Staying in hotels - is it safe?

[Sojourner]

I don't think there's been a recent thread focused on the relative risks/safety of staying in hotels, so I wanted to start a discussion about this.

Here are a few questions off the top of my head to get us started.

• Would you (or have you) stayed in a hotel recently?
  
• What criteria did you (or would you) use for picking a hotel?
  
• How risky is staying overnight at a hotel compared to, say, eating (indoors) at a restaurant or going grocery shopping, etc.?
  
• If you were staying overnight in a hotel room, what extra/special precautions would you take to ensure additional safety?
  
• Would you be concerned about hotel air conditioning systems being a viable means for blowing around infected respiratory droplets or aerosols between rooms?
  
• Would you assume every item/surface in a hotel room is "contaminated" and take steps to disinfect those surfaces after checking in?
  
• Would you bring your own bed sheets, pillows, comforters, etc.?

 

[braumeister]

FWIW, last month we did a road trip and stayed one night each in 4 different hotels, and four nights in a fifth hotel. They were all in the Hilton chain, so we had confidence that their disinfecting measures between guests was reasonably effective. We took no special precautions, and treated all stays the same as we would have last year.

I can't get concerned about things like the ventilation systems, since that's a common hazard to any building you enter anywhere. Bringing disinfectant wipes to scrub surfaces that the hotel has already done seems redundant to me, and no reason to bring our own bedding either.

My feeling is that many people go overboard on their precautions. This is the world we have to live in, and the COVID situation has merely added one more thin layer to the long list of hazards we have always had to deal with.

I'm sure my attitude horrifies some here, but by the same token the excessive caution exercised by others just makes me shake my head.

We take what we consider every reasonable precaution and go on with our lives.

 

[FDC319]

I'm spending about 5 nights in different hotels here in about 12 days. I'm doing nothing more than what I always do. A quick spray of lysol or a generic lysol on stuff.



BL: Absolutely no special precautions.

 

[Aerides]

If I could be magically transported to a wonderful hotel with ample outdoor dining areas in a nice climate, where all the other guests were good with social distancing, I'd go in a heartbeat.

But the bigger risks for me are
A) getting there if it means flying (I live in S.Fla so if I want to go anywhere it does)
B) the social distancing practices in the area and confidence that the staff enforces them
C) Dining options - are they good and outside

If all the above were resolved for me, I'd be staying in a resort right now.

 

[audreyh1]

We stayed in hotels several times during this pandemic due to required road trips. I think we did in in a safe way. I detailed our approach on a different thread where many did discuss their traveling experiences and precautions taken.

This travel thread stated on 6-9-20, so it’s quite recent. https://www.early-retirement.org/fo...travel-recently-or-in-near-future-104198.html

 

[RAE]

My feeling is that many people go overboard on their precautions. This is the world we have to live in, and the COVID situation has merely added one more thin layer to the long list of hazards we have always had to deal with.

I'm sure my attitude horrifies some here, but by the same token the excessive caution exercised by others just makes me shake my head.

We take what we consider every reasonable precaution and go on with our lives.

+1, I agree with you Braumeister. The biggest risk for contracting this virus is spending time in indoor settings where there other people near you. The longer the time spent, and the more people, the higher the risk. And, if they are in close proximity to you, and doing things like coughing/singing/talking loudly, the rest goes up exponentially. If you avoid spending time in those types of settings, the odds of you contracting the virus go way down. That's not to say it's impossible, but the chances are pretty slim, based on everything I've read. To contract the virus by touching a contaminated object (fomite) is also believed to be pretty rare. I posted a study about that a while back.

 

[RE2Boys]

+1, I agree with you Braumeister. The biggest risk for contracting this virus is spending time in indoor settings where there other people near you. The longer the time spent, and the more people, the higher the risk. And, if they are in close proximity to you, and doing things like coughing/singing/talking loudly, the rest goes up exponentially. If you avoid spending time in those types of settings, the odds of you contracting the virus go way down. That's not to say it's impossible, but the chances are pretty slim, based on everything I've read. To contract the virus by touching a contaminated object (fomite) is also believed to be pretty rare. I posted a study about that a while back.

+1 I just spent two nights in a motel recently and had zero concern of contracting the virus from surfaces. The only surfaces that I was slightly concerned were surfaces that had very recently been handled such as door bars , handles , door knobs....zero concern regarding the room itself. The huge concern was passing folks in the hallways or lobby who do not the common courtesy to practice social distancing or to a wear a mask in common areas (and I recognize and agree that it is a pain in the a....). Avoided any rooms with more than a hand full of people. Assume everyone has a very bad cold.

 

[garyt]

I'm one of those that's still leery. We went on a short golf trip in July but we stayed in a small cabin/house so didn't have to worry about shared ventilation. And I knew nobody had stayed there the night before. We still brought our own bedding and we wiped down commonly touched areas. We want to go again but would stay at the resort which is hotel style rooms. I do worry about shared ventilation. You can't wear a mask while sleeping and you're going to be in there for 8 hours or so.Not sure what we'll do.

 

[stepford]

Count me out. Rationalize as much as you want, but airborne pathogen + indoor environment through which many people pass = too much risk for me. For the duration of the pandemic traveling for me means camping.

 

[Poopycat]

When I relocated to another state in late June/early July, I stayed in three different hotels. I stayed in a Hampton Inn for two nights when I visited the new city for an apartment search; I stayed at a Homewood Suites for two nights in my departure city while my goods were being packed and loaded; and I stayed in a Residence Inn for a week in my new city while I waited for my apartment to be ready to move in and for my belongings to arrive.

My criteria for choosing the hotels had nothing to do with COVID. I chose the Hampton Inn due to the proximity of the places I wanted to visit in the new city. I chose Homewood Suites and Residence Inn because I wanted the full kitchens so I could cook my meals (not for COVID reasons but for health/weight loss reasons). I don’t tend to eat out a lot and having a kitchen makes it easier to stay in and fend for myself.

I really wasn’t worried about COVID while I was staying in the room. I don’t know whether the Hampton Inn still had daily housekeeping service, but you had to request it at the other two hotels so nobody was going into my room without permission. I just kept the Do Not Disturb sign up at all times, just in case, and when I needed extra toiletries I went to the front desk. The breakfasts were all to-go instead of buffet-style. The front desk staff wore masks. The only time I worried, ever so slightly, was when I had to share an elevator with someone not wearing a mask.

The air conditioning didn’t worry me. And I didn’t take any extra steps with disinfecting. Two of the hotels had safety seals on the front door that said they had been disinfected with Lysol. I understand that someone can put up a sign and not actually do it, but I didn’t run around disinfecting anything. I just washed my hands more often.

I used the bedding that was provided.

While every place has risk, I’m pretty sure hotels are doing what they can to reduce risk because they want customers back and because they don’t want news reports that say “Customer Contracts COVID at XXXXX Hotel.” Hotels still aren’t back to full capacity in most cases, so if you’re concerned, try asking for a room that has been vacant for a day or two.

 

[Sojourner]

Count me out. Rationalize as much as you want, but airborne pathogen + indoor environment through which many people pass = too much risk for me. For the duration of the pandemic traveling for me means camping.

This has been my biggest concern about hotels, too, but I don't think the data (such that it is) support this concern. Millions upon millions of people live in high rise apartment/condo buildings in this country, not to mention in densely populated regions in other countries, and I have yet to hear about COVID infections via shared ventilation systems in any of those types of multi-unit dwellings. I can't think of one report of verified COVID transmission via shared ventilation between floors or units in any apartment building, office building, or hotel... but please set me straight if I'm wrong about that.

 

[teejayevans]

I did, but I asked that the room not be cleaned. Figure that cuts down on risk of contamination.
Also they cancel their free breakfast which makes sense.

 

[sengsational]

We stayed in a cabin at a campground. Based on the "cleanliness", I'd say the maid didn't spend much time in there, hehehe! It was a B Y O sheets and pillows arrangement. We took a wipe to the door knobs, switches, handles, etc, but it was "sanitation theater". Oh, when ww first went in, we opened the door and cranked the ceiling fan, and didn't breath too deeply

 

[Sojourner]

While every place has risk, I’m pretty sure hotels are doing what they can to reduce risk because they want customers back and because they don’t want news reports that say “Customer Contracts COVID at XXXXX Hotel.” Hotels still aren’t back to full capacity in most cases, so if you’re concerned, try asking for a room that has been vacant for a day or two.

This makes sense... thanks.

 

[RobbieB]

We'll be dropping off DSD at UCLA end of the month. Returning via our new fav, Pismo Beach. Staying 2 nights at The Inn at the Pier with the superior ocean view for $970. Looking forward to strolls on the beach and cocktails and take out food in the room.

 

[Dtail]

We are not ready to stay in a hotel yet. Just not.

 

[Moemg]

If I could be magically transported to a wonderful hotel with ample outdoor dining areas in a nice climate, where all the other guests were good with social distancing, I'd go in a heartbeat.

But the bigger risks for me are
A) getting there if it means flying (I live in S.Fla so if I want to go anywhere it does)
B) the social distancing practices in the area and confidence that the staff enforces them
C) Dining options - are they good and outside

If all the above were resolved for me, I'd be staying in a resort right now.

Me too !

 

[Car-Guy]

I've never considered hotels clean even before CV... I stayed in a top casino resort hotel as soon as they re-opened.... They still hadn't changed the sheets and they were closed for almost 3 months.... Don't ask!

 

[Lewis Clark]

My wife and I stayed in a hotel this week. We probably went overboard, but better safe than sorry.

We had disinfectant spray and wipes and cleaned every horizontal surface, the TV remote, thermostat, switches and door handles. We also used the spray on the sheets and pillow cases and chairs. Did not worry about the ventilation.

We also ate our first meal inside a restaurant since the plague began. It was outside the meal rush, they had half the tables blocked off, and were not crowded at all. I felt safer in the restaurant than during some recent trips to grocery stores.

We only stayed one night. If the stay had been longer we would have asked that the room not be cleaned.

The hotel did not offer free breakfast, so we brought our own.

Edited to add: Everything in life has some level of risk associated with it. We decided this risk was worth taking.

 

[SumDay]

We stayed in a Hilton in North Carolina in mid-July. All the staff were masked, the room was CLEAN and lots of safety practices were in place. I was very comfortable and impressed and would do it again. We pulled in around 10 p.m. and there were maybe 5 cars in the parking lot, so we really never saw anyone other than the folks at the desk.

 

[Montecfo]

I'm on a 2 week road trip now. Have stayed in houses mostly (VRBO, AIRBNB) but also have a couple of motel stays. We have stayed in virus hotspots such as Texas and Florida. Also Mississippi. South Carolina is next.

We do not "trust" anyone's cleaning. We have cleaning materials with us and we disinfect etc. While risk is low of transmission from surfaces, it is peace of mind.

I have avoided shared ventilation. Rightly or wrongly, that concerns me.

I think with precautions you can travel safely. We prefer not to fly however.

I will post a trip report when we are done. I think the greatest risk is unmasked bozos who seem to be more prominent in some places.

 

[geeky_grrl]

I'm more cautious than most, but I wouldn't stay in a hotel for leisure. But if I had to for some reason I'd be looking at ways to reduce the chance I had to share indoor air with other people. I would want an exterior door to the room so I didn't have to walk down hallways with other people or share elevators. I would also want an individual air conditioning unit so that I wasn't breathing shared air for other rooms (especially since I've seen theories that air conditioning was part of the spread on cruise ships). I'm less concerned about getting sick from virus leftover on surfaces.

I'd be more likely to stay in a motel than a big hotel because of these issues.

 

[kcowan]

We flew AA from PVR to DFW overnighted at The Grand Hyatt and then onto YVR. Everyone was masked. DW in a wheelchair (hip replacement) and the only special thing was we ordered room service for dinner to avoid the dining room. Obviously washed our hands frequently.

Been home 3 weeks.

 

[Poopycat]

I find this thread fascinating. Maybe I’m bored but it’s interesting to me to see the different levels of risk tolerance people have with respect to COVID. It makes sense that everyone is different, of course, because we all have different levels of vulnerability to the virus and different personal situations and beliefs.

Absolutely no judgment here...we will all be ready to go back to hotels and rental houses at different times during this pandemic. Or not at all. I don’t think I would have stayed in a hotel if I hadn’t been in the process of moving, but now that I’ve done it, I wouldn’t hesitate to stay in a hotel for leisure purposes.

 

[aaronc879]

I do contract work that requires travel. SO far I have been able to do in-state travel that hasn't required a hotel stay. If I needed to stay in a hotel for a contract I would not hesitate. I hope to get a contract in Daytona Beach this Winter and will drive from Wisconsin and stay in a lot of hotels. I would not fly but I don't fly anyway. I can drive anywhere within the continental US so no need to fly. Someone said they can't leave S Florida without flying which makes no sense to me. Just drive