You Can’t Depend On Any Hotel Chain To Keep Its Cleanliness Promises

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If you’re willing to travel right now, one thing you want to be sure of is that the hotel you’re staying at is sanitary. It’s generous to say that we were willing to deal with a certain level of “ick” at hotels before the coronavirus. That’s why we wiped down the remote control with Purell before using it and never drank out of the glasses in the room if they smelled like Pledge.

Things have changed and hotels know we’re expecting the general areas and rooms to be free of viruses and for the staff to act in an appropriate manner to prevent viral spread.

Every hotel chain has come out with a statement saying how in this unprecedented time, and they’re taking extra steps to make sure your hotel experience is clean and safe.

I was interested in the article on One Mile at a Time about Ben’s first post-COVID-19 trip and his experiences at properties of three different hotel chains. His biggest disappointment was that Hyatt, the chain he has the most faith in, totally let him down.

I’m going to suggest that at this moment, the brand a hotel is affiliated with makes no difference in how clean the hotel will be or how seriously the employees take safety measures like honoring social distancing or wearing face masks. It doesn’t matter the certifications received or the co-branding of the sanitary products used if management isn’t willing to make sure the new guidelines are being followed.

For example, Hyatt has a Global Care & Cleanliness Commitment.

Cleanliness Commitment builds on our existing rigorous safety and cleanliness protocols and includes:

• GBAC STAR^TM cleanliness and training accreditation process through the Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) at all Hyatt hotels

• Trained Hygiene & Wellbeing Leader or team at all locations, responsible for their hotel adhering to new operational protocols and training

• Cross-functional panel of trusted medical and industry advisors—including experts from Cleveland Clinic—to help us fine-tune safety protocols and consider various aspects of the entire hotel experience.

It doesn’t matter if the Cleveland Clinic set the protocol if the Hyatt Place you’re staying at isn’t following any of the guidelines.

I think we all have experienced this during our travels. We’ve stayed at a spotless Comfort Inn in the middle of Texas.

And a filthy and busted W Hotel in New Orleans.

It doesn’t matter which chain hotel you’re staying at. The experience you’re going to have is based on how much the staff cares about your well being. Frankly, I’d rather stay at an independent mom & pop hotel or a Bed and Breakfast instead of a large chain hotel.

Are you going to trust a housekeeping worker or front desk associate who is being forced to work during a pandemic because they’re considered an essential employee to be 100% dedicated to your safety when they feel their own isn’t being given much value? A hotel owner whose livelihood depends on their reputation and is just trying to make it through this downturn is more likely to keep things spotless because a single case could ruin their business forever.

I’m not saying that you won’t find a chain hotel where all the staff is wearing masks, wiping down public areas on a regular basis and cleaning rooms to the protocols determined by a well-respected organization. I’m sure there are many that are but you can’t put all of your faith in a worldwide hotel chain to make sure that every one of its properties are following those guidelines.

#stayhealthy #staysafe #washyourhands

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary