MSPeconomist

IMO on average (USA) chain hotels are safer than ma and pa independent places, which have the same issues with lack of reliable and consistent cleaning standards as AirBnB.

wco81

OTOH, typical chain hotel has more rooms than say an independent hotel with maybe a couple dozen rooms.

Which would be more consistent in cleaning standards?

DrRodneyMcKay

A question I'm considering as well, and honestly, it likely depends on the airbnb and the hotel. Some more upscale AirBnBs and condo rentals probably do a thorough job cleaning. Some hotels probably have indeed upped their sanitation measures. Some AirBnB hosts are scammers or barely clean between guests. Some hotels are probably just blowing hot air about increased sanitation standards and housekeeping doesn't even wipe down surfaces (which, if it's a huge hotel and you have underpaid housekeeping staff who have to get through hundreds of rooms, would you be surprised?) I would go with an AirBnB personally just because I'd be sharing less "airspace" with other people, and would bring my own wipes to wipe down commonly used surfaces.

wco81

Some hotels are charging a sanitizing fee while others are cutting back other services and amenities to compensate for increased sanitation costs too.

Would a hotel charge sanitizing fees but not do more sanitizing than they they before the pandemic?

PV_Premier

I will be staying at a boutique hotel next weekend, and at an Airbnb the week of July 4th.

I will report back which one I get CV19 at so that we have a very scientific study documented here to unequivocally answer the question



The point is, if you are worried about "which is safer" you should not be among the population who is leaving your home. I've evaluated the risks of my decision for myself, and am comfortable with both properties I am going to visit. For sure, I will take a couple of extra steps that I would not take pre-CV19, but I am highly confident I will return home from both trips as healthy as I started (in fact, more so, due to the mental health benefits I will get).

Jeannietx

At this time I would choose a hotel, more specifically at least a Hilton/Marriott/Omni. They have a system in place to sanitize not only the rooms but common space.

MSPeconomist

AFAIK so does Hyatt, although of course we could debate which process is better and which chain follows procedures more consistently.

Yellowjj

I don't get this part. If you raised your cleaning fee to accommodate your cleaners increased fee; how are you still out of pocket?

Finkface

I used to take a $50 bath on every clean anyway. We all do. Cleaning is very expensive where I am and the market won’t bear charging any more than I do. So every stay costs me $50. My cleaners raised the fee by $80 and there is no way I can tack that on. So I raised what I charge by $20. Now I am in the hole $110 per stay. Plus, not being able to do same-day turns anymore means I must have an unoccupied night between every rental. So that’s one night’s less rent with every single guest.

Not a big deal for me personally for a few reasons. 80% of my guests are regulars who come every year and stay around 1 month. One guest stays 4 1/2 months all summer (which is when I rarely need to go there). So I am fine with eating the extra cost as they are great guests and there are no vrbo or payment processing fees. The other 20% come from referrals or a few from vrbo. It is really going to be an issue on those and I will just have to suck it up. This was never about making a huge pile of money for me as I use it a lot myself; it was just a way to help pay the bills. But for others, this is a big hit. Especially when you are doing short stays.

wco81

You talking about YVR or HNL?

So do you use some professional service or just know people who are willing to do housekeeping on an on-demand basis?

Finkface

HNL. I have used both. When I used a single person, she charged less for cleaning but charged a monthly fee for being the (required) local contact. Dealing with repairs etc if I needed someone on the ground. So it worked out about the same in the end. Plus, she took longer doing it alone than the team that my professional service sends, and does her own laundry, so no back-to-backs.

With the service I have now, the cleaning is pricier but they also act as my local contact for no extra fee. They have an office in my building. I self-manage so I don’t pay a management fee or a percentage but I still need someone on-island when something comes up.

wco81

But HNL can't have many bookings at the moment right?

Maybe in the fall or winter.

Finkface

A lot of people in my building have gone to 30 day rentals to essential personnel, either for very low cost or donation. I have one such worker in my place for June (for free, just the cost of cleaning at check out) and I am going down myself in July. But you are correct; occupancy is at an all-time low. My 4.5 month summer guy waited right up to the last second before he made the painful decision last week to cancel. It wasn’t the quarantine - it was the lack of anything being open that made the decision for him. That was a huge hit for me.

But I still need to increase the price for cleaning now to make sure it is place for future bookings. I am currently booked from October right up to next August and have charged the old rate for cleaning. I can’t go back and ask for more money so I will have to eat the cleaning increase for all of those bookings.

Waro

You have to think about other factors such as density and occupancy of the hotel too. I would place higher priority on lowering encounters with other people in tight quarter (elevator). I would choose ground floor if possible.

nk15

I also read somewhere that places that have been closed for a while, and they have not been running the water, it increases the chance for Legionnaires’ Disease...