First off, let me just start by saying that not all of the rooms here are "newly renovated". Some maybe, but not all. Ours most definitely was NOT.
We went to WV this past weekend to deliver supplies for flood relief. We have a 13 yr. old, so we wanted a hotel with an indoor pool. We originally booked a different hotel, but due to the fact that their pool was closed for maintenance, we ended up cancelling that reservation and making a reservation at this hotel through Booking.com based solely on the price and the fact that they had a pool (according to the front desk, there were a couple other groups that did the same thing). We arrived around maybe 8:30-9 on Sat. Aug. 5th. Once we got checked in, we got to our room (118) and it had a musty smell. We just figured it was an older hotel, and the AC wasn't on, so maybe it just need a little air circulation. Turned the AC on and went to the pool for a bit. When we returned to the room, the musty smell wasn't quite as bad, so we turned in for the night. Fast forward until morning.....all three of us woke up with SEVERE nasal/chest congestion, headaches etc., which is still bothering us today. If it keeps up for much longer, all three of us are going to have to make a doctors appointment. We thought maybe it was just because it was a little stuffy in the room, or allergies from an outside cause, but upon further inspection were pretty sure that we found a large part of the cause. THERE IS BLACK MOLD EVERYWHERE IN THIS ROOM!!!!!! Black mold beside the AC unit, black mold ALL over the bathroom! We took pictures of some of the mold we could see, unfortunately, Trip Advisor will only let me access the one. Apparently there's a reason that the room has a musty smell. Now, I'm no scientist, but the last time I checked, black mold is dangerous, and should be remediated immediately, instead of just letting it hang out.
And no, we did not approach the front desk about this problem. Corporate has been contacted though. For one, we were getting our showers and trying to get ready to check out before we really noticed the mold. Also, there is NO POSSIBLE WAY that either room service and/or management do not know about the problem. It didn't just miraculously grow over night. The maids clean the rooms on a somewhat daily basis, and there is no way that someone did not know that there is mold in this room. In our opinion, this is COMPLETELY unacceptable. This hotel is putting their customers health at risk everytime they rent this room to someone. Not really sure what the solution to the problem would be, but one can only assume that this isn't the only room with mold. Maybe while they are doing their renovations, there should be a mold remediation company called, all of the rooms checked, and not rented out until clear of mold. At least that's what a business that cares about their customers' health and safety would do. We can definitely assure you that we will NEVER stay at this particular Best Western again.
Thanks for your time,
Megan Kestner
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