fly_yag

Currently in the midst of a several week stay at the Westin Nova Scotian in Halifax. Was sitting next to the window in my room and noticed that behind some pealing wallpaper the entire wall was covered in thick black mold - GROSS! I took a picture and immediately went to the desk where the manager gave me a new room and 3500 points.

Based on experience of others is this reasonable compensation or should I be asking for more?

dcstudent

How long had you been in the room when you noticed the mold?

If not long, than 3500 points + a move was quite fine (IMO)

If for a while (multiple nights), I'd probably want 1 night's worth of points (so I think 10,000 at that hotel).

That said, I wouldn't waste time fighting for more than you got. First, life is too short. Second, you've already accepted (it seems) the hotel's offer. The time to seek more was when you were talking to a manager.

Dr. HFH

I agree. The compensation offered was not unreasonable. Also, once you accept it, you cannot now go back and ask for more. If you end up ill because of the mold, of course, that would be a different story.

KENNECTED

100% agree!

fly_yag

Thanks all. I'd been in the room since the weekend but just noticed the mold yesterday. The 3500 points seemed like a pretty reasonable offer but since I haven't had a lot of Starwood stays recently I really had no idea what to expect.

Flews

I am really disappointed to hear this. Mold is a really serious issue.

Aside from the compensation issues, I would hope you will insist management keep you posted on how they are dealing with this problem - and report them to the health authorities if they don't.

That room should be shut down immediately, adjacent and other rooms should be inspected immediately, and the whole area needs to be remediated immediately.

Anything less puts the health any safety of customers & staff at risk.

Cheers,

Dr. HFH

If I'm the GM, I will politely decline this request. I'll be happy to give you a new room, maybe even some additional compensation for your trouble and inconvenience in the way of an upgrade, points or even a free night. But a window into our internal management process and procedures? No.

If you think that the hotel should be reported to the health authorities because of the mold issue, then you should report it. But your decision on whether to report should not be based on whether they share the remediation process with you or whether you're satisfied with what they're doing about mold in some room which is now not your room.

You are entitled to a completely mold-free room for yourself. But you are not a code enforcement official ensuring that the hotel complies with the various requirements of health and safety codes which do not apply to you or your stay (now that you've been relocated to a mold-free room). Are you entitled to inspect the logbooks to see if they're testing the fire alarms on schedule? Are you entitled to check the temperature of the dishwashing water? Then why should you have visibility into how they're remediating the mold? That's a job for the health department.

Flews

We're not talking bed bugs here. Mold kills. If management did not satisfy me they were taking immediate & appropriate action, I would absolutely report it to the authorities; just as I would try to save a drowning person even though I am not a lifeguard or fireman.

Cheers,

KENNECTED

As an asthmatic, I agree with Dr. HFH & Flews in inquiring what the hotel will do about remediation. If I smell a "moldy", "musty" or "mildew" smell, I would need to switch rooms. Mold is deadly, especially to those of us with respitory issues.

I've only encountered small issues in properties that are on a beach. Four Points Miami Beach.

Lets hope the management at this property is proactive.

mahasamatman

Actually, yes (at least for the most recent inspection). You are also entitled to see operating (occupancy) permits, elevator permits (I've reported many expired and missing ones over the years), business license, and even insurance policies.

Dr. HFH

No question. It's serious.


IMO that's an inapposite analogy. You don't have to be a lifeguard to have the skills and knowledge required to try to get a drowning person out of the water. Do you know what chemicals are effective in mold remediation? Do you know the concentrations in which they should be used? How many applications are required? Do you know how to measure the concentration of mold spores in the ambient air in the room? What an acceptable level is? What to do about the air if the level exceeds the acceptable level? Say the hotel did tell you what it's doing. How are you going to evaluate whether it's an effective or sufficient approach?


The law specifically requires that certain documents be available for public inspection. I am unaware of any law which requires that management share the remediation process with previously affected guests to get their approval. (Of course, that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, only that I'm unaware of any.) As I said originally, if you feel that it's serious enough to warrant reporting it, then you should. But the hotel's remediation process doesn't have to satisfy you. It has to satisfy the health department.

Flews

Not sure if you are being deliberately obtuse, or just being silly. I haven't referenced any of those things. What I have said is I would want assurance the room is taken out of the system, that nearby rooms are inspected, and that the proper authorities - who know all those things you reference - are brought in to ensure there is no threat to health and safety.

Last year I thought we had bed bugs in our room. I reported it to management. Turns out it was a false alarm. The GM got back to me at the end of the day. Walked me through all the actions they took, including calling in outside expertise, to verify. He even gave me the name and number of the outside firm to call if I still had any questions.

That's all I am saying.

Cheers,

mahasamatman

Neither am I, which is why I never commented on that. If you'll take the time to actually read my original post, you'll see the portion of your post that I was disputing.

Dr. HFH

Actually, that's not what you said.

Wanting assurance that the problem is being addressed is different from insisting on being kept apprised of how it is being addressed.


I did read your post. You were correctly disputing my erroneous assertion that you don't have a right to see the fire alarm testing log books. In reply, I simply tried to make the point that your right to inspect the logs, etc. is based on laws which specifically give you that right. Absent any such laws, you (we) have no right to be kept apprised of the mold remediation protocol implemented by the hotel. You're right; I'm wrong. I used a bad example. I believe that my point is still valid, though, on the issue of insisting in being kept apprised of exactly what the hotel is doing about the mold. Sorry for my error.