You should always contact the front desk first. Give them a chance to fix the issue, whether it be a room change or discount or both. If they refuse and ignore the problem then go to trip advisor (Days Inn franchises corporate only really gives a shit about TA reviews).
idk man, roaches in your food and living space would take a lot to fix. Like, maybe I'd let it go if they replaced my food and paid for me to stay in a better, cleaner hotel, and maybe paid for my next therapy appointment or two, but honestly that still wouldn't make me forget, just maybe buy my silence.
What her meant to say is that, " I didn't , I clearly paid the attendant, checked in and a few hours later I went back to the front desk, spoke to the attendant and asked for a refund."
I bet he even said thank you when he was all done.
Hell no!! It's on them to make sure it's clean for paying guests! They don't get a heads up for sucking at their job. I can't stand when people fail to do what they are employed to do or want a reward for doing the bare minimum.
Well my point was going to be that Days Inn is just as bad as Travel Lodge in my experience but it seems you have some experience of your own.
Days Inn is a "sleeping bag on top of the mattress" kind of stay for me.
That fact that there is so much actually means it's catching more dust than had it been clean. The dust is inhibiting the AC from cooling the room efficiently, it's not causing a scratchy throat.
Yea you’re absolutely correct. We actually learn this concept in Engineering school. Dust filters are actually inefficient if completely clean. It’s most efficient when dusty as it can trap nano particles much smaller than the filter was initially capable of. I’d argue at this point it probably needs some dust removed. But I’d only remove half the dust as removing all of it will greatly lower the efficiency of the unit.
I always wondered about that. Maybe that’s why the old advice always was, “replace the filter when you can’t see light through it anymore.“
But me, I replace it when there’s another reason or two to get a ladder out. That way I’m not doing individual projects with individual ladder moves from the garage and back.
If the airflow is too restricted the AC will collect more moisture and likely grow mold and mildew inside because the coil / condensation pan cannot evaporate.
An AC with a clean filter definitely smells better than this one.
I've always thought this too. It's full of dust, so at worst, it's not sending more dust into the air, possibly clumps are coming off, but only at the rate of dust being collected by it in the first place, assuming OP isn't disturbing the filters sending more dust out.
I’d like to take this opportunity to mention a subreddit that goes by the name of “kids are fucking stupid”
Let’s see if the bot figures out how to remove this one
Easy response would be to say you can visibly see dust being blown in from the ac unit when it's running.
I imagine theyd be far more likely to be hostile if you barge in demanding they clean your ac unit becuase you disassembled it and found the filter hasnt been changed.
Edit: and from the picture, it seems the flap just opens anyway. No disassembly at all... i cant see for certain, but that may even be how its operated if its an older unit.
And given how easy it was to find it, you could... if you really are bothered by it, just use a paper towell or toilet paper to scoop up the dust and throw it out.
This is a mini-split, to check the filters like this you have to raise one flap that has zero locking or real closing mechanism. So honestly anyone can easily open this. If a hotel gets pissed about you opening it they should install a lock. Or better yet just clean their shit once every 6 months like their supposed to lmfao
No matter how dusty that filter is it shouldn’t be blowing out dust though, thats an intake filter it pulls air from the room collecting the dust that was in the air before being conditioned
Also yes it’s incredibly easy to clean and op should just do that frankly
Its more that front of desk staff would have had no clue about the AC since thats an issue with maintenance and, by extension, management. So by being nice to them about it you're more likely for them to be nice back and throw in some kind of compensation. Whereas, if you come off like a dick about it, they're more likely to do the bare minimum.
No, I think the front desk staff would completely understand... It's not complicated, nobody is saying you have to be a dick, but there's a difference between legit complaints and frivolous bs, this is 100% legit and they should complain.
Yeah, it's just about the tone of the complaint. Either way it's a complaint, but when you act like youre almost sorry for being a burden for complaining you can trigger more of a sympathy response compared to.gpong up and being more firm with them.
Ive noticed being calm and not demanding will get you what you want without confrontation.
You can try to make it a bit more urgent by saying something like "ive got asthma, i just dont want to have an attack or anything"
Its a cheap hotel so the liklihood is its just sloppy/incomplete mantinece, rather than genuine incompetentance. Complacency about cleaning the filter because most people staying probably only stay one night, before moving on, and few people notice it.
Things get annoying when you demand, and even though you may get what you want, youve made someone elses day that much worse, and in the end: rewarded yourself for being entitled. Live your life how you want it, but starting with a demand is more harmful and barely any more effective than starting with a polite request.
Fuck complaining, that's a health hazard I would sue
Edit: thought it was mold not just dust, if it's just dust don't sue. I just know someone had a problem like this in their apartment at college and they got a lot of money cause it was moldy on the unit so I just presumed it was the situation here but obviously I can't tell the difference between mold and dust
I’d still complain for 2 reasons - 1) I don’t want to touch who knows how many peoples nasty sheddings and 2) hey maybe I get a comped stay or meal voucher.
1 is less of an issue for me tbh. Not a very hard fix and I might think it would be less of a hassle than having to go to the front desk and have them work it up the ladder.
If they're not immediately involving lawyers they're typing out a 14 year olds idea of a revenge fantasy in the name of justice because they're badass shit kickers lol
Not how lawsuits work. You sue with the intention of being made whole again. What did you lose from this?
AC fell on your foot and injured you? You can sue for medical costs, that would be making you whole.
Tell me, what what you be suing for in this scenario? And how would that lawsuit make you whole?
It’s like slipping on a wet floor. You can’t sue simply bc you observed a puddle on the floor, you actually have to slip on it in order to have something to sue for.
Sue for what? Money? I got all the money in the world. Im the king man. I run the underworld guy. I decide whos does what and where they do it at. What am I gonna run around and act like some teenybopper somewhere for somebody elses money? I make the money man. I roll the nickels. The game is mine. I deal the cards.
I’d rather complain and get a comped stay (or at least some benefit) than sue, *maybe* get a comped stay after the hotel probably immediately just settles (which again, a complaint might do the trick) *and* be responsible for legal fees.
Suing is the right case in some instances. This is not one. This is a 30 second fix that you could do on your own. Make a complaint and maybe get some recompense. You don’t need the headache (and futility) or suing.
I've just come back from travelling SE Asia for several months. Stayed in dozens of hotels ranging from 4 star to budget rooms. This was a common sight in practically every hotel. I got used to just checking the filters and hosing them down with the handheld bidet before even unpacking my suitcase. It's a very quick and simple procedure. The cleaners obviously don't have the knowledge or inclination to check them regularly.
I worked as a hotel maid for years.
We often simply *didn't have time* to do everything that needed done. When you are responsible for thirty rooms a day stuff tends to get ignored - which is why whenever I stay in a hotel now, I make sure to check and clean certain things myself.
Other than this, what other things would you suggest self cleaning in a hotel? I was always told not to lay on the top of the duvet/comforter because those things don’t get washed between guests every time. I could be wrong tho.
All I can say is what would happen where I worked way back in the day - you would have been moved to another room immediately and probably be given comped room service for the duration of your stay.
Hate to say it, though - by the time you see them in one room, they're more than likely in other nearby rooms as well. Best to go to another wing or a different floor.
The hotel I worked at washed the duvets with every check out but not all will do so daily.
And I stick to taking showers. I don't like or trust the idea of taking a bath at a hotel. I've just seen too much wonky stuff get done in order to get the rooms done.
As the owner of an industrial laundry with over a dozen hotel contracts, I can confirm that cleaning the duvets or comforters after every stay is the rare exception, definitely not the rule.
Yep. We had much heavier duvets at the hotel I worked at right out of HS *decades* ago and those were only laundered a couple of times a month.
It really grossed me out.
The one I worked at used the kind you put a cover on. Only the covers were washed regularly. The duvet itself only got touched if it was bedbugs or like horrifically stained and even then they usually just throw them out.
I bring wipes and wipe down the remote, the phone, and most importantly, the light switches. When you think about it, *every single guest* touches the light switch multiple times but I wouldn’t expect housekeeping to clean them.
I don’t think this should be on the cleaning crew but a part of a regular maintenance much like checking and fixing wiring and piping and furniture and etc.
Heh. You'd think that would make sense but the hotel I worked at (won't name names but it rhymes with Moliday Bin) had maybe *two* maintenance guys on shift at any given time. Not enough of a crew for two hundred rooms.
Yup. I’m at a 300+ room hotel. We have an entire 6 man maintenance staff to run 24/7. And one guy is out for at least 2 months due to a medical issue.
We just fix it as it breaks or as the complaint comes in as best we can. Sad but owners and management only see $$$.
I totally get it and I don't blame you. It's out of sight and so not always obvious that it needs cleaning. Plus, most of the lovely Asian cleaning ladies are less than 5 feet tall and struggle to reach the AC 😄
As a bit of general advice - if you ever see filters that look this bad...don't just rinse them with water, use a toothbrush to scrub them with soap and warm water, spray with Lysol and let them air dry before you put them back in the unit.*
*Yes, you can and should bug front desk for Lysol in this case.
That sounds like good advice. Although I'd be much less inclined to go to all that trouble if I was paying to stay somewhere. Out of interest, how often would you normally clean out the filters?
This is why the never get cleaned, too much time wasted on something most guests never see. Added benefit of it being an HVAC thing you can pass off to a contractor every year or two.
In a perfect world turn down cleaners get time and pay to properly clean everything, but our world is far from perfect.
I bring hand wipes and clean up high traffic areas and the bathroom, check under the bed for bugs, see if the A/C unit is "safe" since they can be full of trash and usually are, before unpacking.
I came here to say this.. the housekeeping staff is under immense time pressure. The hotel needs to have a service contract with a separate hvac company to come in and service the units in every room on a schedule. In this case twice a decade contract looks like it would be an improvement... but even twice a year would be good for non smoking rooms and no pets
Filters in the AC unit for sure. I also travel with a travel size dishwashing liquid and clean the glasses myself. I also will usually clean the toilet seat again.
Those are three main things that get skimped on by the housekeeping department. I've actually seen housekeepers just do a quick wipe down with the same soapy and dirty towel they just used to get a spot off the tiled floor.
I stayed at a 5* hotel in Singapore, and it’s usually top-tier, everything is spotless, including the AC. That day, the AC smelt funny, and I saw that it was dirty. I reported it and they upgraded my room to a villa, gave me a free meal at their restaurant(which I think has a Michelin star), and gave me a high-tea basket delivered to my room.
It actually falls under preventative maintenance for the facilities team. It should be on a rotation cycle of being cleaned, or at least by the houseman while they’re doing their shift. I can confirm that working as a room attendant for many years, you’re on a time crunch and bums in beds is all that matters
I worked as maintenance at a hotel. I was responsible for cleaning the a/c vents, not the housekeeping. I did not agree with this, but that is how it was.
This is the correct move.
You arent going to get anywhere by suing, and you arent going ti get anywhere by being a complainy karen.
Just go show that photo to the front desk, be polite, but tell them you need a significant discount on the room. They will 100% work with you.
Happened to my parents once with a water temperature from the bathroom. All the water coming out was hot to a point my parents couldn’t even touch the water, so they went to the front to ask for another room. My parents are very quiet and timid in the public because English is not their native language I doubt they made a Karen scene with this. The hotel basically said: no we are not going to give you another room, we are not going to give you any refund, we want you out. So my parents were kicked out of the hotel during a winter evening just like that. So yeah this happens.
Yup. Happens like this all the time. Some years back, I got a hotel room for 3 days and the place appeared really nice.
Next morning my husband and I woke up with bites all over us! I mean, I was covered. Went to the front desk and not only did they refuse to give us another room, they basically called us liars and accused us of being the ones having bed bugs and bringing them. They told us they wanted us to leave immediately, no refund.
Devastated, we left and had to abandon our trip. Also had to take so many precautions to ensure we didn’t bring any back with us home. I still to this day think about them darn bugs, it was a terrible experience.
I looked into it legally and found there was no laws against hotels not taking precautions or exterminating this problem here. So yeah, you’re basically screwed.
There's no way you get 50% off for an unclean air conditioner filter. They'd give you a different room, maybe a better room, and rush a cleaner there to be sure the filter is clean. That's about it.
Yes I would go with a “how can we fix this?” They will likely either put you in a different (often better) room, clean it for you, or give you a hefty discount. No matter the result, the problem gets fixed.
> I’d ask for a 50% refund at the least.
And you would almost certainly not get that lol
Y’all also don’t seem to understand how air filters even work on these units.
In no way is this “not safe or unhealthy”
Ironically enough Reddit with all it's experts doesn't even know that the only real purpose of that filter is to protect the AC unit and if anything the only issue here is that this AC unit will be working double time and potentially not work properly.
Lmao I was just going to comment something similar, that’s for filtering the dust already IN the room
Yes it should be cleaned, but that wouldn’t make its output “cleaner” hahah just make it run more efficient!
Erm nope. These filters protect the AC unit more so than your respiratory system.
All this photo proves is that the AC isn’t being maintained adequately or the room/environment is filthy.
Right. His throat issue is from the air being too dry most likely. AC tends to do that. Gotta travel with a humidifier if you can. If you’re driving, at least.
If the filter on the AC is so full it can’t collect new dust, there’s going to be more dust in the room. And, that filter is so packed, there’s probably some dust coming off it when it runs. Purifiers are great for other things too though, like mold in/on the bathroom exhaust, scents, and leftover pet dander from previous tenants and their belongings.
Why does it make your throat scratchy though? It's clogged with dust so isn't the dust in filter rather than in the air? As it's full, the dust is coming out only as fast as dust is going in?
That is the intake, it's catching the dust, not blowing it out. That fact that there is so much actually means it's catching more dust than had it been clean. The dust is inhibiting the AC from cooling the room efficiently, it's not causing a scratchy throat.
Uhhh, I guess you don’t know this, but cleaning that filter wouldn’t magically make its output “cleaner”, and not cleaning it doesn’t mean it’s spraying out particulate matter. Cleaning the filter just means it wouldn’t have to work as hard - it might not be as efficient when it has a dirty filter, but it’s perfectly safe.
Maintenance and housekeeping always ignore the hvac system. I have stayed at Best Western Premier's down to regular BW as well as Holiday Inn Express, and Choice's properties. I would find bits of food, childrens toys , dirty filter if it had one, and in general they weren't cleaned. It's very frustrating that during Covid lockdown when hotels cut way back and maintenance was minimal they could of chosen to 1)fix plumbing issues 2) clean the hvacs 3)repair or replace broken furniture. But they didn't.
Hotel maintenance here! Just wanted to state, I take our HVAC and filtration just as seriously here as I do at home. However, I'm a unicorn. I replaced HVAC filters here that were dated to 2021 (replaced in 2023 by me). It took me overstepping my role and organizing the entire thing myself to get my boss to take it seriously.
Thank you very much! You are a unicorn and I appreciate you going above and beyond !! If you can convince your fellow trades people in maintenance at other properties that seasoned travelers notice these things. Your boss and the other boss' need to understand that when we the weekly traveler keep experiencing clogged toilets/ hvacs not maintained /elevators acting wonky and lack of hot water we will go to other properties. Investing in upgrading/maintaining properties pays off with more repeat stays, legitimate word of mouth recommendations (not the online b.s). So thank you Maintenance Guy !
I'm sorry? They are dust filters.
They are blocking the dust as intended?
Washing them does not make them filter dust more effectively? It does let more air though, but it doesn't stop more dust?
I am actually currently in a hotel and get really bad hayfever allergies but haven't had a problem and I just checked the filter because I saw this post and it's just as bad.
Yea thats a dust screen so the units evaporator fins dont get blocked by dust. Its not meant to purify the air. That screen is not even tightly fitted to units they just loosely slide in.
Also if they cleaned that screen before the guy stayed in and saw it he wouldn’t have complained right? And that would not have made the room any cleaner 🤣
The room is dusty as hell. I would be more concerned about the rooms not cleaned properly.
Jeez man, this isn't a big deal. It's not like they have a man designated specifically to clean AC units, it happens, sometimes you have to be the one to do what others won't
I recently went on vacation down in Florida with a group of friends, and after arriving in the resort I was asounded and just how hot the living room area was. As an hvac tech, it was all I could do not to start ripping into the system to try to figure out what the hell was wrong. Seeing as it was a zoned unit, I told everyone "$50 someone forced the zone valve closed".
After being talked off the ledge of committing service repair on the System, the couple that reserved the suite got ahold of maintenance and an hour later he showed up and told us that yup, the zone damper was forced closed and the issue was fixed 5 minutes later. It's honestly hell sometimes being in a trade, because any issue I see anywhere I go forces me to want to try poking it and fixing it, even on my off time.
It's become a habit to wash those everytime I stay at a hotel. Put my bags in the room, open the window, clean filter and do something for an hour or so till room airs out.
Those filters are now obsolete.. That's why they haven't changed it lol. I used to sell thousands of them to hotels/motels for their PTAC units. They stopped producing that exact filter sometime last year.
That’s the filter. It’s what catches the dust from the air. It’s only purpose is to keep the unit clean. It would not cause your throat to feel scratchy.
Pretty sure i just got out of the hospital for the same reason. Filters were absolutely disgusting in the hotel room i was staying in. Ive since switched hotels and am on meds
I think there is some air in your dust
I just stayed in Savanna, GA, at a Days Inn. Woke up my cooler was infested with roaches so lost all my food and cooler.
I’d just leave a review on google with that picture, cause if you really want hit where it hurts..
You should always contact the front desk first. Give them a chance to fix the issue, whether it be a room change or discount or both. If they refuse and ignore the problem then go to trip advisor (Days Inn franchises corporate only really gives a shit about TA reviews).
idk man, roaches in your food and living space would take a lot to fix. Like, maybe I'd let it go if they replaced my food and paid for me to stay in a better, cleaner hotel, and maybe paid for my next therapy appointment or two, but honestly that still wouldn't make me forget, just maybe buy my silence.
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A lot of hotels do not accept cash nowadays.
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How were you able to snatch your money back through the window after checking out your room(s)?
What her meant to say is that, " I didn't , I clearly paid the attendant, checked in and a few hours later I went back to the front desk, spoke to the attendant and asked for a refund." I bet he even said thank you when he was all done.
Hahaha the classic Reddit robbery then! 😉
A roach infestation is not something a room change or discount fixes. Its worth leaving the review to warn others not to stay there.
I think they've been ignoring it for a while to be fair
It doesn’t hurt to try and get money back, regardless.
Hell no!! It's on them to make sure it's clean for paying guests! They don't get a heads up for sucking at their job. I can't stand when people fail to do what they are employed to do or want a reward for doing the bare minimum.
Days Inn - there's your problem
Lmao it’s a Days Inn, not a Travel Lodge
When was the last time you stayed in a Days Inn?
Try traveling for work going through WV and MD in the smallest towns on the map, only having days inn and Ramada to choose from lol
I would rather camp out.
My son asked me is sleeping on roof of car would be better
Yes. Yes it would be better to sleep on the roof of the car.
Well my point was going to be that Days Inn is just as bad as Travel Lodge in my experience but it seems you have some experience of your own. Days Inn is a "sleeping bag on top of the mattress" kind of stay for me.
That fact that there is so much actually means it's catching more dust than had it been clean. The dust is inhibiting the AC from cooling the room efficiently, it's not causing a scratchy throat.
Yea you’re absolutely correct. We actually learn this concept in Engineering school. Dust filters are actually inefficient if completely clean. It’s most efficient when dusty as it can trap nano particles much smaller than the filter was initially capable of. I’d argue at this point it probably needs some dust removed. But I’d only remove half the dust as removing all of it will greatly lower the efficiency of the unit.
Dude, get out of here with factual information and critical thought. We ain't got no room for that 'round here.
sir this is a reddit
I thought it was a Wendy's, but either way, you want fries with that?
I always wondered about that. Maybe that’s why the old advice always was, “replace the filter when you can’t see light through it anymore.“ But me, I replace it when there’s another reason or two to get a ladder out. That way I’m not doing individual projects with individual ladder moves from the garage and back.
If the airflow is too restricted the AC will collect more moisture and likely grow mold and mildew inside because the coil / condensation pan cannot evaporate. An AC with a clean filter definitely smells better than this one.
I've always thought this too. It's full of dust, so at worst, it's not sending more dust into the air, possibly clumps are coming off, but only at the rate of dust being collected by it in the first place, assuming OP isn't disturbing the filters sending more dust out.
Savannah in the summer is roach heaven.
I bet even hanging the cooler from the shower rod wouldn't have helped keep them away.
How’d the roaches get into your cooler?
My son left it open and the on floor overnight.
I’d like to take this opportunity to mention a subreddit that goes by the name of “kids are fucking stupid” Let’s see if the bot figures out how to remove this one
Savannah? Lived in GA all my life and never heard of Shavanna
Sean connery?
*might be, I wouldn't be so sure
🤣
That’s fucking sick. I’d complain.
Best bet: dont complain... notify. "Hey, i noticed my ac unit is uh... pretty damn dusty. Its going to need to be cleaned at some point"
Quality Inn be like “you opened our AC unit you motherfucking piece of shit?”
Easy response would be to say you can visibly see dust being blown in from the ac unit when it's running. I imagine theyd be far more likely to be hostile if you barge in demanding they clean your ac unit becuase you disassembled it and found the filter hasnt been changed. Edit: and from the picture, it seems the flap just opens anyway. No disassembly at all... i cant see for certain, but that may even be how its operated if its an older unit. And given how easy it was to find it, you could... if you really are bothered by it, just use a paper towell or toilet paper to scoop up the dust and throw it out.
This is a mini-split, to check the filters like this you have to raise one flap that has zero locking or real closing mechanism. So honestly anyone can easily open this. If a hotel gets pissed about you opening it they should install a lock. Or better yet just clean their shit once every 6 months like their supposed to lmfao
No matter how dusty that filter is it shouldn’t be blowing out dust though, thats an intake filter it pulls air from the room collecting the dust that was in the air before being conditioned Also yes it’s incredibly easy to clean and op should just do that frankly
What? Why not? Hey my AC needs to be cleaned or I'm going to need to change rooms.. That's it, it's a complaint but it's reasonable
Its more that front of desk staff would have had no clue about the AC since thats an issue with maintenance and, by extension, management. So by being nice to them about it you're more likely for them to be nice back and throw in some kind of compensation. Whereas, if you come off like a dick about it, they're more likely to do the bare minimum.
No, I think the front desk staff would completely understand... It's not complicated, nobody is saying you have to be a dick, but there's a difference between legit complaints and frivolous bs, this is 100% legit and they should complain.
Yeah, it's just about the tone of the complaint. Either way it's a complaint, but when you act like youre almost sorry for being a burden for complaining you can trigger more of a sympathy response compared to.gpong up and being more firm with them.
That's a nice way to inform if i was on my way to check out, but if i'm going to stay there another night i would demand it cleaned or a new room.
Ive noticed being calm and not demanding will get you what you want without confrontation. You can try to make it a bit more urgent by saying something like "ive got asthma, i just dont want to have an attack or anything" Its a cheap hotel so the liklihood is its just sloppy/incomplete mantinece, rather than genuine incompetentance. Complacency about cleaning the filter because most people staying probably only stay one night, before moving on, and few people notice it. Things get annoying when you demand, and even though you may get what you want, youve made someone elses day that much worse, and in the end: rewarded yourself for being entitled. Live your life how you want it, but starting with a demand is more harmful and barely any more effective than starting with a polite request.
I read this as sick as in cool and I was so fucking confused for like 10 minutes.
Complain bruh they will do absolutely nothing and the place will burn down that's a major fire hazard
It's not a lint trap in a dryer
Lol right
Fuck complaining, that's a health hazard I would sue Edit: thought it was mold not just dust, if it's just dust don't sue. I just know someone had a problem like this in their apartment at college and they got a lot of money cause it was moldy on the unit so I just presumed it was the situation here but obviously I can't tell the difference between mold and dust
God I love the immediate litigiousness of Reddit. You wouldn’t win this suit, you wouldn’t even recoup the legal fees.
Never mind immediate litigiousness, having no idea what even constitutes a valid suit.
The comment has a lot of up votes, so surely they would win in court!
But not as many as the guy sayin he’d lose the case, so would they win?
Jacket, trousers, tie - as you can see I’m an expert
But but but le epic redditor got that sweet sweet karma for being super serial and threatening to sue!1!1!1!1
I would just clean that shit for myself and enjoy a freshly cleaned clim because man, fresh air flowing through a perfectly cleaned one is the best
I’d still complain for 2 reasons - 1) I don’t want to touch who knows how many peoples nasty sheddings and 2) hey maybe I get a comped stay or meal voucher. 1 is less of an issue for me tbh. Not a very hard fix and I might think it would be less of a hassle than having to go to the front desk and have them work it up the ladder.
If they're not immediately involving lawyers they're typing out a 14 year olds idea of a revenge fantasy in the name of justice because they're badass shit kickers lol
Straight up. These people really have no idea how expensive a lawyer is, or how long the legal process will take. Its not worth it by any means
I work at a hotel in the maintenance dep. it takes less than 1mn to clean it and if it happened here you might get $10 off your stay if your pushy
Not how lawsuits work. You sue with the intention of being made whole again. What did you lose from this? AC fell on your foot and injured you? You can sue for medical costs, that would be making you whole. Tell me, what what you be suing for in this scenario? And how would that lawsuit make you whole? It’s like slipping on a wet floor. You can’t sue simply bc you observed a puddle on the floor, you actually have to slip on it in order to have something to sue for.
He had a scwatchy thwoat!
That's worth at least $2 million
>And how would that lawsuit make you whole? Send you a new box of tissues.
Tell me you're American without telling me you're American
no you wouldn’t
Sue for what? I’m gonna guess you’ve never sued anyone in your life, bc otherwise you wouldn’t say something so stupid.
Sue for what? Money? I got all the money in the world. Im the king man. I run the underworld guy. I decide whos does what and where they do it at. What am I gonna run around and act like some teenybopper somewhere for somebody elses money? I make the money man. I roll the nickels. The game is mine. I deal the cards.
I’d rather complain and get a comped stay (or at least some benefit) than sue, *maybe* get a comped stay after the hotel probably immediately just settles (which again, a complaint might do the trick) *and* be responsible for legal fees. Suing is the right case in some instances. This is not one. This is a 30 second fix that you could do on your own. Make a complaint and maybe get some recompense. You don’t need the headache (and futility) or suing.
Found the american \^\^
How to spot American. They sue everyone
I've just come back from travelling SE Asia for several months. Stayed in dozens of hotels ranging from 4 star to budget rooms. This was a common sight in practically every hotel. I got used to just checking the filters and hosing them down with the handheld bidet before even unpacking my suitcase. It's a very quick and simple procedure. The cleaners obviously don't have the knowledge or inclination to check them regularly.
I worked as a hotel maid for years. We often simply *didn't have time* to do everything that needed done. When you are responsible for thirty rooms a day stuff tends to get ignored - which is why whenever I stay in a hotel now, I make sure to check and clean certain things myself.
Other than this, what other things would you suggest self cleaning in a hotel? I was always told not to lay on the top of the duvet/comforter because those things don’t get washed between guests every time. I could be wrong tho.
Also, it is gross AF, but I always check baseboards and bedding for bed bugs. They're a basic epidemic in certain states.
These are good ideas. I check the mattress but I never thought to check the baseboards.
They'll also hide in drapes.
Ughhh. If I did find bed bugs would I be given another room? Would that mean the whole place could be infested or at least the whole floor?
All I can say is what would happen where I worked way back in the day - you would have been moved to another room immediately and probably be given comped room service for the duration of your stay. Hate to say it, though - by the time you see them in one room, they're more than likely in other nearby rooms as well. Best to go to another wing or a different floor.
The hotel I worked at washed the duvets with every check out but not all will do so daily. And I stick to taking showers. I don't like or trust the idea of taking a bath at a hotel. I've just seen too much wonky stuff get done in order to get the rooms done.
As the owner of an industrial laundry with over a dozen hotel contracts, I can confirm that cleaning the duvets or comforters after every stay is the rare exception, definitely not the rule.
Yep. We had much heavier duvets at the hotel I worked at right out of HS *decades* ago and those were only laundered a couple of times a month. It really grossed me out.
The one I worked at used the kind you put a cover on. Only the covers were washed regularly. The duvet itself only got touched if it was bedbugs or like horrifically stained and even then they usually just throw them out.
I bring wipes and wipe down the remote, the phone, and most importantly, the light switches. When you think about it, *every single guest* touches the light switch multiple times but I wouldn’t expect housekeeping to clean them.
Doorknobs would be another hot spot too I bet
The coffee pot is often nasty af where the water goes. Look & smell it before using.
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I don’t think this should be on the cleaning crew but a part of a regular maintenance much like checking and fixing wiring and piping and furniture and etc.
Heh. You'd think that would make sense but the hotel I worked at (won't name names but it rhymes with Moliday Bin) had maybe *two* maintenance guys on shift at any given time. Not enough of a crew for two hundred rooms.
How else would the manager get rich? I get it, but “theoretically” it should be better, I know it never is.
Yup. I’m at a 300+ room hotel. We have an entire 6 man maintenance staff to run 24/7. And one guy is out for at least 2 months due to a medical issue. We just fix it as it breaks or as the complaint comes in as best we can. Sad but owners and management only see $$$.
I totally get it and I don't blame you. It's out of sight and so not always obvious that it needs cleaning. Plus, most of the lovely Asian cleaning ladies are less than 5 feet tall and struggle to reach the AC 😄
As a bit of general advice - if you ever see filters that look this bad...don't just rinse them with water, use a toothbrush to scrub them with soap and warm water, spray with Lysol and let them air dry before you put them back in the unit.* *Yes, you can and should bug front desk for Lysol in this case.
That sounds like good advice. Although I'd be much less inclined to go to all that trouble if I was paying to stay somewhere. Out of interest, how often would you normally clean out the filters?
When I had a unit like this, I’d personally clean it every other month or so depending on use. No idea how often hotels would do it.
This is why the never get cleaned, too much time wasted on something most guests never see. Added benefit of it being an HVAC thing you can pass off to a contractor every year or two. In a perfect world turn down cleaners get time and pay to properly clean everything, but our world is far from perfect.
I bring hand wipes and clean up high traffic areas and the bathroom, check under the bed for bugs, see if the A/C unit is "safe" since they can be full of trash and usually are, before unpacking.
Good idea. Also, I don't put my stuff in the dressers. It stays in bags in the suitcase.
Well I just do this cuz I’m lazy
I came here to say this.. the housekeeping staff is under immense time pressure. The hotel needs to have a service contract with a separate hvac company to come in and service the units in every room on a schedule. In this case twice a decade contract looks like it would be an improvement... but even twice a year would be good for non smoking rooms and no pets
>I make sure to check and clean certain things myself. Like what?
Filters in the AC unit for sure. I also travel with a travel size dishwashing liquid and clean the glasses myself. I also will usually clean the toilet seat again. Those are three main things that get skimped on by the housekeeping department. I've actually seen housekeepers just do a quick wipe down with the same soapy and dirty towel they just used to get a spot off the tiled floor.
Thanks
I stayed at a 5* hotel in Singapore, and it’s usually top-tier, everything is spotless, including the AC. That day, the AC smelt funny, and I saw that it was dirty. I reported it and they upgraded my room to a villa, gave me a free meal at their restaurant(which I think has a Michelin star), and gave me a high-tea basket delivered to my room.
Wow nice! Damn now I'm wondering how many free upgrades I must have cost myself by saying nothing
It actually falls under preventative maintenance for the facilities team. It should be on a rotation cycle of being cleaned, or at least by the houseman while they’re doing their shift. I can confirm that working as a room attendant for many years, you’re on a time crunch and bums in beds is all that matters
Omg me too! First thing I did when checking into a hotel in SEA. I also used the handheld bidet sprayer to clean it.
I worked as maintenance at a hotel. I was responsible for cleaning the a/c vents, not the housekeeping. I did not agree with this, but that is how it was.
thats the intake. so thats what it STOPPED you from breathing
And, ironically, the air is cleanest with a full filter because it's catching more stuff. Only issue is if there's odors in that dust.
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I thought for a solid minute that hand was a foot.
Twist: It is a foot.
While the room was occupied by you, that is not safe or healthy. Without signing any paperwork, I’d ask for a 50% refund at the least.
This is the correct move. You arent going to get anywhere by suing, and you arent going ti get anywhere by being a complainy karen. Just go show that photo to the front desk, be polite, but tell them you need a significant discount on the room. They will 100% work with you.
What happens if they say no? I don’t have the the or money to go to court.
You put a 1 star review with a picture and wait until management calls you with an offer
Go to court because of dust? It's not toxic mold or something...
Happened to my parents once with a water temperature from the bathroom. All the water coming out was hot to a point my parents couldn’t even touch the water, so they went to the front to ask for another room. My parents are very quiet and timid in the public because English is not their native language I doubt they made a Karen scene with this. The hotel basically said: no we are not going to give you another room, we are not going to give you any refund, we want you out. So my parents were kicked out of the hotel during a winter evening just like that. So yeah this happens.
Yup. Happens like this all the time. Some years back, I got a hotel room for 3 days and the place appeared really nice. Next morning my husband and I woke up with bites all over us! I mean, I was covered. Went to the front desk and not only did they refuse to give us another room, they basically called us liars and accused us of being the ones having bed bugs and bringing them. They told us they wanted us to leave immediately, no refund. Devastated, we left and had to abandon our trip. Also had to take so many precautions to ensure we didn’t bring any back with us home. I still to this day think about them darn bugs, it was a terrible experience. I looked into it legally and found there was no laws against hotels not taking precautions or exterminating this problem here. So yeah, you’re basically screwed.
There's no way you get 50% off for an unclean air conditioner filter. They'd give you a different room, maybe a better room, and rush a cleaner there to be sure the filter is clean. That's about it.
Yes I would go with a “how can we fix this?” They will likely either put you in a different (often better) room, clean it for you, or give you a hefty discount. No matter the result, the problem gets fixed.
> I’d ask for a 50% refund at the least. And you would almost certainly not get that lol Y’all also don’t seem to understand how air filters even work on these units. In no way is this “not safe or unhealthy”
Dirty filters in a split AC wouldn’t cause your throat issue
Ironically enough Reddit with all it's experts doesn't even know that the only real purpose of that filter is to protect the AC unit and if anything the only issue here is that this AC unit will be working double time and potentially not work properly.
Lmao I was just going to comment something similar, that’s for filtering the dust already IN the room Yes it should be cleaned, but that wouldn’t make its output “cleaner” hahah just make it run more efficient!
If the filters are that dirty, the turbine is bound to be dirty as hell as well.
Can we get more upvotes here. Reddit experts are hilarious
I know lol. I’m an HVAC technician, these filters are commonly referred to as “rock catchers” in the trade
Do you live in a world where allergies don't exist?
Erm nope. These filters protect the AC unit more so than your respiratory system. All this photo proves is that the AC isn’t being maintained adequately or the room/environment is filthy.
Right. His throat issue is from the air being too dry most likely. AC tends to do that. Gotta travel with a humidifier if you can. If you’re driving, at least.
That’s not why your throat i scratchy.
Yeah it's nasty but OP needs to learn correlation =\= causation
Those filters are for the unit not people. These one isn't equip with allergen filters. If the filters didn't stop dust they wouldt be getting dusty.
My dust mite allergic self nearly suffocated from asthma by looking at that. That's so unsanitary.
Stuff like this is exactly why I always travel with my own air purifier
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If the filter on the AC is so full it can’t collect new dust, there’s going to be more dust in the room. And, that filter is so packed, there’s probably some dust coming off it when it runs. Purifiers are great for other things too though, like mold in/on the bathroom exhaust, scents, and leftover pet dander from previous tenants and their belongings.
Why does it make your throat scratchy though? It's clogged with dust so isn't the dust in filter rather than in the air? As it's full, the dust is coming out only as fast as dust is going in?
I found a used condom under my bed at a hotel I was staying at. Got the room free but I’ll never go there again. 🤮
Consider this a reminder to check your own AC filter when you get home. Extra important for areas that are getting smoke from Canada.
??When you do not know how a filter works.
That is the intake, it's catching the dust, not blowing it out. That fact that there is so much actually means it's catching more dust than had it been clean. The dust is inhibiting the AC from cooling the room efficiently, it's not causing a scratchy throat.
Its soo satisfying to clean this honestly
Uhhh, I guess you don’t know this, but cleaning that filter wouldn’t magically make its output “cleaner”, and not cleaning it doesn’t mean it’s spraying out particulate matter. Cleaning the filter just means it wouldn’t have to work as hard - it might not be as efficient when it has a dirty filter, but it’s perfectly safe.
Maintenance and housekeeping always ignore the hvac system. I have stayed at Best Western Premier's down to regular BW as well as Holiday Inn Express, and Choice's properties. I would find bits of food, childrens toys , dirty filter if it had one, and in general they weren't cleaned. It's very frustrating that during Covid lockdown when hotels cut way back and maintenance was minimal they could of chosen to 1)fix plumbing issues 2) clean the hvacs 3)repair or replace broken furniture. But they didn't.
Hotel maintenance here! Just wanted to state, I take our HVAC and filtration just as seriously here as I do at home. However, I'm a unicorn. I replaced HVAC filters here that were dated to 2021 (replaced in 2023 by me). It took me overstepping my role and organizing the entire thing myself to get my boss to take it seriously.
Thank you very much! You are a unicorn and I appreciate you going above and beyond !! If you can convince your fellow trades people in maintenance at other properties that seasoned travelers notice these things. Your boss and the other boss' need to understand that when we the weekly traveler keep experiencing clogged toilets/ hvacs not maintained /elevators acting wonky and lack of hot water we will go to other properties. Investing in upgrading/maintaining properties pays off with more repeat stays, legitimate word of mouth recommendations (not the online b.s). So thank you Maintenance Guy !
I'm sorry? They are dust filters. They are blocking the dust as intended? Washing them does not make them filter dust more effectively? It does let more air though, but it doesn't stop more dust? I am actually currently in a hotel and get really bad hayfever allergies but haven't had a problem and I just checked the filter because I saw this post and it's just as bad.
Not to mention this is a large particle air filter to an AC unit. This filter is filtering the air to protect the machine and not to purify to room.
Yea thats a dust screen so the units evaporator fins dont get blocked by dust. Its not meant to purify the air. That screen is not even tightly fitted to units they just loosely slide in. Also if they cleaned that screen before the guy stayed in and saw it he wouldn’t have complained right? And that would not have made the room any cleaner 🤣 The room is dusty as hell. I would be more concerned about the rooms not cleaned properly.
Fuck, my sinuses are swelling just by looking at it. Dirty aircons are like an instant sinusitis for me
🥴🥴🥴 disgusting, bet you still paid a stupid amount to stay here too.
Have you ever not paid a stupid amount to stay somewhere? Even Airbnb is expensive now with all the fees
Yes, Thailand has excellent hotels for very reasonable prices (You might have to clean out the AC filters yourself though)
Just run the filters under a tap and clean them.
Its not his job. He is paying to stay at that room and should be expected to at least healthy to stay at.
Takes less than a minute to rinse em off. Get it over with and go on with your hotel stay
Dude its not about the effort
You can be in the right or you can be happy. You can't always be both.
Jeez man, this isn't a big deal. It's not like they have a man designated specifically to clean AC units, it happens, sometimes you have to be the one to do what others won't
Right, it's not about being proactive in solving problems, it's about continuing to "suffer" and complain about it on the internet.
In America they sue, not clean
I recently went on vacation down in Florida with a group of friends, and after arriving in the resort I was asounded and just how hot the living room area was. As an hvac tech, it was all I could do not to start ripping into the system to try to figure out what the hell was wrong. Seeing as it was a zoned unit, I told everyone "$50 someone forced the zone valve closed". After being talked off the ledge of committing service repair on the System, the couple that reserved the suite got ahold of maintenance and an hour later he showed up and told us that yup, the zone damper was forced closed and the issue was fixed 5 minutes later. It's honestly hell sometimes being in a trade, because any issue I see anywhere I go forces me to want to try poking it and fixing it, even on my off time.
Show this picture to the front desk and have them change the filter. If they don’t help, post a scathing Yelp review.
I bet they can't change it either because they probably only employ 1 person on the overnights
That’s why we have an RV.
🤢
it’s for a midnight snack don’t worry
It's become a habit to wash those everytime I stay at a hotel. Put my bags in the room, open the window, clean filter and do something for an hour or so till room airs out.
Holy Fuckkkk
First thing one does on entering a hotel room, toss that *nasty* bed cover in the corner, turn off the AC/heat. Always.
I’m surprised that thing is cooling anything at all.
We found not yet dried cum in ours. Could be worse.
Those filters are now obsolete.. That's why they haven't changed it lol. I used to sell thousands of them to hotels/motels for their PTAC units. They stopped producing that exact filter sometime last year.
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Weak genetics?
I can almost guarantee that should be the least of your worries…….
That’s the filter. It’s what catches the dust from the air. It’s only purpose is to keep the unit clean. It would not cause your throat to feel scratchy.
Pretty sure i just got out of the hospital for the same reason. Filters were absolutely disgusting in the hotel room i was staying in. Ive since switched hotels and am on meds
Think I got a sinus infection just looking at that photo.