January 25, 2010 - Summary:  The inaccurate information by TripAdvisor.com in their �10 Dirtiest Hotels in America� � which was published by USA Today on January, 22, 2010  in an article on the Heritage Marina Hotel in San Francisco is based upon subjective, irate, anonymous postings on the TripAdvisor.com website that do not reflect the true condition of the hotel � or the opinions of thousands of guests that have stayed at the hotel.  The following is a statement by the General Manager of the hotel.

Addressing the �ranking� by TripAdvisor.com (and the article in USA Today by Laura Bly about the Heritage Marina Hotel in San Francisco) on TripAdvisor�s list as one of 10 of �the dirtiest hotels in America�, the hotel�s General Manager issued the following factual statement on the hotel.

1 � Any earlier maintenance issues for the hotel from 2009 have been addressed. 

2 � As well, a detailed renovation of the hotel has begun and will continue through 2010.

3 � Describing the hotel as �the dirtiest hotel in America� is highly subjective and a gross exaggeration created from the reviews from some, anonymous disgruntled guests. 

What the description fails to include are the following objective realities:

A � While some guests staying at the hotel have complained online at TripAdvisor.com, other guests posted positive reviews.  Seizing on the disgruntled few � none of whom are identified by their real names �the conditions at the hotel exaggerate the overall impression of the hotel by guests.

B � Thousands of guests have stayed at the hotel over the past year, very few have posted negative comments. 

C � How the description: �the dirtiest hotels in America� came about is at best a sensationalist headline simply meant to grab attention.  Did the reporter visit every hotel in every U.S. city.  Or was this simply a compilation of utterly subjective, anonymous reviews that served as a �source of information� for the TripAdvisor.com and USA Today story?

D � The inaccurate description of the hotel fails to mention the time period TripAdvisor.com gathered the information from anonymous sources.  Was this �information� from this month � or years ago prior to the new management?