How Often Are Hotel Rooms Cleaned?

When you check into a hotel room, you want to know that it’s clean. You may also want to know how often it’ll be cleaned once you’re there.

You can ask the hotel manager or receptionist about their cleaning schedule before booking your room and decide if it’s the right hotel for you.

Every hotel cleans its rooms in between guests. When it comes to occupied rooms, each hotel operates under a different cleaning schedule. Most will have the rooms cleaned daily, but smaller hotels may only clean the room when guests check out.

Do Hotels Change the Bedding Every Day?

Some hotels will change the bedding every day. These are typically larger, high-end hotels with a lot of cleaning staff. 

Some housekeeping staff will ask guests how frequently they’d like the sheets changed. 

Not everyone wants their rooms cleaned every day, and you can decline service on certain days or even for the duration of your stay. 

Other guests like the idea of getting into a fresh bed every day and will allow the bedding to be changed daily. 

Many hotels are willing to change bedding daily by request, even if it’s not offered as part of their regular housekeeping services.

How Often Do Hotels Vacuum the Floors?

Vacuuming is usually done daily in occupied hotel rooms. 

If the hotel provides daily housekeeping services, the staff will sweep or vacuum the floor as part of their routine. 

Hotels in areas where floors are likely to become sandy or dirty (e.g., at beach resorts) will be vacuumed (or swept) more frequently. 

The housekeeping staff will vacuum a room when guests check out to ensure the entire room is completely clean and ready for incoming guests.

Will Housekeeping Clean a Room With a Do Not Disturb Sign?

If you put a do-not-disturb sign on your door, the housekeeping staff will not enter or clean your room. These signs are basically telling them to stay out of your space. 

Most will not come back to check and clean it later, but some hotels offer housekeeping services later by request. 

If you need towels or toiletries after housekeeping has done their rounds, you can usually request them from the front desk. 

How Often Do Hotels Restock Toiletries?

The housekeeping staff usually restock the toiletries when they clean the room or as needed. 

If you don’t use your hotel toiletries, they will not add more. 

If you need more toiletries or if your room is not cleaned daily, you can request them from the front desk or the housekeeping staff directly.

Can You Get Clean Towels at a Hotel Every Day?

Even if a hotel does not provide daily housekeeping, you can still get clean towels daily. You may need to request new towels from the front desk. 

Since many hotels keep track of how many towels they give out (so they don’t get lost or stolen), they typically only give guests enough towels for each person staying in the room. 

If the hotel is cleaned daily, the housekeeping staff will remove the dirty towels and replace them with clean ones.

Many hotels are trying to be more eco-friendly, so they request that guests reuse their towels, if possible. When you want your towels replaced, they usually ask you to put them in the bathtub.

Should You Tip Hotel Housekeeping Staff?

You aren’t required to tip the housekeeping staff at a hotel, but it’s a really nice gesture, especially if they’ve come every day of your stay or accommodated any requests for additional service. 

When you check out, you can leave a tip in the room with a short note expressing your gratitude, or you can wait until the housekeeping staff comes to clean and give it to them directly. 

You can also leave a tip at the front desk with the staff or manager, but there is no guarantee they will pass it on to the right person.

Conclusion

When you stay at a hotel, you usually look for a comfortable experience.

For some people, that means they want a clean and tidy room every day. Fortunately, most hotels offer daily housekeeping.

That said, some smaller hotels will only clean your room when you check out or if you ask that they do so more frequently. 

The housekeeping staff will also provide new toiletries and clean towels upon request or when they clean the room.

If you’re concerned about a hotel’s cleaning schedule, you can ask before booking to ensure it meets your expectations.