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It's one thing to be a general manager of a Manhattan hotel. It's another thing if the hotel you're managing has the dubious distinction of being "America's dirtiest."
But Erwin M. Lumanglas is not at all bothered that Hotel Carter, which he's been managing since 2006 in the Times Square theater district, topped the annual list of the nation's filthy hotels by TripAdvisor, an online travel guide's website.
And that's for the third time in four years.
"The Trip Advisor's list was just based on the reviews of some people on the website," Lumanglas, a native of Batangas City, Philippines, told the Filipino Reporter during a brief tour of the hotel on Monday afternoon. "We have already done numerous renovations and improvements, and we continue to do so. But what do you expect for $89 a night in New York City?" (Or $129 for a double occupancy room.)
Lumanglas said the hotel, which was called Hotel Dixie when it opened in 1930 and is now owned by a VietnameseAmerican businessman, offers travellers on a tight budget a cheap room in an extremely expensive city.
"Remember this is a one-star hotel so the level of standard is for a one-star hotel," he repeatedly told members...