America's Dirtiest and Cleanest Hotels

On January 29, 2010, A. Pawlowski wrote an article that was posted on CNN's website called, 'Dirty Hotels Gross Out Travelers.' His article began with the experience of Debbie White and her family, while staying at the Heritage Marina Hotel in San Francisco, California.

Debbie told of a dirty wash cloth left in the bathroom, and a take - out container with old food in it left in the microwave, and also of sheets that were so disgusting her family felt that they should sleep on their own blankets. The icing on the cake was when she had to kill cockroaches. That was when they decided to leave.

My experience with an economy hotel was totally different.

Last summer I went on one of my frequent trips up to Oregon to take care of some family business. I make the ten hour trip from Sacramento, California, to Sweet Home, Oregon. several times a year without much trouble. Traveling I - 5 is quite pleasant, and there are plenty of rest areas to get out and stretch my legs. This time the trip was different. It had been an extremely stressful trip, and I did not have much time to rest and relax.

I was about three hours into my trip back home, when I became exhausted. I tried stopping off at the rest area between Medford and Ashland to rest, but could not relax because of too much going on. I - 5 has a lot of travelers.

I called my husband, and he told me, that since I was so tired, it was best not to take a chance, so just stop and get a room for the night.

I decided that I would stop at the first hotel that I could get just right off the freeway, and one that would be easy for me to get back on easily, in the morning. That one just happened to be Super 8 in Ashland, Oregon, and it was one of my best experiences at an economy hotel.

When I pulled into the parking lot, the grounds were impeccable; in fact, it made me wonder if I could even afford it. When I walked in the doors, it smelled as if I had just walked outside after a spring rain. It was not a scent that covered up odors; it was fresh.

As it turned out, I could afford it. After all, it was a Super 8. It was obvious to me, that whoever ran that particular hotel took a lot of pride in their work, because there are not many hotels that could rival this one for cleanliness.

Source
A.Pawlowski; CNN.com; Dirty Hotels Gross Out Travelers; http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/01/29/dirty.hotels/