(WSVN) - Experts have a warning for families preparing to travel as autumn approaches: Hotel rooms are becoming dirtier and dirtier.
Cheri Young, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Denver, said the turning point happened six years ago.
“COVID really started this,” she said.
Young said hotel guests did not want housekeeping to enter their rooms and clean during the pandemic.
“Hotels, in responding to what their customers wanted, would have the housekeepers go in every two or three days,” Young said. “And hotels then realized, ‘Wow, this saves us money.'”
For nearly 20 years, Young has asked her students to evaluate hotel rooms of their choice. From that exercise, she has found that the main area of hotel rooms are getting dirtier, while overall bathroom cleanliness appeared to remain the same.
“Bathrooms are still being sanitized. It is the rest of the guest room that probably is experiencing the biggest problems in terms of dirt and bacteria because they’re not being cleaned as often,” Young said.
But Young does not want to discourage travelers from staying at hotels. She said there are things everyone can do to keep harmful germs and bacteria at bay, such as being mindful of your feet.
“My suggestion is to assume that the floor is dirtier, and so you, honestly, you do not want to put your babies or children on the floor,” Young said. “Keep them off that surface.”
Hotel guests can also use sanitizing wipes on remote controls, doorknobs, phones and other surfaces in the room to prevent the spread of bacteria.
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