19 secrets hotels don't want you to know

Secrets of the hotel industry

Hotels are supposed to be relaxing, calm and, most of all, spotless. But once you start looking beneath the surface, you might be shocked at what you find. While these insider revelations don't apply to all establishments, plenty of places do things that might horrify some of their guests.

Read on to discover the interesting – and more unsavoury – secrets that hoteliers definitely don’t want you to know...

The remote control is probably contaminated

Research by Today found the dirtiest item in rooms of five top hotel chains across the USA was the TV remote control, with the phones coming a close second. When tested by a bacteria expert, every single remote control was found to have sky-high levels of bacteria. 

One even had traces of E. coli and another MSRA, a dangerous bacterium that can cause painful skin infections.

Cleaning staff sometimes snooze in your bed

A hotel maid working in a 5-star hotel in Florida told accommodation search platform Trivago that the cleaning staff sometimes have a nap in hotel beds if they are “really tired and have the time”.

She said, “For example, if we are doing a large suite and are given longer to clean it, we will have a nap in the beds.”

Hotel deaths aren't exactly infrequent

When you consider how many people pass through hotels, it’s perhaps not surprising that deaths occur semi-regularly. Hotels go to great lengths to keep these unfortunate events discreet. According to a Thrillist article, once someone dies in a hotel room, a crime scene cleaning team comes in to clean it all up, throwing away anything with a permeable surface like sheets and mattresses.

In some circumstances the room number is changed but usually guests are none the wiser.

Your glasses may not be entirely clean

Think twice before drinking from glasses in a hotel. UK newspaper the Daily Mirror reported that the vast majority of staff don't bother to change glasses between guests and will only give them a cursory wash in the sink. Ugh! 

You’ll get the worst room if you book on a discount site

According to Jacob Tomsky, author of Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles, and So-Called Hospitality, if you book a discount room, you’ll get a discount experience. You’ll be the first to have to move hotels if they’ve overbooked and you’ll get the worst room.

This is because hotels want to save their best rooms for loyal guests and big spenders.

Your bathroom isn’t just for you

A hotel maid confessed in an interview with Trivago that cleaning staff will occasionally use the guests’ toilets.

“Sometimes… we use the toilets in the guest’s bathroom, but only if we are super busy and don’t have enough time to go to the staff toilets,” she said. “It is something we are not supposed to do, but many do it anyway.”

You should always ask for clean linens

While sheets are washed daily in most hotels, all the other cosy items on your bed are not. A former housekeeper told the Daily Mirror that blankets, bedspreads and throw pillows are not washed frequently or changed between stays.

Ask your hotel for fresh ones when checking in. Another anonymous worker admitted that the blankets only get washed once a year in the hotel they worked at.

You should stay away from the kettle

This could be an urban legend but, either way, we’re going to be more careful about making cups of tea in hotels from now on.

UK newspaper the Daily Express claims that some hotel guests use kettles in their room to wash their dirty underwear.

Someone might have snacked on your room service

According to a Daily Mirror article featuring confessions by hotel workers on secrets app Whisper, someone might have had a bite of your room service before it gets to you.

One employee allegedly confessed, “We never bring or buy lunch, because we pick off plates before they go.”

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Cleaning equipment used by staff can be unsanitary

A former hotel worker told Spain's Euro Weekly News that glasses are rarely cleaned properly and are sometimes wiped with the same rag used for the sink – or even the toilet.

The coffee machine is filthy

While it’s cheaper and more environmentally friendly to make coffee rather than going to a café, we’d recommend making an exception when you’re in a hotel room.

Research from the University of Valencia tested a number of Nespresso machines (a common brand found in hotel rooms) and discovered that all the coffee makers were full of bacteria because they weren't cleaned properly on a regular basis.

Bed bugs are on the rise

A 2024 survey by The Sleep Doctor found that one in seven US travellers reported encountering bed bugs in the previous year – and 20% of those sightings happened in 5-star hotels.

With rising cases reported in London and Paris too, you may want to take precautionary measures when you travel.

The concierge isn't always unbiased

You’re in an unfamiliar city, so you go to the concierge for advice on where to eat and things to do, right? Well, maybe you shouldn’t. 

Often, recommendations by a concierge aren’t entirely unbiased. A New York Times article suggested that in exchange for recommendations, a concierge could get a free meal, a referral fee or even a percentage of the client’s bill.

The toiletries are yours to keep

Taking towels, bathrobes, kettles and books from hotels is totally unacceptable. However, you are allowed to be light-fingered with the toiletries, as the hotel can’t reuse half-full shampoo bottles. Steer clear of everything else though. 

Some hotel chains have even installed electronic tags to catch out guests stealing sheets, bathrobes and more.

The hotel knows if you’re having an affair

You might think that once you check in, you’re totally anonymous. Not true. According to a Quora thread, the hotel does know what you’re up to. User Stacy McClouse wrote: “Yes, we host gentlemen and ladies who are having affairs. 

"Yes, we know who you are. No, we don't really care! So long as your payment goes through and you don't cause permanent damage to the room we don't really care. We're not there to make moral judgements; we're there to make money."

If you’ve lost something, you won’t be getting a call

If you’ve left something in your hotel room, some hotels won’t call to let you know. One hotel worker revealed why: “We never called a guest if they left an item in their room and it was found after they checked out…

"We never knew when Mrs Smith was going to answer the phone and tell us that Mr Smith wasn't at a quaint Vermont inn last weekend, he was at a dentist convention in Toledo. That lesson was learned the hard way. And only once.”

Don’t think the safe is foolproof

Even if you carefully lock all your belongings in the safe, don’t think you’re the only person who can get in there. Staff can come in and open it without your combination code.

It can be safer to keep valuables in a locked suitcase in a cupboard or under a bed.

If you’re messy, you’ll affect the maid’s salary

Many housekeepers are paid per room they clean, so keeping things tidy is more than helpful and considerate. The messier your room, the longer the housekeeper will have to spend cleaning it. 

They’ll have less time to do other rooms, and will therefore get paid less.

A 5-star hotel doesn't guarantee a clean room

You might think that if you pay big bucks to stay in a luxury hotel, there'll be a better standard of hygiene, but that isn’t always the case.

A study by Travelmath found that not only is the average hotel room dirtier than a home, plane and school, but that 3-star hotels were much cleaner than 4-star and 5-star hotels.

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