Hotel Hassles

The article on “New & Improved� New York hotels (Nov. 2) caught my eye. As a frequent business traveler, I am always searching for that perfect hotel.

However my experience at the revamped Mansfield several months ago was a traveler’s nightmare. It began with a very small room; no closet, just a small bar coyly hidden behind the mirror, and no thermostat--the maintenance man had to work directly on the radiator to adjust the room temperature. But then we can’t expect space at a reasonable price in New York, can we?

Later that night, I awoke to what I thought was a very noisy neighbor. But I came to realize that the noise was not coming from another room but from my own. I turned on the light and watched the waste paper basket shake. My well-aimed shoe motivated a very large rat to leave his waste basket playground and saunter off under the radiator.

Yes, the hotel did honor my demand for a new room. The employee who came to move me could hardly contain his laughter. I checked out the next day. But the hotel did not “comp� my room. In fact there was not even an apology for the inconvenience.

Frankly, I’d rather stay in a trailer park than return to the chicly remodeled Mansfield.

KAREN J. BONDE

Tarzana