@FLConsumer: Holy Sh#t!

That could actually be funny if it weren't true.

We'd always wondered why there were always so many people in the lobby (we'd stayed next door a few times), turns out they couldn't bring themselves to spend any more time than necessary in their rooms.

Looking at tripadvisor photos.

Wow, this hotel sucks.

They are entitled to, but that doesn't make it any less silly to sleep in a visibly filthy bed in an obviously filthy hotel and complain about it afterward. If you want to lower your standards, go right ahead. But that was your decision. It's not like the hotel was engaging in deceptive practices to disguise its poor cleaning standards, like having cleaning staff switch dirty bed sheets for different unwashed ones, shining hotel glasses with the toilet rag, etc.

@robotrousers: Yeah, I posted about that, too. I looked at that review and they posted it today and just joined today. I don't believe the review. I think someone is trying to mitigate the bad press.

@nicemarmot617: OK, I'll share my Hotel Penn story- Check in was kind of crazy- a large non-english speaking tour group was in the lobby having some kind of problem with their reservations. I got my keycard and went to the room. When I opened the door I suprised a guy sitting on the bed taking his shoes off. I apologized and went back down to the front desk, elbowed my way past the clamoring tourists and got another room.
This one was on a higher floor, and the hallway was noticeably darker and dingier. The room was very small and worn, but did not seem to all that dirty.
Two odd things, though: The window air conditioner seemed to be in a death struggle with the heater- both were running at full tilt. And the telephone was resting on the chair rather than the small table..I found this was because the phone cord was only about 3 feet long, so it was either the chair or the floor, I guess.
Overall it was kind of creepy, I was glad to only be there for one night.

The first review I read was 4 stars, and blamed the mice, bugs and filth on European tourists! LOL.

With those nasty hotels, she might not be able to bring her pussy on the road.

@parad0x360:

The exposed electrical outlets seem like a major cause for concern. You'd think that the place would have been shut down years ago.

I used to work in the building next door, and we had a rodent problem as well. I think any building in proximity to a major tunnel-based transportation hub is going to have to be more vigilant about pest control. Penn might be saved with some care and attention, but who knows.

Hotel Carter on the other hand needs to be shut down and bulldozed immediately. The photos on Trip Advisor gave me physical chills. I've seen more than a few disgusting dwellings in the NYC area over the years, and none come close to these photos. My boyfriend was especially delighted about this article, since he first stayed here 20 years ago when looking for work in the city. Back then, it was a YMCA with linoleum and bunk beds, populated by addicts and prostitutes. He ended up leaving before he could spend the night at the urging of his local friend.

because they are a one star hotel, they have one star standards of cleanliness

"Exactly how good is a one-star hotel?"

"Can I put it to you this way, Mrs. Slocombe: there is no such thing as a no-star hotel."

For $100/night, I don't expect much, but I do expect some level of decency.

@Gokuhouse: You've never been to NYC have you?

The Penn's worn but serviceable. The Carter is... worse than the worst accommodation I've had in 3rd world countries.

Hey, check out the review posted today blaming the foreign visitors for the bugs and mice. Huh? The person who posted it joined today, too. I think it's by someone who works there.

Avoid Hotel Bogart.

I know this isn't a hotel review site, but just had to chime in.

We were nervous about our selection, but decided to take the chance so that we could have much more spending money.

We had no problems at all. Of course the rooms weren't new and shiny, but they weren't excessively dirty. Also that was a very hot week and we were glad that the a/c worked wonderfully as well.

Even the dead mouse in the photos seems to be shrieking in horror.

@Smashville: And perhaps the live ones, too.

@Coles_Law:
...sandals you don't like...

[en.wikipedia.org]

@COELACANTH: I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, people are putting up with it because they either A: can't afford a better hotel or B: Find out too late what a nasty place it is, and have no other choice but to stay there.

It unfortunate, and I hope with a lot of bad PR, they'll fix the place up to at least acceptable.

I can't afford them, so I don't travel. I don't lower my standards in order to do so; I just try to save money so that I don't have to sleep with bed bugs. It's called dignity and personal standards.

If you travel to a pricey city like New York, and expect to stay in the city, you should also expect that having an enjoyable trip is going to be an expensive affair. It's not right, but that's the way it is. I don't think most of these people were shocked to find that out either. I think that they read the reviews, thought everyone else was being whiny, and then were unpleasantly surprised to find that they weren't as ready and willing to slum it as they thought they were.

@verucalise: The fact is, even for $122/night, you shouldn't have to put up with that sort of nightmare.

Wasn't this the hotel where Duane and Belial stayed in "Basket Case"???

Honestly though, would you stay in this hotel after you checked in and saw the filth and bugs and nastiness? I would grab my crap and leave and if necessary file a chargeback with my credit card company to get my money back for the nights I didn't stay there. But of course I would also take pics and send them to the credit card company as proof as to why no human should sleep in that nasty hellhole. BTW what was up with the pic of the dead mouse covered in what looked to be Coke dust? Did it OD or something? Heh!

I find it hard to believe that a bed that was full of bugs wouldn't show visible signs of being disgusting. If you are willing to lower your standards of hygiene to sleep somewhere like this, you kind of shouldn't bitch about it afterward.

An excerpt:

"We were tired, we had had a long flight,
on checking in, our senses were not aware of our plight,
five minutes in the room, we began to sense the gloom,
the hotel was a hellhole."

That place reminds me of Blue Creek Apartments in Silent Hill 2. Though, not as nice.

"There's a dead WHORE under the mattress!"

I loved Four Rooms....

*Chop Chop*

this is a story i sent in as a tip to gridskipper; it's a shame the video is gone, but the upshot is that even high-end hotels can have some pretty repulsive cleaning practices. and it's not necessarily their fault either- unmonitored employees will cut corners; it's human nature.

@TrueBlue63: Remember, if there's condoms in the vending machine, wear sandals in the shower.

@Mr. Guy: I'm fairly positive that if they used the slogan "Nasty ass rooms for the price, ignore the frisbee sized insects, diseased rodents, and used condoms" that the business would FLOCK right on in.

/exageration

"The Hotel Carter has a sordid history, according to the AP: An employee killed a co-worker with a knife and hammer at the front desk in 1999 and a half-naked woman was pushed out of a window in 1997."

tripadvisor places the unranked hotels at the bottom of the list.

I guess they suppose negative news is better than no news.

Apparently, you get what you pay for.

Of course, like everyone else- I am thoroughly grossed out by the pictures but lets be reasonable. If it looks like too good of a deal, it probably is. They keep in business because of their prices and location. It's the sad truth. Where are the NYC inspectors??

Is still in business, corpse mattresses and all.

I stayed at the Roosevelt on 45th and Madison (4 blocks from Times Square) for $150 a night, January 5-10. It was immaculately clean and beautiful.

Dateline should do their next hotel blacklight special there.

Some people just want a clean room with a shower, bed and TV...

Our Triple Room type is a Standard room with 1 king bed and 1 double bed room has private bath plus basic cable television and ac.

Sounds lots of people are being serviced in the rooms.

@parad0x360: Um, or, they could clean it up, and maybe that would then end the vicious circle?

This is the problem with user ratings--they naturally skew high. Always give a bit more weight to the bad reviews than the good ones.

Since people rate them one star they only clean to a one star level which in turn causes people to rate them one star so they only clean to a one star level which in turn causes people to rate them one star so they only clean to a one star level which in turn causes people to rate them one star.

Oh my.