Managing Cleaning Concerns

In recent months, investigative reporting done by national television news shows have stereotyped hospitality venues saying that cleaning efforts are lacking efficiency. Reports indicated that the bacteria levels on surfaces such as remote controls, phones, bedspreads, doorknobs and various areas within the restroom are so high that they must go untouched by cleaners. The stories focused on a handful of facilities and it was assumed that all hotels follow the same pattern.

In response to this reporting, Housekeeping Solutions spoke to various readers in the hospitality market to determine trouble areas, as well as identify steps they have taken to minimize or eliminate the stigma that cleaners do not address various parts of the hotel room.

Addressing The Situation

As reported by programs such as 20/20 or Dateline, there are many areas within the hotel room that have the potential to carry excessive levels of bacteria. Although some might consider the obvious toilet, room key or drinking glasses as the main culprit, according to reports, more obscure items such as complementary hair dryers, ice buckets and room-service menus were host to the most germs.

Following these reports, hotel housekeeping departments across the country were forced to readdress their cleaning programs. Regardless of whether the germ claims were true within their facility, departments had to eliminate the perception of the general public and do anything possible to communicate to their clientele that cleaning was a priority.

First, many hotel chains began tracking and addressing problem areas communicated from guests. Many have gone so far to change product usage, such as eliminating drinking glasses from their guest rooms and replacing them with prewrapped plastic cups, or color-coding cleaning products to minimize cross-contamination.

Next, training was addressed. Many franchises required that all employees take part in mandatory training sessions on cleaning procedures and acknowledge that following those procedures was a condition of their employment.

Finally, regular maintenance of these training procedures was enforced. Many departments implemented check lists for each area of the facility and to ensure the quality of work, managers held surprise inspections regularly.

Communicating Effectiveness

Before cleaning managers guarantee that the facility is clean, they should first make sure it is. The way cleaners do their job could have a large impact on the cleanliness of a guest room.

It is important to pay special attention to the type of disinfectant and cleaning tools used. Color-coding can minimizing the spread of bacteria from one place to another and understanding the chemicals used will help in their effectiveness.

Cleaning technique is also important. Workers should understand that proper technique could make or break the entire program. This means paying special attention to chemical application, proper dwell times and frequency of clean.

Finally, focus on perception. The cleaning cart is often the first impression hotel guests get of cleaners. The cart should be organized and in good condition. If cleaners care that much about their cart, imagine how much they care about the cleanliness of the room.

Posting cleaning awards, Employee of the Month plaques or cleaning procedure check lists in the registration area can also communicate that cleaning is important and will exceed guest expectations.

The Truth

Although the television reports indicated that hotel rooms were breeding grounds for cold and flu viruses, as well as fecal coliform and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the reality is that the germ count in the majority of hotels is not much greater than that of the common household.

In fact, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, roughly 4 million people sleep in hotels every day throughout the United States. There are very few cases of these people catching any type of a disease from staying in hotels.

Cleaning departments do need to be aware of public perception, but know that not everything on television is true. It is the managers job to make sure the public knows that cleaning is a priority in their facility.