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After leading the notorious list of America's dirtiest hotels for three years, Hotel Carter in New York City's Times Square theater district was finally taken out from the top spot this year.
It's not even on the top 10 anymore.
Thanks largely to its Batangueño manager Erwin Lumanglas, who literally waged - and won - an all-out war against mice and bugs, as well as dilapidated facilities and dirty premises.
For three years until last year, Hotel Carter had been taunted and ridiculed after consistently topping the annual list of the nation's filthiest hotels by the popular online travel guide TripAdvisor.
"Roaches, rats, black mold and stains of dubious origin figure prominently in the nearly 800 critiques of the 700-room hotel on West 43rd Street," writes USA Today, referring to the TripAdvisor survey.
"The bathroom made me want to vomit," one TripAdvisor commenter notes. "DON'T LOOK UNDER THE BED!" another cautions.
Although negative online comments still pop up, they have started dwindling recently and have been replaced by "kinder" and "encouraging" reviews from hotel guests, according to Lumanglas, who recently gave the Filipino Reporter a brief tour of the revitalized 80-year-old hotel.
"Do not expect luxury, but good value and great location," says one TripAdvisor review. "The room was clean and quiet. Everything worked and the bed was extremely comfortable," states another.
"Yes the carpet is old and yes the lobby looks like something...