LONDON, U.K. – 24^th January 2011: After revealing only a few days ago the results of the Travellers' Choice Hotels Awards, which reward the best hotels in the world, TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel website*, today exposes Europe’s ten dirtiest hotels, based on the feedback and ratings on hotel cleanliness of millions of TripAdvisor travellers. 

The list of shame is dominated by just three destinations, with London, Amsterdam and Turkey’s Aegean coast collectively responsible for Europe’s ten dirtiest hotels. The two Turkish hotels top the list, followed by four properties each in London and Amsterdam. 

“Despite the average overall rating for a property on TripAdvisor rising to four out of five, it is clear that a minority of hotels are still not delivering the minimum standard of experience  travellers deserve, especially in relation to cleanliness” comments Emma O’Boyle, TripAdvisor spokesperson.

Turkey’s Top For Dirt

Turkey’s popular Aegean coast is home to Europe’s two dirtiest hotels.

• Club Aqua Gumbet – The overall loser in this year’s list of shame and described by one traveller as “not safe for humans” and by another as “hell on earth”, one reviewer also warns of the “rat family” living at the hotel. 

• Altin Orfe Hotel – Taking runner-up spot, one TripAdvisor traveller describes this property as “a health hazard hotel” and another reviewer warns others to “enter at your own risk.”

Look Out In London

One of the world’s most popular tourist destinations, London is home to a plethora of world-class hotels, but four hotels in the capital city have made the list:

• Cromwell Crown - A serial ‘Dirty Hotels’ offender, the Cromwell Crown came third in this year’s European list with one recent traveller writing, “Absolutely the worst hotel I have ever stayed in”. Other travellers warn of rodent bate placed around public areas, fungus in the bathrooms, bad smells and stained mattresses. 

• Corbigoe Hotel - Another repeat offender, this hotel is in fourth place with one recent guest claiming it was “the most disgusting room I have ever seen” and another calling the hotel a “dirty, filthy pit”.

• Park Hotel – At number five on the list this hotel is not a crowd pleaser. TripAdvisor user reviews include comments such as “absolutely disgusting, shouldn’t be allowed to stay open”, and “I’ve never seen a hotel so dirty.”

• Blair Victoria & Tudor Inn Hotel - Described by one recent TripAdvisor reviewer as “filthy and unsecure” and another as “a complete dive”, one traveller warns fellow guests to simply “stay away!”

Grimy Side of Amsterdam

Amsterdam is home to four of Europe’s dirtiest hotels. Hotel de Lantaerne, Hotel y Boulevard, Hotel Manofa and Hotel The Globe came sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth respectively.

Recent reviews on TripAdvisor for Hotel de Lantaerne include “this should be fumigated and demolished” and “the dirtiest hotel in history”. While there is a worrying and recurring theme running through the reviews for Hotel Manofa - “free mice with every room” writes one guest, “dirty and mice in room” says another, with a third claiming they found, “a mouse in my bed”.

“Despite the fact we are seeing average hotel ratings increase year on year, with the average rating on TripAdvisor now four out of five, the hotels on this list simply aren’t keeping pace with the industry, and the repeat offenders should be even more ashamed,” concluded TripAdvisor’s Emma O’Boyle.

For a cleaner scene, check out TripAdvisor’s 2011Travellers’ Choice list of the world’s and Britain’s best hotels atwww.TripAdvisor.co.uk/travelerschoice

-ends-

Dirtiest hotels in Europe 2011:

1. Club Aqua Gumbet – Gumbet, Turkey

2. Altin Orfe Hotel – Icmeler, Turkey

3. Cromwell Crown – London, England (SW7 4DX)

4. Corbigoe Hotel – London, England (SW1V 2BH)

5. Park Hotel – London, England (SW1V 2BP)

6. Hotel de Lantaerne – Amsterdam, The Netherlands

7. Hotel Y Boulevard, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

8. Blair Victoria & Tudor Inn Hotel – London, England (SW1V 1QR)

9. Hotel Manofa, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

10. Hotel The Globe, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

For further information please contact:

Laurel Greatrix, TripAdvisor - 0203 194 2150 / 0777 801 3639 / lgreatrix@tripadvisor.com

Notes to Editors

TripAdvisor’s list of the dirtiest hotels is according to traveller ratings for cleanliness on TripAdvisor. The list is based on candid traveller feedback specifically rating the category of hotel cleanliness from 1-5 (1 being lowest, 5 highest) in the hotel review form on the site.  The top 10 dirtiest hotels had the very lowest cleanliness ratings on TripAdvisor.

To view user-generated photos for all of these hotels, visit www.TripAdvisor.co.uk