Thistle Hotel across the street from the Tower of London. A child in the room across from us left the bathtub running for 2 hours. The hallway floor was sopping wet throughout the hallway and into our room. The strange thing is that the wet carpeting was never dried! It really started to stink after a few days. We were given another room down the way but the floor was sopping wet the entire week. And then there was some type of cheerleading competition with the American teams at our hotel (100 plus), every morning on our way out the girls would be practicing in the lobby - the whole nine yards clapping, stomping and cheering = )

My worse would have to be a hotel near Subic Bay in the Philippines. The room was very run down and didn't even have a dresser in it. I was reading in bed one night and saw a hugh cockroach heading my way. I was going to hit it with a shoe when it reared up and hissed at me - it was about three inches high and while I screamed it scooted under the bed. I went down to the front desk and complained and they said they'd have someone check it out. So I sat in the lobby waiting and finally realized they meant the next day, only I wasn't sleeping in a bed with a hugh roach under it, so eventually they sent someone up who found the roach's nest under my bed and sprayed it.<BR>Last summer I stayed at the Drury Lane Moat House Hotel, and arrived with a terrible cough and cold. It was cold and raining outside, the window would not close and the heat was on a timer and didn't work most of the day; bottom line is the room was about 50F. There were hugh tears in the curtains and stains on the carpet. They claimed they didn't have any other non-smoking rooms that I could move to.<BR>Another time I stayed in a tiny room in Japan during a 6 week business trip in Jan, and had a lot of luggage and clothes because the other sites were tropical climates (and it was in my early traveling days when I didn't know about packing light). The only storage for clothing was a small ledge beside the bed and a 2 inch rod for hanging clothes. My luggage was squeezed into the hall. The bathroom was tiny and the sink overlapped the tub on one side and toilet on the other. I had to crouch down to see myself in the mirror. The tub was only half as long, but twice as deep, so I could sit in it with water (and my knees) up to my chin.<BR>If all my hotel experiences were like these I'd considering not traveling, but fortunately I've had some wonderful surprises as well.

We had an experience last year that could have went very badly, but went completely the other way.<BR><BR>We'd booked at the Cumberland Hotel, near the Marble Arch in London, for a few nights between a trip through Ireland and before catching a train to visit family in the Midlands. We'd chose Cumberland as it had a special rate, like 70 pounds per night, during lobby and restaurant renovations. They had just be purchased by the Le Meridien chain. We figured that the noise wouldn't be a problem, what with sightseeing during the day, etc.<BR><BR>The scheduled driver drops us off at a side entrance due to the scaffolding in front and backs away. We find ourselves in a dark hotel lobby and candles lit here and there, with a couple at the front desk once we get there. We're told that the construction folks have managed to sever the electric and the entire hotel is being emptied. Oh, great.<BR><BR>Actually, it *was* great. After about 30 minutes of calls, they find us an opening at a sister hotel just down the street. Grosvenor House, right on Park Lane! (one of the top hotels in the world, it's said). A taxi is hailed and the doorman pays the driver to take us around the corner.<BR><BR>Into Grosvenor House. Wishing I was in a suit or something at this point, we'd just been grunging around Ireland a few hours prior. Hmmm, seems to be that rooms are in short supply as they've taken up the slack for Cumberland and it's a busy time anyway. Investigation finally shows that all that's left is a Jr. Suite, so that will have to do. Darn. <BR><BR>We ended up in a suite on an upper floor overlooking Mayfair and the American Embassy (what, no park view??) for 70 pounds or thereabouts. Never again in my lifetime, I'm sure, but that should cover a few bad ones yet to come.

Stayed in a little hotel in London which was pretty basic, but right accross the street from the British Museum! They had a very tiny, rustic elevator (lift) and it creeked and shivered all the way up to the forth floor. I told my husband I hoped we didn't get stuck. Sure enough, on our way down, last day there, it stopped between floors and refused to budge. Now, getting stuck in an elevator is not a nice feeling; but almost immediately the owner or proprieter got a 'tool' and we gently drifted to the main floor. He pried the doors opened and then had the nerve to accuse us of &quot;breaking&quot; his lift!!!

Hotel in Costa Rica under construction, but I mean real construction. Atrium hotel where entire atrium under constuction, only work lights, lumber, etc. everywhere. No dining room (of course),bare wall hallways to rooms, pool empty, workmen and noise at all hours. Looked like a war zone. Travel agent had made this arrangement...must have been a very large commission. This was on a 5* trip. Plus my decision to drive from San Jose to Pacific beach. They said 4 hour drive...try 7 hours with the last hour on unpaved sand path. But the beach hotel(Flamingo Beach Hotel)was fab and the beach was even better. Worth it!!!!