon full of sugar]

The mold wasn't in the bathroom, it was in the room and in the AIR. BTW I am from Florida, so I am very used to mold, and I have never stayed anywhere that was as bad as the Swan. It even gave my husband a headache and he has no allergies and has a very weak sense of smell. I you get a good rate it might be worth suffering through, but NOT if you have allergies, you may end up in the hospital, no kidding.

 

[WendyMichaelJohn]

The mold wasn't in the bathroom, it was in the room and in the AIR. BTW I am from Florida, so I am very used to mold, and I have never stayed anywhere that was as bad as the Swan. It even gave my husband a headache and he has no allergies and has a very weak sense of smell. I you get a good rate it might be worth suffering through, but NOT if you have allergies, you may end up in the hospital, no kidding.

I have a child who is so allergic to mold, we actually moved out of our home because of mold problems. Ended up in the hospital. I got an unbelievable rate, as good as a value resort, but as common as the mold reports are, I don't know if we can risk it. Even the slightest bit of mold has us all sniffling, congested, and lots of headaches.

I can't make up my mind on this, but I have now seen the reports on Travelocity, Tripadvisor, the DIS (tons of DIS reports) allears, and a few other places. Sounds epidemic to me. I have to honestly wonder if the people who didn't smell it are not as sensitive to smells or if they got lucky.

I just hate to give up that fab location!!!! Ugh! I swear I thought the whole resort decision was done 6 months ago.

Shel

 

[WendyMichaelJohn]

I was at the Swan Sept 30-Oct 2, the mold in our first room was so bad, you could see it on the wall paper. The second room was better, but still had the smell. Don't hesitate to ask to move if your first room is bad, I commented on it when we first walked in, but the bellman said it would air out with the a/c on. We came back after MNSSHP and it was worse. Had a really hard time getting a new room at 1 in the morning. If I hadn't told the front desk I had an allergy I don't think they would have moved us. It still took them an hour and a half to get us a new room. Other than that we had very good service. I wouldn't go back, because on top of the mold I hated the decor, but that's just me!

Okay, if it was between a Value resort and the Swan with mold, which would you pick?

Shel

 

[bicker]

Don't bet that the value resort will be mold-free either. Florida is warm and moist -- there is mold everywhere. While some places are better than others at controlling it, it's just a matter of control, and the effectiveness of control can waiver over time.

 

[snels]

Hi,
We stayed at the Swan the first week in Oct. We had some mold issues. The Swan is one of our favorite resorts. We have stayed there 5 times. That being said, I may decide to stay somewhere else on our next visit. The maids sprayed something in our room to get rid of the smell, but that didn't help much.
We would have asked to change rooms, but we figured that all of the rooms were probably just as bad. My sister was also at the Swan. Her room was musty too, but not as bad as ours.

 

[NDAMomX2]

I've stayed at the Swan concierge level many times and have never had an issue with mold.

 

[spoon full of sugar]

WendyMichaelJohn I have to say I REALLY don't like the values. We stayed at ASsports once,and my husband, mister how much are we paying for this room?!, said NEVER AGAIN. So I would have a hard time with that decision.As I said in my previous posts, I am from Florida, am accustomed to the mold and mildew, and the Swan was the worst I have ever encountered. Have you looked into the AKL? Depending on what time of year you go, you can get a good deal. A standard room is fine, in my opinion, and much cheaper. The only problem I had was the buses, and I understand now the AKL doesn't share bus service anymore, so it's no longer a problem. I would rather spend more on the hotel and eat breakfast in the room, buy fewer tshirts etc. But thats just me.

 

[wilderness01]

We were just there in the summer and had a mold problem as well. Actually there was a big conference there and our limo driver said I was at least the 10th person in the last few days that said there room was full of mold. The smell was awful and we had visible mold growing down the wall. We at first thought it was the wallpaper separating, but upon closer inspection it was actually mold growing in a straight line down the wall. I would never stay there again. Good luck with your decision.

P.S. I have been to Florida several times in the summer and have never experienced the mold problem as much as we just did at the Swan.