For months, the Renaissance Newark Airport has been dealing with Legionnaire’s Disease in its water system. The hotel remains open – telling guests not to shower.
They continue to take bookings – and enforce their cancellation policy. One guest was told they wouldn’t be able to shower – a hotel room doesn’t include full use of the room! – and they didn’t want to stay. There are plenty of other hotels nearby, where the room rate includes use of the shower. The hotel’s answer? They’d still have to pay.
Recently stayed at a Renaissance Hotel. The hotel informed me at check-in that the water tested positive for Legionella and told me not to shower or use the water. Marriott customer service told me to pay up to move to another hotel. So, I sent a complaint. This was the response: pic.twitter.com/yvLe3deCoJ
— Max Prosperi (@unaccompflyer) May 15, 2024
The guest complained to Marriott and was told to pound sand. Marriott says that we need to understand that the hotel is facing a “difficult challenge” and that these are “extenuating circumstances” – normally extenuating circumstances would mean flexibility! Here, though, Marriott is guided by its “enduring values” to “deliver quality” like unusable water. The guest receives no consideration, but they look forward to additional business.
The hotel found Legionella bacteria in samples collected from its water system, which they learned after two reports of guests contracting Legionnaire’s Disease following stays on property. symptoms including fever, shortness of breath, and muscle aches. According to the hotel, those at particular risk – over 50; smokers; chronic lung disease; weakened immune system – should not:
- shower on property “even a cool shower – since it could create water droplets in the air.” Such guests can take a bath, but “minimize your time in the bathroom while the tub is filling.”
- fill the sink too quickly “to avoid splashing and producing water droplets in the air” while brushing teeth or washing hands.
- drink the water if you have swallowing difficulties
Renaissance Newark Airport On My Last Stay
View From Renaissance Newark Airport
When I go to the hotel’s website, I see prominently listed about the property’s limitations. They continue to charge rates that would lead you to expect that your room comes with a bed, toilet and shower.
How they remain open is shocking. How authorities allow is it is shocking as well. But charging their usual rates, not making clear to guests what to expect, and trying to charge those who don’t want to stay when they won’t receive the services they’ve purchased is truly appalling. What does it say about the “enduring values” that Marriott invokes?
@Gary-
Have you tried to contact Marriott and ask them what they think? Since you have an internet presence, they might want to do something to improve their image.
And I agree with you that it’s a mystery why the health department would allow this.
Sounds like a slam dunk Class Action Lawsuit…
How has the health department not shut this hotel down? Or the state attorney general?
Unacceptable. I am a Titanium Lifetime member and I would NEVER imagine this “policy”. My prior experience with any Renaissance and/or Marriott property has been exemplary overall. This is not the image that Marriott would like I’d imagine.
Agree with Texas TJ. A lawsuit is more than called for. If a class action puts the hotel operator out of business all the better. This hotel operator shouldn’t be permitted to operate a hotel anyway.
@FNTDeltaDiamond
It’s New Jersey…
Bonvoy, AA, Hertz… American tragedies.
I’m surprised the hotel would want to stay open… I’d assume the legal exposure to anyone getting sick would wipe out any revenue.
Isn’t legionella the state bacteria of New Jersey? (sarcasm)
Logically if they wanted to correct this, they would shut it down and take time to fully disinfect all systems. The big question is why they have not done so, allowing the spread of contamination (and it does this). Certainly there will be a loss of revenue but far less expensive than being sued. Perhaps they are trying to have insurance cover the shutdown?
I wouldn’t spend a moment in there as the HVAC chillers could now also be compromised. That the health department isn’t involved raises questions about what standards elsewhere are being ignored.
New Jersey is the crossroads of government ineptitude and nanny state.
@ Gary — This is probably the hotel airlines use for stranded passengers. UFB.
Tony Soprano talked to a guy and Bada Bing the hotel is still open
Breakfast has bagels with lox ummm but they call it Salmonella
Sounds like the entire system is compromised; don’t even want to think about what the air-conditioning ducts and interior walls look like.
How on earth does Marriott not revoke the franchise license and close it asap? So much for managing the brand…
I went to the hotel’s website and it seems pretty accurate: “Discover the Unexpected at our Elizabeth Hotel Near Newark.” I agree with others – how are they even allowed to remain open?
But just as bad is the corporate response. Where do they find people to write such idiotic garbage?
I am shocked to see this new article about this after reading about this here originally what was it, several weeks ago? How are they still operating?!
+1 to a lot of the comments above, just wow.
I love a shower that can kill me and make Marriott wealthy as F##k
Going to cancel an upcoming Marriott stay in honor of their contempt and rotten customer service
@steve @fnt. It is the chemical state. I mean the put their medical waste on a barge brought it out into the Atlantic and then dumped it. Guess what used needles wash up on Rhode Island and Long Island beaches
Need to sue them
Bonvoy!!!!
I would stay elsewhere and dispute that charge so fast.
After checkout is too late. You have to be Titanium or Ambassador and play the dykwia at check in. Refuse check in and ask to be walked to another property or ask to have your room comped or 50% off before checkout. When they refuse you call the elite desk customer care and have them contact the property. To make a long story short you have to be somebody and play hardball. After checkout is too late for service recovery at hotels.
Think back to your college days. Remember your peers who majored in communications? Those are the people who got jobs in PR and corporate comms.
Birds of a feather – people hang out with people who are similar to themselves. Our social circles shape our worldview. Comms majors hang out with other comms majors. While they may have the modicum of self awareness to realize they are the dullest tools in the shed, they don’t realize how sharp the sharpest tools are.
If you’re dumb, a response like the one Marriott gave will placate you. If you are extremely dumb you will come away with the belief that Marriott actually cares about hospitality. But if you’re even average – which is above average from the perspective of a comms major – then the Marriott response is so bad as to turn you off from Marriott hotels.
I just cancelled and rebooked all my upcoming Marriott stays to Hyatt. I wanted to book Hyatt anyway but there were places where Marriott was across the street while Hyatt was across town. Well guess what comms majors, I’m booking across town.
At the end of the day the buck doesn’t stop with comms majors. It stops with Marriott leadership who hires and enables these comms majors to publish this crap.
10% of people die when infected. Why hasn’t New Jersey closed the hotel?
I was notified by my airline on 1/26/24 that I was exposed on 1/22/24 on a crew layover. I was so sick for 3 months enduring 3 rounds of very strong antibiotics! This is still going on 4 months later. This is unacceptable and someone needs to be held accountable!
@ Sal — Exactly.
Unconscionable on Marriotts part. The hotel should be closed, period. At least until the problem is solved.
@High Class Professional, it looks to me as though they didn’t even bother to craft a reply to the actual complaint, but just trotted out their four-year-old generic Covid “things are tough” for a cut and paste.
This is why should do some due diligence and read up a few online reviews before booking any hotel with points or cash. Just a 5 min google search gives away that this property has this problem
The government should force all hotels to install costly mist reduction plumbing shower heads and faucet aerators.
I arrived in France, got up looking forward to my shower after 42 hours from my last. No hot water. They apologized as it would take a few days to fix (ancient equipment and it is France). They took 50% off for the effected days. I could heat water in the kettle and wash up using the sink. My (poorly paid) French-living friends pointed out they’d happily do the same for the 55 euros I saved each day. Made the process less annoying.