A team of enthusiasts exposed the worst hotels and tricks of hoteliers.<\/em><\/p>
Forgot to specify<\/strong><\/p>
Who hasn't dreamed of staying with their significant other in an 'adults only' hotel? A secluded beach where nude sunbathing is allowed, romantic rooms with huge beds… Descriptions of adult-only hotels are usually very enticing, but sometimes suffer from vague wording.<\/p>
Jamaica is famous for adult-only hotels, especially for fans of nude recreation. However, not all such hotels are equally good. The hoteliers of Club Ambiance vaguely promise guests a 'sensual and lively atmosphere.' Upon arrival, travel experts found only the following forbidden entertainments: TV with an erotic channel in the rooms, a long-neglected beach in the form of a small concrete slab, and an invariably empty nightclub. The promised nudists were hardly seen on the premises, and the few who did fully undress clearly looked out of place.<\/p>
Price vs. Lack of Quality<\/strong><\/p>
When choosing a two-star hotel, we are ready to put up with shortcomings for a ridiculously low price. However, insects and bad smells are usually not among the drawbacks we can easily shrug off. Guests at the Pagoda Hotel in Hawaii encountered both unpleasant phenomena simultaneously. 'You can only walk through the halls while holding your breath,' 'A terrible, nauseating smell,' complain vacationers who have stayed at the hotel on the internet. They also note the almost constant lack of hot water in the bathroom and the presence of well-fed cockroaches there as well.<\/p>
The Wi-Fi promised in the hotel description is also missing – perhaps so that vacationers cannot share their outrage online or book another place to stay? By the way, the cost of one night at the Pagoda starts from $139, not that little for a two-star hotel.<\/p>
Cleanliness? No, never heard of it<\/strong><\/p>
One of the most disappointing moments for any traveler is to find dirt and neglect in a hotel instead of comfort and order. Bearing this in mind, you should not book a room at the Club Aqua hotel in the Turkish town of Gumbet. Those who have stayed at the hotel complained that after rain, sewage constantly leaked into the pool. The staff, according to guests, also emitted an unpleasant odor.<\/p>
Do you like to sit on the balcony of your room with a glass of wine? Tourists who stayed at the Apartamentos Catalonia aparthotel in Salou, Spain, reported that it is unsafe to be on the balconies – they wobble.<\/p>
In turn, the owners of The Quad Resort & Casino in Las Vegas started renovations in one part of the building but continue to let guests stay in another, even though the rooms and surrounding areas clearly need at least a thorough cleaning.<\/p>
But untidy rooms are nothing compared to this. A female guest at the Boulevard Hotel Ocean Drive in Miami found glass shards in her bed. 'They stuck into my buttocks!' the woman wrote in an online review.<\/p>
Secret Guests<\/strong><\/p>
The often-seen phrase 'tourist-class hotel' in descriptions of inexpensive hotels can actually mean 'stay here if you dare.' The Whiteleaf Hotel in London is not for the faint of heart. Many were tempted by its central location, but not everyone knows that there are bedbugs in the rooms. 'Red bumps on my skin were terribly itchy,' complained a female guest.<\/p>
Optical Illusions<\/strong><\/p>
Favorable angles and a bit of Photoshop are the best weapons for hoteliers preparing photos and descriptions for the internet. But secrets always come to light. For example, representatives of Don Juan Beach Resort in the Dominican Republic 'edited' the landscape around the hotel in photos to make the sea view more panoramic. To do this, they simply erased an entire wing of the hotel building, drawing in the sea and palm trees instead.<\/p>
I Painted It<\/strong><\/p>
Exaggerating the spaciousness of the hotel pool is a very popular trick to attract guests. The hoteliers of Country Club Lima Hotel in the Peruvian capital Lima 'enlarged' the hotel pool in online photos. Meanwhile, the owners of Las Palmas in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, did not change the dimensions of their small jacuzzi pool, but forgot to mention that it is usually packed with bathers: in the hotelier's photo, only a solitary tanned couple is swimming, which is far from the reality of 'packed like sardines.'<\/p>
A non-existent view from the window? Easy. The hoteliers of L'Enfant Plaza in Washington altered the panoramas from the rooms: instead of the windows of the opposite building, they depicted a stunning view of the city center.<\/p>
Even the best representatives of the hospitality industry consider it their duty to occasionally pass off wishful thinking as reality. For example, in a photo of the Hyatt Regency Washington, the city's main landmark – the Capitol – was taken and moved closer to the hotel. From the picture, one might think the hotel stands literally in the shadow of the famous building. The hotel is indeed close to the Capitol, but of course not that close.<\/p>
The last example once again proves what seasoned vacationers already know: luxury (as well as a modest price) does not guarantee that the tourist will get what they expect, so browsing dozens of unvarnished reviews and real photos of the hotel is a must for a good vacation.<\/p>