Are you planning to stay at a hotel while on vacation?
Then you may want to keep this blog post handy. Hotel stays can be fun and exciting, but they can also have some downsides.
Unfortunately, one of those is mold.
I personally had an moldy hotel room experience, and it’s something you don’t want to deal with as it can ruin your travel experience.
The thing is, most people don’t think about it until it’s too late. Mold in hotel rooms is actually pretty common, especially in humid climates or during the summer months when it gets hot and humid.
Luckily, we have some simple tips on avoiding a moldy hotel stay so that your next trip doesn’t ruin your vacation.
Take care to follow these tips so that you can have an enjoyable stay at any hotel without worrying about getting sick from it.
11 Tip Checklist To Avoid Mold in Hotel Room
- Always do a complete walkthrough of the room. If there is any noticeable mold in the room, ask to be switched to another one. The hotel will likely accommodate your request. Ask for the manager if you run into problems with individuals at the front desk.
- Pay close attention to the smell of the room. If it smells like a musty, earthy, foul odor, ask for another room. If you can smell mold, there is a good chance it is growing somewhere in the room.
- Keep the air conditioning on while you’re away during the day and at night before bedtime (this can help prevent dampness).
- Don’t put wet clothes in drawers or lay towels on tables/furniture because this creates damp environments for mold growth. This goes for shoes too!
- Avoid spilling water on carpets and in the bathroom, especially after showering. Dry the floor to remove excess moisture.
- When showering, don’t let the steam build-up. When you are done, open the bathroom door or window to help air it out. Always turn on the bathroom exhaust fan when taking a shower.
- Do not eat on tables/furniture without covering them first with plastic table cloths to prevent fluids from soaking into wood surfaces, creating damp environments that are perfect for mold growth.
- Keep a close eye on damp clothes. If they sit for a long time, mold can grow, and the moisture will become trapped in them, so it’s best to take care of these right away.
- If you do see mold in the room, tell the front desk right away! They will likely be able to come and clean it up really quickly.
- Always use the air conditioner. This helps prevent humidity from building up inside the rooms. Doing so will help to avoid any mold growth from developing.
- If you notice any plumbing leaks notify the front desk as soon as possible. Water damage is a common cause of mold growth in hotel rooms.
Getting Resolution If You Found Mold in Your Hotel Room
No one should have to stay in a moldy hotel room, and especially when spending your hard-earned money for you and your family to have a fun vacation.
If you should be unfortunate enough to walk into a moldy hotel room, you have the right to refuse to stay in that room and request another one.
If the front desk is not helping resolve the issue, then contact the manager or owner of that hotel.
Often, sending an email or calling the corporate office will prove to be beneficial in getting a resolution to your situation.
Most hotels will do whatever they can to make things right and resolve these issues quickly for their customers.
No hotel wants terrible PR, especially when people go viral about their horrible hotel experience at one of their properties.
This happens more frequently than what has been known to occur from time to time with moldy rooms.
By following these tips, your next vacation will be nothing but relaxing and enjoyable, with no worries about getting sick or having an unpleasant hotel stay.
Occasionally, our readers send us emails about their experiences. We try to give some simple recommendations to help with their situation.
Here are some of their stories our readers who stayed in moldy hotels
From L.B. Her and travel companion stay at a hotel on Ocean Blvd Myrtle Beach S.C.
“On September 2nd my traveling companion and myself checked into our hotel. The minute the door opened you could spell old smoke and dirt.
Of course, we travel with Lysol & wipes! So, we started spraying and wiping everything down. As we were cleaning we noticed several thing straight away. The kitchenette cabinets looked as if jelly had been smeared on them. Definitely a Covid Cleaning that we paid for had not happened!
My travel companion and myself are becoming more and more aware of the over all shape of the room. I sat on the bed to look around. Right in front of me was the cable outlet. I attached photos. Black mold on both sides of the jack!
When I looked up the same black specks that are on the cable outlet are on the ceiling! Literally right above the head of the bed. You can see where the area was scraped and bleached previously. So now we have two sources of black mold.
My companion and myself both have autoimmune diseases so we know! Black mold is not allowed in our lives! We called the property management company.
They stated he had nothing available to accommodate us at any property they had. He said we could do self check out through air B & B to get a refund on Monday.
This was Thursday evening. So we are stuck in Myrtle Beach five hours from home with no accommodations, no refund, and a ruined vacation!
Tuesday the day after we were to receive the refund we were notified that no refund will be given. They checked the room and saw no mold.
They even sent a photo of the wall. It was a completely different room, and didn’t even have a wall outlet for the cable. I attached that photo as well.
How can they just lie?
So of course we are livid about the entire interaction.
We travel several times a year in and out of the United States. So, we’ve been through many, many hotels, motels, ect. We’ve never ever had a problem with accommodations.
I’m just curious how many people are going to be exposed to black mold and be robbed of their money before someone takes a cue and stops them!
What about the children that may stay in that room! It’s just disgusting and disgraceful! Something has to be done! We just want our money back!!!!!”.
From C.W. during recent hurricane evacuation.
“We’ve evacuated due to Hurricane Ida in Louisiana.
This is the 2nd hotel we’ve moved to trying to get closer to home. We’re in a hotel in Eunice, LA. As you enter the room there’s clearly a mold smell.
We found mildew on the bathroom wall, entrance door, and bathroom door. Reported the issue to all three front desk employees, one includes the hotel manager who has not tried to accommodate us at all.
I’m suffering from headaches, coughing, and both my husband and I are having sinus issues.
We have been told that the hotel is booked but are watching hotel guests check in and out.
Although this hotel is franchised, I’ve contacted the corporate office and filed a customer service complaint. Waiting on a reply.”
Mold in hotel room ceiling 
Picture of mold on wall in hotel room
Have a story would like to share on our blog?
Drop us an email at info@themoldinsider.com