Investigators Set Up A Trap To See If Hotels Change Their Sheets During The COVID-19 Pandemic – They All Fail
Something that the coronavirus pandemic has taught us is just how important cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitization are. For our health, for everyone’s safety. Places like hotels should be taking the Covid-19 lockdowns and the cleanliness extra seriously, considering that their business and people’s lives depend on this.
However, far from every hotel is doing things the right way when they reopened, as the crew of the TV show Inside Edition found out. Producers of the show checked into several high-end New York City hotel rooms and used a washable spray to apply logos to the bedsheets, pillows, and bath towels. These logos are only visible under UV light.
Can you guess what happened when the crew checked back in using another name the next day? Yup, they found some of the logos! This would be bad if we were in any regular year like 2019 or 2018. But in 2020, during a full-blown pandemic? It’s horrible.
More info: YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | InsideEdition.com
You can check out Inside Edition’s full video about the situation in some high-end Manhattan hotels right here
Producers also covered commonly touched surfaces like desks, thermostats, and TVs with a washable gel to see if they’d be wiped clean, too.
Inside Edition’s YouTube video got a lot of attention: more than 454k people viewed the five and a half minute clip.
The team used a washable and non-harmful spray to apply logos to bedsheets, pillow, and bath towels. You can only see these logos under UV light!
What makes the situation even worse is that some of these businesses are high-end Manhattan hotels. You would guess that you’re getting cleanliness and top-notch service for the amount of money you’re paying.
Hyatt Place visit
Next Day
Inside Edition’s report found that the Hyatt Place Times Square still had the UV logo visible on the bedsheets and pillowcase. Though the desk had been cleaned and the towel had been replaced, the remote control hadn’t been sanitized.
Hampton Inn visit
Next Day
Meanwhile, at the Hampton Inn Times Square Central, the sheets and a pillowcase weren’t changed; the remote and the thermostat weren’t wiped down.
Trump International Hotel visit
Next Day
Image credits: Inside Edition
Finally, at the Trump International Hotel, the pillowcase wasn’t changed but the sheets and towels were. The Hyatt and Hampton teams were concerned about the findings. Meanwhile, the Trump International Hotel denied Inside Edition’s findings and claimed that they were false.
Here’s how people reacted to the video!
Leave it to a Trump holding to deny the evidence and say it was faked. Others expressed concern. This has to tell you something.
Obviously everything is FAKE to the biggest fraud of all... the only things that he accepts as real and true is whatever benefits him.
Load More Replies...Wow. I worked at Marriott years ago. The lady that did the laundry would count the sheets and pillow cases that were thrown down and washed and if it didn't match up with the daily paper we used then the housekeeping manager would go around with us as she checked sheets with a magnifying glass for hairs and crisp sheets. Fired If you lied about changing sheets.
The hotel where I used to work, we always, always changed the sheets/pillow-cases/toweling, the beds had a bottom sheet, top sheet and then the blanket and then another sheet was put on top of the blanket, the blankets were only ever washed when they were visibly dirty, the same with the spare blanket that was stored in the wardrobe, I always and still think that it's disgusting.
Load More Replies...That is so gross. I can't bear the thought of sleeping on some stranger's used sheets.
OMG. I really believed hotels changed bedsheets after check out !!! That is so gross, pandemic or no pandemic. But maybe I am the naive country girl that big town folks accuse me and my co-provincials of being.
No, that's not naive of you - you're right to expect a decent level of cleanliness, and doubly so during a pandemic!
Load More Replies...Bringing your own sheets isn't a bad idea. It's usually the blanket on the top that is the worst. Take that off an put in corner. People rarely open a bed for quickies. FYI. Remotes can go inside a ziplock bag for your stay. Lysol wipe before you touch anything you would normally use. And the bathroom. Only use cups in sealed wrappers or bring one from outside. Sinks and the counters...lay a towel on them before your belongings. Wipe down the commode and the handle. Change tp roll to wrapped fresh one too. I just keep suitcase packed on a chair. And check your mattress around the seams for spots. That means bedbugs. Do that first before settling in. If you see it go get a refund an get the hell out.
Amen to all that. I wipe down the counters and sinks, too.
Load More Replies...And to think that this is with the coronavirus improved cleaning procedures. Imagine what happened before. If I absolutely have to stay in a hotel, the first thing I do is ask for the sheets to be changed as soon as I check in. 99% of the time they will change them. If they don’t, I check out very fast. The next thing I do is put the remote control in a ziplock plastic bag. I then wipe surfaces with Clorox wipes, especially in the bathroom. Oh and yes, I bring my own towels. I know it sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t. I’ve done this as long as I have been going to hotels, and it would take a miracle to get me to go there with the coronavirus still around.
I never get new sheets if I ask, but I solve it my own way. Take my own bedding and a plastic sheet that goes over *their* bed. My stuff on top.
Load More Replies...how was the Inside Edition crew able to get the same room when they checked back in to each hotel?
they might have requested a specific room number?
Load More Replies...I have a friend who not only takes her own sheets and towels, but also disinfectant to wipe down everything.
When I leave a hotel (I don't often stay in them though) I pull the sheets off the bed and leave them on the floor. It's got to be easier then for them to put clean sheets on than put the used ones back. It doesn't help me of course, but helps the next guest get clean sheets.
The bedspreads don't bother me, I always assume those are rarely cleaned, but I'm shocked that the sheets weren't changed, I assumed they always were. I'm a hairy guy and I shed enough that I'd be awfully surprised if they could get away without changing the sheets after I sleep in the bed.
I did work at a little Hotel in Berlin in Housekeeping, and I always had to change the whole bedding and sanatize the whole bathroom especially the the toilet. In this Hotel you couldn´t see a speck. But they also charged per hour and not per room, so you were able to clean korrekly. By paying per room (for example 10 Euro per 15 rooms) you cannot clean all, to get the money. If you would do your job fine, you would get extremly under minimum wage. Its no excuse, but some housekeeper do not get the chance to do it right.
During the pandemic, they aren't even cleaning rooms if you have a multi-day stay. I was glad to see they checked out then back in the next day. But with the current low booking rates, WHY do they not have enough time to clean the entire room properly? And of course Trump's hotel called it fake. I hope people who check in there get sick. Sorry, but I do... and I hope they sue him for all he's worth.
When I was cabin crew staying in hotel down route, I’d find hair from several different people in a single bed when I pulled back the sheets. The worst was a hotel in Manchester, UK. The bed felt itchy. I pulled the duvet off to find ginger, blond and black hairs and dirt from someone’s shoes. They quickly upgraded me when I called the front desk. No questions asked. So they knew.
I think it's depends on the hotels, also the location too. And the hotel executive of course they know what the deal. I have friends work in the intercontinental and Marriott hotels and they clean everything, Imagine these big hotels names don't clean that well, don't expect all these Airbnb do it well. yuck!
I don't want to be a 'Karen' but I WANT TO SEE THE MANAGER, RIGHT NOW!
I understand Princess Diana made it a habit to always bring her own sheet sets.
Load More Replies...When you get to your new hotel room pull bed open up the bed spill a extra large coffee,juice ,water get the sheets ,blankets , pillows extra right away . Then call the desk and say you are clumsy and need all new bedding saying your sorry and wil remake the bed your self . That way you have clean mattress pad sheets,pillows cases extra . Then you know they will be clean . Oh buy the way I use to inspect hotels for a living.
Since college, I carry my own sheet and blanket to any hotel. And pillow. And a plastic sheet between the hotel bedding under me and my stuff on top. Stems from an incident in a motel when a strange odor bugged us, and a bit of research later, we found a dead rodent IN THE MATTRESS. UGH ... And I use my own wipes before I touch remotes, controls, sink handles, etc. I hate staying in hotels. It's like, "Oh, let's do an hour of housecleaning before we dare use the toilet." Ugh.
we went to a hotel when we were visiting my grandpa during quarantine not long ago, and it was more of a suite kinda thing because we were gonna be staying for a week and we wanted a kitchen to be able to cook food. when we got there we could see VISIBLE dust and grease everywhere. my mom ended up stepping on a dirty safety pin on the ground, the sheets had stains on them, stains were in the kitchen, some sort of caked up yellow goop was in the bathroom drawers (the bathroom wasn't clean either), there was hair stuck in places and overall it was disgusting. we asked for another room after showing the lady what our room looked like, and the next one had an even bigger stain on the bed and was just as bad. we asked to leave, but they wouldn't give us a refund for that day because we already 'opened everything'. also, their housekeeper wasn't there that day, so it couldn't be cleaned. although we didn't think it had been cleaned EVER. terrible service and VERY gross!
Sad but true, not every hotel cleans thoroughly, sickening to think of sleeping in a dirty bed, there are ways to check, even a magnifying glass would do !!!
This is disgusting.. especially now during a pandemic! I worked at a hotel and we never changed the blankets unless they smelled or were noticeably dirty. The sheets and pillowcases though, i changed them every time i cleaned a room. I haven't had to stay at a hotel since working in one, but my own blankets, pillows sheets & towels will be used
Exposes have been done for decades. I had s traveling job for about 2 years back in the early 90's and after seeing this I started bringing my own sheets and pillow. I'd turn up the heat so I wouldn't have to use a comforter as I just did not have that kind of room. Heck my last hospital visit for7 days I used at least my own pillow and pillow case as my nose, eyes, mouth etc at least would be protected.
I've worked in the hospitality for 20 years and 10 of those were housekeeping and 3 of those years I was the Head Housekeeper. The hotels I worked at, always changed the sheets, towels, etc. after each check out. While I was the head housekeeper, I would test my girls. I would go ahead of them, in their check out rooms, and mark, with a pen, under the corner of the sheets, only 1 time I caught a girl not changing the sheets and I fired her on the spot and finished her rooms myself. My question about this story is, how did they get the same room that they were in the night before? If they checked out and came back under a different name, I dont get how they knew they would get the same room again. Seems a bit fishy to me.
I’m a flight attendant. I live in hotel rooms. ALWAYS, when I am ready to leave the hotel, I strip the bed of all sheets and pillow cases I have used. They all get tossed in the tub/shower stall. You’re welcome.
it's not all "on the managers at this point." It's on the people cleaning the rooms! Do your job the right way! I used to clean rooms, I couldn't understand how one girl was able to finish before everyone else. Then i found out she didn't mop the bathrooms, she threw a towel down on top of bleach that she poured on the floor, and used her foot to "mop" the bleach with the towel. Ruined countless towels doing this. Then she would wet her mop at the end of her shift. I reported her. Lazy, lazy, lazy, deplorable.
pandemic or no, this is gross. who knows how many lives they're endangering by not properly cleaning things! during a pandemic though, i don't know why anyone would want to travel and stay at a hotel, there's so much out of your control in terms of sanitation.
I worked a part-time job in a resident house in London and this would be unacceptable! This is just disgusting and one of the reasons I dislike staying at hotels.
Do not doubt any of this one bit. Hotels will say anything to get you to stay there. I have even found makeup on blankets, and I do not wear makeup.
OMG - disgusting! I worked as a motel housekeeper for a BUDGET (very) chain and cleaned an average of 20 rooms a day. I ALWAYS changed every sheet case, towel, etc. - always!!! Management checked, too. This - from "luxury" hotels - is grossly unacceptable.
Years ago when I had to travel for research at the National Archives, I stayed at the same hotel. The first time I stayed there, I pulled the covers all the way to the bottom and discovered "public hairs and long stands of hair." I bought a bottle of alcohol and wiped the sheets down every day. It didn't take long to dry and, at least I had the feeling of being clean. Since I was there for a week, they did have to change the sheets at least once. I noted that they had dirty sheets on the bed when I left. Why didn't I report them before I left? Oh, let me see, I really want to p**s off people who are going to be cleaning my room? Let us think of all the ways they could get back at me. It is like pissing off your waitperson. Yeah, that will really work out well.
Whenever I stay at a hotel I usually turn back the sheets and turn over pillows to see any stains. I also go out of my way to destroy the bed afterwards to make sure they change the sheets for the next person. When I say destroy I mean I throw everything on the floor
Why did someone downvoted you ? I also take the sheets of when I check out. Just as I put the towels on the floor. I stay in hotela a lot because of my work but I have the impression that the hotels I stay in always have fresh sheets on the bed. They don't need to be changed during my stay but to make sure they put on clean ones after I leave, I take them off.
Load More Replies...One of the first things I do when I go to any hotel is take the pillows and comforter off the bed then I use a special "towel" to lay on top of sheet. I carry my own pillows too. I don't care how clean it looks it can still be dirty!!
Thing is, this only proves they don’t change the sheets when the same people are occupying the room additional nights. They may change the sheets before someone new checks in. BUT the real question is the condition of the sheets when the reporters checked in! They should’ve checked for cleanliness prior to applying the logo. Plus, they totally forgot about the bedspread—-which hotels only wash when noticeably filthy or a guest complains about it. Or the mattress, carpet, upholstery, etc, which can also hold on to germs and bacteria. I worked all levels of hotel front desks for years, so I know these housekeeping practices (not the fault of the maids 99% of the time, btw) are industry-wide, regardless of whether it’s a five star hotel or zero star motel.
The article specifically states that they checked into the same room under a different name on successive nights.
Load More Replies...I just checked Inside Edition's website. This is a new report, done during the covid19 pandemic, and published at the end of June 2020. They specifically wanted to see if hotels were living up to their promises of enhanced cleaning.
Load More Replies...Leave it to a Trump holding to deny the evidence and say it was faked. Others expressed concern. This has to tell you something.
Obviously everything is FAKE to the biggest fraud of all... the only things that he accepts as real and true is whatever benefits him.
Load More Replies...Wow. I worked at Marriott years ago. The lady that did the laundry would count the sheets and pillow cases that were thrown down and washed and if it didn't match up with the daily paper we used then the housekeeping manager would go around with us as she checked sheets with a magnifying glass for hairs and crisp sheets. Fired If you lied about changing sheets.
The hotel where I used to work, we always, always changed the sheets/pillow-cases/toweling, the beds had a bottom sheet, top sheet and then the blanket and then another sheet was put on top of the blanket, the blankets were only ever washed when they were visibly dirty, the same with the spare blanket that was stored in the wardrobe, I always and still think that it's disgusting.
Load More Replies...That is so gross. I can't bear the thought of sleeping on some stranger's used sheets.
OMG. I really believed hotels changed bedsheets after check out !!! That is so gross, pandemic or no pandemic. But maybe I am the naive country girl that big town folks accuse me and my co-provincials of being.
No, that's not naive of you - you're right to expect a decent level of cleanliness, and doubly so during a pandemic!
Load More Replies...Bringing your own sheets isn't a bad idea. It's usually the blanket on the top that is the worst. Take that off an put in corner. People rarely open a bed for quickies. FYI. Remotes can go inside a ziplock bag for your stay. Lysol wipe before you touch anything you would normally use. And the bathroom. Only use cups in sealed wrappers or bring one from outside. Sinks and the counters...lay a towel on them before your belongings. Wipe down the commode and the handle. Change tp roll to wrapped fresh one too. I just keep suitcase packed on a chair. And check your mattress around the seams for spots. That means bedbugs. Do that first before settling in. If you see it go get a refund an get the hell out.
Amen to all that. I wipe down the counters and sinks, too.
Load More Replies...And to think that this is with the coronavirus improved cleaning procedures. Imagine what happened before. If I absolutely have to stay in a hotel, the first thing I do is ask for the sheets to be changed as soon as I check in. 99% of the time they will change them. If they don’t, I check out very fast. The next thing I do is put the remote control in a ziplock plastic bag. I then wipe surfaces with Clorox wipes, especially in the bathroom. Oh and yes, I bring my own towels. I know it sounds like a lot, but it really isn’t. I’ve done this as long as I have been going to hotels, and it would take a miracle to get me to go there with the coronavirus still around.
I never get new sheets if I ask, but I solve it my own way. Take my own bedding and a plastic sheet that goes over *their* bed. My stuff on top.
Load More Replies...how was the Inside Edition crew able to get the same room when they checked back in to each hotel?
they might have requested a specific room number?
Load More Replies...I have a friend who not only takes her own sheets and towels, but also disinfectant to wipe down everything.
When I leave a hotel (I don't often stay in them though) I pull the sheets off the bed and leave them on the floor. It's got to be easier then for them to put clean sheets on than put the used ones back. It doesn't help me of course, but helps the next guest get clean sheets.
The bedspreads don't bother me, I always assume those are rarely cleaned, but I'm shocked that the sheets weren't changed, I assumed they always were. I'm a hairy guy and I shed enough that I'd be awfully surprised if they could get away without changing the sheets after I sleep in the bed.
I did work at a little Hotel in Berlin in Housekeeping, and I always had to change the whole bedding and sanatize the whole bathroom especially the the toilet. In this Hotel you couldn´t see a speck. But they also charged per hour and not per room, so you were able to clean korrekly. By paying per room (for example 10 Euro per 15 rooms) you cannot clean all, to get the money. If you would do your job fine, you would get extremly under minimum wage. Its no excuse, but some housekeeper do not get the chance to do it right.
During the pandemic, they aren't even cleaning rooms if you have a multi-day stay. I was glad to see they checked out then back in the next day. But with the current low booking rates, WHY do they not have enough time to clean the entire room properly? And of course Trump's hotel called it fake. I hope people who check in there get sick. Sorry, but I do... and I hope they sue him for all he's worth.
When I was cabin crew staying in hotel down route, I’d find hair from several different people in a single bed when I pulled back the sheets. The worst was a hotel in Manchester, UK. The bed felt itchy. I pulled the duvet off to find ginger, blond and black hairs and dirt from someone’s shoes. They quickly upgraded me when I called the front desk. No questions asked. So they knew.
I think it's depends on the hotels, also the location too. And the hotel executive of course they know what the deal. I have friends work in the intercontinental and Marriott hotels and they clean everything, Imagine these big hotels names don't clean that well, don't expect all these Airbnb do it well. yuck!
I don't want to be a 'Karen' but I WANT TO SEE THE MANAGER, RIGHT NOW!
I understand Princess Diana made it a habit to always bring her own sheet sets.
Load More Replies...When you get to your new hotel room pull bed open up the bed spill a extra large coffee,juice ,water get the sheets ,blankets , pillows extra right away . Then call the desk and say you are clumsy and need all new bedding saying your sorry and wil remake the bed your self . That way you have clean mattress pad sheets,pillows cases extra . Then you know they will be clean . Oh buy the way I use to inspect hotels for a living.
Since college, I carry my own sheet and blanket to any hotel. And pillow. And a plastic sheet between the hotel bedding under me and my stuff on top. Stems from an incident in a motel when a strange odor bugged us, and a bit of research later, we found a dead rodent IN THE MATTRESS. UGH ... And I use my own wipes before I touch remotes, controls, sink handles, etc. I hate staying in hotels. It's like, "Oh, let's do an hour of housecleaning before we dare use the toilet." Ugh.
we went to a hotel when we were visiting my grandpa during quarantine not long ago, and it was more of a suite kinda thing because we were gonna be staying for a week and we wanted a kitchen to be able to cook food. when we got there we could see VISIBLE dust and grease everywhere. my mom ended up stepping on a dirty safety pin on the ground, the sheets had stains on them, stains were in the kitchen, some sort of caked up yellow goop was in the bathroom drawers (the bathroom wasn't clean either), there was hair stuck in places and overall it was disgusting. we asked for another room after showing the lady what our room looked like, and the next one had an even bigger stain on the bed and was just as bad. we asked to leave, but they wouldn't give us a refund for that day because we already 'opened everything'. also, their housekeeper wasn't there that day, so it couldn't be cleaned. although we didn't think it had been cleaned EVER. terrible service and VERY gross!
Sad but true, not every hotel cleans thoroughly, sickening to think of sleeping in a dirty bed, there are ways to check, even a magnifying glass would do !!!
This is disgusting.. especially now during a pandemic! I worked at a hotel and we never changed the blankets unless they smelled or were noticeably dirty. The sheets and pillowcases though, i changed them every time i cleaned a room. I haven't had to stay at a hotel since working in one, but my own blankets, pillows sheets & towels will be used
Exposes have been done for decades. I had s traveling job for about 2 years back in the early 90's and after seeing this I started bringing my own sheets and pillow. I'd turn up the heat so I wouldn't have to use a comforter as I just did not have that kind of room. Heck my last hospital visit for7 days I used at least my own pillow and pillow case as my nose, eyes, mouth etc at least would be protected.
I've worked in the hospitality for 20 years and 10 of those were housekeeping and 3 of those years I was the Head Housekeeper. The hotels I worked at, always changed the sheets, towels, etc. after each check out. While I was the head housekeeper, I would test my girls. I would go ahead of them, in their check out rooms, and mark, with a pen, under the corner of the sheets, only 1 time I caught a girl not changing the sheets and I fired her on the spot and finished her rooms myself. My question about this story is, how did they get the same room that they were in the night before? If they checked out and came back under a different name, I dont get how they knew they would get the same room again. Seems a bit fishy to me.
I’m a flight attendant. I live in hotel rooms. ALWAYS, when I am ready to leave the hotel, I strip the bed of all sheets and pillow cases I have used. They all get tossed in the tub/shower stall. You’re welcome.
it's not all "on the managers at this point." It's on the people cleaning the rooms! Do your job the right way! I used to clean rooms, I couldn't understand how one girl was able to finish before everyone else. Then i found out she didn't mop the bathrooms, she threw a towel down on top of bleach that she poured on the floor, and used her foot to "mop" the bleach with the towel. Ruined countless towels doing this. Then she would wet her mop at the end of her shift. I reported her. Lazy, lazy, lazy, deplorable.
pandemic or no, this is gross. who knows how many lives they're endangering by not properly cleaning things! during a pandemic though, i don't know why anyone would want to travel and stay at a hotel, there's so much out of your control in terms of sanitation.
I worked a part-time job in a resident house in London and this would be unacceptable! This is just disgusting and one of the reasons I dislike staying at hotels.
Do not doubt any of this one bit. Hotels will say anything to get you to stay there. I have even found makeup on blankets, and I do not wear makeup.
OMG - disgusting! I worked as a motel housekeeper for a BUDGET (very) chain and cleaned an average of 20 rooms a day. I ALWAYS changed every sheet case, towel, etc. - always!!! Management checked, too. This - from "luxury" hotels - is grossly unacceptable.
Years ago when I had to travel for research at the National Archives, I stayed at the same hotel. The first time I stayed there, I pulled the covers all the way to the bottom and discovered "public hairs and long stands of hair." I bought a bottle of alcohol and wiped the sheets down every day. It didn't take long to dry and, at least I had the feeling of being clean. Since I was there for a week, they did have to change the sheets at least once. I noted that they had dirty sheets on the bed when I left. Why didn't I report them before I left? Oh, let me see, I really want to p**s off people who are going to be cleaning my room? Let us think of all the ways they could get back at me. It is like pissing off your waitperson. Yeah, that will really work out well.
Whenever I stay at a hotel I usually turn back the sheets and turn over pillows to see any stains. I also go out of my way to destroy the bed afterwards to make sure they change the sheets for the next person. When I say destroy I mean I throw everything on the floor
Why did someone downvoted you ? I also take the sheets of when I check out. Just as I put the towels on the floor. I stay in hotela a lot because of my work but I have the impression that the hotels I stay in always have fresh sheets on the bed. They don't need to be changed during my stay but to make sure they put on clean ones after I leave, I take them off.
Load More Replies...One of the first things I do when I go to any hotel is take the pillows and comforter off the bed then I use a special "towel" to lay on top of sheet. I carry my own pillows too. I don't care how clean it looks it can still be dirty!!
Thing is, this only proves they don’t change the sheets when the same people are occupying the room additional nights. They may change the sheets before someone new checks in. BUT the real question is the condition of the sheets when the reporters checked in! They should’ve checked for cleanliness prior to applying the logo. Plus, they totally forgot about the bedspread—-which hotels only wash when noticeably filthy or a guest complains about it. Or the mattress, carpet, upholstery, etc, which can also hold on to germs and bacteria. I worked all levels of hotel front desks for years, so I know these housekeeping practices (not the fault of the maids 99% of the time, btw) are industry-wide, regardless of whether it’s a five star hotel or zero star motel.
The article specifically states that they checked into the same room under a different name on successive nights.
Load More Replies...I just checked Inside Edition's website. This is a new report, done during the covid19 pandemic, and published at the end of June 2020. They specifically wanted to see if hotels were living up to their promises of enhanced cleaning.
Load More Replies...
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