A TRAVEL blogger has slammed Hilton after staff working for the hotel chain allegedly bombarded his website with negative comments over a bad review.
Hilton has since said that it will be investigating the issue.
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Jon Nickel-D’Andrea, who writes the travel blog No Mas Coach!, published a damning review of Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, Michigan, earlier this year.
The hotel is a Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel franchise, but is independently owned and operated according to Hilton.
Jon explained in his original blog post that after a smooth check in and an upgrade to a “historic wing”, his experience quickly went downhill.
The blogger, who also works in the travel industry, said that the room “had not been vaccummed (sic) for at LEAST a decade” based on the layer of grime that had accumulated under the bed.
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Jon said he then spotted a number of other “health risks”, including a dirty air vent, dust in the bathroom and black mould in the fridge.
Shocked by the discovery, Jon and his partner Ben headed straight to reception to complain and was moved to a room in the new wing of the hotel straight away.
Fortunately, the rest of their stay went smoothly, and they were very happy with their experience.
The hotel itself has received mostly positive reviews online, with a 4.5 star score on Google and TripAdvisor.
While some guests have complained about the cleanliness, most were satisfied with their stay.
After publishing his review, Jon claimed he started receiving numerous negative comments to his blog, calling him everything from a “retard” and “biggest idiot” to “inbred”.
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Jon said he spotted that the comments, which had all appeared on the same day, were all posted from the same IP address.
This, he said, could be traced back to Hilton’s headquarters in Mclean, Virginia.
Jon wrote: “If someone at the hotel in question had called us retards or inbreds in person, I have no doubt their employment would have been terminated right then and there.
“Given that the internet affords some degree of anonymity and I have no way of finding out who wrote this beyond the fact that it came from a Hilton IP address, I guess we will not find out.”
Mike Donnelly, general manager for the hotel, told Sun Online Travel: “Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
“The language referenced is reprehensible and runs counter to our values that every person is worthy of respect.
“We take seriously any complaints that anyone in our company has engaged in inappropriate conduct and we will thoroughly investigate this situation and take appropriate action.
“Any behavior that runs contrary to our values has no place in our business and will not be tolerated.”
Sun Online Travel previously revealed some of the worst hotels around.
While former housekeeping staff have admitted to leaving used towels and dirty sheets in the rooms.
Some hotels have also taken their customer requests a bit too seriously in the past.
