If hotel owners fail to maintain cleanliness standards, Mr. Harteveldt said, “guests may be fearful about what else could go wrong. According to STR, 61 percent of the 56,300 hotels in the United States today are branded, while 39 percent are independent. Most branded hotels are independently owned and operated by third parties, who are responsible for maintaining a brand’s cleanliness standards. Before the pandemic, she cleaned all guest rooms every day, a process she said took half an hour per room. Now she only cleans a guest room when a guest checks out and must follow Hilton’s new cleanliness standards.

Source: New York Times August 26, 2020 09:00 UTC