.. and I don’t mean Martinis.

I’m frequently in hotels. And I’m frequently drinking water. It’s usually room-temperature tap water, so when I started noticing funny tastes and smells in hotel room glasses, it got me wondering exactly how they clean and replace those in-room glasses.

Over the past several weeks I took a mental survey of housekeeping carts. (I frequently sneak an extra shampoo or conditioner at some point, so I’ve usually spent a bit of time exploring the carts, and what’s on them.) I thought about it and realized I’ve never seen glasses (clean or dirty) on any housekeeping carts…. hmm…. they’re not changing them out… so how are they cleaning the glasses?

I was getting ready to post a blog asking just that question when I did a search online and confirmed my worst suspicions. Looks like there’s a nation-wide coup over just this very topic, after numerous TV news ‘stings’ with hidden cameras. On the first search page, I found such video from LA, Maryland and Atlanta, and saw links to several other postings.

If you’re curious… check out some of the findings… I’ll warn you though, in more than one video, there’s a glove, toilet swishing and then glass-cleaning… same glove. (uggggh)

  • Good Morning America Report – link
  • News in Atlanta – link
  • ABC 2 in Maryland – link
  • ABC 7 in LA – link

I think I’ll have to start packing my own bottles… the only dirty drink I want comes with gin and olives. ;)

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jj

Author, speaker, and recognized authority on network and wireless security architectures, Jennifer (JJ) Minella helps organizations solve technical problems and align teams.

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2 comments

  • I’ve always been suspicious of the hotel’s glasses (unless it was a 4 star or something) but those recent stories just verified the total "gross factor" of hotels in general (and being a frequent traveler, not very motivating)!