After another year of vigorously evaluating the world’s most negatively notable hotels, based on comments that guests have posted at other websites, Bob Carries On has come up with its annual “Not List”. And once again, for the twenty-seventh consecutive year, the top-ranked property is Barstow California’s Jilton Beach Resort.
There were some close contenders this time: Holiday’s End Orlando, whose new concierge wing was swallowed by a sinkhole. The Scottsdale Marry Knot, whose general manager was sentenced to 15 years in prison for attempting to keep his destination wedding numbers up by offering his Guest Relations Director as a prospective bride. The Shackles Resort Bermuda, where it is yet to be determined if the eerie moaning coming from some of the garden-view rooms really is the ghosts of previous guests who are still complaining about the resort fee.
As in the past, though, what tilted our “Not List” judges in the Jilton Beach’s favor is that there continues to be no ice machine, no cleaning staff, and no beach.
As for the negative Jilton Beach comments themselves, here are our “Not List” favorites:
Men and women in uniform are a common site, sometimes taking advantage of the first-responder rate, but more often making an arrest.
Any hotel can have a stale odor, especially if there is no cleaning staff. But is the $27 air freshener in the Mini Bar just a coincidence?
You can appreciate them trying to keep their overhead low, but not by re-wrapping half-consumed bars of soap.
The free Wi-Fi in the lobby seems like a nice amenity until you realize its primary purpose is to provide additional income for hotel staff, who routinely steal passwords from the unsecured network.
For active guests, a diving board is the focal point of the resort’s pool, especially because more than a dozen divers have launched themselves from the board over the past year, never to resurface.
The place prides itself on being able to offer any concierge service a guest might request. There is a charge for this, by the hour. Towel rentals are extra.
No hot breakfast is served, although one look at the kitchen will convince you that this is a good thing.
Yes, it is pet friendly, especially if your pets like to amuse themselves by torturing mice.
It has long been known for its Rooms With a View. The views, however, are looking inward, at the rooms’ beds, which, because of a lack of curtains, are visible to all passing by on their way to the (non-existent) ice machine.
