This summer my daughters and I had the opportunity to stay at a popular resort in San Antonio. We love staying at this resort! Upon opening the door to our room, we instantly noticed the smell. Mold. We looked at each other with our noses crinkled….”ewe”. The room was clean and beautifully appointed. Nothing was out-of-place except for the damp musty smell. We ended up opening the sliding glass door to the room in middle of a Texas summer day, to air it out. We noticed it every time we returned to the room.
Mold seems to be a common problem in hotels. It should never be a problem in a high-end resort or hotel. Not everyone can smell mold or is sensitive to it. It is unpleasant for those of us who sense it. I struggled the whole weekend with calling management up to the room to take a whiff. I didn’t want to take the time away from my kids during our precious two days. It was a problem. It made our experience less than what it should be. The room should smell clean. It should be inviting and smell new or fresh.
I have not named the hotel, because in fairness to them, I did not file a complaint. Next time I will.
I have often wondered how an establishment can measure smell? There are all kinds of products that freshen the air but, except for a smoke alarm, none that send an alert when things go wrong from an odor standpoint.
There are 3 solutions that I can think of to work with this customer experience issue.
- Prevent the problem in the first place with superior room maintenance and water damage remediation.
- Provide a pleasant but subtle air freshening system in each room. Think spa.
- Identify a staff member in your hotel who has a sensitive nose. Ask them to check rooms. If a room is identified as smelling musty, put it on the maintenance list, freshen it up immediately, and most of all, don’t book it.
Has this ever happened to you? What is the price point at which you demand that the room smell pleasant? What solutions does your hotel use to deal with musty rooms?
