A couple from California became the target of hundreds of bedbugs hiding underneath their mattress in one of Astor on the Park hotel's $400-a-night rooms.
Elgin Ozlen is from Long Beach, California. His girlfriend, who was with him, suffered more or less 75 bedbug bites all around her body, including in her stomach, fingers, toes and arms.
'It looked like black mud was jammed into the seam of the bed,' Ozlen recalled. I lost it. They looked like they could hurt horses. It was a colony, a breeding ground.'
As a result of such a 'disgusting' event, the couple spent hours of her New Year's Day looking for a soothing ointment instead of having fun. The incident also resulted to the couple missing the annual Radio City Music Hall Christmas show with the Rockettes. More than $1,000 worth of clothes were damaged due to the bug infestation. Among these clothing were leather boots, gloves and other items. Ozlen further revealed that the hotel has not offered him a refund as of posting time.
A hotel employee who answered the phone declined to release any comment. Furthermore, the hotel owner cannot be reached during the time. It was only the general manager who faced the couple. According to Ozlen, he was 'repulsed' when confronted with the video.
'He was trembling, covering his mouth. He was disgusted. He started apologizing and offering us a different room. I told him, "We're getting the hell out of this hotel!"'
Ozlen later on posted the video on YouTube showing the 'skin-crawling sight that greeted him when he flipped the mattress inside the Astor on the Park hotel.'
The couple was on vacation to spend the New Year as well as Ozlen's birthday which was also on Jan 1.
'It was an unforgettable nightmare. It didn't even feel real. And the fact that it was New York and my birthday made it even worse,' Ozlen revealed.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
