Bathroom ‘cleanest’ place in hotels: Study

The bathroom is actually the most hygienic place in hotel bedrooms, according to a new survey.

Since bathrooms are regularly and thoroughly cleaned, they usually contain the least amount of bacteria, the survey found.

Mattresses and duvets, however, are rarely cleaned, making them among the dirtiest places in the average hotel room.

Other items containing a high level of bacteria were television remotes, and tea- and coffee-making equipment.

The research, which included a poll of female travellers, was carried out by Check Safety First, a UK-based firm that offers health and safety risk management systems to hotels, The Telegraph reported.

It also found that one in five women suffer from some form of illness during a hotel stay, and claimed that poor hygiene may be responsible for it.

“It is important that guests realise how poor hygiene levels in a hotel can be,” said Steve Tate, chairman of Check Safety First.

“People often associate illness with the hotel food, but our auditing finds that the room can also be a major cause.

With a high turnover of hotel cleaning staff, maintaining high standards is difficult, with some of the most reputable hotels not living up to these standards,” Tate said.