A hotel employee has taken to social media to share some behind-the-scenes insights into the cleanliness of hotel rooms, suggesting they may not be as spotless as guests would hope.
For many, a hotel stay is a rare treat, but this worker’s revelations on Reddit’s travel forum might make us reconsider the glamour of it all.
The employee revealed that while cleaners do clean each room between guests, certain items are often neglected for extended periods.
“Most hotels do not wash the big duvet, they only wash the sheets,” they disclosed in the post. “At one hotel I worked at, they would only wash the duvet that was white if it had an actually dirty looking spot on it.”
The situation, according to the worker, is even worse at their current place of employment. “The hotel I just started at is even worse. They have brown duvets that literally never ever get washed,” they alleged.
The worker also shared further insights into regional differences in hotel hygiene practices.
“And in Asia, I think it’s not common to have a top sheet in the bed, so you are just supposed to raw dog the dirty duvet,” they commented.
“At least in the hotel I worked at in Europe, you could sandwich yourself between the two sheets and not really touch the big blanket once you’re inside.”
A traveller has shared a rather unsettling revelation about hotel hygiene, particularly concerning the cleanliness of blankets and pillows. In a candid post, they admitted: “Now every time I go to a hotel, I can’t touch these blankets lol. But I’m sure some are actually good and wash everything, I hope.”
They further disclosed that it’s not just the duvets that raise concern but also the pillows, which can be equally unclean. “Also the pillows underneath those pillowcases are filthy, covered in yellow/brownish spots, but I’ve only seen that here in South Korea,” they said.
The lack of protection from a mere pillowcase was enough to leave them feeling queasy: “I’m grossed out lol, a pillowcase doesn’t feel like enough to separate myself from that.”
The poster also mentioned adopting a habit from their experiences: “And now I still wear my flip flops in the shower like it’s a communal bathroom lol.”
Their revelations sparked a flurry of comments from others sharing similar concerns and experiences. One user remarked: “Lol if you think the duvets are bad, think about the couches and stuff like that. Gets cleaned once a year, tops.”
Another commenter brought up their own grim discoveries: “I used to do network installs at hotels. Don’t ever move the beds, it’s better not to know. Sometimes it’s used condoms, sometimes it’s puke, sometimes it’s both.”