'Roaches, Rats, Mice . . . ' Say Hello To the World's Dirtiest Hotels

The web site for the Hotel Carter near Times Square in New York City is fairly straightforward: "Enjoy the warm hospitality and service at the Hotel Carter," says the home page, "a unique and inviting departure from traditional hotels in Manhattan." 

One departure from traditional hotels in New York City seems to be how filthy the Hotel Carter is, according to a listing by TripAdvisor.com that ranks the top ten dirtiest hotels in the US as well as several other countries around the globe.  The Hotel Carter stands at number one on the U.S. list, with the Continental Bayside Hotel in Miami Beach capturing that coveted second place. 

"Roaches, rats, mice, horrible smells, dirty sheets, horrifying bathrooms, outlets that hang out of walls," was one review by a guest on TripAdvisor after a stay at the Hotel Carter, where the rate for a random day in mid-February I selected was $140 a night, including taxes. 

Another guest tagged the hotel as the "filthiest, most unsanitary place I've ever seen" and warned of bedbugs.

TripAdvisor considers all the reveiws it receives from guests who make voluntary posts to determine its list of the dirtiest hotels. In Paris, it's the Hotel Merryl.  In Italy, it's the Hotel Nizza in Rome you want to avoid.  While the web site lists the top ten dirtiest hotels in France, Italy, India, Spain, the United Kingdom, Asia, and the U.S., TripAdvisor couldn't find ten in Germany.

"We looked everywhere," TripAdvisor writes, "but our members tell us there aren't that many dirty hotels in Germany."

Three, to be exact.

As far as I could tell, almost all the hotels chosen for the dubious honor of making the lists fall into the "budget" category, so if you're venturing to a new destination and come across a really cheap hotel, you might want to check out TripAdvisor's Hall of Shame before you book for the night.