Going on vacation is supposed to be relaxing, but a bad hotel can quickly derail the experience. Even in a destination with beautiful beaches or acclaimed restaurants, issues like dirty rooms, poor service, or safety concerns can turn a trip into a stressful one.
At SolitaireStreak,we’re all about helping people unwind wherever they are, so we set out to see which cities travelers are most likely to encounter frustrating hotel stays. To do this, we analyzed all hotels across more than 100 popular vacation destinations and major U.S. cities, giving us a comprehensive view of accommodations nationwide.
First, we calculated the average overall rating for every hotel in each city to understand general hotel quality. To focus on properties where travelers were most dissatisfied, we then narrowed our analysis to hotels rated 3.5 stars or lower. For these lower-rated hotels, we examined reviews for 181 keywords related to cleanliness, guest experience, customer service, and safety, creating a ranking of hotels that drew the most complaints. Finally, we broke down these keywords into categories and subcategories to generate additional city rankings for each type of issue.
Read on to learn which cities have the most and least desirable hotels.
Key Takeaways
- Lake Geneva, WI, Ocean City, MD, and Myrtle Beach, SC, hotels have the most complaints overall.
- Outer Banks, NC, Nantucket, MA, and Sonoma, CA, are home to the highest rated hotels.
- OYO and Hilton are the top two hotel chains with the most negative complaints from guests.
- Lake Geneva, WI, Gatlinburg, TN, and Myrtle Beach, SC, are home to the dirtiest hotels.
- Telluride, CO, Montauk, NY, and Waikiki, HI, visitors are most likely to report negative hotel experiences.
- Montauk, NY, Telluride, CO, and Napa, CA, visitors are most likely to complain about bad customer service at hotels.
- Phoenix, AZ, Reno, NV, and Raleigh, NC, visitors are most likely to complain about unsafe hotels.
Where Visitors Complain Most About Hotels
To first gain an understanding of hotels across the country, we collected the rating for every hotel in more than 100 cities to calculate the overall rating for that location. Through this, we discovered that Outer Banks, NC, is home to the most highly rated hotels with an average rating of 4.60 out of 5 stars.
This was followed closely by Nantucket, MA, (4.59) and Sonoma, CA, (4.58) in second and third place, respectively. These cities had such highly rated hotels that they were actually removed from the remaining research due to a lack of hotels with an overall rating of 3.50 or fewer stars.
When turning our attention to lower rated hotels, it was Lake Geneva, WI, leading the way for the most complaints from visitors. While the city itself offers a variety of activities for people of all ages, 36.77% of reviews for hotels in the area mention a negative experience.
Coming in second place with 34.24% of hotel reviews containing negative mentions is Ocean City, MD. Topping the list for the worst reviews in the city is the Spindrift Motel, which has an overall rating of 2.1 stars out of 5 on Google. Across all reviews for the motel, 57.72% include complaints.
Up next for the cities where visitors complain most about hotels is Myrtle Beach, SC, with 32.39% of reviews mentioning a negative experience. According to a recent report from the Myrtle Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, however, these complaints may soon be a thing of the past. In October 2025, the city announced new lodging investments are set to include updates to existing properties as well as newly built hotels as part of a more than $100 million investment into the city.
The Worst Hotel Chains, According to Reviews
In addition to analyzing hotels by city, we also calculated the average percentage of reviews containing negative mentions by hotel chain. The results highlight clear differences in guest sentiment across major hospitality groups:
- OYO Hotels – 29.34% of reviews include negative experiences. OYO properties operate in more than 2,500 cities, making this level of negative sentiment especially widespread.
- Hilton Hotels – 27.42% of reviews contain negative mentions.
- Choice Hotels – 25.87% of reviews include complaints.
- Wyndham Hotels – 25.69% of reviews contain negative mentions.
- Extended Stay America – 24.76% of reviews include negative experiences.
Looking more closely at individual brands within these chains reveals even higher concentrations of negative sentiment:
- MainStay Suites by Choice Hotels – 33.09% of reviews include complaints on average, the highest among brands analyzed.
- Spark by Hilton – 32.23% of reviews include negative experiences.
Overall, the data shows that negative guest experiences are not limited to individual properties, but appear consistently across several major hotel chains.
Where Visitors Experience the Dirtiest Hotels
Beyond looking at the overall percentage of complaints, we also wanted to understand which types of issues travelers reported most often. Focusing on cleanliness, we analyzed hotel reviews for 80 keywords related to dirty conditions. We then calculated the average number of mentions by city and divided the number by the average number of hotel reviews in that city.
Because individual reviews can contain multiple keywords related to cleanliness, a single review may contribute more than one mention to the total. As a result, the total number of keyword mentions can exceed the total number of reviews, which resulted in some cities having a percentage above 100%. Rather than representing the share of reviews with complaints, this metric reflects the intensity and frequency of cleanliness issues mentioned across reviews.
Once again, Lake Geneva, WI, tops the list, this time for the highest percentage of dirty hotel mentions (116.13%). Following closely behind is Gatlinburg, TN, (106.70%) and Myrtle Beach, SC, (99.62%).
We then divided our list of dirty keywords into three additional subcategories: bugs, bodily fluids, and smells. We then calculated the average percentage of mentions among hotel reviews for each city.
Cities with the Most Bug Complaints
These cities had the highest percentage of hotel reviews mentioning bugs, highlighting where travelers most frequently encounter pests during their stays:
- Wilmington, NC – 30.82%
- Myrtle Beach, SC – 28.38%
- Clearwater, FL – 27.20%
Cities with the Most Bodily Fluid Complaints
Some hotels had guests reporting issues with bodily fluids. The following cities had the highest average mentions in reviews:
- Lake Geneva, WI – 21.29%
- Myrtle Beach, SC – 12.23%
- South Padre Island, TX – 12.15%
Cities with the Most Smell Complaints
Unpleasant odors were another common complaint. These cities topped the list for the percentage of hotel reviews citing bad smells:
- Newport, RI – 19.38%
- Portland, ME – 18.49%
- Hilton Head Island, SC – 15.49%
Where Visitors Have the Worst Experiences
While a dirty room can be cleaned, some hotels simply leave visitors with a bad experience overall. From broken AC units to no hot water, many aspects of a stay can change a guest’s entire experience.
Coming in first place for the most negative mentions regarding the hotel experience is Telluride, CO, (20.77%). Montauk, NY, is up next, claiming second place with an average of 19.44% negative mentions in reviews. Wrapping up the top three is Waikiki, HI, (15.41%).
Cities with the Most Noise Complaints
Noise was a common complaint impacting guests’ experiences. The following cities had the highest percentage of reviews specifically mentioning noise issues:
- Telluride, CO – 6.92%
- Honolulu, HI – 5.35%
- Waikiki, HI – 5.09%
Where Visitors Encounter the Worst Customer Service
When a visit doesn’t live up to expectations, whether that be due to a noisy neighbor or a dirty room upon check-in, the staff can make all the difference in improving a guest’s experience. Unfortunately, some hotels’ customer service falls short, leading to negative reviews after check out.
For this section of our study, we analyzed 41 keywords related to poor customer service including bad service, poor management, and more. Coming in first with an average of 8.33% reviews complaining about customer service is Montauk, NY.
This is followed by Telluride, CO, as 6.92% of hotel reviews contain negative mentions of customer service. Coming in third place is Napa, CA, (6.14%), where visitors may be impressed by the wine selection but not the hotel staff.
Cities with the Most Complaints About Rude Staff
Some hotels leave guests frustrated with rude or unhelpful staff. The following cities had the highest percentage of reviews mentioning rude hotel staff:
- Napa, CA – 1.32%
- Lake Geneva, WI – 1.29%
- South Padre Island, TX – 0.55%
Cities with the Most Complaints About Scams
Guests sometimes report being overcharged or hit with hidden fees. These cities had the highest percentage of reviews mentioning scams:
- Waikiki, HI – 1.51%
- Montauk, NY – 1.39%
- Chicago, IL – 1.02%
Where Visitors Report the Most Dangerous Situations
To wrap up our study, we wanted to look at the environment of the hotel and how safe guests feel when staying there. For this category, we analyzed mentions of 41 keywords related to dangerous conditions and calculated the average mentions among hotel reviews.
Up first, with the highest percentage of complaints about unsafe hotels is Phoenix, AZ, with an average of 8.78% negative mentions. Up next is Reno, NV, at 8.65%, followed by Raleigh, NC, at 8.03%. Coming in fourth place for visitors feeling unsafe is Salt Lake City, UT, (7.65%), with Naples, FL, wrapping up the top five (7.00%).
Cities with the Most Complaints About Drugs
Some hotels have guests reporting unsafe conditions related to drug activity. The following cities had the highest percentage of reviews mentioning drugs:
- Naples, FL – 3.45%
- Phoenix, AZ – 2.94%
- Raleigh, NC – 2.64%
Cities with the Most Complaints About Theft
Guests sometimes report concerns about theft, whether from hotel rooms or parking lots. These cities had the highest percentage of reviews mentioning theft:
- Napa, CA – 1.32%
- Lake Geneva, WI – 1.29%
- Naples, FL – 1.21%
Pass the Time with Solitaire
Traveling is supposed to be relaxing, but when a hotel turns out to be dirty, noisy, or unsafe, travelers often find themselves looking forward to the end of their trip rather than dreading it. When your accommodations aren’t up to par, SolitaireStreak is here to help you take a break and reclaim a bit of calm.
Whether you’re waiting for dinner, stuck in your room, or just need a mental reset, our free online games like FreeCell and TriPeaks let you unwind anytime, anywhere.
Methodology
In this study, we set out to learn which cities across the U.S. are home to the worst hotels. To do this, we built a list of 181 keywords related to dirty rooms, poor guest experiences, bad customer service, and dangerous conditions. We then scraped reviews for hotels with an overall rating of 3.5 or less for mentions of these keywords. For our first ranking, we divided the number of reviews with 3 or fewer stars that mention at least one keyword by the total number of reviews to create a ranking for the cities with the worst hotels overall.
Then, we divided the list of keywords into four categories: cleanliness, experience, customer service, and safety. We then calculated the total mentions of each keyword by category, calculated the average mentions by city, and then divided that number by the average number of total reviews for hotels by city. This created four rankings, one for each category. We then narrowed our list of keywords further into eight subcategories: bugs, bodily fluids, smells, noise, rude staff, scams, drugs, and theft. We followed the same steps for overall categories to create additional rankings for each subcategory.
In addition to our analysis of keywords, we also calculated the average rating of all hotels by city to determine which cities are home to the highest and lowest hotels on average.
