TripAdvisor®, the world's most trusted source of travel advice, today announced the top 10 dirtiest hotels in America, based on TripAdvisor traveler ratings for cleanliness. For the fifth consecutive year, TripAdvisor reveals the truth about hotels around the world, from the most gleaming to the most grimy.

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  2010's Top 10 Dirtiest Hotels in the U.S.

  1.  Heritage Marina Hotel, San Francisco, California
  2.  Days Inn Eureka/Six Flags, Eureka, Missouri
  3.  Tropicana Resort Hotel, Virginia Beach, Virginia
  4.  Super 8 Virginia Beach/At the Ocean, Virginia Beach, Virginia
  5.  Quality Inn, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
  6.  New York Inn, New York City, New York
  7.  Parisian Hotel & Suites, Miami Beach, Florida
  8.  Capistrano Seaside Inn, Capistrano Beach, California
  9.  Desert Lodge, Palm Springs, California
  10.  Continental Oceanfront Hotel South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida

San Francisco's Heritage Marina Hotel claims the dubious title of America's dirtiest hotel; 80 percent of TripAdvisor travelers who reviewed the Heritage Marina recommended against staying there. While last year's dirtiest hotels list contained zero hotels from California, this year three California contenders made the list. Miami and Virginia Beach also delivered two hair-raising hotels each to this year's list.

New York City cleaned up its act this year, with just one hotel on the list, down from three in 2009. While the New York Inn (# 6) has now blemished the list four times in the past five years, the three-time #1 dirtiest hotel in America, New York City's Hotel Carter, doesn't appear at all this year.

Here are some choice comments from recent TripAdvisor traveler reviews on the U.S.'s dirtiest hotels:

1. Heritage Marina Hotel, San Francisco, California:

"When we woke in the middle of the night to find BED BUGS all over the bed, we ended up sleeping in our rental car!"

"We opened the door, and the smell of mold hit us in the face like a brick."

"This hotel is like in a horrible horror movie! The bed was a nightmare. It smelled like urine and had strange spots."

2. Days Inn Eureka/Six Flags, Eureka, Missouri:

"If Hell had a hotel it would be something like this. The worst, nastiest hotel I have ever stayed in, in my life. Dirty towels, dirty room. Rude manager. Run from this place as fast as you can!"

3. Tropicana Resort Hotel, Virginia Beach, Virginia:

"The entire hotel is very dirty and smells very bad; it looks like a ghost house. We called the Virginia Beach health department and filed a complaint. We do not recommend this Place to any human being."

4. Super 8 Virginia Beach/At the Ocean, Virginia Beach, Virginia:

"I am still recovering from my stay in this hell-hole. Upon checking in there were hairs in the bathtub, and bugs on the counter...the streets are cleaner. Disgusting!"

5. Quality Inn, Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania:

"Our room looked like something from a very bad horror movie. I was scared to sleep in the bed. Just looking at it made me want to itch."

6. New York Inn, New York City, New York:

"We were greeted on our arrival by a cleaner sitting on our bed smoking and watching TV."

7. Parisian Hotel & Suites, Miami Beach, Florida:

"I had been bitten on my chin several times, my hands, forearms, legs and feet. At least 15% of my body was covered in red, burning, bites."

8. Capistrano Seaside Inn, Capistrano Beach, California:

"We spilled water on the floor and cleaned it, and the towel turned brown from all the dirt on the ground."

9. Desert Lodge, Palm Springs, California:

"Mold smell and bugs! Unavailable staff. Dirty sheets and bath tub was gross. DO NOT STAY HERE!"

10. Continental Oceanfront Hotel South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida:

"There was so much mold and dirt in the rooms, our tub had a huge hole with some nasty 'patch' over it. I felt more dirty getting out of the shower than getting in."

"For the fifth year running, TripAdvisor's dirtiest hotels list reveals that unfortunately, some hotels take the notion of offering dirt cheap rooms far too literally," said Christine Petersen, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. "Our candid traveler reviews prepare future guests for grimy lodgings that might otherwise be an unwelcome surprise."

For a cleaner scene, check out the complete 2010 TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice® list of the world's best hotels at http://www.tripadvisor.com/travelerschoice.

About TripAdvisor Media Network

TripAdvisor® Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts more than 36 million monthly visitors* across 15 popular travel brands: TripAdvisor®, www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.frequentflier.com, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors*, 15 million registered members and 30 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover more than one million destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com/), the U.K. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie/), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr/), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de/), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it/), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es/), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in/), Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp/), Portugal and Brazil (http://www.tripadvisor.com.br/), Sweden (http://www.tripadvisor.se/), The Netherlands (http://nl.tripadvisor.com/) and Canada (http://www.tripadvisor.ca/). TripAdvisor also operates in China under the brand daodao.com (http://www.daodao.com/) and Kuxun.cn (http://www.kuxun.cn/). TripAdvisor® Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. .

TripAdvisor, Travelers' Choice and the TripAdvisor logo are registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2009

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SOURCE: TripAdvisor