We’ve all stayed at a hotel at some point in our lives. Some spend time in pampered rooms in between flight layovers, on long vacations, or during road trips. If you’re like many, you’ll take a minute to inspect the entire room, paying attention to the bathtub, bed sheets, and carpet. Well, recent documentaries and house-keeper tell all’s have brought light to the hotel industry and the findings might disgust you.
The average cost to maintain a basic hotel is anywhere from $30 to $40. If you’ve found the best deal in town for $30, only $5 to $10 of that is going towards cleaning and supplies. This is something you may want to think about before you book your next hotel. With expenses for housekeepers, receptionists, electric & utility bills, and everyday supplies, hotels have a lot of things to cover. Hold your breath and grab some disinfectant wipes. These Dirty Hotel Bathroom Secrets might make you cringe!
The Low Down on Your Hotel Room
Wash Towels
When hotel guests don’t snag extra towels and take them home, house keepers have to pick up all of your dirty linens and take them to get washed; or so you think. Those crisp neatly folded dove white linens perched in the bathroom aren’t always fresh out of the dryer. It’s not uncommon for hotel staff to reuse bath towels. This is enough to make anyone’s stomach turn. If bath towels are mildy used, they may just place them back in the towel rack. The next time you have suspicions, always call for fresh linens.
The “First Class” Hot Tub
Maybe you’ve decided that you’ll pay a little more for that first class hotel experience. Not so fast. Hotel hot tubs are often clogged with dirt and grime because they are rarely cleaned and do not receive the proper preventative maintenance services. What’s more, hotel hot tubs are supposed to be disinfected after each session by law. In reality, this only happens the day before inspection on most cases.
One housekeeper revealed “We only run disinfectant through your hot tub jets when we absolutely have to.” If you still want that hot tub, make sure to ask for it to be disinfected upon arrival. Otherwise staff will simply wipe down the surface with disinfectant wipes without properly cleaning the hot tub jets.
There’s Something in the Water
Ever notice that the water at hotels taste a little funny. You might not be the only one. Back in 2009, three hotel guests contracted Legionnaire’s Disease after staying at the Epic Hotel in Miami, Florida. Legionnaire’s is spread through contaminated water vapors. Well isn’t water filtered at city water plants? Yes, BUT, high powered water purification systems filter out chlorine from the city water supply allowing bacteria cultures to grow.
Take away point: Drink bottled water and shower lightly.
Time is of the Essence
With so many rooms to clean, hotel staff are constantly in a time crunch. On average, they’re only allotted 15 minutes per room. Imagine, this means that they will only spend a few minutes to pick up all of your dirty towels, scrub the tub, wash the toilet bowl, vacuum, wipe down mirrors, sanitize all surfaces, rearrange furniture, and make the bed all in 15 minutes. Which one of these tasks do you think they leave out? Finding hair in the bottom of the tub can be a nightmare but now you know why.
Spotless Water Cups
This is a little known secret that few are aware of. Furniture polish actually works very well on mirrors in the bathroom and leaves a streak-free finish. That’s not the only place they use it. Many hotel keepers clean your water cups with polish too. Other ways of cleaning glasses include a simple soap-less rinse in the bathroom sink or a quick wipe down with a disinfectant to get a spotless shine!
About this Post
Cheryl Khan is a designer and freelance writer who travels on rare occasions and vows to always sleep with one eye open when staying in hotels. Although she always checks for bed bugs and human hair in the shower, most of these hotel secrets were news to her. Enjoy your stay!
