My husband and I recently spent two nights (July 12 and 13) at the Best Western Plus Inn and Suites at the Falls in Poughkeepsie, NY. We have stayed there several times before and were always pleased—but not this time. Overall the hotel has deteriorated. The gardens in front need weeding, and the fruit set out for breakfast is so old that the skins are literally wrinkled. Carpets need vacuuming, windows are filthy, and the desk staff is engaged with listening to loud Indian radio or television broadcasts rather than assisting guests. However, the real issue is described below:

On the first day our toilet clogged and overflowed. Fecal matter (not ours) erupted from the fixture and soiled the floor and toilet. We were told that the staff person on duty would fix it. However, when we arrived back in the evening, the room had been neither cleaned nor tidied—there was trash in the containers and wet towels in the bathroom, with no clean towels available. The floor was still filthy and toilet seat lifted. Upon inquiring, we were informed by the desk clerk that rooms are never cleaned during the guests’ stay and that staff will not enter a room without the guests being present. We were also informed that the plumber would not enter a room without the guests present -- and thus whether the toilet issue was resolved was unknown. Someone may indeed have tinkered with the toilet because we were able to flush safely. However, the toilet seat and floor needed washing after the fecal overflow. Hence I cleaned the bathroom floor myself using a hotel towel and the spray bottle of disinfectant that staff had (perhaps intentionally) left in the room prior to our arrival on July 12th. We were finally able to get some clean towels by insisting that the desk clerk provide them.

These are the questions for Best Western: • What is standard policy at Best Western hotels re: room cleaning and maintenance? • Are rooms no longer cleaned unless the guests are present? • Is it indeed impossible to repair/plunge a toilet in the absence of guests? • Are the spray bottles of disinfectant indeed provided so that guests can do DIY cleaning? • Why weren’t we moved to a clean, functioning room (as we requested, but the desk clerk refused)?