[Vivienne]

Yesterday afternoon, Edith Bowman was discussing "hotels or B&Bs from Hell" - i.e. places listeners have stayed that just didn't live up to expectations! For example, hotel rooms with big bugs in them!! Yikes!

Have you ever stayed anywhere that turned into a disaster? A Hotel? A holiday that was dreadful, etc.?

[catherine]

Well my mum booked a villa for a holiday to Tuscany and it was a massive stone house with one fire in the middle of nowhere and we had to walk 2 miles to call a taxi. It was also freezing so 4 of us shared a bed and was unusually in bed by 8pm taking it in turns to read Harry Potter. The tv that was advertised with cable only had a english speaking news channel. Worst holiday ever.

[Vivienne]

Tuscany is awful, Cat. One of my worst holidays was in Florence which is filthy, and full of alcoholics. Not as advertised.

[TuckerGreyhound]

i stayed in a place near where deliverance was filmed; i heard banjo music all night long

[Vivienne]

Poor you, tucker. That must have been a nightmare.

[MK Chris]

It could have been worse; they could have been at it like rabbits.

[Sunny So Cal]

I feel ill reading Tucker's post. As previously stated by me -- I have an aversion to hillbillies.

I've had few issues with bad hotels. I've realized that if you go back downstairs after you've seen your room and politely remark on your dissatisfaction, you will get an upgrade. You can also ask for one when you are checking in. Now, having said that, I read an article the other day that said bed bugs are on the rise. Ick! And, FYI, never drink out of the glasses provided in hotel rooms.

Lastly -- little trivia -- guess what the dirtiest/germiest item in a hotel room is.

[MK Chris]

The bed?

[Yudster]

I've never stayed anywhere awful because if I've ever turned up anywhere awful I politely and firmly insist that the things which make it awful are changed, and if this isn't possible, I elicit a refund of any deposit paid (again, politely and firmly) and go elsewhere. I don't believe in giving people money for things I don't want.

[Sunny So Cal]

No. Not the bed. The television remote. I won't get specific........
Then the bed (for the same reason)........
Then the telephone, the doorknobs, the sink/vanity, etc. I always bring sanitizer with me and clean all surfaces. I also don't go barefoot in the rooms and I remove the duvet and blankets in place of the ones folded in the closet. I saw a programme one time on this and it really disgusted me.

[foot-loose]

I always bring sanitizer with me and clean all surfaces.

Freak.

We are never sharing hotel rooms.

[Sunny So Cal]

Fear of sanitizer? You dirty, dirty boy

[foot-loose]

Hah! Fear of someone who brings their own sanitizer and cleans the surfaces!

[Sunny So Cal]

But I'm a mum. It's OK.
And when I say all surfaces, it's not people!

[S4B]

Sunny, even I think that is a bit weird though, stay in hotels where they actually do some cleaning

[foot-loose]

But I'm a mum. It's OK.

You being a mum is ok. You bringing your own equipment to clean a hotel room is just weeeeeeird!

[Zoot]

Please feel free to stay at my place any time Sunny! How about staying once a week? Mondays would be good...

[MK Chris]

How's that for a long commute. Especially for a cleaner.

[Sunny So Cal]

I don't bring equipment. Footsy has an image of me bringing a Hoover on as carry-on! Ha! I said sanitizer. Just wipes that I use on surfaces that my kids will touch. Had you seen the episode I saw on tv, I guarantee, S4 that you'd be doing it, too!

I'm no cleaner. It's too harsh on my hands. *princess*
But I'll take you up on the lodging, Zoot, as your area of the UK is lovely and hotels are soooo expensive there. Thanks for the offer!

[foot-loose]

No, actually I had an image of you with a bottle of dettol, which is pretty much what you are doing. I doubt ive seen the programme you are talking about but I have seen documentarys about what things you don't see.

(One involved them looking at the different 'things' inside a hotel mattress)

The way I look at it is, I have been visiting hotels all my life and never had a problem - you never hear of anyone having a problem either (unless it's a crappy run down shed of a place) - so why worry about it? I use the example of a supermarket again since I worked there... If you knew what went on behind the scenes you would think twice about buying from them, but if you did that - you would never buy any food.

Basically - don't worry about it.

[S4B]

Sunny, I don't take my kids to hotels! They have to live in a cage when they're at home, I'm not letting them out in public!

*Waits for phone call or visit from Social Services*

[SAV1OUR]

I'm with slut on this, there is one particlar hotel I've been to where I've heard of people slipping in the shower and breaking their collarbone, then I went and caught a violent vomiting bug just before christmas, they couldn't even give me a paracetomol for legal reasons in the middle of the night, stranded basically.

[Sunny So Cal]

Basically - don't worry about it.

I try not to but it is certainly one of the reasons I book 4 or 5 star luxury hotels when I travel. I feel luxury germs are much friendlier