Dana_Fowle's Blog

Do you think these same problems are in hotel ice machines?

Interestingly, one of the spokespeople for one of the hotels said, "They only have X amount of time to clean a room and that's why they do that." What?!?!? So are they saying they know this is going on? Are they saying that management doesn't give them enough time to follow basic health codes? Did you find it interesting no one would go on camera and look at our video? We sure did.

Some of our hotels didn't even change our linens even when we told them that a new guest would be taking over the room.

In one of our follow-up stories, we'll feature a guy who did mark things in his room to prove they weren't washing up the way they said they would.

Do me a favor: take a look at the housekeeping carts. See if they have racks for glasses. I would even ask management how they clean them. It will be interesting to hear what they say. Run your own experiment.

That very thing was a big consideration for us. We thought long and hard about that too. There are one of two things that could be happening here. Either the housekeeper cut corners or management, at some level, has them do it this way. Either way it's wrong. Mark my words, if one of those housekeepers gets fired and can tell us that they were ordered to do it this way then we will report that. You're not telling me that you are OK with how those glasses are cleaned, particularly at the Sheraton, are you?

I have a low gross-out line. I grew up in the country where your dad would drop a hamburger off of the grill then just brush off and you were expected to eat it. But what we found going on is really troubling to me. We have more tonight. What do you think the fancy hotels will do? Stay tuned.

This story is why I travel with my own cleaning supplies, toilet paper, sheets and towels! Of course management teaches their staff this practice! Everything these days is about profit and 'driving the cost out of the business.' This is good in theory, but how the goal is achieved is the problem. It is strange how every other week there is some type of food recall. I don't know about that industry, but I will bet they are caused by poor cleaning of the machinery, if it is cleaned at all! I am sure if you taveled to other states, the practice would be the same. If anything is to be done we need to let the chains know we won't pay their outrageous nightly prices for sleezy hotel cleaniness!

Go to ANY hotel and examine the bed spreads with an ultra violet light! You'll find passion remnants similar to Monica Lewinsky's blue dress!

YUK!

It never, ever occured to me that housekeeping wasn't properly washing the glasses. Maybe I'm just not that observant. I'm going to start hunting for a dish cleaner/sanitizer that I can put in my luggage. Or, just take my own collapsable cup, or like you said, get plastic from the bar.
And yes, the high-end hotels story is on tonight. What they do with our bath towel is disturbing. Right after I'll be available on the blog if you want to chat about it.

This summer my family and I went to Disney World and we stayed at Star Island Resort. From the time we hit the room it was completely nasty we complained. They said sorry. We also went to the pool and my kids got this terrible rash. I had to take them to the doctor and get some meds for them. I was very angry about this situation.

That is my family experience. Chriss F.

If Bill and Sandra Johnson still owned The Ritz Carlton's, this would have never happened.

I'm getting a lot of calls from former housekeepers who tell us that they were trained to do it the way. In fact, I'm on the phone with a man right now who says, Yep. We did it that way, too. What will you do the next time you go to a hotel? Will you let them know that you demand to have your glasses cleaned?

We did call about the blue liquid. The company says it's the equivalent of Windex. Read your Windex bottle sometime. They don't want you drinking it either.

You should MAKE SURE that Hotels that use Glass Tumblers have a Dishwasher then make sure it operates at the right Temp. Health departments do inspections on these units to make sure the right temp is reached to kill germs, Like 175 etc not sure.

Many hotes that use Glass Tumblers do not even have a Dishwasher and they wash them either the way you discovered or usually in Housekeeping in a sink or the breakfast bar area.

Don't know Bill Johnson. Do you think he would talk to us about this? Or, is Mr. Johnson an owner from days gone way, way by?

Why try to talk to the Local Hotel Managers? Most of these guys drift form one property to the next and dont care go to the Corp offices..and see what happens or to their Mangement Groups.

PS Also check out the filters in the AC Units :(

What do you think they also do with the coffee makers, I dont see myself brewing coffee in the bathroom either. I dont do it at home so why would I do it in a hotel bathroom?

You should check out the Westin Downtown. We have had some groups in there that have complained about mold and bug bites after a nights stay.

Hi Dana,
Now that water restriction is very low. Do you think restaurant is cleaning their dishes properly?

Ooooohhhhhh, good question.

Running home to grab some dinner. Will be back online before the 10 o'clock news and then probaby online late. It's hard for me to go to sleep as soon as I get home from being on air late, so I sit up and blog a bit. See you guys in a few hours.

The hotel CSM would not say and the meeting attendees did not know if they were bed bugs or some other kind of bug bite.

Dana trust me you dont want to travel with me...I stay at high end Hotels and still find many issues. Comforter off the bed, as well as their pillows, keep my socks on..Oh want to try an experiment? When you stay in a Hotel room put on white socks and look at them prior to going to bed NICE!!!!!!!

Also look into how many Hotels have MSDS sheets displayed in Housekeeping about they chemicals they use. Federal law says they have to have a MSDS sheet for each chemical used.

You could bust most Hotels for all kinds of violations.

Alpha06, no matter what you make an hour cleaning rooms, there is no excuse for doing the things they were doing. Common sense and remembering you would not want someone doing this to you should be enough. More than likely they are getting at least $6-$8 an hour plus the tips they are left after signing the cards in the rooms telling you they have cleaned your room. Poor wage earners, nah, they make more than you think.

Hi Dana,
I am a hotel manager, and I can tell you that corporate puts pressure on the Housekeeping managers to make the housekeepers cleam more rooms in less time to save them money on labor. We are in a bad situation, the hotels are filthy. I work for Marriott, and Marriott owns Renaisance and Ritz Carltons, I can forward you an email that came from corporate when they found out you all were doing a story. They were afraid. It just shows that they know whats going on. Corporate is the problem, Its sad , housekeepers have the hardest jobs to clean over 20 rooms in 8 hours,for minimum wage. The hospitality industry is cut throat.

Next time you show up at a hotel 5 hours earlier than check in, and demand that the front desk rush housekeeping to clean a room, I'd like for you all to think about how much you REALLY want to rush a housekeeper.

This isn't all about Management not giving enough time for a room to be cleaned. It's also has a LOT to do with how quickly YOU demand your room to be ready.

And if you show up during a busy week on-time at 3pm, and your room isn't quite ready. You might want to say to the front desk: "That's okay... tell them to take their time."

We live in a busy rush-rush environment, Americans. Lighten up and let someone do their job.

I have worked in this industry for many years, and I have worked for smaller chains, and believe it or not, the smaller hotels are cleaner, so consider a smaller, slower hotel next time you have to travel. It will probably be cleaner.
PS: I HAVE KNOWN GREAT HOUSEKEEPERS THAT WOULD BRING THEIR OWN CLOROX TO WORK BECAUSE HOTESL DO NOT USE BLEACH SO THEY WILL NOT ORDER IT, EVEN THOUGH THEY KNOW THAT IT WILL KILL THE GERMS.

Want to get New Housekeepers in a Hotel how about doing a story on how many Illegals work in a Hotel!! and Management knows it.
The problem is not many Americans want to do this job.
Housekeepers know that if they get fired from one job, they literally have another before they get to their car or Bus :) The labor pool is drying up like the lakes here and Hotels are forced to hire Illegals.

Like I Said before dont stop with this keep digging and you will uncover many things wrong in Hotels today and you wont have to dig far.

The problem starts with the Hotel Managers, Room Division Managers, and Executive Housekeepers which are all responsible for what you showed on the news.
Training is the key and hiring the right people who will enforce the training and make sure the job gets dont right.

The Executive Housekeeper needs to be checking rooms at random DAILY etc. You cant guarantee the rooms are clean 100% no way. These Hotels as well as all are only as good as the tools they are given or they hire. Interview most Hotel workers and see how many have their heart into these jobs and I bet you wont find many. Like I said housekeeprs float from one hotel to another. If they get fired from one they will be at another the next day.

Training is THE KEY and also these people get paid minimum if not a bit over in the wage area. I know of Hotels that pay by the room, and this holds the person accontable for the job they do. If they do a bad job then move them on to another hotel.

These high end Hotels Ritz, Marriott, etc collect enough in room rates to get good people and keep them but they dont. They rely on getting peopleas cheaply as possible and not training the right way.

As to answer your question I dont think its possible to ensure the rooms are 100% clean all the time. Laws need to change, attitude needs to change. Hotels need to give incentives, these people have no incentives most of the time and most are working pay check to pay check and have no ambition to do a good job..sad but its true.

Check with Hotels and see how many housekeepers are trained on the proper way to use the Chemicals? I would be not many. How many housekeeprs go through a training program on the proper way to clean? Most of these housekeeprs are thrown out just to do a job as Hotels are desperate to keep good staff or any staff at all.
Chemical Giants such as Diversy, Ecola

Hotelexpert1 - write me at dana.fowle@foxtv.com
Would love to chat!

Housekeeping Supervisors are more worried about Heads on the Beds turning the rooms and having enough housekeepers just to get through the day. Managers should be held liable for this as it all rolls down hill to the Manager. If the Manager was a hands on manager he would know what is being done and not.
Hotel people are a different breed and their world revolves different than most.

Thanks Dana keep doing what you are doing Im sure it makes a difference.
I urge you NOT to stop where you are with this you are only uncovering a small bit in the industry..Their is much more to uncover.
The public will thank you in the long run as well as all Hotel workers who want to do a good job.

After watching your report, I don't think I will ever use the hotel's cup ever again. It makes me wonder, how long have they been doing it?

I am curious though, since every management refuses to comment on the situation, is the policy going to continue? Another issue with hotels I find very disturbing are the carpet floors in a hotel room. Same with the glass cups, I highly doubt the carpets in the hotel room are ever steam cleaned.

You mention the sheets. Not all of them changed our sheets either. We were clear: we as a company were paying for ONE room, but we would have two different occupants. One for the first night, another for the second night. The code requires the room be changed over when you change occupants. I'm going to go back over the video so that I'm clear about who did it right and who didn't.

Now the carpets -- don't even want to go there. Ugh.

I know for a fact that the General Manager of the Embassy Suites in Alpharetta knew a year ago that the glassware was not getting cleaned properly. She even turned down a proposal to do the job properly by the Housekeeping Director because it cost too much. The price tag for this proposal was only 1000 dollars. So, I know in this instance, the GM was knowledgable of this act and even condoned it by turning down a proposal by the Housekeeping Director. I also know that has been done this way at the Embassy Suites for 6 years now. Glassware has not been cleaned properly for 6 years now.

1337yates, that's a good point. I wonder too now if they use my towel to clean things.

h20bug1, I also heard that she got a proposal. I planned to do a whole blog on that. Her superiors say, Not true. But I hear otherwise.

I have to hand it to my photographer who built three hidden cameras that would blend into the room. Fantastic work on his part.

"communicable". Sorry, it's bedtime.

Allycat I'm with you. I have gone to a hotel in Atlanta just for the weekend to "getaway" because I love to stay in hotels and my husband needed to get work done at the house. Now I'm not sure a hotel is getting away.

Dana,

In case my friends are checking out this blog..."I told you so" All my friends made fun of me over the years for bringing my own cups to a hotel. All of us see the carts in the hall and you never see clean glasses on them. I also had a horror at the Holiday Inn Downtown: 3 years ago I had a career fair going on the next morning downtown so the night before I checked in went to slide into my "Fresh, Clean Bed" LOL and something wet went all over my leg!!! I lifted the sheets and found a used female product in my bed!!!! After I lost my dinner and took a shower quickly to get it off my leg I went to the lobby and @^#*$(#( out the manager. (They kicked me out of the Hotel I was leaving anyway) Worst of all I now leave a note tucked into the sheets near the foot of the bed that says if you find this note you are sleeping in a dirty bed on dirty sheets and to call me if you find it. I have had 14 calls over the past 3 years from 21 hotel stays!!! I suggest everyone to do that and then you will know which hotel to stay at! Thanks for the great report and to all my friends.....I TOLD YOU SO!

So, Personintheknow, your answer is that "there ought to be a law" is the change you suggest?

Training is there, oversight is present, and you agree that 100% accuracy is not possible 100% of the time. So a law should fix the problem? Who's going to enforce the law? Should there be a public inspector who stands in the room while a housekeeper cleans it?

As far as giving incentives, how would you award these if you can't verify the behavior? These people are working behind closed doors in private chambers. An Executive Housekeeper can verify that a room is clean, but not HOW a room was cleaned.

I just don't understand the implementation of your suggestion. Could you help me out?

I manage a hotel in very close proximity to the Sheraton Suites at Galleria. While I do not personally know anyone at that property, I do understand the unforgiveable actions of housekeepers displayed in this report happen. However, holding fire-at-will scare tactics to the public is not the answer. I can only imagine that Managers on duty at these hotels with three cameras and a microphone in their faces... well it's no wonder they won't talk on camera. It's a LOSE-LOSE situation for them.

If they apologize for it, and say it's an isolated incident: They get shot at because it's been found in other hotels. If they say they will fire anyone caught for these practices, Dana has said she'd love to talk to them and then the get fired on again.

So, Dana.... why WOULD anyone speak to you on camera?

What I said was Laws should change to enforce hotels to wash comforters more than each quarter. I know now allot of these Hotels are getting Duvets and new bedding and hopefully washing them more than each quarter.

Sorry if this all scares the public but it should and Hotels should feel the pinch and improve standards. People who stay in Hotels are a risk daily by improper cleaning of everything from AC Filters to the Carpet etc.
The only people to enforce their housekeepers are doing the job is the executive hskpr and its his or her job. This is an easy thought but hiring and training someone to actually do it is a tougher thing. THe morale and attitude is the hardest thing to overcome

I mean look ontop of an armoire and see the dust, the rooms are NOT getting cleaned like they should bottom line. If my Hotel was jus ton the news and I was the owner..Heads would roll all the way to the GM for not being hands on.

Dana,

You will get calls! If you think about let me know when you do.

yrusoangry:
The Health inspector should spot check rooms. There are swab kits that will give you results right away and if a hotel is in violation they should get a BIG FINE and a note posted in the lobby. This will curb the desire to skip important steps. ( I've paid up to $65 per gallon of tea at some venues I host events at, so they can afford it)

Let me ask you a question: Have you ever seen a mop and bucket for washing the bathroom floors on any of those housekeeping carts? Dana in your hidden camera investigation did you ever see housekeeping mop and disinfect the bathroom floors? I seriously doubt it. You should do another report on the lack of cleaning the floors and shampooing the carpets.

It scares me what germs might be on that bathroom floor that I walk on barefoot as I get out of the shower. They don't provide enough towels for me to cover the floor and still have enough to dry off. What I end up doing is spilling a Coke on the bathroom floor on purpose when I first arrive at a new hotel room. Then I call the housekeeping and force them to have to bring a mop and mop the floor. That way I know at least the floor got one mopping before I use the bathroom.

And that Tea is most likely Instant Tea and thats another story :) Seen all the news about Fish you buy when you eat out not being what you thought it was?

yrusoangry that is true!! No dishwasher RED FLAG..PLUS it takes a certain temp to sanitize the glass anyway. I recall when I was a kid Mom wasing dishes by hand REMEMBER those days? Its a wonder we were not sick all the time.
Handwashing dishes does nothing to kill ecoli and germs etc

Just to let you know all properties Do Not wash their Duvet covers after each turn trust me I know....
Rules can be on the books but the failure is due to not educating the employee and proper training

Some of your top end hotels will supply a clean glass wrapped up in a plastic cover but is it clean before it went in the glass cover who knows?

Or Hotels employ outside carpet cleaning companies which most are a joke..Hears a test for the carpet...
Get a glass of water and spill some water on the carpet and aggitate it with your fingers and see all the soap left in the carpet..Most of the time when the carpet is cleaned it turns out more nasty than before and filth is just transported from one area to the next.

yrusoangry:

My point is that you never see anyone mopping the bathroom floors in hotel rooms. I don't care who does it, maids, housekeepers, engineers, or whatever, the floors in the bathrooms should be mopped and disinfected daily, and they aren't. Dana please do another investigation to see if the floors are ever cleaned and what germs are growing on the bathroom floors.

Yrusoangry
If you have a Hilton property I know they change the covers after each turn.
But others dont trust me on this :)
I know that this cost the Hotel more money to do so but man I am so glad to walk in a Hotel room and not see a bedsoread that looks like Grandma's old couch seems to obe the trend now