Dirty hotel rooms?
 

Let me start by saying I've stayed upwards of 190 nights in a hotel over the past 16 months. As such, I've seen it all and let's just say I am almost disgusted with what I see at even the nicest hotels. Most are way overpriced for the value received -- to say nothing of poor service.

I'm curious about dirty hotel rooms. How often do you other travelers have issues? I've found most hotels, especially Marriott brands, seem to have poor housekeeping standards of late.

Case in point: About 1 in 3 hotels, again more so with Marriott, have body hair either in the shower/bathtub, on the toilet seat or between the crisp white sheets. Sometimes it's clearly hair from other guests; other times it looks like the housekeeper wasn't wearing a hair net and left behind some of her hair while cleaning. In all cases, it's been clearly visible -- mostly without any lights being on in the room.

Is anyone else experiencing this? Some hotels handle it well. They'll immediately upgrade me to a better room and often include wine or a dinner. Others jump do the bare minimum, barely apologize and toss a couple points on my account. Some will just apologize with no further gesture of goodwill.

The only pattern is Marriott more than IHG or Starwood. In fact, I've never had a problem with IHG hotels nor have I had a problem with Fairfield or Courtyards in the Marriott family of hotels. It's just regular Marriott and Renaissance hotels along with an occasional Westin.

I've picked up a few dirty bath towels lately. Not visibly dirty, but gave off a sour (vinegar-like) odor. Fortunately the next one in the pile has always smelled clean.

Every time I check into a Marriott (and it's often, 150-200 nights a year) there are fresh sheets. Doesn't mean it never happens, but it hasn't happened to me.

It's bound to happen every now and then but generally I haven't had cleanliness issues at most major chains hotels.

I've never seen anyone from housekeeping wearing a hairnet.

I figure their is 'grossness' in a hotel room, such as unwashed glasses, cleaning clothes used on the toilet AND the basin or naked people sitting on the sofa but I try not to think about it or I would NEVER leave home.

Some of that is a given, but the visible body hair is unacceptable and is occurring at a very high rate. My colleague, who has experienced similar issues and stays about as many nights at hotels as I do, thinks it could be Marriott putting a limit on the amount of time each housekeeper can spend cleaning each room thereby causing some of this.

Considering that hotels ditched the ugly, colored bedspreads and sheets a few years back and most have updated their bathrooms with bright lighting, it would make sense to have the maids wear hairnets to stop hair from being deposited -- assuming all this body hair is the hair of maids and not past guests.

The real question is how many of you look at the toilet seat, under the pillow or between the sheets, and in the tube before using? I expect the sofa to have bodily fluids. I expect the glasses not sealed in plastic to be unsafe. I don't expect nor deserve basic things to be disgusting.

Stay 150+ nights a year and seldom do I have an issue

100+ night per year here. I'd say ~5 hotels a year are unsatisfactory, for a variety of reasons, mainly noise, ineffectual A/C, something not working or other guests.

Maybe 1 of those stays has a cleanliness issue. I'd say you are unlucky.
My grossest cleanliness issue was grabbing a large towel from the pile of "clean" ones shaking it out and and being presented with a nice long skid.... I always inspect towels very carefully.

It might just be plain old bad luck. I also wonder if hotels are catching back up on staffing now that there are more people booking. I had a 9 month stretch where I had some pretty serious lapses (bloody sheets at a HI property, public hair all over the sheets at a SPG property, toiletry bottels covered with a molasses like substance at an IHG property) and even noticed an increase in surface dust at Intercontinentals and St Regis properties.

All that said things have been pretty smooth over the last 6 months although I am significantly more paranoid now

I bring a can of Lysol with me on trips and I blast the room/bathroom/bed/tv remote/door handles, etc. I recommend it.

I suspect that if I went over each hotel room with a bright light and nagnifying glass, I'd find a few hairs. Guess what? People have been in that room before you.

I suspect that if I went over your house with a bright light and a nagnifying glass, I'd find a few hairs there, too.

Get over it, or just enjoy the free upgrades and food you seem to be getting from your intense inspections.;)

indeed

60 nights away per year on average. No issues but then I don't live in such irrational terror of germs that I go over every square inch of the room with a magnifying glass nor do I unspool upon discovering an unidentified pube under the toilet seat. :rolleyes:

Same here. It's usually a woman with longer hair kept tidy in a ponytail or bun and to the same standards as a restaurant server, which I'd call sufficient.

I don't notice hygiene issues, hair or otherwise, at anything like the rate you do. The worst that has happened to me in the past year or so was discovering bloodstains laundered into the bedsheets at an upmarket Hyatt resort -- and the bed was made so they were the first thing you saw at turndown. But for the most part I have no problems.