Canadian hotels are a breeding ground for contamination, say investigative reports from the Canadian Broadcasting Company. Testing took place in 54 hotel rooms within six different facilities varying between budget, midrange and luxury hotels, and researchers tested for microbial contamination on more than 800 "high-touch" surfaces using an ATP metering system.

An ATP reading lower than 300 was rated a "pass," indicating a low level of contamination; a reading of 300 to 999 was considered to be in the "caution zone"; and a reading higher than 1,000 was deemed "fail," indicating serious levels of contamination.
 
The tests revealed the most significant contamination was on three different hotel surfaces:
• Bed comforters: rated a fail in half the hotel guest rooms tested
• Television remote controls: 70 percent rated a caution or fail
• Restroom faucets: 30 percent rated a fail

Additionally, the tests revealed many of the luxury hotels actually had higher ATP readings than many of the budget and midrange hotels.
 
Says microbiologist Keith Warriner of Canada's University of Guelph who headed the investigation team, "I was absolutely amazed to see how high some of the ATP counts were. They were very alarming."
 
He adds that while the hotel guest rooms all looked clean, the study confirms that looks can be deceiving.
 
According to Mike Sawchuk, Vice President and General Manager of Enviro-Solutions, the researchers concluded that the main reason for the high ATP ratings in the hotels was likely a combination of improper cleaning products and procedures, as well as an overburdened hotel staff.
 
"In many Canadian hotels, just as in the United States, housekeepers are often asked to clean so many rooms, it can be difficult to clean them as thoroughly as they require. In a worst case scenario, the health of some hotel guests as well as the cleaners and other hotel staff are potentially at risk."