My partner and I tried to stay at this hotel during a trip to NYC. I say “tried,” because the instant we walked into the room, we were hit by a wave of an eye-watering chemical smell. It was so strong that both of us began to feel dizzy and nauseated. We located the source — an air freshener on the clothing rack — and returned it to the front desk, and then we attempted to air out the room by opening the windows and running the fan. However, the smell pervaded every crack and crevice in the room and despite our best attempts to fumigate it over the next few hours, we were unable to remove the smell.
My partner — who has a chronic condition where she is sensitive to certain artificial fragrances — started experiencing such severe nausea, dizziness, and chills from the chemicals that we had to leave the hotel at 12am our first night. The front desk staff were kind and accommodating, and patiently worked with the Expedia staff to help us end our reservation early. As we were entering and leaving, we could not help but notice that the smell also lingered the lobby and breakfast area.
I would recommend that this hotel rethink its use of such harsh chemical cleaners and fragrances. These kinds of chemicals can trigger chronic illness flare-ups and irritate the airways and eyes of workers and guests. It made me and my partner wonder if there were cleanliness or safety issues the hotel is trying to cover up by using such strong artificial products.