My family has come to the Adventurer for years and enjoyed it very much. However, this year we experienced a problem with mold in our room. As soon as we opened the door to our room (617), we were hit with an overwhelming smell of mildew. This was very unexpected because we had never had an issue before. I walked into the bathroom and immediately saw the source of the problem--black mold was growing on the ceiling and walls (see picture). I instantly went back down to the front desk to report the issue. The woman there told me that she would send someone to check it out, and she did. The cleaning staff offered to clean the bathroom, which they did. While my family appreciated the gesture, we felt that mold should not have been growing in the first place. The room still smelled awful, and I had some health concerns. I went back down to voice these and to request a different room. I was told that I would not be given a different room and "if you are not happy, you're welcome to leave." There was no offer of refunding the $598 deposit that I was required to pay on January 12 (We stayed in August.) or the balance that I had just given prior to getting my room key. I was stunned.
My husband and I spent the next hour or so contacting other area hotels. None that were large enough to accommodate us and our children had vacancy. After driving four hours to get to Wildwood with two, small and excited children, we could not imagine driving home. Because we also had nothing but positive experiences at the Adventurer in the past, we also felt that they would find a way to get us a new room and rectify the situation. So, we opted to stay. Boy, were we wrong.
To deal with the mold, the staff placed an animal odor control disc on top of our refrigerator (see picture). We indicated that the room was still not acceptable. They stuck an air freshener to the vent (see picture). After we pointed out that you can't just cosmetically cover mold, they wheeled in a dehumidifier--with a dirty filter. After a day or two, the filter was replaced, however.
We had to keep the windows and balcony doors open during our entire stay just to make the smell tolerable. Also, we spent as little time in the room as possible. This defeated the purpose of having an oceanfront room with a kitchenette (frequent snacks and naps for the kids).
As the days of our vacation went by, we watched people load up their cars and check out. We were never given the opportunity to switch rooms. I also told management that I didn't feel that we should pay the full price for a room that was substandard. We were told that no discount would be given. When an employee came to empty our dehumidifier, I told him the room was still raunchy. His response was to tell me how much worse it was a few days ago.
During our stay, we also found some other issues with the room. For example, I went to plug in my cell phone charger and found the electrical box protruding from the wall (see picture). Trim was also missing from around the tile (see picture). We did not report these to management because we felt we were just wasting our time.
As we eagerly prepared to leave on our last day, we were speaking to/overhearing other people in the hall. A girl from a different room reported a bad smell to staff (hmm, clearly the problem was not just with our room). An employee who I had not seen before asked another employee what smelled in the hall. She responded, "well, it's humid". Next, cleaning staff was badmouthing guests, complaining that their "home must be dirty." Once we got on the elevator, we were speaking with an older gentleman who said that he had been staying at the Adventurer since his kids were a little older than ours. Now, he goes there with his grandchildren. However, he said that he plans on staying elsewhere in the future. He was not happy either.
I'm still shocked at the condition of our room and the Adventurer's lack of concern. Based on positive stays there in the past, I would have considered staying again if they had just shown quality customer service. However, they didn't do that. In the future, I will spend my money elsewhere.
Update, August 25, 2016
After my unsatisfactory stay at the Adventurer earlier this month, I contacted the Better Business Bureau. Today, the Adventurer contacted me to offer an apology and refund. That is the quality of service that I have always received from this business in the past. It is also why I changed my review from one star to three. I'm disappointed that I had to contact an outside group to get results; however, I'm thrilled that the Adventurer stepped up in the end. read more