ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A new study appears to indicate that commonly-touched surfaces in expensive hotels harbour more germs than those in cheaper ones.

The study, carried out by online trip calculator Travelmath, tested hotel guest room surfaces for bacteria linked with ailments including skin infections and pneumonia. Researchers swabbed various objects such as the desk, bathroom counter, telephone and remote control in a range of three, four and five-star US hotels.

The germ count was found to be generally higher in the four and five-star properties. Remote controls in five-star hotels proved to be the dirtiest of those tested, while hotel desks and bathroom counters in four-star hotels had the highest bacteria count. Only the telephones in the three-star hotels were found to be dirtier than those in their higher-class counterparts.

"The results were a surprise for us," said Travelmath outreach manager Cristina Lachowyn. "Five-star hotels are known for those extra amenities, extra services and extra luxury so one would assume that the extra money you're spending for those extra stars would also go into housekeeping."

The reasons behind the findings were unclear, though the study authors felt that the pillow-top mattresses, supplementary seating and other decorative features commonly found in four and five-star hotels could add to the cleaning challenge for housekeeping staff.

The differences in the results could also be attributed to customer habits, cleaning practices and the smoothness and quality of the objects being cleaned, add the authors. Travelmath urged hotel guests to wash their hands frequently and to disinfect surfaces before touching them.