During my last car-camping therapy trip, I was caught out in the rain and hesitantly booked a last-minute hotel room, choosing only among those that Hotwire had given ribbons (or stars or whatever) for Covid preparedness. I only stayed one night, but it made clear to me that the hotel service in America is hardly being held to high standards with regard to air circulation and ventilation. I sent the letter below to the Marriott franchise with hope that it may contribute to better conditions for employees and guests. When I received only an immediate, somewhat automated response and no followup from the hotel where I stayed or the Marriott organization, I decided to post the letter on my blog. This is that letter. Please disseminate as you see fit, and make sure the thermostat fan is *on* and the windows open before you check into your next hotel room.

Note: One week after my scary Marriott experience, I was tested for Covid. The results were negative, and I have since been Covid-symptom free (Phew!).

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10/27/2020

Dear Marriott Organization,

I stayed at your currently under-renovation Courtyard by Marriott in Winston Salem because the website I used to book a reduced last-minute rate gave it a gold-star rating for Covid preparedness.

I was impressed with the layout of the room, particularly the long, comfortable office area and the King bed, which looked and felt like a cloud. The shower was nicely done, and I liked the little bench and the long narrow shelf inside. The sizable closet area would have been a bonus had I been staying more than one night.

But within a few minutes, I noticed a stale musty smell. It was reminiscent of a college room after a party, which was easy to imagine given that, when I tried to check in early, the receptionist told me that the hotel was nearly full for the Wake Forest football game the night before (yikes). 

I opened the curtains at the far end of the room and found a sliding window that framed the Autumn foliage behind it like a painting. (The window was, by far, my favorite part of the room.)

I tried to open the window but found it was screwed shut, which constitutes a fire hazard given that the window is the only other exit from the room besides the door to the hallway. I had a screw driver in the glovebox of my car, so I removed the screws, slid the window open, and made a mental note to tell the front desk about my fire-hazard concerns when I checked out.

After a couple hours, I closed and locked the window and left for dinner. When I got back, the musty smell had returned. 

I opened the window again and looked around to see how the air was being circulated in the room. I could find no vents or other evidence of significant air circulation - not even a fan in the toilet/shower room. There was an AC/heating unit by the window, but it was inoperable with a note informing that the room temperature should be adjusted using the thermostat on the wall. When I checked the thermostat, it said 68, which was comfortable for me; so I left it alone. I got a newspaper and fanned the room by hand, directing the breeze to the window and left the window open until it grew dark outside. 

When I woke in the morning, I was struck by how still the air was. I checked the thermostat more closely and found that it was *off*. With the window bolted shut and the thermostat off, there was clearly no air circulation, much less filtration, in the room.

As I was moving my things to my car, I saw a couple of cleaning women wearing those thin blue and white disposable masks. I thought about them cleaning these rooms after large numbers of guests on busy football nights, the windows bolted shut and little to no air circulation. At the very least, hotel management should enable them to open the windows while they are cleaning the rooms - all that’s needed is screens and the ability to unscrew the windows stops. I left a good tip and a thank-you note to the woman who would clean my room and went by the front desk before leaving.

The woman at the front desk listened with some interest at first, then began nodding her head in an “I know” kind of way. By way of excuse, she said the thermostat had probably been cut off by the people who stayed there the night before and the cleaning person didn’t realize it and so didn’t turn it back on. Of course, this only increased the chances that germs from the previous guests were floating around my room when I entered. Then she explained that they had to keep the windows locked shut for safety reasons (I was on the bottom floor - the hotel only has two), and they didn’t want anyone crawling into someone’s room in the middle of the night. I told her that I locked the windows when I went to sleep and that if those locks were easily broken they should be replaced with stronger ones. They could also put an electric fence around the back of the property, which is just a parking lot with trees behind, to provide their staff and guests their right to fresh air.

I also told her that, in addition to fire concerns, if someone with nefarious intentions came to the hotel room door, got the guest to open it, and barged their way in, the victim would be cornered inside. She nodded like she was listening, but she clearly wasn’t hearing me - that is, until I told her I’d taken the screws out so I could open the windows and air out the room, myself. She raised her eyebrows and quickly asked where the screws were so that maintenance could get them screwed back in immediately (I had left them on the window sill).

I left feeling dismissed and determined that I wouldn’t stay at a Marriott hotel again. But then I thought about the cleaning staff and unsuspecting guests who were going to have the experience I had, whether or not they knew it; and I decided to send this letter to you with the hope that you will correct these negligences. At the very least, this letter serves as written notice of my concerns in case something tragic and preventable happens.

If a city regulation dictates that these windows must be bolted for the guest’s safety (which I doubt), then you have an obligaton to your guests and staff to oppose the regulation on the grounds that it is a fire hazard and find alternative ways to address the city's concerns.

In the meantime, you need to enable and insist that your cleaning staff open the windows while they are cleaning these rooms filled with stale air, so that they protect themselves from the Covid virus and whatever other nasties us humans are carrying around with us this flu season.

Most immediately, you must ensure that your staff ensures that the room thermostats are on at all times and that the fans *continuously operate*, so that your rooms are (hopefully) adequately ventilated.

Thank you for your serious consideration of my concerns.

Melissa Rooney, Ph.D.

etc.

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Followup: It has been a full month since I sent my original email to Marriott, and I have received nothing but a near-automated response from Mariott's "Loyalty and Care" department, which was sent from a generic customer-care address and didn't even show the sender's last name, much less phone number.

*In the meantime, Marriott has reported "a shocking pandemic profit" thanks to cutting 57% of its costs.*

If you have a similar experience, do not remain silent and apathetic. Please contact the hotel, restaurant, doctor's office directly if you have any concerns about the air quality and filtration; and if you feel your concerns are not addressed, contact your friends, family, church, the press.

We do not have to sing Helplessness Blues. The pen truly is mightier than the sword, and ensuring that American businesses have safe air to breath should not be a battle.

.

COURTYARD BY MARRIOTT WINSTON-SALEM UNIVERSITY

3111 UNIVERSITY PKWY , WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA 27105