Cleaners and staff reveal what really happens in hotels - from the terrifying to disgusting
Next time you book a hotel room think twice about what you touch, do and eat...
BY JO-ANNE ROWNEY
21:23, 7 MAY 2016UPDATED09:25, 8 MAY 2016
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(Image: Getty)
Hotels are seen as a place to relax, a break from reality where you can enjoy some luxury - but do we really know what's going on behind closed doors?
Well, now we do.
Staff and their nearest and dearest have taken to Q&A website Quora to share their worst secrets and uncover what actually goes on inside hotels - and it's not pretty.
From deaths to what you really should not touch, staff have shared all the intimate and revealing details from their years of service and experience.
When you've read their confessions, you might not be so eager to book your next stay.
Have you ever worked in a hotel? What's the worst or weirdest things you've seen? Email [email protected]
Deaths happen often - but you won't hear about them
People dying while staying at a hotel happens surprisingly often.
Susan Barry shared an example where a friend was on shift in a Dallas hotel when after a bad night they got a call at 11pm - someone had jumped and the body landed on the sidewalk. She replied: "Don't wake me unless someone gets shot"
At 6am she was woken up because someone had been shot in a guestroom.
Marco Scolari worked in Las Vegas for eight years. He says there were a lot of deaths, but overdoses were the most common. He was aware of suicide cases, as well as accidents - but they never made the news.
Cleanliness? You don't want to touch that..or that
When it comes to revealing the dirty truth hotel staff didn't hold back. Here are some of the worst examples.
Sometimes sheets aren't changed daily
Peter Mayer used to work as a housekeeper and paints a very grim picture.
"It is not only true for unused beds, but in general," he says. "Shady and cheap hotel/motel managers and owners encourage staff to check if the sheets look clean. If they do, they tell housekeepers to just tighten it up from the corners."
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Maid holding feather duster(Image: Getty)
Blankets and bedspreads are almost never washed
Peter says if cleaners are short on time the blankets and bedspread stay.
What if someone urinates in the bed?
This is the worst. "When someone urinates on a bed, sometimes the mattress is just left standing to vent out and dry overnight, and then put back upside down." Peter admits.
Read more: Many hotels refuse to have a room number 420 in their buildings - here's why
It might be best to put that glass down
Peri Collins advises guests never use glassware unless they wash it themselves. Dresser drawers aren't on the maid's list to clean either, so if a previous guest has put their dirty underwear in there - you're using it after them.
That remote - best not to touch it
It doesn't take much to take this one to its logical conclusion, but the remote is often where most germs lie.
While most things get a wipe down, a remote probably won't. Think of what's to offer on the hotel TV (cough) porn (cough) and you might want to put that down.
I wouldn't touch that remote if I was you
I wouldn't touch that remote if I was you. Throw pillows - they're called that for a reason
It's seems pretty self-explanatory but a throw pillow is so named because you throw them. Off the bed. On to the floor.
Staff confess they don't get washed, so that pillow you're using probably was on the floor not so long ago.
Don't use the tea cup
It's probably been wiped with the same cloth as the toilet, according to Anubhav Karanseth.
The mattress goes through a lot...
Brent Decker revealed the horrible things that end up on the mattress: "Gallons of spilt wine, excess bodily fluids, shit beds, and one of my favorites, that time we had a guy kill a monkey in his room.... People are horrible animals, and we are their nest for the stay."
Yes, we don't understand how that escalated to monkey murder either.
We'll just put those dirty sheets back shall we?(Image: Getty)
Celebrities - you won't even know they're there
Marco Scolari talks of the celebs he was aware of while working in Las Vegas. Celebs apparently use aliases to keep form being bothered, but don't try and hide.
Though another anonymous poster claimed celebs and movie stars are "weird" saying Arab Sheikhs are weirder.
All the funny tales you read in gossip mags? He quotes Han Solo: "It's true. All of it"
Staff can do a lot for you - you just have to be nice
Whether it's upgrades, free stuff, or just a request to make the stay nicer staff will generally be willing to help, Stacy Jean says.
But it's all down to whether you're nice or not.
While staff are capable of doing a lot for you, they're not required to.
Booking through a third party won't get you the best room
It may seem the cheaper option but third party sites buy a bulk of rooms, they list the 'best available room' which means when you rock up it depends what is free.
Numerous staff suggest booking direct when you identify what hotel you want, or be willing to lump it when you get what's left.
2am is when the trouble happens
James Searson spent several years as an overnight manager at a 5 star hotel and says 2am is when trouble usually occurs - especially on weekends.
From men cheating on spouses with call-girls, to filthy rich guests, pro-footballers celebrating a win, or students trying to sneak in alcohol - which he says staff can easily spot, it all happens in the twilight hours.
Lost something or left it behind? They won't be calling you
Tammy Geist Long admits as an innkeeper she wouldn't call to chase guests who left things behind, no matter what it was.
The reason? Staff don't know about the personal lives of guests.
Lost it? You won't be seeing that again
Tammy explained: "The reason was that we knew nothing about the private lives of the people who stayed with us and we never knew when Mrs. Smith was going to answer the phone and tell us that Mr. Smith wasn't at a quaint Vermont inn last weekend, he was at a dentist.