When someone gets sick in hotel room

[MamaLema]

I am not a germophobe at all but hotel rooms are the only place I bring Lysol wipes and disinfect everything and OP’s experience just reinforces why.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

My DH got horrendously ill in a hotel once. Upon checking out and trying to convince them that they REALLY needed to sterilize that room for the next guests.... the hotel management did NOTHING, in fact, they didn't even acknowledge that the room would need any additional cleaning beyond the typical average and shoddy Housecleaning Trash and Towel Flip! They gave us complimentary breakfast when we checked out. Yeah so helpful to a man who contracted food poisoning the day before....

I was quite put-off by their response... knowing what I know about their Housecleaning NOT cleaning body fluids out of furnishings, I simply don't feel hygienic staying at that hotel anymore.

 

[lovin'fl]

My DH got horrendously ill in a hotel once. Upon checking out and trying to convince them that they REALLY needed to sterilize that room for the next guests.... the hotel management did NOTHING, in fact, they didn't even acknowledge that the room would need any additional cleaning beyond the typical average and shoddy Housecleaning Trash and Towel Flip! They gave us complimentary breakfast when we checked out. Yeah so helpful to a man who contracted food poisoning the day before....

I was quite put-off by their response... knowing what I know about their Housecleaning NOT cleaning body fluids out of furnishings, I simply don't feel hygienic staying at that hotel anymore.

How did you know they did nothing after you checked out?
And food poisoning isn't contagious.

 

[maxiesmom]

I'm thinking that can't give you cleaning products as they are afraid you may be allergic, or not use them properly and end up injuring yourself. I don't mean bags or new towels, which they should have handed out, but spray cleaner or things like that. Some idiot would probably spray themselves in the eye and sue, you know how it goes. If they didn't have a full service staff to help you at that time of night the least they could have done is give you a few garbage bags and towels.

I would definitely e-mail the home office.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I worked at a hotel as a night auditor when I was 20. Other than the deaf guy who cleaned the kitchen during the night, I was the only person there after the bar closed at midnight or two on weekends. This was the nicest hotel in town, that commanded the highest prices. I would have had no idea to help someone had this happened when I was on. Sure I'd try to use some common sense and offer fresh linens, but at $7/hr, there would be no way I would clean puke.

I totally understand that! Even if housekeeping was available at the time, I would have tried to clean up some of the major mess before letting them in. With no housekeeping on duty though, it would have been really nice to have been able to get some cleaning supplies, trash bags, and maybe to drop off the dirty linen in the laundry room at least. No way would I expect a hotel receptionist/clerk (sorry, don't know the correct term) to clean up my kid's puke!

My DS works at the desk of a hotel. I just asked him what he'd do. He said housekeeping is there until 6pm and if before then, they'd go up and clean up. If after 6pm, he would have to give you what he could (bedding and such) and you'd have to take care of what you could (I guess with the bath washcloths and some trash bags and then replace bedding which he does have extras of everything)....then housekeeping could clean properly the next day. They also have bandaids if a guest needs one. He made mention of something like 'not being a full service hotel' which I assume meant not having housekeeping department 24/7. They also don't have room service or a bar or anything like that. It's just a smaller regular hotel in a popular (major) hotel chain (I won't mention which) similar to OP's Comfort Suites.

I appreciate the insight from someone in the business. If you don't mind, could you ask him whether a guest would be expected to keep soiled linens in their room or if he would have a way of allowing them to bring it to the laundry room or somewhere? Also, would the night shift have access to cleaning supplies?

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

I'm thinking that can't give you cleaning products as they are afraid you may be allergic, or not use them properly and end up injuring yourself. I don't mean bags or new towels, which they should have handed out, but spray cleaner or things like that. Some idiot would probably spray themselves in the eye and sue, you know how it goes. If they didn't have a full service staff to help you at that time of night the least they could have done is give you a few garbage bags and towels.

I would definitely e-mail the home office.

Maybe that's it. I didn't really think about the risk/ potential lawsuit issue with giving out cleaning products. I know hotels are far different than gas stations and grocery stores, but I've dealt with probably around a dozen puke situations from my DD (on car rides & stopping at gas station, once in a gas station right in front of the counter, and twice in stores) and they happily provided cleaning supplies, paper towels, trash bags, mops, whatever we needed.

I am going to send something to the hotel. I'm just trying to figure out what all I want to say and how to say it.

 

[piccolopat]

If the hotel had no one available to clean the room, I would have asked to be moved to another room. If one was not available, I would have cleaned what I could even if it meant going to a local store for cleaning supplies. I would also put the soiled linens in front of the housekeeping room instead of keeping them and the smell in the bathroom.
When housekeeping didn't adequately clean the room, I would have demanded a room change or found another hotel. By all means, post your experience on hotel review sites. Sorry you had to deal with this.

 

[DizneyMommy]

Well I’m the weirdo that brings Lysol and Clorox wipes on vacation and wipes down my hotel room when we arrive. DD13 got sick at the Hilton at DL last year, in the middle of the night. Luckily she woke up and made it to the bathroom and mostly hit the toilet. I cleaned up the rest with a towel and lysoled the heck out of the bathroom, doorknobs, everything. By the next morning it seemed to have stopped so we sent her to Grandma’s house and the rest of us checked out and went to the park. When we went down to check out I told the front desk what happened and she wrote it down, hopefully they scrubbed! I felt really bad for the next guests in the room but I must have cleaned well, the rest of us never got sick.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

If the hotel had no one available to clean the room, I would have asked to be moved to another room. If one was not available, I would have cleaned what I could even if it meant going to a local store for cleaning supplies. I would also put the soiled linens in front of the housekeeping room instead of keeping them and the smell in the bathroom.
When housekeeping didn't adequately clean the room, I would have demanded a room change or found another hotel. By all means, post your experience on hotel review sites. Sorry you had to deal with this.

I originally wanted to leave the linens outside the housekeeping/laundry room door but DH convinced me that it wouldn't be polite/sanitary to all the guests that would walk by/see it/ have to smell it.

Looking back, I wish I would have done things differently... Taken pics or physically shown an employee the issues with the lack of cleaning.

 

[gotomu212]

Since this happened at 4 am and since most smaller budget hotels don’t have more than a desk clerk overnight I wouldn’t be shocked that they couldn’t get you cleaning supplies and asked that you leave the sheets in the tub (Gross I know but they may not have the key to the laundry facility either and without protective gear they don’t want to be moving vomit around.)

I would focus my complaint on the inadequate cleaning the next day. I can forgive a hotel not having staff at 4 am, but for them not to properly clean the next day is a problem.

 

[gotomu212]

Meant to add I travel a lot for work and even at the very nice brands I’ve had trouble getting bandaids from the front desk- to the point I bought a box to keep in my luggage. It doesn’t seem to be something a lot of hotels keep stocked.

 

[piccolopat]

I originally wanted to leave the linens outside the housekeeping/laundry room door but DH convinced me that it wouldn't be polite/sanitary to all the guests that would walk by/see it/ have to smell it.

Looking back, I wish I would have done things differently... Taken pics or physically shown an employee the issues with the lack of cleaning.

Then I would have brought them to the night clerk and asked them to store the linens for housekeeping.

 

[verleniahall]

Yours is the second post here that mentions employees cleaning in hazmat suits. I never would have thought they were so commonly used in society. I've only ever seen them in real life when I was in the military.

It's great though that they handled your situation so well, and in the middle of the night, no less.

They are actually pretty commonly used

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

Since this happened at 4 am and since most smaller budget hotels don’t have more than a desk clerk overnight I wouldn’t be shocked that they couldn’t get you cleaning supplies and asked that you leave the sheets in the tub (Gross I know but they may not have the key to the laundry facility either and without protective gear they don’t want to be moving vomit around.)

I would focus my complaint on the inadequate cleaning the next day. I can forgive a hotel not having staff at 4 am, but for them not to properly clean the next day is a problem.

I understand them not having housekeeping available at night, but it's hard to fathom that DS is the first person that's gotten sick at their hotel after hours. There should be something they can do/provide in situations like this to aid guests in taking care of the mess themselves without the clerk personally having to clean.

Meant to add I travel a lot for work and even at the very nice brands I’ve had trouble getting bandaids from the front desk- to the point I bought a box to keep in my luggage. It doesn’t seem to be something a lot of hotels keep stocked.

That's interesting. I would have thought it would be a common thing to keep stocked... Then again, I SHOULD have had some in my suitcase too.

 

[Colleen27]

We've been lucky, I think, because our only experiences with illness on vacation have been at higher-end hotels. Twice at Embassy Suites (different locations) and once at Disney (a value, but still Disney). And on all three occasions the hotel was great. ES sent someone up to change bedding and clean the bedroom part of our suite in the middle of the night once, and very obviously performed a deeper-than-usual cleaning when housekeeping was in the next day on both occasions (middle-of-the-night service wasn't needed on the second occasion). And Disney really went above and beyond, allowing us to schedule housekeeping so as not to disturb our sick ones and leaving a card 'from the characters' for DS.

I wouldn't expect that level of service at a Comfort Suites, though. Many of the ones we've stayed at haven't even been staffed at night other than one person at the desk.

 

[pls5286]

My son had contracted MRSA thanks to a slide into 2nd base followed by putting on football equipment the next day. We went on a trip, armed with instructions from our dr. His knee was bandaged (heavily I might add as he is a rough sleeper). In spite of my best efforts at bandaging, the dressing came off on our first night at the hotel and had seeped out onto the covers (this had not happened at home). I attempted to explain to the housekeeper that the bedding needed to be changed, but should not be handled bare handed. Due to a language barrier, I did not believe she understood everything I was telling her. I spoke to the front desk manager and he said he would have his housekeeping supervisor communicate to her about cleaning the room. We came back to the room perfectly spotless. I had stripped the bed before hand and placed the linens in the bathroom but I did not have a bag big enough to contain the linen. We were very pleased with how this was handled. I did go buy a different type of dressing to put on his knee the remaining nights.

 

[NYCgrrl]

What has been people's experience when someone in your group gets sick and pukes all over the hotel room? We were staying at a non-Disney hotel in the Midwest a few nights ago when my toddler woke up in the middle of the night and got sick all over the bedding, floor, and bathroom. After getting him cleaned up, DH went down to the front desk to ask for clean bedding and supplies to clean up the mess. He was handed a new sheet and pillowcases, but nothing else, and told to leave the soiled linens under the bathroom sink . I went back down, asking for a new comforter and was told they didn't have any, but they did manage to find a thick blanket that wasn't even part of the standard bedding they have in the rooms . I asked again about something for cleaning up the mess and where to take the bedding and was told to leave everything in the bathroom and housekeeping would find it the next day and clean up the mess. Umm okay.

So I did the best I could at 4am trying to get puke off the carpet and wiping down the bathroom with a tiny bar of soap and the hotel towels because I wasn't just going to leave puke festering all over the room. The next morning we left a note explaining what happened and a tip for housekeeping. I also spoke again with the front desk to ensure our room was not ignored like it had been on previous days and explained that I hadn't been able to clean the mess the greatest with my limited supplies. We returned that afternoon and the soiled linens and towels were taken and the bed was made with a comforter, but the towels were only half replenished and it was clear that nothing had even been wiped down. There was still quite visible puke residue on the floors and toilet that I had missed/couldn't get in my 4am cleaning stupor.

I went to the front desk again and they said they'd make a note for the housekeeper to clean better the following day. We checked out the next day so I didn't see the end result, though I did leave another note and sincerely hope it was cleaned well after we left.

I'm wondering if my experience is normal. To be clear, I was not expecting someone to come in the middle of the night to clean the room, I was completely willing to clean the mess myself. The responses from the front desk seemed really unhelpful though. I was surprised to be told to just leave the mess for housekeeping and not given anything to actually clean up the puke (and yes, I had made it clear that the puke was everywhere). I was also baffled at being told to leave the soaked linens in the bathroom overnight. It shocked me that despite the note I left and the talks with the front desk that the room was not actually cleaned. Isn't that a bit of a health hazard? Is there a standard protocol/ health code that should be followed or is it left up to the individual hotel? What have other people's experiences been like?

The room's surfaces should have been general cleaned the next day, put "OOO" (means out of order) if no one was available to do it that night (probably not) and your family placed in a different room overnight assuming one was available. This would have been protocol for the .......3 hotel chains I worked for in the US: domestic Hilton, Hilton International, and Ritz Carlton (pre Marriott). Certainly, the next morning, Housekeeping, should have been informed of the room's special needs and the room checked by at least a supervisor and probably an Asst. Executive Housekeeper as well to ensure it met hotel standards.

I would write a letter to the hotel's GM and possibly cc: the corporate office and explain much as you did here what happened. I suspect either office would be particularly interested in the fact that your room was missing cleaning service prior to your child's illness as well as the room's cleanliness or lack thereof after.
I'd be looking for a substantial reduction in rate for the inconvenience.

Oh and I wouldn't stress the fact that the coverlet/quilt didn't match. When considering new soft furnishings for rooms, full sized samples are frequently provided and are pressed into service in emergencies such as this. Nothing wrong with them per se besides not meeting the finalised color scheme.
Also placing dirty linens and towels on the floor of the bathroom is pretty much standard operating procedure. I might have asked the Front Desk for garbage bags to store the soiled linen in but that's about it.

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

The room's surfaces should have been general cleaned the next day, put "OOO" (means out of order) if no one was available to do it that night (probably not) and your family placed in a different room overnight assuming one was available. This would have been protocol for the .......3 hotel chains I worked for in the US: domestic Hilton, Hilton International, and Ritz Carlton (pre Marriott). Certainly, the next morning, Housekeeping, should have been informed of the room's special needs and the room checked by at least a supervisor and probably an Asst. Executive Housekeeper as well to ensure it met hotel standards.

I would write a letter to the hotel's GM and possibly cc: the corporate office and explain much as you did here what happened. I suspect either office would be particularly interested in the fact that your room was missing cleaning service prior to your child's illness as well as the room's cleanliness or lack thereof after.
I'd be looking for a substantial reduction in rate for the inconvenience.

Oh and I wouldn't stress the fact that the coverlet/quilt didn't match. When considering new soft furnishings for rooms, full sized samples are frequently provided and are pressed into service in emergencies such as this. Nothing wrong with them per se besides not meeting the finalised color scheme.
Also placing dirty linens and towels on the floor of the bathroom is pretty much standard operating procedure. I might have asked the Front Desk for garbage bags to store the soiled linen in but that's about it.

Thanks for sharing. I was hoping to hear more info from someone on the "inside" on standard protocols, though the hotels you worked at are, I imagine, a bit nicer than where we stayed. Still, the cleaning protocol you described is more of what I was expecting. Staying in the room wouldn't have been as big of a deal if I could have just gotten rid of the linens/bagged them up and maybe been given a bottle of Lysol or something.

I know the blanket wasn't a big deal and I don't intend on mentioning that when I contact them. I only mentioned it here because I was so baffled at the time that they were able to give us an extra sheet and pillowcases but didn't have an extra regular comforter, which I assume would have been kept in the same place. They told me at first they didn't have anything and it was only after I pressed that they looked and came back with the blanket. It just contributed to the overall perception I got that the overnight clerk didn't really seem equipped with the access/resources, etc to handle room issues. You're absolutely right though that it isn't important at all in the grand scheme of things.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Thanks for sharing. I was hoping to hear more info from someone on the "inside" on standard protocols, though the hotels you worked at are, I imagine, a bit nicer than where we stayed. Still, the cleaning protocol you described is more of what I was expecting. Staying in the room wouldn't have been as big of a deal if I could have just gotten rid of the linens/bagged them up and maybe been given a bottle of Lysol or something.

I know the blanket wasn't a big deal and I don't intend on mentioning that when I contact them. I only mentioned it here because I was so baffled at the time that they were able to give us an extra sheet and pillowcases but didn't have an extra regular comforter, which I assume would have been kept in the same place. They told me at first they didn't have anything and it was only after I pressed that they looked and came back with the blanket. It just contributed to the overall perception I got that the overnight clerk didn't really seem equipped with the access/resources, etc to handle room issues. You're absolutely right though that it isn't important at all in the grand scheme of things.

Didn't mean to offend about the blanket was just trying to clarify if you chose to follow this up with the hotel. No idea what company you stayed with but should you like send me a private message with the name of the property and I'll try to get info on what that company's protocol is for this type of situation. Still have lot's of contacts in the biz. Both the man and I worked in the hospitality industry he longer than I since he obviously has a higher tolerance for pain, LOL. He retired as a GM of a Euro owned boutique hotel whilst I ultimately quit the scene and opened my own business.
To my way of thinking a hotel at any price point should know the basics of cleaning, and whether hazmat suits are seen or not (THAT's definitely new to my experience) yes well clean is just that.

GL

 

[SteveH]

Around 10 years ago were staying at the Swan at Disney, I came down with the flu on Christmas morning - not fun. The hotel stay were amazing though. They saved me from a trip to the ER since they had an onsite Doctor on call. Then they talked with my wife to see what I needed to be comfortable. I took the whole day off and slept, they contacted my wife to see how I was and if they could send housekeeping in to clean everything and swap all the bedding. When I came back in the room smelled clean, a bit strong, but they clearly took it serious (and fast). They did the same thing the next day too. I was impressed and very appreciative.