People staying in budget hotel rooms may be shocked to discover what is lurking beneath the bed sheets, warns a new undercover investigation by Which? Holiday*.

Stained and mouldy mattresses, a suspected blood-stained duvet, and food debris on the floor were just some of the grim discoveries made by Which? Holiday during stays at the UK’s five most visited budget hotel chains.

Ibis performed particularly badly in the investigation.  A mattress in a room at an Ibis Hotel in Manchester was found to be so badly soiled that the cover had frayed and mould had begun to grow.  In a room at a second Manchester Ibis  Which? Holiday discovered a stain on a duvet, which an accompanying technical consultant suggested could be blood.

It’s not just the beds that revealed poor cleaning standards.  The toilet inspected in one of the rooms at Ibis Euston, Cardington Street, London, had the worst toilet, in terms of  cleanliness of all the budget hotels rooms visited.  Urine and faeces was found round the edge of the toilet seat, while urine was also streaked down the pedestal.

The bathrooms in the rooms of the Travelodge hotels inspected were also found to be unclean, leading to concern about the bacteria  found in four of the five rooms. There were high levels of dust under the bed in one room in Travelodge, Gray’s Inn Road, while dirty handprints and ground-in dirt were found on the walls.

Comfort Inn and Jurys Inn both performed well in the investigation, with the rooms inspected by Which? Holiday found to be clean.  The rooms in three Premier Inn hotels visited in Manchester were described as spotless by the researcher, while the rooms in two London Premier Inns had some room for improvement, although bacteria found in the bathrooms caused no concern to the technical consultant.

Lorna Cowan, editor of Which? Holiday, says:
“Although this investigation was just a snapshot, it does raise concerns about the cleanliness of some budget hotel chains.  It’s clear from our research that some of the hotels are getting it right when appropriate cleaning methods are being used.  Paying guests should be guaranteed, at the very least, a clean room.”

“There doesn’t seem to be one single accepted standard for hygiene in hotels across the UK, and we would like to see this change.”

3 January 2009