Get a load of TripAdvisor's video presentation of reader comments about dirty hotel rooms on its blog. It gave me and my colleagues a good guffaw or two. See what you think.

My colleague Laura Bly actually stayed a night at the lodging anointed as the dirtiest by TripAdvisor. Here is her story about the Hotel Carter in Manhattan. Its website describes it as a "warm,inviting departure from traditional hotels in Manhattan." Um.

Now what's the filthiest or most unsavory hotel room you've ever stayed in? Let's omit names on the theory that some of these places have upped their games.

Or is this a contradiction in terms, since travel agents obviously have to earn a living from commissions from hotels, etc., or from client fees in some cases?

Use of agents has declined in the Internet age, when every traveler can find deals and hotel reviews with a few clicks of the mouse. But I recently contacted one to help with a vacation in South America, because I had not the expertise in the particular areas (Argentina and Uruguay) to make informed decisions, and I didn't have time to do the research needed to ensure a great trip. She's working on an itinerary now.

What surprised me is that the agent said she could meet Internet prices in most cases because of her relationships with suppliers and the wholesale prices she could get. So my question to readers is: When do you use a travel agent to book hotels, and did they do better in price or accommodations than you think you could have done? Have you had bad or great experiences? Hoteliers, what do you think about the wisdom of using travel agents to book your properties? Do they get extras for their clients or do travelers booking on their own fare just as well?

Some past posts:

How to ... get the best available room

How to ... tip room-service servers 

How to ... get VIP treatment at a hotel

How to .... make sure your room is clean

How to ... get around hotel parking fees

How to ... score a pool chaise

How to ... deal with bad guests

How to ... make a hotel room homey

How to ... get a good rate at a luxury hotel

How to ... tip bellstaff

How to ... protect personal belongings

How to ... avoid being 'walked" 

How to ... deal with dirty laundry

How to ... change a room you don't like

How to ... get unwanted fees off the bill

How to ... find the best free breakfast

How to ... complain effectively

How to ... get an upgrade even if you reserved via a discounter

How to ... deal with noisy neighbors

With savings, the economy and travel budgets tanking, some hotels are trimming the fat off menus.

*Fairmont Hotels & Resorts have introduced smaller portions at a lower price, citing feedback from Fairmont President's Club members and noting that value is in, super-sizing and wasted food are out. For instance, The Fairmont Kea Lani’s poolside Polo Beach Grille & Bar on Maui offered a half-pound burger for $20. Last week, the restaurant put a one-third pound option for $16 on the menu.

*At the Grande Lakes Orlando 's JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton mini “dessert dapas” at The Vineyard Grill and Citron restaurants are on the menu. Two bites for $2. Full- portion desserts usually cost $9-$15.

*Hotel Jerome, A RockResort in Aspen, Colo., just reopened The Library as a wine bar and small-plate restaurant.The food is smaller portions of the same dishes from its formal restaurant.

What do readers think about the smaller-portion option? Would you prefer to pay less for less food? Or do you like a sizeable meal or take-home portions on the road?

I also see more guests sharing desserts these days. Wonder if it's concern for wallet or waistline, or just that people want a taste of something sweet at the end of a meal out? Hoteliers, I would like to know whether a lot of guests do waste food and not clean their plates and what you think about small plates? All, please share your thoughts.

Tray of "dapas" options courtesy of Grande Lakes Orlando

This is not a new topic, but I was contacted by Emi Hofmeister of the DivineCaroline website, which deals with women's issues, about an issue that generated a lot of interest there. It was a report on how housekeepers at some hotels wipe down drinking glasses with glass cleaner and maybe dry them with used rags or washcloths. This was caught on video by a TV station at three Atlanta-area lodgings. Click here to watch the video and see the comments on DivineCaroline.

Most hotels will swear they send up new glasses that have been run through the dishwasher. However, when I worked for a day as a housekeeper, by the end of the day in the race to finish rooms, the rules about fetching fresh glasses went by the wayside and I saw glasses being cleaned by hand.

Here's my question to hoteliers: Is this just a scare story or are tainted glasses a real problem? Guests, do you use the glasses provided without washing or inspecting them? Medical experts, if we have any among our readers, how likely is it that you could get diseases from glasses that maybe have been touched by someone with bacteria on hands or cleaning rags? 

Until Jim Stingl of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel stepped in. The National Guard reservist and his wife were headed to Vegas, via Priceline and U.S. Airways, and could not get a refund when he was routed to Iraq instead. Stingl stepped in and got the money back for the pair, writing in this report picked up by Hotel Online, that it's a shame the couple had to go through this.

So, I wonder if any readers have been in similar situations with either medical problems or a call to serve the country, and how booking agents or no-refund hotels handled the situation. Any tales to share? 

The times are getting worse and worse for our wallets, but the deals are getting better and better. BookIt.com just announced today a $69 sale on all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, Caribbean islands and Costa Rica. That's $69 a person per pay, meaning about $140 a couple, but you can't beat an all-inclusive for bottom line, as all meals, unlimited drinks, snacks and most activities generally are included. In some cases, kids stay free.

The 99-hour sale ends at 11:59 p.m. Feb, or while inventory lasts. Travel dates vary by resort, but most are available for mid-April through August.

Here are some of the resorts available. They are not top-of-the-line, but the value can't be beat:

*Riviera Maya:  Ocean Coral Turquesa

*Jamaica:  Holiday Inn Sunspree

*Costa Rica:  Barcelo Langosta Beach

*Puerto Vallarta:  Crown Paradise Club – free golf

*Cancun:  Oasis Palm Beach – Oceanview upgrade and free golf

Have any readers stayed at any of these? Have any of you gotten great rates recently at an all-inclusive? Please share.

  Playing off widespread woe over the economy and hoping to boost business, VEGAS.com just announced a $25 “rage” discount on $250 or more spent on hotels, shows, tours or passes purchased from the travel website this year. Mention the RAGE promo code when you book.

It also invites you to Twitter your problems to twitter.com/vegascom. The response will be the number of drinks you need to de-stress, ideally downing them in Sin City.
VEGAS.com isn’t promoting drunkenness, says marketing vice president Bryan Allison. It’s “meant to be good fun and a way for people to release tension.  ... Our drink therapy is a tongue-in-cheek way to get people laughing despite their worries”

So what do you think of this novel approach to sell hotel rooms and more in a city on a tourist losing streak?

Every year, an organization called America's Best Restroom hands out awards to the USA's best public bathrooms.

A lot are in hotels, and so I have been contacted to ask Hotsheet readers to nominate your favorites. Typically, the best entries come from hotels, restaurants, museums and bars, organizers tell me. I'm blanking out on memorable bathrooms, but I know you can generally count on funky in boutique hotels and immaculate polished marble at high-end lodgings. Cast your vote here, and please post some favorites below!

Wow. A sharp-eyed reader who's been following our search for affordable NYC lodgings just sent me this from Travelzoo. Rooms at Hotel 57 in Manhattan for $99 if you book by Feb. 24. The deal is to promote it becoming a Renaissance hotel. It looks pretty good, recently renovated and at 57th St. and Lexington, a good location. Any other deals out there in Manhattan? I'll bet!

We know readers are time-pressed and that many are social-network-minded, so here are two improvements to the USA TODAY website that we hope will make your experience even better:

*You now can sort comments to posts and stories by the most recommended, and this change will follow you throughout the site. Very helpful on items with a daunting number of comments!

*You can send a private message to another reader directly from the comments and, if you like, see how many community "friends" each commenter has.

If you want more details, please click here, and thanks for reading Hotsheet.

Echoing President Obama's plan to sign the economic stimulus proposal today, Marriott is jumping on the bandwagon with a "Travel Stimulus" voucher.

You can use the $100 voucher at nine Marriott-operated Caribbean & Mexico Resorts, and you can use it on top of other promotions and packages offered by a given resort (such as free nights and breakfast). Visit ParadiseByMarriott.com to download the voucher, which can be used in Aruba, Curacao, Grand Cayman, Mexico, St. Kitts and St. Thomas. There also are meeting stimulus vouchers that give you 5% off total room and food and beverage tabs (in addition to existing promos).

The rules are: Download and book through March 31 for travel through December 21, 2009. What's interesting about the offers I'm seeing this week is they are running longer, which is good for travelers, but not a sign that hoteliers think the economic crisis is going to end soon. Gulp.

Any other hotel companies with new deals, feel free to post them (briefly) here and thanks.

Sad sign of the times: Things are getting so bad that the Business Travel Coalition is trying to help hotel workers and other travel professionals who have lost jobs or think they are about to be laid off.

"tVillage Talent Connections" is a service project to aid staffers around the world via the Linkedin professional networking site, at no cost.

BTC will waive fees and make available its daily roundup of business travel news from around the world, to help members keep current on travel industry news and analysis.

Participants can post resumes for review at http://public.box.net/mitchell30149, share job leads that they may not be interested in, qualified for or near, write recommendation letters, share insights, contacts and make intros, offer advice and provide moral support.

In a press release, travel industry veteran Donna Gutierrez said, “We need to pull together as an industry with some helpful resources, lift one another up and provide the hope that enables one to see possibilities and opportunities even in times like these. There is currently no central source where industry professionals can share information, help one another and network.”

BTC wants everyone to know that tVillage Talent Connections is for those in need of support right now, the Coalition says. Qualified folk can start the free membership application process here.

It says those who qualify include travel managers, meetings managers, travel management company executives, airline executives, pilots, aircraft mechanics, hotel managers and merchant card execs. What a sad state of affairs for everyone affected by the travel slowdown.

How timely!

As hotels fret about losing incentive and meeting business in the wake of Wall Street scandals and belt-tightening everywhere, marketing is ratcheting up.

But here's a very original spin designed to lure that ever-more-elusive meeting business.

The Woodmark Hotel, Yacht Club & Spa on the shores of Lake Washington in Kirkland, Wash. (near Seattle), is offering free meeting space; free Wi-Fi; free team-building activity; and a free glass of wine to participants at day's end. Then there's a 5% discount on banquet food and beverage; another complimentary glass of wine in a food and beverage outlet for each attendee; plus one upgrade to a suite for every 25 room nights contracted.

A Woodmark press release focuses on the positive benefits of meetings -- pumping up employees, connecting with customers. Says general manager Brian Flaherty: “It is unfair and inappropriate to demonize the entire travel and events industry due to recent excesses on Wall Street.”

Bonding over badminton or kayaking on the lake may be just the thing to build better performance. What do Hotsheet readers think of the current stigma against incentive trips or business group meetings? (By the way, while the Woodmark is billed as a luxury hotel, Feb. dates I looked at had some rooms for $169, which isn't Fall-of-the-Roman-Empire expensive.)

Courtesy of The Woodmark Hotel, Yacht Club & Spa

New York hotels: Just a year ago you were "lucky" if you got a $200 rate for decent digs in Midtown. Now, it's not hard to find $150 rooms at budget-friendly lodgings.

Now, Hilton hotels, which certainly aren't in the budget category, are running a “New York on Sale” promotion -- and it's not just for the winter but lasts all year. Here's a link to the Hilton sale.

Hilton New York rates start at $159 a night, depending on availability. Mention promo code NYSALE, 3-day advance purchase required.

At the Millenium Hilton, rates start as low as $159/night. It's promo code is NYSALE, 7-day advance purchase required.

And for the icing on the sale cake: The famed Waldorf-Astoria is offering rates as low as $175 per night. Its reservation code is NYSALE, with 14-day advance purchase required.

Any other NYC sales readers might want to know about?

Redesigned standard room at the New York Hilton courtesy of Hilton Hotels

Found in my in-box: a missive touting the BOKA bar at Hotel 1000 in Seattle and its special drink, the "Spontaneitini."

According to press materials, the mix of Jean-Marc XO vodka and Taittinger Champagne served in a crystal glass with a chocolate dipped rim dusted with edible gold and garnished with a strawberry, costs $250 for two. Gasp.

Its reason for being: to offer guests "a chance to take action the next time they are feeling spontaneous." I was about to hit delete when I read more closely and saw the $250 includes the key to a hotel room. "Great for those who’ve been married a while and would like to spice it up a little and also for those who may have just met, ahem," winks the press release. Well, I guess a cool hotel room and two chi-chi cocktails for $250 aren't insanely expensive.

On that note, have a good Valentine's Day, readers, and may you find happiness -- and happy hotel stays.

It's Friday the 13th, which brings to mind the fact that many hotels don't have an official 13th floor. (If you're in one, check the elevator buttons and see whether they go from 12 to 14, with nothing in between).

So, are you or your guests superstitious about staying on a 13th floor (I am not)? Have you asked to be moved? Do you have any other hotel superstitions of note? (I do try not to walk under ladders during hotel renovations or walk-throughs, partly because I don't want anything dropped on me.)

Here's an update e-mailed by Brian Ek of Priceline. I found it useful, and so might you.

"Cities likely to bear the brunt of the corporate travel dropoff are the big convention cities -- Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, New York, Miami, Atlanta, Anaheim, New Orleans, San Francisco, Dallas, San Diego and Washington, D.C.

"Leisure travelers who want the most bang for the buck out of their vacations this year should look to the convention cities, where they’ll find big discounts on everything from vacation packages and hotels, to theme parks, attractions and restaurants. ... At Priceline, we’re already seeing those deep discounts flowing in, particularly in our Name Your Own Price services.  Here are some examples:

"Hotels: It’s not unusual at all to see winning bids at 50%-60% off retail rates for quality, name-brand hotels. Some samples include 4-star hotels on the Las Vegas Strip for $90 a night, 3-star hotels on Chicago’s North Michigan Ave. for $79 a night, 3-star hotels in New York City’s downtown/Soho area for $150 a night, 3-star hotels in New Orleans’ French Quarter for $60 a night, 4-star hotels in Washington’s Capitol Hill area for $90 a night.

"Air & hotel packages: New Orleans, $303.  Includes round-trip airfare from Chicago and 3 nights at the 4-star Intercontinental New Orleans; San Francisco, $214.  Includes round-trip airfare from Los Angeles and 3 nights at the 3-star Holiday Inn Fisherman’s Wharf; Las Vegas, $316.  Includes round-trip airfare from Denver and 2 nights at the 3.5 star Las Vegas Hilton."

Meanwhile, Expedia just e-mailed me saying it has hotels for less than $40 and Hotels.com is having a "Luxury for Less" sale featuring four- and five-star properties for rates as low as $89. Book till March 2 at hotels.com/luxuryforless. No room to go into all the other deals out there, but they're popping up almost hourly.

Also, some relief in Midtown Manhattan for families, with completion of the bargain Pod Hotel's five newly renovated Townhouse Suites. They can sleep four and start at a reasonable-for-NYC $199 per night. Each suite has a queen-sized Sealy Celestial bed, twin day bed with trundle, living area and bathroom with tub. Fun furnishings include hanging Lucite globe swing chairs, bean bags and poufs, rocking chairs and colorful murals.You also get iPhone/iPod docking stations, high-definition wall-mounted LCD televisions and free Wi-Fi. There's a rooftop deck also. And The Pod Hotel has $69 March specials (that's a great price) for smaller quarters.

Anyone scored a Priceline deal worth crowing about recently? Or has anyone stayed at the Pod? What did you think?

Photo of a Townhouse Suite courtesy of The Pod Hotel

If your honey is on the road this Valentine's Day, you can text to say "i luv u," or send flowers to the hotel. Nice, but not creative.

Nothin' says lovin' like something from the oven, one famous ad slogan says. And the Gaylord Hotels (there's one in Nashville, and in the Dallas, Orlando, and D.C. areas) offer something along those lines: a breadmaker waiting in his/her room. It'll turn out that crusty loaf at a specified time, and comes with cutting board and spreads. A warm and happy ending to Valentine's Day away from home, except for the pricetag, which is a chunk of bread itself at $70.

If you want to go more traditional (less expensively), send up chocolate-covered strawberries and jelly beans for $40, or the Gaylord's $50 "Old Time Candy Shop" selection of iconic sweets and sodas. And you can order it anytime, not just on V-Day.

What do Hotsheet readers do when their sweetheart is on the road on V-Day? Do you make a special effort? Hoteliers and staffers, what are some of the more original romantic gestures you've seen made for or by guests? How about some some happy stories to take the sting out of the dire daily headlines.

The bad news keeps rolling in, like a pair of dice loaded to lose instead of win.

Just in from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority: December 2008 visitors were down 10.9% from the same month in 2007, hotel occupancy dipped 9.9% (11.3% midweek), average daily rate slipped 14.2% to $96.39.

For 2008, the LVCVA says Vegas hotel occupancy was 86%, down from its record 90.4% in 2007. The good-news nugget here is that Vegas says its 2008 average hotel occupancy, which was far better than the national average, was the highest of any major U.S. destination.  Wonder what Manhattan has to say on that front? I'll try to find out. (Update: Jan Freitag of top hotel tracker Smith Travel Research says NYC logged 81.9% occupancy in 2008, so looks like Vegas came out ahead.)

More dismal tidings. Analyst Robert A. LaFleur of the Susquehanna Financial Group says MGM Mirage has been downgraded to a "negative" rating, in part because of its costly yet-to-open CityCenter project, while Wynn and Las Vegas Sands (the Venetian, Palazzo) are "neutral," which is not great.

But here's a summary of the Susquehanna report, which is chilling:

"Stripping It Down: Is Las Vegas Boulevard the New Skid Row?

"We think that Las Vegas operators face the most treacherous period in the Strip's 68-year history. Since 1990, we have seen a ten-fold increase in capital deployed on the Strip and only a five-fold increase in profits. Even so, the past five years brought about a big run-up in leverage and equity valuations. Unfortunately, the profitability of today's Vegas operators is overly dependant on a foundation of high room rates that is simply not sustainable in the face of the severe consumer pull-back we now confront. Operators that are being forced to aggressively discount room prices to fill their properties are seeing severe negative operating leverage wreak havoc on profitability.

"Overleveraged and facing dysfunctional capital markets, Las Vegas can ill afford this crippling rate war. While the Street has been aware of these trends for over a year and $90+ billion of public gaming equity has evaporated, we think things are even worse than many perceive. Despite this massive correction, we do not believe we have yet reached bottom. As a result, we have again reduced earnings estimates for the Vegas-exposed operators in our universe and downgrade MGM and WYNN, and reiterated our neutral view on LVS."

Ouch. This bad news is causing some ripples in the hotel world. And Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman just took issue with President Obama discouraging visits to Vegas that involve taxpayer $$. Anyone have any ideas for Vegas or is it just one more victim of the hard, hard times we all face now?

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: I just got an e-mail about an AMAZING $89 a night deal extended throgh June at the Trump Hotel Las Vegas, depending on availability. With $50 spa credit and late checkout. This is giving away these huge condo suites, which would go for $500 plus in NYC, really unbelievable. I'm wondering how it manages to stay afloat. 

Original art is a trend at high-end hotels. And in these troubled times, even travelers without unlimited budgets now can eyeball some interesting works on the road. Homewood Suites by Hilton announced a “Homewood Is Where the Art Is” program today.

A spokesman for the extended-stay brand says each of Hwd's 260-plus properties have purchased art from local or regional artists to hang on the walls or deck the lobby.

It started with a Dallas-area owner who introduced art at his properties and snowballed via great guest feedback. Most art is up -- here are some samples, from glasswork at a new Homewood in Silver Spring, Md., to a Lone Star homage (left) in a Houston-area Homewood to a modern piece in an Agoura Hills Homewood near L.A.

What do travelers think? Does art soothe your soul at a hotel? Do you care?

Photos courtesy Homewood Suites by Hilton