Hospitality sector cleaning policies

[josey]

When I go away now [nothing planned yet] I will be taking my own pillow if possible just in case - so much will have to be taken on trust, even leaving rooms empty for a few days. I wonder how B & Bs can still make a profit?

[Flemming]

We've taken pillows in the past, and our own towels and bedding. We got to one place and I thought we'd been a bit OTT as the place looked ok, until I found blood on the white sheet. It was probably only the cleaner catching a finger or something but it was the fact that no-one had checked the place before we arrived.

I've read that big chains are leaving every other room empty which, as Josey says, makes you wonder how this is going to affect profits. I recently checked a chain hotel we've used before and the rates have doubled. Not sure if this is a temporary thing to capitalise on a surge in demand, or whether it's here to stay.

Some hotels are saying cleaners won't come in the room while you're there, which is something we ask for anyway. Not sure what they can do if you're only there for a few days other than make the bed (can't you do this yourself?), empty the bin and change the towels (don't they last a few days anyway?). Perhaps the savings in not having a daily clean can be put into a deep clean between guests.

[pharmaT]

I live in Mid Wales and I have a friend who has a self-contained annex she rents out as holiday accommodation.  She was telling me that everything in a property has to be deep-cleaned between guests and three days should be left between one set of guests leaving and a new set arriving.  Maybe the rules in Wales are more strict, I don't know.  But certainly the rules here seem really strict.  Even in gift shops, for example, the rule is that if you touch something, then you have to buy it.  Would probably be a good idea to extend this to supermarkets: a friend when to one the other day and a man stood prodding every single packet of meat, taking them off the shelves, handling them, and then shoving them back.  Very worrying.

I witnessed that when I popped in for milk he handled every single packet of cooked meat (his nose was also hanging out his mask) and he was didn't buy any meat at all. Things like this really stress me out about shopping I still wash or quarantine mine (got back to school stuff today so can't really wash paper).

Although I have to say the 3 days rule doesn't sound condusive to making money.  I don't think it is the rule everywhere as i have seen places in England advertising that they ahve made checkout earlier and checkin later to increase time available for cleaning.

[IgorStrav]

This was many years ago, but I've never forgotten.

I was on a tour of China (highly recommended) which included a boat trip down the Yangtse.  We were in shared cabins in bunk beds, and the only bedding provided was a small hand towel and a rush mat.

It was very warm, so most of us simply wore a t shirt, lay on the mat, and covered ourselves with the towel.

Great trip, although it was recommended not to hang over the rail, as the Chinese passengers on the upper deck were prone to clear their throats and then spit over the railing into the river.  Local customs do differ, and I described my trip afterwards as the sound of throat clearing plus volume expectoration and bicycle bells.

Anyway, to the point, the river boat reached our destination and we gathered up our luggage to disembark, and could see the staff behind us simply relay the mats and replace the same towels on the bunks for the next travellers.