HEM Hotel Amsterdam - Amsterdam, Netherlands     

To say that this hotel is a disgusting, filthy mess would be an understatement. This room was so dirty that the hotel staff had to come to the room twice to pour straight disinfectant into the shower drain and toilet to eliminate the odor of raw sewage. The rooms were filthy and there was trash under the beds from prior guests. The shower walls were encrusted in mold. The staff was dismissive and nonresponsive, and when the front desk clerk made and error, the senior manager (a) would not rectify it, and (b) thought it appropriate to aggressively reprimand his worker in front of other staff and hotel guests. There is no security in the hotel which was obvious as kids ran the halls and pulled fire alarms during the night. Without exception, this is not a place for families. This hotel is run down not only in appearance, but in the attitudes of the staff. At one point, my family was actually scared and wanting to change hotels. I am a frequent traveler (150 nights a year on the road) and this was by far the worst hotel I've ever seen. Apparently, you do get what you pay for, but I thought a clean room and polite staff were included for $165 a night.