March 05, 2007
Who's that fungi in your hotel bed?
Although a lot of light has been shed on hotel bedbugs in the last year or two, Conde Nast Traveler reports the more basic germs may be something bigger to sneeze at. The report -- which ultimately concludes "cleanliness corresponded to price by and large" -- was based on lab test at three unnamed New York City hotels, referred to by euphemism.
The gross-out graf: Among the findings: At Hotel Luxe, the ice bucket, phones, and clock radio were loaded with Escherichia coli, the fecal-borne organism commonly known as E. coli, and Candida albicans, a fungus that causes yeast infections. The remote control had evidence of E. coli and Enterococci (another germ from feces), as did the shower floor. At Hotel Trendy, the doorknobs showed strong evidence of respiratory secretions. "That's how you can get rhinovirus [the cause of the common cold]," says Tierno. And a swab from the underside of the toilet seat turned up a heap of E. coli. "That means it wasn't cleaned," he says. At Hotel Budget, the desk chair had evidence of feces on it, as did the bedroom floor. Tierno says people have a habit of sitting on hotel furniture in the nude, but even he raised an eyebrow at the findings on the floor. "Maybe someone sat there," he says. "Or did God knows what." As at the other two hotels, the phone, the remote control, and the clock radio had plenty of fecal-borne organisms on them. The magazine finally offers a list of advice, including to wash your hands often, wear flip-flops in the bathroom and ditch the bedspread if it's not a duvet with a washable cover.
Earlier: Hotel Carter, NY Inn rank among dirtiest hotels in US
March 5, 2007 02:54 PM in Hotelology
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