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"An Unforgettable Nightmare": Bed Bug-Infested Hotel Stay Was A 30th Birthday Gift

Jen Chung

Published Jan 3, 2016

Modified Jan 3, 2016

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Jen Chung

Published Jan 3, 2016

Modified Jan 3, 2016

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The hotel guest who filmed the awful, bed bug-ridden Upper West Side hotel mattress—as well as the bites his girlfriend endured—revealed that the hotel stay was a birthday gift from his mother. Elgin Ozlen told WABC 7, "We were expecting a vacation to remember the rest of our lives, and we will definitely remember it for the rest of our lives, but it won't be a pleasant memory."

Ozlen and his girlfriend are visiting from California; his mother gave them the trip for his 30th birthday, and "the couple was supposed to take in the sights and sounds of the city, and see the ball drop on New Year's Eve in Times Square." Instead, their hotel, the Astor on Park, on Central Park West near West 107th Street, kept them busy: They changed rooms three times (the first two didn't have heat, he says) and their third room is where his girlfriend, the Daily News reports, "suffered about 75 bites and blemishes on her fingers, toes, arms and stomach from the ravenous bugs."

At around the 3 minute mark, Ozlen shows the bugs. Note the black fecal matter from the bed bugs in the mattress seams.

The News adds, "The mess ruined the holiday and his 30th birthday — both on Jan. 1. The couple missed their date to see the annual Radio City Music Hall Christmas show with the Rockettes." He told WABC 7, "On my birthday, I'm in the hospital, and I'm washing the best clothes that I brought that I own for this vacation, and during that process many of the clothes became damaged, because they're not meant to be dried."

While the hotel has not commented, Ozlen claimed that when the general manager saw the situation, "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!’" Apparently they received a refund.

Other hotel guests were shocked at the video, some were frightened about the prospect of staying another night there: "It's disgusting. I don't really feel like sleeping here."

Ozlen said, "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."

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astor on the park

bed bugs

mattress

nightmare

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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