There’s always a slight feeling of nervousness when checking into a commercial property hotel you have never stayed in before – will the bed be comfortable? Does the TV work? Will the breakfast be satisfactory? These are questions anyone who regularly has to travel for work mentally asks when walking through the foyer of the commercial property in question for the first time.
However, perhaps standards of bedding, television and food should be at the back of their mind, as a study released this week shows that the average commercial property hotel room is far from a shining example of hygiene.
The study revealed that light switches, TV remote controls, bathroom sinks and toilets are the most likely places in a commercial property hotel room to contain harmful levels of bacteria and germs.
A team of researchers took 19 swab samples from hard surfaces in three different hotels. These commercial properties were located in three different American states – Texas, Indiana and South Carolina. Unsurprisingly, the bathrooms were found to hold the highest levels of germs, with the sink and floor being the main culprits.
Each measurement was taken in colony-forming units of bacteria (CFUs) per cubic centimetre squared to allow for greater accuracy of results. To put the level of germs into perspective, the researchers then highlighted that the recommended safe level of cleanliness in an American commercial property hospital is 5 CFUs per cubic centimetre squared.
All of the hotel rooms in the study charted higher levels of CFUs than is deemed “safe” in the above comparison. On average, a telephone found in a commercial property hotel room contains about 20.2 CFU – more than four times what is deemed a normal level of hygiene.
Even the most ordinary task – turning on a light – may require you to carry a pack of antibacterial wipes with you next time you visit a commercial property hotel. The researchers discovered that the average main light switch in a hotel room has a worrying 122.7 CFU of aerobic bacteria covering it.
The lowest levels of contamination, the study found, were on the headboard of the beds, the curtain rods and the bathroom door handles in the commercial property hotel rooms examined.
Lead researcher Katie Kirsch insists that the study, which was presented at an American Society for Microbiology meeting, is not a means of putting off consumers who wish to stay in commercial property hotel rooms, but rather a means of encouraging higher levels of hygiene in hotel management. She says; “The study is aimed more towards the housekeeping managers.
“Currently, housekeepers clean 14 to 16 rooms per eight hour shift, spending approximately 30 minutes on each room.
“Identifying high risk items within a hotel room would allow housekeeping managers to strategically design cleaning practises and allocate time to efficiently reduce the potential health risks posed by microbial contamination in hotel rooms.”
It seems then, that commercial property hotels must up the ante in providing their guests with a truly five star stay. This will allow consumers to worry about the important things in life, such as the number of extra pillows provided and whether the chocolate on the pillow is really up to standard.
Would the thought of contamination put you off staying in a commercial property hotel? Do you take any measures to ensure your room is clean before settling in for your stay?
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We should change the name to the United Dirty States!