Family Visits Cedar Rapids Hotel Hot Tub, Ends Up at Hospital

An Eastern Iowa family says maintenance staff may have accidentally overdone their job at a local Cedar Rapids hotel earlier this week when the family recently attempted to enjoy a relaxing "staycation" at the Cedar Rapids Marriott, but ended up having a night at the hospital.

The family of Dominique Everett was relaxing in the hotel's hot tub but moments later, the kids were all suffering spells of coughing, wheezing, gasping for air, and other symptoms.

"We all started coughing, choking, couldn’t breathe, all of my kids were throwing up, spitting up, gasping for air", Everett told KCRG.

She says the chlorine smell was strong when a maintenance worker hit the emergency shut-off button. At that point, she looked down and the water was "right away green...like green".

For their part, the Cedar Rapids Police Department pinpointed the issue as a potential allergic reaction to the chemicals with difficulty breathing. Linn County Public Health Officials noted that chemicals move faster in smaller bodies of water like hot tubs which could have also contributed to the issues.

All three children, ages 1, 3, and 11 years old are recovering at home, after having been transported by ambulance to UnityPoint for chlorine gas exposure.

The Cedar Rapids Marriott made a statement, saying "the safety of our guests and associates is a top priority for our management team. We take this matter very seriously and are committed to our high standards and addressing any concerns raised by our guests." After the incident Wednesday, staff had closed the hot tub area with no word on when it might reopen.

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