When staying in a hotel, whether at a high-end resort or a roadside mom-and-pop motel, the primary concern of every guest is that the room is clean and in good condition. Part of what you pay for is the amenities that help you to be comfortable. But have you ever considered that you might be sleeping with bedding that someone else has used?
Most hotels do not wash their comforters after each guest. In addition, most hotels usually do not wash their duvets, bedspreads, blankets, or pillows after each guest. However, it is standard for a hotel to wash sheets, pillowcases, towels, and washcloths after every guest.
In this post, you’ll learn which hotels wash their comforters and how often. It’s good information to have if you travel a lot, so I provided as much detail as possible. Let’s get started!
Do Hotels Wash Comforters?
Generally, hotels don’t wash comforters as often as the rest of the bedding you find in your hotel room. Most hotels must clean the sheets, pillowcases, and towels between guests, whereas many hotels clean comforters about once a month or less often.
Higher-end and luxury hotels are more likely to wash their comforters between guests. However, several hotels in the luxury category use duvet covers, and even if they don’t wash the actual comforter, they usually wash the duvet cover.
Do Hotels Wash Comforters After Each Guest?
My online sources were limited in my research to find honest answers as to exactly what bedding is washed between guests. Most of what I found were the results of someone else’s queries to the public. Some respondents said they worked or had worked at various hotels, but most were answers from non-experts.
Most hotels do not wash comforters after each guest. Not every location has large enough washers and dryers to clean several comforters at once. However, they usually wash the rest of the bedding that guests touch, such as pillowcases and duvet covers.
If you feel concerned about the cleanliness of your bedding during a hotel stay, ask the housekeeping department about their policy. You can also request that your comforter be replaced with a clean one.
Do Hotels Change Sheets After Every Guest?
Hotels change the sheets after every guest, although the location and brand can impact whether they change all the bedding. Most places change the pillowcases and sheets, at least. Every establishment is a bit different, so you may want to contact the hotel if you have questions.
The best resource for information is to ask the actual employees at these hotels.
I called each of the 37 hotels in my local suburban/urban area. I asked to speak to the housekeeping department, and if they were available, I asked them four questions:
- Do you change all bedding after each guest’s stay?
- If not, how often do you wash the comforters?
- How often do you wash the additional blankets?
- Do you do all the laundry on-site?
Here is what I found:
| Hotel Name | Change all bedding | Wash Comforters | Wash Extra Blankets | Laundry Done On-Site | Other Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampton Inn & Suites | Yes | Dry-Clean (On-Site) | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| Hyatt Place | Yes | Wash Duvet Cover | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| Residence Inn | Sheets and Pillowcases | Wash Duvet Cover | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| High-End Local hotel | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Has Laundry Service |
| Drury Inn & Suites | Sheets and pillowcases | No | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| The Oliver | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Courtyard by Marriot | Sheets and Pillowcases | Wash Duvet Cover | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| Local 5-Star Hotel | Sheets and Pillowcases | No | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| Embassy Suites | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Crowne Plaza | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Sanitizes curtains and carpet with Steam |
| Marriot | Sheets and Pillow Cases | Wash Duvet Cover | Not unless they appear used | No | Use Laundry Service |
| Best Western Plus | Sheets and Pillow Cases | Wash Duvet Covers | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| La Quinta | Yes | Wash Everything including Bedspreads, | Yes | Yes | |
| Comfort Suites | Yes | Wash Everything including Bedspreads | Yes | Yes | |
| Red Roof Inn Plus | Sheets and Pillowcases | No | No | Yes | Wash comforters and spreads monthly |
| Sonesta Suites | Yes | Wash Duvet Covers | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| Hilton | Yes | Wash Bed spreads | Yes | Yes | |
| Holiday Inn | Sheets and Pillowcases | No | No | Yes | Have coverlets |
| Homewood Suites | Yes | Wash Duvet Covers | No | Yes | |
| SpringHill Suites | Yes | Wash bedspread and coverlet | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| Hilton Garden Inn | Yes | Wash Bedspread | Yes | Yes | |
| StayBridge | Yes | Wash Duvet cover | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| Clarion | Sheets and Pillowcases | Not unless necessary | Not unless they appear used | No | |
| Tru by Hilton | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Home 2 Suites by Hilton | Sheets and Pillowcases | Wash Duvet Covers | Not unless they appear used | Yes | |
| Fairfield Inn | Yes | Wash Bedspreads | yes | yes | |
| MainStay | Sheets and pillowcases | Wash Coverlet | Not unless appears used | Yes |
Do Hiltons Wash Comforters?
After speaking with housekeepers at two different Hiltons in my area, one a Hilton Hotel and the other a Hilton Garden Inn. I also spoke to the housekeeper at Home2 Suites by Hilton and Tru by Hilton. All but the Home2 Suites by Hilton use bedspreads.
Hiltons do wash comforters after each guest unless they use duvet covers. Generally, Hilton Hotels washes all pieces of bedding after each guest’s stay, but the Home2 Suites by Hilton uses duvets and duvet covers, so they wash the duvet covers after every guest.
So, you can expect the blankets in your Hiltons room to be fresh and ready for your stay.
Does Marriott Wash Comforters?
Marriott Hotels do not wash their comforters after each guest but always clean the duvet covers. You can trust that any bedding you touch is clean at this hotel. Some locations also use coverlets on the duvets, which are also cleaned.
While cleaning practices vary somewhat between locations, Marriott hotels have followed the same bedding washing policies since at least 2005. They always clean any bedding that guests make contact with, so it’s clean for the next person staying in the room.
Do Air BnBs Clean Comforters?
In speaking to and messaging several Air BnB owners, I found that there was much more personal interest in my questions. Unfortunately, each of them was hesitant to answer my questions for fear the information would end up as part of their rating.
Air BnBs might not clean their comforters between guests as there are no set standards requiring participants to do so. Some hosts even expect their guests to clean the bedding themselves before checking out, and others use duvet covers over the comforters to make cleaning easier.
You’ll want to find out whether the Air BnB host expects their guests to wash the bedding or if they do it themselves. The previous guest might not take care of it for you, so it’s best to contact the host with questions you have. Every Air BnB host will have different expectations and rules for their guests to follow.
Other Methods of Sanitizing
Some hotels have begun using steam guns to sanitize the entire room between guests. The temperature of the steam destroys germs and bacteria. Steam cleaning can even kill mold, making it effective at sanitizing any surface in a hotel room.
Although it’s not meant to take the place of washing bedding, steam will kill 99.9% of pathogens on any surface it contacts for 1 minute or more.
Conclusion
Though each hotel’s housekeeping department explained their practices without any expectation of being considered unsanitary, there was a range of how often they washed their bedding.
All the hotels washed sheets and pillowcases between every guest, but few that used comforters washed them between guests. Duvets make the task easier as only the cover can be cleaned between guests, so when duvets were used, they were always washed.
