What Makes a Bad Hotel Stay?

When it comes to selecting a hotel, the options seem endless. Whether you’re seeking a simple overnight stop or an integral part of your travel experience, finding the perfect place to stay requires careful consideration. Most of the time, hotels meet our expectations and offer a comfortable stay. However, there are occasions when a hotel falls short, leaving us with a sense of dissatisfaction and discomfort. It begs the question: What exactly makes a bad hotel stay? As I reflect on a few recent unpleasant hotel experiences, I realize that certain key components contribute to a less-than-ideal stay.

A while back, I wrote a guide to picking a great hotel. This post was extremely popular and well received. In fact, it was so popular that another travel blogger copied my entire post almost verbatim and claimed it as her own. But I digress…

The Worst Night in a Hotel… ever

Some time ago, we stayed at a terrible motel the night before an early morning flight. It had alright reviews and the price and proximity to the airport were right. Really, we just needed a budget friendly place to crash before we departed. However, that was one of the worst nights of my life. The owner was awful, the room was filthy, the location was beyond sketchy, and the noises from other guests and around the property sent me over the edge. I was so scared I literally spent the night in the bathtub. I honestly feared for our lives that night. This was the epitome of a bad hotel stay.

After that experience, I vowed that we would never again stay in a place like this to save costs. This was one of those travel experiences that was a game changer moving forward. Admittedly, I reflect back to this experience from time-to-time as we are considering hotels during trip planning. I just will never do this again. So, we made several changes in selecting hotels.

Since then, the hotels we stay at are pretty great for the most part. They usually range from mid-range economy stays with limited services (think places like Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn or Fairfield Inn) to boutique hotels (such as the Magnolia in Denver), to high-end luxury hotels (Ritz-Carlton Kapalua or Fairmont Banff Springs) and even some resorts (whether all-inclusive or not). The type of hotel truly depends on the type of trip. Sometimes you just need a place to rest your head for the night. Other times, the hotel is part of the overall experience.

But we’ve also stayed at some places lately that I would only give 1 star at best. In some cases, that might be pushing it.

This got me thinking… if I am consistently following the same steps when selecting hotels, why does it seem that a few of them recently just haven’t measured up? What makes a bad hotel stay?

Obviously, the travel industry was hard-hit during the pandemic and still struggling to recover. We all know many industries are struggling to find and retain staff. This has definitely been a factor in some of our recent experiences. But… what about things beyond that?

After thinking about it, here are the top things I’ve decided make a bad hotel stay.

Safety

Safety one of the biggest (if not the biggest) factors in a hotel. No one should feel as scared as I did that one awful night. It is especially important that guests feel safe in their rooms and on the property/surrounding area. Nobody needs to worry about having to fight off intruders, having things stolen, being the victim of violence or being filmed by hidden cameras etc. Nobody should have to fear being trafficked from their hotel. Unfortunately, this happens all too often. The stories of such occurrences seem endless.

We recently checked into a hotel and upon walking into our ground floor room, my husband noticed that the sliding glass door which opened onto the central courtyard was unlocked. In fact, the door didn’t lock at all. We immediately requested a new room. I’m not sure how something like this could go unnoticed by hotel staff.

We also recently had a stay where the manual latch was missing the two bottom screws. Everything was misaligned as a result, and it didn’t work. Yikes!!

Cleanliness

This goes hand in hand with safety. A room has to be well-cleaned. This was true even before the pandemic. And while it is essential for a room to be disinfected and sanitized, this isn’t the only thing I’m talking about. Cleanliness goes beyond that.

Some time ago we stayed at a hotel in Las Vegas, and I noticed there was glass from a broken beer bottle ground into the carpet. This could have easily cut our feet, which is of course another safety issue. As much as I had always wanted to stay at that particular hotel, I was disappointed with it based on that experience alone. And, if a detail like that goes unnoticed, usually other things do too. We found this to be true at that hotel as we noted many dirty areas throughout the property.

Again, having a clean place to stay is essential.

Smell

One of the things I’ve noticed many of the hotels where I wasn’t satisfied have in common is they smell. There have been rooms that smell so bad we’ve requested new rooms. To me, a smelly room also means it isn’t clean. A particular stinky hotel in Glenwood Springs, CO caused us scratchy throats and headaches. This also can be a safety issue. We had reported the odor to the front desk after first entering the room, but the manager on duty brushed it off. It wasn’t until later that I submitted a review on TripAdvisor that the hotel expressed concern. This brings me to my next point…

Staff

As much as I hate to say it, the staff at any business can make or break the experience. The same is true in the hospitality industry. There have been numerous times I’ve spoken with staff when we’ve experienced any of the above-mentioned issues and they do not care. I fully understand that working in hotels is a very challenging job and they are often run-ragged, but still. When people rely on you to provide a safe, clean, place to stay there is a major exchange of trust occurring. Hotel guests can be extremely vulnerable. It is truly not acceptable to be apathetic to issues being reported by guests, especially when concerns regarding safety and cleanliness are concerned.

Settings

This may seem silly, but certain settings in a hotel have the ability to make or break your stay. Specifically, I’m talking about the temperature setting. Again, we have stayed in plenty of hotels with regulators on their air conditioning units. While I can appreciate the environmental rationale behind this, it also needs to be said that a hot, stuffy room which you cannot sleep in has the protentional to ruin any trip.

Sure, there are other factors when a hotel doesn’t measure up. Price, lack of amenities and sustainability efforts, noise, location, or even dated facilities in need of repair could fall into these categories too. Heck, sometimes even fellow guests can ruin a hotel stay. But the items mentioned above are the top things that make a hotel just flat out bad – perhaps even dangerous. Thinking of these things in conjunction with our guide to picking a great hotel, I’d still follow the same principles. Things like smell can’t be gauged from photos, but sometimes reviews can key you into some of these potential issues.

Recommendations

We have an entire page on our blog listing hotels where we have stayed, and the overall stay met our needs for the given travel experience. If we didn’t like our stay for one reason or another, the property isn’t included on this list. Plain and simple.

However, like anything, we always recommend doing your own research as things change over time and every traveler’s needs and preferences are different.

What Can You Do?

You may be asking yourself what you can do when the hotel you’re staying at is one you would ultimately consider “bad” upon check in. Personally, I report issues to the front desk without hesitation. I either call from the room or go in person. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always get results – as in the hotel we stayed at in Glenwood Springs. To take it a level further, ask to speak to a manager. Changing to a different room is an option as well. If that still doesn’t work, you’ll need to decide if you’re going to stay at the hotel or find a place to stay elsewhere. I also will always submit honest reviews with constructive feedback in hopes of raising awareness for both travelers and hoteliers. Lastly, it also seems there are more and more products available to help aide personal safety, such as secondary door locks, stoppers, and alarms.

In the world of hospitality, a bad hotel is more than just a place that fails to meet expectations—it can be a disappointment that lingers long after the stay is over. Safety is paramount, and guests should always feel secure within their hotel environment. Cleanliness is not only essential for hygienic reasons but also indicative of the hotel’s commitment to its guests’ well-being. Unpleasant odors can taint the entire experience, affecting comfort and potentially signaling a lack of cleanliness. Lastly, the staff’s attitude and responsiveness play a crucial role.

Hospitality is about trust and creating a welcoming atmosphere, and the staff’s demeanor can either enhance or detract from the overall guest experience. By paying attention to these aspects, both hoteliers and travelers can contribute to a more positive and fulfilling stay, ensuring that the art of selecting a great hotel is a well-crafted endeavor.

We hope these tips, as well as our guide to picking your next hotel, help you avoid some awful experiences on your travels!

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