Hotel Room Horrors

I remember how I used to get so excited about going on vacation and staying in a hotel room. I always regarded staying at a hotel as a treat. It would always conjure up a retreat to a luxurious and special place that accompanied a visit to a memorable and often new location. I can't remember if I was much less observant back then or just better able to block out bad experiences.

Well these days as I become more aware of germs and grime, seems as though the thought of staying at a hotel is no longer a treat for me. I've stayed at a lot of hotels now throughout the years. From modest accommodations to swankier resorts. What seems to be clear is that there are many of the same things lurking in most of the hotel rooms out there. There have been plenty of undercover investigative news segments done to prove that hotels and their housekeeping staff are cutting corners that could put visitors' health at risk.

ABC Primetime went to 20 well known hotels throughout the U.S. armed with a black light and searched for evidence. What they found was that regardless of cost, lab results showed traces of urine or semen in every room they tested. I guess it's not too hard to believe this. One certainly cannot see what is on the walls, carpet, bedspread or furniture and let's face it a lot of people are not the most hygienic especially when they figure they are not in their own home anyway. Most hotels only do deep cleaning at most 4 times a year. So it is very likely that you will encounter some form of this in your hotel room. Of course, unless you carry a black light with you, you will never quite know where these unwanted stains lie. I certainly avoid touching, leaning up against, and sitting on anything if not necessary. And personally, I plan to wash every article of clothing I wear on a trip anywhere.

This leads to the most germ laden thing in the room... the bedspread. Unlike the linens, the bedspread is too costly for most hotels to wash after each guest. Not surprisingly, this is also where a lot of semen can be found. So, first thing one should do is to remove the bedspread. But there are still other creepy crawlers to be aware of on and in the bed. Look for rust colored stains on sheets and bedspreads. If you see these, you can expect that bedbugs are present. They are small insects with no wings. They are flattened and reddish brown and feed on the blood of warm blooded animals (meaning you and me). Since they are flat they hide in cracks, crevices, and in furniture. So definitely pull back the bedspread and examine the sheets. Check for bedbugs in the bed frame, mattress and box spring. Also do not leave your clothes or luggage near the bed as you can bring home some unwanted guests. Never ever just jump under the sheets. Always check and examine the condition to make sure you don't see any unwanted stains or elements left by someone else that you would not want to brush up against.

Moving right along. Next area to check is the carpet. Never walk around barefoot in a hotel room. I always bring along a pair of slippers or flip flops. What I do is walk around the room in these and before I leave the hotel, I slip them into a ziplock plastic bag and take them home to be cleaned. Take a look around the room and look in the corners. Of course check for the obvious, like bugs, pests and other creepy crawlers. I've been to a hotel near Disneyland that had flying roaches roaming the kitchenette. Needless to say we bolted out of that joint at 3 a.m. Excessive dust in certain areas may also give you a clue as to how good a job housekeeping is doing. Always travel with sanitizing wipes. Make sure you wipe down objects in the room that people touch a lot (including the phone handset and touchpad, headboard, light switches, door handles, chair armrests, tables, hangers, tv remote control, etc.). You can also bring extra ziplock bags and throw the remote control right into one. This will save you the time to wipe it down. Try to avoid using the drawers as bedbugs can live in them. I usually keep all my clean clothes in my suitcase and zip it up when not in use. I keep a plastic bag to carry all my worn and dirty laundry and keep it separated from my clean clothes. Try to keep your suitcase above ground on the luggage rack. As soon as I get home, I wipe down the exterior of all my luggage before I put them away.

Last but not least is the bathroom. Inspect the bathtub and/or shower and make sure you don't see mold or mildew. Look up in the corners and walls and make sure you don't see mold growing. Check the shower curtains by looking at the bottom for black dots. Lift the toilet seat and check to see that it has been cleaned. You should also check the wall behind the toilet and the immediate floor around the toilet. Check for uncleaned urine stains. Of course look for hairs and old soap that have not been cleaned up properly. Now around the sink area, I would wipe down the hot/cold water handles and the sink/table if they don't look clean. Avoid using the drinking glasses and coffee cups at all cost. Don't be fooled by the white paper caps that may be covering them. As many of the undercover investigations have proven, these are the biggest issues in many hotels as they often have not been properly washed. Evidence has shown that housekeeping staff have been caught on tape spraying these cups that we drink out of with window cleaner, rinsing and drying off with dirty used towels, or handling the cups with the same gloves that they are wearing to clean the toilets. Best thing to do is bring your own paper cups. But if you forget, plan to wash the glasses you are going to use to brush your teeth or drink out of with soap and hot water. Cups that aren't properly sanitized can spread disease even salmonella and E. coli. The proper way for them to clean is to send down to the dishwasher but chances are this is not being done in many hotels.

Well that covers the major items to look out for. Probably the most important thing to remember above and beyond what has been mentioned, is to wash your hands as much as you can. You should also know that experts say that the risk of getting sick from hotel germs is relatively low so if you follow some of my tips, you should be ok. Spending some time to choose your hotel wisely can also help. But let's face it, there are no guarantees that each and every hotel room will be as clean and well kept as it should be. Be ready to take some additional actions if necessary. Always be armed with hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, and prepare to befriend housekeeping. But trust your instincts, if the place just doesn't smell and feel right, be ready to move to another hotel. Hopefully, my next hotel stay will be a treat again.