August 16, 2023 – Germantown, WI – The Washington County Health Department responded to a complaint this week regarding reports of a snake/snakes in a hotel in Germantown, WI.
According to the Washington County Health Department report a woman from Oshkosh, WI, Michelle Griese, and her 4-year-old son were guests at the hotel on Saturday night, August 12, 2023. While on their way to the indoor pool they were warned by other hotel guests about snakes.
Country Inn Suites Complaint Details 8-14-23 1Click the arrow at the bottom left of the page to scroll through Pages 1 – 3.
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According to the Health Department complaint filed by environmental health specialist Jacob Levy, Griese said, “We found one snake in the hot tub and then we went to return to our room to change and we were greeted by a snake in the hallway, to which I witnessed slither under a guest’s door. Which is the photo I sent you. I heard the TV on, so I knocked on the door to let the guest know there was a snake, he came out with a plunger to come and try to catch it.”
“At this point 2 of the women working at the front desk were in the hallway and grabbed the snake and put it outside. I followed them and they informed me that due to the location of the hotel being so close to a marsh that sometimes this happens. They said they have had a lot of issues the past few days with snakes and believe that the mom came in and laid eggs. I’m baffled by the fact that they are knowingly still operating with such a huge snake outbreak occurring. Anyway, back in the pool room I discovered another snake, which was rather large in size. I decided then that I wanted nothing to do with this place anymore and that I was going to leave immediately,” read the complaint.
“I asked for a refund to which I faced major backlash from a woman who was extremely rude and told me she would only be able to refund me 50%. I said that’s not acceptable, and she stated that I’d need to take it up with the manager who coincidentally is out of town until Monday. I will be following up first thing tomorrow to handle this situation but will also not be staying at the Country Inn and Suites in Germantown again,” read the complaint.
Germantown Police Chief Mike Snow confirmed he did get a call about a complaint at the hotel. “We will be following up with the hotel to see what the deal is there,” said Snow. “We’ve never had a complaint like this before from the hotel, so this is something new and not a common thing.”
Calls have been placed to the DNR, hotel management, and hotel corporate.
In Levy’s documentation he wrote, an inspector visited the facility after 3:30 p.m. to follow up on a complaint received about reptiles in the facility.
“The GM stated that there was a problem over the weekend related to snakes in the facility pool and pump room. The GM stated that the maintenance staff removed all snakes from the facility….”
The complaint from the Health Department continued, “The maintenance staff noted that they have pulled multiple snakes out from both the pool and spa and released them to the wild or took them home.
“…The staff member thought the snakes were of the species Nerodia sipedon. Based upon the pictures and videos along with other evidence of the specific situation, the health dept. agrees that it is plausible this is the species.”
The local general manager at the hotel in Germantown, WI provided corporate contact including 1-800-333-3333. That number dialed to a reservation’s agent in the Philippines. A new number was requested from the local GM, but no response was received.
An email was sent Tuesday afternoon, August 15, 2023, at 3:24 p.m., to Raddison Corporate communication at [email protected]. A follow-up email was sent Wednesday, August 16, 2023, at 11:55 a.m. As of publication of the story, no response has been received from Raddison Corporate. An update will be posted as information becomes available.
UPDATE – This is an email received from Choice Hotels as of 12:41 p.m. on Thursday, August 17, 2023.
UPDATE- Statement received from hotel management on August 17, 2023.
Below is correspondence received from Levy from Washington/Ozaukee Health Department.
Hello Judy,
Since the situation you referenced was a complaint on a facility, I am not authorized to directly provide you with our report. You will need to contact our county attorney’s office to submit a Freedom of Information Act request. Please note, I have not yet completed writing the report, but will have that done later today.
Thank you for your interest in public health.
Jake Levy
Direct: 262-284-8195
Work Cell: 262-343-2032
Environmental Health Specialist
Washington Ozaukee Public Health Department
Country Inn Suites Hotel 8-14-23 2The correspondence below was sent from Levy to Michelle Griese.
Below are the reports from the Washington County Health Department filed with Washington County Attorney Brad Stern.
Country Inn Suites Whirlpool 8-14-23 4Stern was also clear; the pool area was closed because of unacceptable chemical levels and not because of reports related to snakes.
Country Inn Suites Swimming Pool 8-14-23 3The Health Department followed up with a Recreational Water Inspection Report that detailed, “The spa must be closed and may not reopen until the Bromine residual comes into an acceptable range. During the inspection staff closed the spa and started draining the water to fix the problem.
Correct By: 17-Aug-2023
Code citation: ATCP 76.14 Disinfectant feeding and residuals. (4) CHEMICAL CONCENTRATIONS AND RESIDUALS.
(g) Maximum total bromine. The maximum total bromine in a pool shall not exceed 20 ppm. Complaint details hyperlinked above for internal access. View the complaint inspections for the hotel and pool for additional details.
After checking the pool room, pool, and pump room, inspector checked the spa. Hotel staff noted that they had located snakes in the spa and removed them from the facility. No snakes were in the spa at the time of inspection. Because snakes were in the spa, inspector checked the pH and disinfectant levels. pH was within range, but the disinfectant level was above the allowed limit.
Spa must be closed until the bromine level drops below 20 ppm.
A follow-up inspection will be conducted on or after August 17th. If the spa is open and the disinfectant level is not within acceptable range, the spa will have to close again, and a reinspection with fees may be assessed by the health dept.
Additionally, the bromine level being above 20 ppm was also observed during the last routine inspection. If this violation is found during the next routine inspection, a reinspection with fees may be assessed by the health dept.
Complaint verified by hotel staff.
Any operator aggrieved by an order of this department under this chapter may request a hearing as provided in Washington County Chapter 8.
A re-inspection to assess your correction of these violations will be conducted on, or about, August 17, 2023,” read the report from the Washington Co. Health Department.
This is a working story, and more information will be posted when details are available.
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