Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce C.E.O. Karen Riordan is pushing back against a report that ranked South Carolina as the third-dirtiest state in the U.S.A. when it comes to hotels.
The data compiled from TripAdvisor reviews also found the City of Myrtle Beach had the highest number of dirty hotel reviews in South Carolina.
The study analyzed 4.5 million reviews on Tripadvisor and searched for mentions of the word “dirty.” According to the study, 3.75% of reviews left for South Carolina hotels included that term.
The hotel with the highest concentration of “dirty” reviews was the Dayton House Resort in Myrtle Beach with 7.55% of 3,459 reviews.
The cities of North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach, and Pawleys Island rank significantly better in those same TripAdvisor reviews. Practically all beach homes and hotels in those cities rank 4 to 5 stars.
Riordan ran a press blitz across multiple news outlets, including Yahoo news refuting the report’s claims about the City of Myrtle Beach.
Read the full statement from the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce below:
The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is not familiar with the company that issued the report and can’t vouch for any of their findings. Myrtle Beach routinely wins TripAdvisor awards and this is just perfect click bait type of material. The Myrtle Beach area is a very popular beach destination, attracting millions of visitors each year, many of whom return for multiple visits. Myrtle Beach has received numerous prestigious accolades and awards from recognized media outlets, attesting to its reputation as a top travel destination.
The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce receives $54 million in tax subsidies annually to promote the area. Therefor, the chamber has the funds to counter the claims of Myrtle Beach Third Dirtiest rooms.
The two states that ranked as having the dirtiest hotels were New Jersey and West Virginia at 4.06% and 3.78% of reviews respectively.