Moldy rooms, do not book!
2023-02-26
I booked a double room for 4 nights, and was assigned room 1008 on arrival. All 4 walls of room 1008 were moldy! It was not just sealants in the toilet or small patches in certain corners of the room. It’s like a horror movie when I look at the mold up close (photos attached, but unable to fully capture it via my phone camera). Of course, the toilet was also moldy, with a musty smell. I asked the front desk officer to come and take a look at my room. He was not at all surprised to see the mold, and told me that due to Taipei’s climate, it can’t be helped. I was shocked that this was his reaction, and said that this was not acceptable for me because it was detriment to my health to sleep in that room. When I asked for a change of room, he told me there was only 1 triple room available left for that night, and was at first reluctant to let me take that room. After consulting his manager, he said I could stay in that room (1102) for 2 nights before the new occupants arrive, and I would have to move back to room 1008 for my remaining 2 nights because the hotel was full. I asked whether there were any available rooms in the nearby relax hotels (they have many branches), and I was even prepared to take a smaller room or top up if it was a higher value room. He checked and said there were no rooms available (busy period due to 28 Feb national holiday long weekend). He assured me that room 1008 would be deep cleansed before I move back in. In the new room (1102), there was no mold on room walls but a worse moldy situation in the toilet. The musty smell in the toilet was far worse than room 1008. There was also a cockroach on the bed which he helped me to get rid of. But the remnants of the cockroach left a stain on the bedsheet which I couldn’t remove. Thankfully there was a separate single bed which I could sleep on. The next day, a different front desk officer told me the original room (1008) had been cleaned. I went in to take a look with the officer, and saw that ALL the mold still remained on the walls. They obviously did not clean the room! She told me that some of them are just wall stains and not mold. I had to take a tissue and wiped it to show her it was easily removed with a tissue. So she then had to say that she would get housekeeping to do another round of cleaning. Eventually I didn’t trust them to do a proper mold removal, and told them I would prefer to move to a different double room. So they let me have room 1113, which thankfully did not have mold on the room walls, but again the toilet situation was far worse. By this time, I realise that this hotel has a ventilation problem and all rooms probably have the same issue. It’s just a matter of how bad it is. I must say that the front desk staff were all polite and nice, and I think this situation is not their fault, since they are following instructions from the mgmt. They were not at all surprised about the mold, and still trying to convince me to stay in the moldy room, means they probably get this comment every day. The ventilation in the toilets are not working well, hence causing mold. After I shower, the toilet floor remains wet for more than 12 hours till the next morning. In other hotels it would have dried up. I booked this hotel 6 months ago based on good reviews on trip advisor. However looking at recent reviews and my personal experience, the hotel is in a lot of problem, where there is mold in all rooms and they are not resolving the issue while wanting to still generate revenue. I actually felt unsafe in the room, breathing in the moldy air. Because it coincided with the 28 Feb national holiday, all rooms were full and I couldn’t get another place to move to. Also, the wifi was patchy and weak. I had problems watching YouTube. Good thing was free flow coffee and tea throughout the day in the waiting room.