When you reach your holiday destination and arrive at your hotel, you expect the picturesque scenery that you saw either online or in the brochures. But it may be a different story once you get there.
While on vacation, Brits have experienced rooms that are in desperate need of a polish with 59% revealing that they have experienced a poorly maintained or dirty bathroom. As well as the bathroom having seen better days with 34% of Brits having found dirty sheets or bedding.
CheckSafetyFirst.com who carried out the survey, found that 54% of British guests fail to complain about hotel cleanliness issues. The health and safety expert warns that hotels are allowing standards to slip because British guests, often stereotyped as reluctant grumblers, don’t complain to staff when they experience issues.
Almost 80% of women prefer to eat food sitting on their bed, but this is one of the filthiest parts of the hotel room. Mattresses and duvets are rarely changed, meaning that a horrific number of guests before you have left potentially harmful bacteria behind.
A staggering 98% of women surveyed watch TV in their room. Television remotes are never usually cleaned, leaving guests at a high risk of picking up germs.
Surfaces including tea making facilities are usually left when cleaning, even though they are used by 83% of women. Guests are recommended to wash their hands immediately after touching these surfaces or to avoid them completely.
According to Which? figures, only a quarter of UK hotels score top marks (5 stars) for cleanliness, proving there is a large number of high profile hotels in the UK that aren’t doing enough to keep guests safe. In light of the new research results, CheckSafetyFirst.com is urging bashful Brits to put hotels under constant pressure to ensure rooms are kept spotless.
Steve Tate, chairman of CheckSafetyFirst.com, says consumers can drive high standards through the power of complaint: “The internet is a powerful tool for travellers because people can read reviews or ask questions of hotels before they arrive. That said, often these gripes aren’t picked up by hotel staff. If you have an issue with a hotel, it’s vital to communicate the problem to a member of staff so it can be dealt with quickly.
“Even the most basic issues, if left untreated, can manifest into a cause for concern in terms of hygiene. While hotels should be monitoring standards carefully, if this is not being done correctly, it is up to travellers to demand this.
“Often people feel embarrassed to complain about issues they have, especially if they haven’t paid a massive amount for a hotel room, but it shouldn’t matter how much money has been spent. If you are a guest in a hotel then your room should be spotless and maintained to a high standard. If not, what can seem like a trivial issue at first can lead to more severe problems such as an injury or illness,” Tate concludes.
For more information visit: http://www.checksafetyfirst.com/