TripAdvisor Lifts the Lid on America's Dirtiest Hotels

NEWTON, Mass., Jan. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the top 10 dirtiest hotels in America, according to traveler ratings for cleanliness on TripAdvisor. Now in its sixth year, and true to its promise to share the whole truth about hotels to help travelers plan their trips, TripAdvisor names and shames the nation's most hair-raising hotels.

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This year, the tarnished title of America's dirtiest hotel goes to Grand Resort Hotel & Convention Center, in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The southern belle hotel failed to charm TripAdvisor travelers; 87 percent of those who reviewed it recommended against staying there. The unpopular property elicited such hotel review titles as "Worst Hotel Stay of My Life," "Stay Anywhere Else But Here," and "Absolutely Horrible!"  

2011's Top 10 Dirtiest Hotels in the U.S.:

1.  Grand Resort Hotel & Convention Center - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

2.  Jack London Inn -  Oakland, California

3.  Desert Inn Resort - Daytona Beach, Florida

4.  Hotel Carter - New York City, New York

5.  Polynesian Beach & Golf Resort - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

6.  Atlantic Beach Hotel - Miami Beach, Florida

7.  Rodeway Inn - Williamsville, New York

8.  Super 8 Estes Park - Denver, Colorado

9.  Palm Grove Hotel and Suites - Virginia Beach, Virginia

10.  Econo Lodge Newark International Airport - Elizabeth, New Jersey

New York City's infamous Hotel Carter made its return to the dirtiest hotel list in 2011, and has appeared on the list five times in six years.

"For the sixth consecutive year, TripAdvisor is shining a light on those U.S. hotels which have made a mark on their guests for all the wrong reasons," said Karen Drake, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor. "From TripAdvisor's core, we believe that candid reviews – good, bad and ugly – empower travelers to see it all so they can plan and experience the best possible trips." 

The unveiling of the dirtiest hotels follows TripAdvisor's announcement of the world's best hotels in the 2011 Travelers' Choice® awards. This year 676 establishments were recognized in the ninth year of the honors, across categories including Trendiest, Best Luxury, Best Bargains and Best B&Bs and Inns.

TripAdvisor site data also reveals that overall, traveler ratings on TripAdvisor continue to climb, currently averaging a four out of five rating. Despite this growth in traveler satisfaction, the 10 dirtiest U.S. hotels indicate that some properties still need to clean up their act.  

"While the list of dirtiest hotels is compiled from traveler ratings for cleanliness, invariably, it seems that poor hygiene indicates overall poor conditions. All told, 85 percent of TripAdvisor travelers who reviewed these ten properties recommend against staying there," continued Drake.    

Excerpts from recent TripAdvisor traveler reviews of the America's Dirtiest Hotels:

1. Grand Resort Hotel & Convention Center - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

"If you are looking for a hotel with chewing tobacco spit oozing down the halls and corridors; spiders actively making webs in every corner of your room; carpeting so greasy and dirty you wouldn't want to sit your luggage down - let alone walk around barefoot...... by all means, stay at The Grand Resort."

2. Jack London Inn -  Oakland, California

"The rooms displayed a level of filth and discomfort that mere neglect could never produce. The parking lot resembled a post apocalyptic junk yard. The halls reeked of cigarette smoke, body odor, and failure."

3. Desert Inn Resort - Daytona Beach, Florida

"The ceiling was peeling, the walls were cracked, there were cigarette burns throughout the room, the Jacuzzi tub did not look clean, the bed was not a pillow top as advertised and very hard, I located a few small bugs on the box spring, some of the wood was rotten in the bathroom, and the balcony was littered with old cigarette butts."

4. Hotel Carter - New York City, New York

"The first thing we had to do was buy cleaning products - not that it made a difference. The carpets were that dirty I refused to walk on the floor without shoes on - choosing to jump from bed to bed or bed to draws."

5. Polynesian Beach & Golf Resort - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

"The floor of the room was dirty, if you took a shower your feet would turn black. The lamp shade in the room had exposed wires and did not work. The floor in the bathroom was peeling up, a great trip hazard."

6. Atlantic Beach Hotel - Miami Beach, Florida

"The shower curtain had an unidentified gelatinous substance, the air conditioner wasn't working and being held up by tape, there was a big hole in the wall, the sheets weren't cleaned."

7. Rodeway Inn - Williamsville, New York

"The room, however, made an indelible mark on all of us: chipped and peeling concrete around the ceilings, pieces of the bathtub disintegrating and rusting, black streaks on the walls, and worst of all, crusty white stains on the blankets and sheets."

8. Super 8 Estes Park - Denver, Colorado

"All of the pillows smelled like smoke and greasy hair. Each of the comforters had large stains on them when pulled back and it was very obvious that they had not been laundered in a LONG time."

9. Palm Grove Hotel and Suites - Virginia Beach, Virginia

"We found a baby bottle laying next to our bed upon entering the room, sand in the floor and on the sheets, beer bottles on the balcony."

10. Econo Lodge Newark International Airport - Elizabeth, New Jersey:

"There was mold, stains on the carpet... there was something sticky on the comforter and the topper of it all... we probably have 25 bug bites between the two of us."

For a breath of fresh air, check out the complete 2011 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice list of the world's best hotels at http://www.tripadvisor.com/travelerschoice.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features (including Flights search, TripAdvisor Mobile and TripAdvisor Trip Friends) with seamless links to booking tools.

TripAdvisor® Media Group, operated by TripAdvisor LLC, attracts more than 50 million unique monthly visitors* across 17 popular travel brands**. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 40 million unique monthly visitors***, 20 million members, and over 40 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 27 countries worldwide****, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also operates TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor's millions of monthly visitors. The division includes Business Listings, which allows hoteliers to connect directly to millions of researching travelers, and Vacation Rentals, which helps property managers and individual home owners list their properties and showcase hotel alternatives. 

TripAdvisor Media Group websites have been recognized as top travel resources in 2010 by Conde Nast Traveller, Good Housekeeping, TIME magazine and Travel + Leisure.

TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Group are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE).

TripAdvisor, Travelers' Choice and the TripAdvisor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

©2011 TripAdvisor LLC.  All rights reserved. 

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Media Group Sites, Worldwide, August 2010

** In addition to TripAdvisor, The TripAdvisor Media Group of websites includes: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com and www.kuxun.cn.

***Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, Worldwide, August 2010

**** TripAdvisor sites operate in 27 countries worldwide: www.tripadvisor.com, www.tripadvisor.co.uk, www.tripadvisor.ca, www.tripadvisor.it, www.tripadvisor.es, www.tripadvisor.de, www.tripadvisor.fr, www.tripadvisor.jp, www.daodao.com, www.tripadvisor.in, www.tripadvisor.se, nl.tripadvisor.com, www.tripadvisor.com.br, www.tripadvisor.com.tr, www.tripadvisor.dk, www.tripadvisor.com.mx, www.tripadvisor.ie, www.tripadvisor.com.au, www.tripadvisor.com.sg, www.tripadvisor.co.kr, no.tripadvisor.com, pl.tripadvisor.com, th.tripadvisor.com, www.tripadvisor.ru, www.tripadvisor.com.gr/, www.tripadvisor.co.id and www.tripadvisor.com.ar.

SOURCE TripAdvisor