Managing America's Dirtiest Hotel

MANILA, Philippines - It’s one thing when you’re general manager of a Manhattan hotel. It’s another thing if the hotel you’re managing has the dubious distinction of being “America’s dirtiest.”

But Erwin Lumanglas is not at all bothered by that

Hotel Carter, which he’s been managing since 2006 in the Times Square theater district, topped the annual list of the nation’s filthy hotels by TripAdvisor, an online travel guide’s web site.

And that’s for the third time in four years.

“The TripAdvisor’s list was just based on the reviews of some people on the website,” Lumanglas, a native of Batangas City, says during a brief tour of the hotel recently. “We have already done numerous renovations and improvements and we continue to do so. But what do you expect for $89 a night in New York City?” Lumanglas says the hotel, which was called Hotel Dixie when it opened in 1930 and is now owned by a Vietnamese-American businessman, offers travelers on a tight budget a cheap room in an extremely expensive city.

“Remember this is a one-star hotel so the standard is for a one-star hotel,” he emphasizes to members of the press who descended on the hotel after TripAdvisor released its list recently.

“If they want us to upgrade the hotel or make extensive renovations, then we will be forced to charge guests $250 or $300 a night,” he points out.

“And if we are the dirtiest hotel in America, how come we are still open and not a single citation has been issued by the Department of Health during its annual inspection?” Lumanglas argues.

“Roaches, rats, black mold and stains of dubious origin figure prominently in the nearly 800 critiques of the 700-room hotel on West 43rd Street,” writes USA Today, referring to the TripAdvisor survey.  

“The bathroom made me want to vomit,” one TripAdvisor commenter notes.

“DON’T LOOK UNDER THE BED!” another cautions.

“Apparently, used tissues aren’t the only risk,” says USA Today. “In 2007, a hotel housekeeper discovered a woman’s body stuffed into a trash bag under the mattress; she had been murdered by the previous night’s paying guest.”

“That was a crime and it was beyond our control,” explains Lumanglas of the corpse. “It can happen even in the finest hotels.”

“As for molds or bugs, we have hired regular exterminators and we’re doing our best to keep the place safe and clean,” he adds. “We address any problem right away whenever a guest reports something.”

Lumanglas showed us several rooms and they did appear clean and presentable – the white bed sheets are spotless, the mattresses unblemished, the beds are comfortable and the bathroom showers and floors look clean. There are no lamp shades, but the rooms are well lit and there’s a TV set in each room.   

Nonetheless, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done, including peeling paint on the walls and tubs, and frequent pipe leaks.

Lumanglas, an accountancy graduate of the University of Batangas, came to the U.S. in 2006 after working as an accountant in the sports division of ABS-CBN network. He did a myriad of odd jobs – including as a cashier at a Manhattan wine store – before he joined Hotel Carter as a bookkeeper.  

Only a month later, he became sales manager. And just a few months afterwards, he was promoted to general manager.

“Siguro ma-boka kasi ako at ma-PR,” says Lumanglas, who lives in a nice room at the hotel. “Hindi sa pagyayabang, pero na-triple ko ang income ng hotel when I took over.”

Lumanglas said the TripAdvisor list has not affected the business at Hotel Carter.

“People still come because many of our guests, especially those who are tight on budget but want to experience New York City, are actually satisfied,” he says. “They are interested because of the price and location. Many are also curious to find out what the fuss is all about created by TripAdvisor.”

“Guests should remember that if they want high standard services or four- or five-star facilities, they can always go to Marriott or Sheraton or Hilton,” he adds.

The TripAdvisor dirty list included two other hotels in the Big Apple – the New York Inn on Eighth Ave. near 47th St. ranked no. 3; and the Ramada Plaza Hotel near Kennedy Airport ranked the ninth dirtiest.