I've been blessed to travel both nationally and internationally and have literally spent hundreds of days/nights in hotel rooms. Fortunately, most hotel stays have been uneventful and in many cases pleasant. However, I do have some REAL stories of hotel nightmares. I've used my personal experiences, those of other experts and friends to come up with "Dr. Sharon's Travel Tips". My travel tips focus on hotel cleanliness, health concerns and to a lesser degree hotel security. I'm committed to updating and revising these tips and will be specifically identifying hotels that are the worst offenders as well as acknowledging those hotels that go the extra mile. Please send your suggestions and comments to drsharon@sharondeniseallisonottey.com.

Examples of my personal hotel nightmares

* I checked into an upscale hotel that's part of a national chain which caters to "young, hip, techies" located in Manhattan, New York. Within five minutes of entering my room, I requested a manager and demanded to be moved. The reason? There was a white/cream colored thick stain in the middle of the comforter. I'm convinced, as was the manager of housekeeping, that this was a sperm stain. The manager said that it was a milk or lotion stain; however I disagreed due to the location of the stain, inability to simply wipe off and the scent. While I didn't perform any scientific tests, the manager of housekeeping agreed that this was not milk or lotion.

* As I climbed into bed at an upscale resort hotel in Destin, Florida, I was horrified to see a blood stain about the size of a small donut on the top sheet. I've found several hotel sheets with fecal matter and urine stains on them over the years at different locations.
The roaches roam free at a leading resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina. I was sitting in the bar area meeting with a colleague when a large roach crawled across our table. When we notified the waitress, she called the manager. The manager wasn't the least bit surprised by the roaming roach. He calmly walked over, killed it and walked away with only a slight nod in our direction. If a roach is bold enough to walk across the table in the daylight, you can only imagine that is happening in the kitchen and other rooms when the lights go out.

* A large hotel in Dallas, Texas had a major issue with bathroom cleanliness. There was mold growing in the corners and up the walls of the bathroom as well as a nasty odor that was not hidden at all by the air freshener.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Hotel horror stories?
We want to hear your view. Write now!