Major Hotel Chain Forgoes Daily Room Cleanings

As hotels consider permanently eliminating daily guest room cleaning to help offset worker shortages, one hotel chain has taken the plunge. Hilton Hotels announced this month that its U.S. properties will only clean guest rooms upon request, until the fifth day of a stay.

Hilton luxury hotels, including the Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, and LXR, are exempt from this plan, along with international hotels.

Hotels are defending less cleaning by claiming many guests don’t want housekeepers entering their rooms due to the risk of spreading COVID-19. But critics of this new housekeeping plan say people who are concerned with germs are more likely to stay at an Airbnb, which traditionally doesn’t offer daily cleaning. They are questioning why people would pay the price for a full-service hotel if they’re not getting full services.

Guests expect cleanliness when they check into a hotel. According to an American Hotel & Lodging Association report, guests said enhanced cleaning and hygiene practices was the second most important factor in their choice of hotels, after price. Critics are asking whether hotels are throwing away a key customer expectation to save money.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the country’s hospitality industry is down 2.2 million jobs since 2019, prompting some hotel companies to reduce their workforce, mainly housekeepers.

About 40% of hotel-housekeeping jobs—almost 200,000 workers—are in danger of being permanently eliminated, according to the Unite Here union. It adds that 73% of U.S. hotel housekeepers are Hispanic or Latino, Black, Asian American, or Native American.

Union leaders have vowed to fight back and are encouraging hotel patrons to insist on having their rooms cleaned frequently.