Upscale NYC Hotel Is Allegedly Not Changing Sheets Despite The Pandemic

A couple of hotels in New York City have not been thoroughly cleaning their rooms between guest changes amid the deadly pandemic. Three different Midtown Manhattan hotels did not even bother to wipe down often used surfaces or change their pillowcases. The allegations were made by Inside Edition based on their investigation, the details of which are set to be aired Monday night.

The Investigation

Inside Edition, a syndicated American television newsmagazine that conducts investigative reports, performed some sleuthing on hotels, and came up with the unsettling discoveries. Producers of the show booked rooms at the particular hotels and printed an Inside Edition logo on the bedsheets, bath towels, and pillows using a washable spray.

They also applied a special washable gel to commonly touched surfaces such as the thermostat, the TV remote, and desks inside the rooms. The following day, using a new hotel reservation made under a different name, they checked-in to the same room to check if the surfaces were wiped down and if the linens have been changed.

Still Visible

At the Hyatt Place Times Square, they found that their logo was still visible on the pillowcase and bedsheets under a UV light, indicating they were not replaced. Although the desk has been wiped and the towels were replaced, the gel was still visible on the TV remote when placed under UV light.

A couple of blocks away, the TV show’s producers discovered that a pillowcase and bed sheets at the Hampton Inn Times Square Central were not changed either. The thermostat and TV remote also have not been wiped down, according to their report.

Proper Cleaning Protocols

At the Trump International Hotel, they found that, while the towels and sheets were changed, the pillowcase was not. The desk and TV remote were not wiped down. A spokesperson for the Hyatt told the TV show’s producers they were “deeply concerned” about the discoveries.

“We are working with the hotel’s owner to ensure the hotel is implementing proper cleaning protocols that are consistent with Hyatt’s commitment to cleanliness for the safety and wellbeing of our guests,” the hotel’s spokesperson said in a statement.

A Hampton Inn spokesperson, on the other hand, informed the TV program it had already conducted an internal investigation and found their housekeeping team depended on a visual inspection of the cleanliness of the room to determine which areas need attention. This is a deviation from their protocols, the spokesperson said.

In the case of Trump International Hotel, a representative denied the findings of the Inside Edition team. “Following an internal review, we have concluded that the claims made by Inside Edition are categorically false,” according to the hotel’s spokesperson.