Originally published at: Two guests staying at Hyatt-owned hotel in Mexico died in room from suspected gas inhalation | Boing Boing
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In Mexico, proper gas line installations and vents are often lacking, and there is no legal requirement to install carbon monoxide monitors.
That’s something else to add to the travel bag. Thanks for the heads-up.
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I use a low-level model from CO Experts. The difference in what’s considered acceptable in residential settings vs. commercial buildings is considerable.
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Building codes? Electrical safety? Proper food-handling? That all gets left behind at home when you travel to some countries. I was -very- impressed with the traffic signals in downtown Havana several years ago, they were certainly better than what I have at home… yet next day, on a pole on the street at about 4ft off the ground was an open junction box filled with exposed hot wires and a bird’s nest.
Got bugs in your cabana? Don’t ask them to spray because they use a pesticide that would give birth defects to rocks. Plug in your shaver? That outlet isn’t GFCI and likely isn’t even grounded. The gas water heater in the bathroom? Open a window no matter the conditions outside, always have natural airflow in your room.
And if you get hurt and have to go to a local clinic… lower your expectations. The locals adapt to all this and are less likely to die than a tourist not expecting bathroom taps to be electrically hot.
Also, waiting for Hyatt to say it’s a franchise hotel, they don’t actually own it and aren’t responsible for anything, including minimum safety standards for guests.
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I wonder if they had a fire place in the room. I don’t think people realize how dangerous they can be if they’re not burning hot. We stayed at an air bnb’ed ski timeshare in Killington, VT for my cousin’s wedding once. It was basically a studio apt with a glass-doored fire place with cute birch logs. The Mrs Peas and the kids wanted a fire, but I was skeptical of the build. There was a working CO monitor and a large exterior door, though so I gave it a shot. Everything was fine while it was burning, but overnight as the flames died down, the CO monitor went crazy. It scared the shit out of the kids because they were sleeping on the floor and I put it right next to their heads just to be safe. Opened everything up and all was fine, but I just knew it would be an issue with that fireplace.
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Well, if some people in high places here in the US get their way, we will soon discover first hand what it’s really like to live in a country that abandons all regulations and codes in favor of profits and more profits. Trumpy Repubs and Libertarian absolutists I’m looking at you, you crazy guys (and gals).
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