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Brits urged to complain more about dirty hotels
Over half of British hotel guests fail to complain about cleanliness issues, according to new research.
The findings have prompted health and safety experts checksafetyfirst.com to urge "bashful Brits" to complain more.
It believes standards in hotels are slipping because British guests, often stereotyped as reluctant grumblers, don’t complain enough to staff.
"Often people feel embarrassed to complain about issues they have, especially if they haven’t paid a massive amount for a hotel room, but it shouldn’t matter how much money has been spent," said chairman Steven Tate.
"If you are a guest in a hotel then your room should be spotless and maintained to a high standard. If not, what can seem like a trivial issue at first can lead to more severe problems such as an injury or illness."
Only a quarter of UK hotels score top marks (five stars) for cleanliness, according to recent figures from consumer group Which?
"The internet is a powerful tool for travellers because people can read reviews or ask questions of hotels before they arrive. That said, often these gripes aren’t picked up by hotel staff. If you have an issue with a hotel, it’s vital to communicate the problem to a member of staff so it can be dealt with quickly," added Tate.
"Even the most basic issues, if left untreated, can manifest into a cause for concern in terms of hygiene. While hotels should be monitoring standards carefully, if this is not being done correctly, it is up to travellers to demand this.
The research from checksafetyfirst.com comes as Which? launches a campaign to expose shoddy service and dodgy deals from travel companies.
It is threatening to challenge repeat offenders and take matters to the authorities if the bad practices don’t stop.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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