LONDON, U.K. – 25 January, 2010: TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel community, today exposes the UK’s ten dirtiest hotels, based on TripAdvisor traveller ratings for cleanliness.

For the fifth consecutive year, TripAdvisor reveals the truth about hotels around the world, from Blackpool’s grimiest to London’s filthiest.

Blackpool’s Bloody Bedding
The UK’s dirtiest hotel, according to real travellers, is The Grosvenor Hotel on Albert Road in Blackpool. Not only does it top the UK’s Dirtiest list but it even takes the dubious honour of the Dirtiest Hotel in Europe (full list below).

Recent comments from disgusted travellers on TripAdvisor include, “can't think of the words to describe how bad this hovel is, toilet paper stuck to ceilings”, “when I pulled the quilt back to get into bed I was horrified to find pubic hairs on the bed and cigarette burns on the duvet.”, “They had not changed the bedding and there was blood all over the walls and bathroom.”

Emma O’Boyle, spokesperson for TripAdvisor said, “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.” 

DIRTIEST HOTELS IN THE U.K 2010
1.    Grosvenor Hotel – Blackpool, FY1 4PW
2.    Park Hotel – London, SW1V 2BP
3.    Boston Court Hotel – London, W1H 7PF
4.    Cromwell Crown – London, SW7 4DX        
5.    Corbigoe Hotel – London, SW1V 2BH        
6.    Earls Court Gardens Hotel – London, SW5 0TR            
7.    Blair Victoria & Tudor Inn Hotel, SW1V 1QR
8.    Minster Hotel - York, YO30 7BZ
9.    Radnor Bayswater Hotel – London, W2 3JR
10.    Hanover Hotel – London, SW1V 4BN

London – UK Capital of Grime
Despite missing out on the top filth spot, London is the undisputed capital of grime. Eight of the ten dirtiest hotels are in London, with The Park Hotel in Victoria the worst offender.

Reviews on TripAdvisor include “The bed cover and curtain were covered with clear/whitish crusty stuff” and “mould stains everywhere, a constant sewer odour.”

Third place goes to Boston Court Hotel in the city’s West End. One recent traveller sums up their experience, “it was very dirty and smelly, just disgusting. The rodent poison containers on the floor should have told me something.”

TripAdvisor’s Emma O’Boyle continues, “London is a world-class tourist destination but these dirty hotels are letting the city down – let’s hope they clean up their act in time for the influx of Olympic visitors in 2012.” 

Hotel Health Hazard
Dirty hotels are even putting the health of their guests at risk, as Dr Ayan Panja explains, “Dirty hotel rooms are not what paying guests should accept.  Poor hygiene practices can be a real threat to your health. Urine and faeces traces found in hotel rooms can lead to potentially serious bacterial infections such as E.Coli.”

Dr Panja continues, “Damp rooms can lead to the growth of moulds which can irritate the skin and affect your breathing - particularly those with asthma. Bed bugs can cause itching and bleeding and even trigger allergic reactions. Excess dust from dirty carpets and mattresses will attract mites which feed off dead skin. Their excrement can cause itching, stuffiness and breathing difficulty.”  

Repeat Offenders
Despite being named and shamed in last year’s dirtiest list, four repeat offenders failed to clean up their act. Park Hotel in London has moved up from tenth place to second place, Cromwell Crown which claimed the top spot last year ranks at number four, Corbigoe Hotel drops from second to fifth place and last year’s sixth placed property, Hanover Hotel, is now at number 10.

There is some encouraging news for the London though, a hotel that made it to number five on the filth list last year, The Eden Plaza, has since closed down for refurbishment and will be reopening in the spring.

“Our candid traveller reviews reveal some disturbing sights. Hotel guests should be entitled to decent standards of hygiene no matter what rate they’re paying” concludes TripAdvisor’s Emma O’Boyle.

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. 


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For further information, images or interviews, please contact:
Emma O’Boyle, TripAdvisor
020 3320 3210 / 0777 926 2423 / eoboyle@tripadvisor.com 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Dr Ayan Panja has been a practicing doctor for 10 years.  He qualified at the Imperial College School of Medicine and worked in hospitals in Surrey and Buckinghamshire before undertaking training in general practice under the Oxford Deanery.  He is currently senior partner at a busy urban practice in North London. Ayan has a serious passion for making honest health information easy to understand for all.


DIRTIEST HOTELS IN EUROPE 2010
1.    Grosvenor Hotel – Blackpool, FY1 4PW
2.    Villaggio Club Porto Ainu, Budoni, Italy
3.    Park Hotel – London, SW1V 2BP
4.    Boston Court Hotel – London, W1H 7PF
5.    Cromwell Crown – London, SW7 4DX        
6.    Dam Hotel, Amsterdam
7.    Corbigoe Hotel – London, SW1V 2BH        
8.    Earls Court Gardens Hotel – London, SW5 0TR            
9.    Blair Victoria & Tudor Inn Hotel – London, SW1V 1QR
10.    Minster Hotel  -York, YO30 7BZ