Hotel causing skin allergy?
 

I've been staying at a hotel for the last couple of weeks, each time for three nights. I noticed that I have a severe skin allergy each time I stay at this particular hotel which results in intense itching all over my body. This subsides after about 48 hours when I return home.

The itching starts after the first night's stay, and is most severe at night.

I don't know whether it's the detergents used to wash the bed towels, the bed sheets, bed bugs or the bathroom toiletries that I've used.

Now my issue is that I'll be staying at this hotel for possibly another 5 months, nearly every week for 2-3 nights each week.

How would you handle this awkward issue?

I've stayed in dozens of hotels over a few decades and have never experienced such an issue before.

Switch hotels. If you had an agreement with them or a client tell them about your issue.

I would speak to the hotel, and ask if they can wash towels / sheets without detergent. If not, could you take your own sheets and towels with you?

I've had allergic reactions twice to toiletries used in hotel rooms. Once was in Hawaii from the complimentary sunblock. I broke out so badly I went to the doctor, fearing something beyond an allergy. Another time, I reacted to the hand lotion. I had a similar reaction to a hand lotion that was in a United Airlines amenity kit. If I were you and wanted to stay at this hotel, I'd pack my own set of toiletries. If that solves the problem - great. If not, then you'll need to move on. I suggest that you report it to the hotel in parallel.

I do pack my own toiletries but sometimes use the cheap ones in the hotel bathroom if it's just a quick shower after the gym. Next week I'll make a point of only using my own toiletries. I'm hoping it's just that, otherwise I'll have focus on the towels and bedsheets.

One of my sisters and her daughter have had this problem with two hotels recently. They believe it's the detergent used in washing the sheets. They've spoken to each property's management about it, who have simultaneously admitted they're not the first to report the issue while also asserting that nothing can/will be changed. I recommend addressing your concern to the hotel's manager to see if some change can be made, but be ready to stay somewhere else.

Yes, I will talk to the hotel duty manager next week if it's not the bathroom toiletries that are the cause of the issue.

The fact that they are cheap is irrelevant. I've had quite a few of more expensive products at home, that gave me horrible skin irritation. The products were supposed to be extra gentle to the skin. I was the only one to get irritated skin.

Someone posted on a different that they made arrangements with the maids to have their laundry taken care of on off gours for a few Euros. I wonder if you could do something similar with the sheets/towels.

My husband has this problem. It's not one hotel, but rather most of them, and he breaks out in eczema spots. We've taken to bringing our own sheets which solves the problem for him.

You need to find out what is causing your itching.

Maybe it's the hotel. Maybe it's not. If it's a medical issue, don't assume one way or the other.

One possibility is that the hotel might have bedbugs problem.

If that's the case, you might want to make sure you're not bringing visitors back to your bed at home...

If it's all over your body, the best bet is a reaction to something in/on the sheets and pillowcases, perhaps the detergent.

You need to figure out how to avoid that exposure, either by going to a different hotel, or bringing your own sheets, towels, etc.

So a couple of days on and things are almost back to normal in terms of itchy skin. It must be something related to the hotel, although I do have a flight and train journey involved in my weekly travels but the likelihood of those causing an issue is fairly low.

I'm hoping it's not a medical issue as I've read that kidney failure can create these symptoms too - but that wouldn't explain why it clears up a couple of days after I return from my work travel.

So I have three things to eliminate: the toiletries (these did have a strong 'chemical' smell to them which I noticed in the first week, and I accidentally used the shower gel last week after the gym session), the towels and the bedsheets.

I notice when I get the allergic reaction my skin, particularly on my legs, is very hot to the touch, which makes the itching worse!

Unlikely if the symptoms disappear. Moreover, in case of kidney failure irritated skin wouldn't be the predominant symptom.