The Guest Lens: Cleanliness

With recent “tell-all” books, websites devoted to reviewing guest rooms, and hotel horror stories gaining an eager audience online, today’s guests are more germ-phobic than ever. We know that cleanliness is just as important to operators as it is to guests, because their reputation and success is on the line; and many hoteliers have gone the extra mile to reassure guests of that fact before and during their stay.

Best Western has armed housekeeping staff with black lights and UV wands. The use of black lights show areas that need cleaning beyond what the staff can see in regular light, and the UV wands are held over high-touch areas (think TV remotes and light switches) to sanitize them.

The marketing is what makes the difference to the guest in terms of booking and loyalty. Even before seeing a room in person, guests who are aware of these practices feel more comfortable with the level of cleanliness they can expect upon arrival.

The Renaissance Washington Dc has placed cards under the beds to help reassure guests that the room has been thoroughly cleaned. In the event that a cautious guest pokes around under the bed, they would find a card reading, “Yes, we even cleaned under here!”

It is my belief that this kind of message is further strengthened by the tendency of similar table-tent style placements to become wrinkled and dirty over time. As long as these cards are crisp and clean at all times, guests can be reasonably assured that the message behind it is truthful.

Has your hotel utilized similar measures to reassure guests of cleanliness standards? What results have you seen?