BlissWorld

Staying at a Sheraton tonight. Everything is going great. Got my usual upgrade and free appetizer.

Two bottles of water and two wrapped real glasses are staring at me Each glass is wrapped with a paper bag that says:


Two more of these are sitting in the bathroom. No more disposable cups ^

Is this the new policy? If so, it's fantastic ^

Also, when I checked in, my keycard showcased "The Tudors", a popular show on Showtime. However, in my room, SHOWTIME is no longer available. Instead, HBO is. I'm a bit sad if Sheraton is switching to HBO like Westin I like showtime!

KENNECTED

Wait! There was no "Dear Starwood........." to start this off. Are you slipping?

I can't take this as an "official" BlissWorld announcement. I feel cheated!

Good news indeed.

Buster CT1K

This would be great! Hate those flimsy and cheap plastic cups.

DenverBrian

Westin Atlanta North has both options in the room: Two upturned water glasses, and just in front of them, two wrapped plastic disposables.

I wonder if this is a way to make everyone happy - the germophobes use the plastic; the tree huggers use the glasses?

BlissWorld

That had been the standard: real glasses and disposable cups for guests to choose.

But, the new thing I'm seeing is having paper bags wrapped around the real glasses that says "sparkling clean"

Sam P. Goodman

At the Danieli in Venice a few weeks ago we had two real glasses wrapped in plastic. No "sparkling clean" message on them, but still a nice touch. First I had seen it.

bocastephen

Wasn't there a thread or post awhile back where a guest witnessed the cleaning staff rinsing out (not cleaning or sanitizing or replacing) a used glass and putting it back in the bathroom for the next guest to use?

I would only use a sealed plastic cup - I wouldn't trust an actual glass unless it was also sealed and impossible for the cleaning staff to re-use.

itsaboutthejourney

OT: But the Sheraton NY & Towers in wrapped in a HUGE Tudors banner and the round restaurant/health club part has graphics to make it look like a castle. I think Starwood & CBS (owner of Showtime) are in bed together.

BlissWorld

But that particular Sheraton I stayed no longer had Showtime available in rooms (HBO instead). Were you able to watch Showtime or HBO?

Usually, Sheraton offers Showtime while Westin offers HBO in rooms (and W has Logo -another vote for CBS? )

travelini

There was a news story about real glass cleanliness in hotel rooms in ATL recently which included hidden camera footage from numerous business and high-end ATL hotels.

It showed numerous situations in which the dirty glasses never left the room. They were:

a. simply rinsed and not washed
b. washed with the same cleaning solution being used on the mirrors and counters
c. half-washed/half-rinsed by a rubber-gloved pair of hands - just prior to picking up the glasses that same set of rubber gloves was cleaning/flushing the toilet - and, no, the rubber gloves were not donned/changed/cleaned between the two events

Pretty much all the hotel chains were represented in the video. It was enough to make me stop using the glasses in hotel rooms.

My solution: I pack a lightweight, non-breakable mug in my suitcase and wash it myself throughout the week. It's eco-friendly and I'm not worried about the germs on the glass.

BlissWorld

Yes and there was a thread a few months ago dedicated to that discovery. Starwood's response back then was to offer both real glasses and wrapped plastic cups.

My intention is to annouce the new improvement Starwood is apparently trying to do: wrapping real glasses, not to bring up the old issue. I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt.

DCBob

Is the housekeeper wrapping the glasses in paper? If so, I will stick to the sealed plastic glasses.

Starwood Lurker

The idea that the sealed plastic cups/glasses was going to be Starwood's policy on this forever was just a misguided perception propagated by a few folks who usually never have anything good to say about Starwood in general.

In fact, it was only a stop-gap policy so the corporate office could get a better grip on things. A new policy was developed for all Starwood properties over and above any brand considerations. If your property can comply, you can go back to issuing real glassware. If your property cannot, then you still need to adhere to the plasticware.

I'm sure that where you see both, management is simply trying to give the guest a personal choice in the matter.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

KENNECTED

William,

As always thank you for your follow up and detailed explanation.

I too am wondering is glassware wrapped after coming out of the dishwasher in sanitary controlled conditions, then being sent to the housekeeper for distribution or is it being cleaned, shipped to each floor, then wrapped and placed in a room?

Starwood Lurker

The policy regarding this is both confidential and proprietary; however, the gist is that all glassware - including glass coffee carafes and cups - are to be washed in a dishwasher and, once cleaned, never again touched by ungloved hands with the understanding that the gloves being used will have never been used previously for any other purpose.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]