Snoring Dirty

In December, we did a show in Columbia, MO for an ISP’s holiday party. We had some friends we wanted to spend some time with afterward, and once we did the math we found it made more sense to just stay overnight and come back in the morning.

I went on Hotwire and found a 2-star hotel for under $40, so I went ahead and booked it. Their “example” properties at that level are Comfort Inn and La Quinta. I have spent well over 100 nights in those properties, and even the worst of those would have met my needs (especially for the price).

If you’re not familiar with Hotwire, they give you a price and a star rating, and you don’t get the name of the property until you book it. I was PISSED when I saw they had put me in a Travelodge, because there is no way in hell that is on the same level as those other brands.

Upon arrival, it was even worse than I feared—stained carpets, suspect bedspreads, and walls so thin you could hear every word and slamming door related to whatever drug/prostitution activity was happening a few rooms down.

Anyway, long story short, I complained back and forth with Hotwire several times and said they were doing their customers a disservice by calling that a 2-star property. They said they’d look into it, but they’ve done nothing.

My point? I’ll never again use Hotwire for less than a 3.5-star hotel.

And the inspiration for this post? The most excellent TripAdvisor (added to “Stuff I Like”) has released this list of the dirtiest hotels in the world. Yikes. Click these links for tales of bedbugs, unknown substances smeared on walls, and a Travelodge from hell.

Reading the reviews at TripAdvisor will keep you away from places like this, as well as offer great recommendations on restaurants, which snorkeling outfitter gives you the best experience, and what attractions are tourist traps.