Former hotel employee talks about the dos and don'ts of hotel room hygiene, sparks debate

Hotels claim to be extremely hygienic and clean. However, several people's experiences tell a completely different story. They often have a variety of things in order to market their hotels to consumers. Some of these best-kept secrets are being revealed to a TikTok user by a former hotel employee. A while ago, Angela Riihiluoma, based in NYC and goes by the handle @angelariihiluoma, posted a series of videos discussing the dos and don'ts of touching certain things at hotels. She learned these tips during her brief stint in hotel marketing, though they may not be applicable to every hotel. It can be challenging to determine which hotels have more stringent cleaning protocols than others.

In her first video, she stated, "I worked for a hotel a while ago, doing some like marketing stuff. And the gentleman that I was working with had been working for hotels for 20 years and this was top-secret information he shared with me that I’ll share with you." She added, "Never ever, ever, ever, ever use the coffee machine in a hotel room. Why Angela, you may ask, why ever don’t? Because apparently, some people like to use it as a urinal. So I don’t care how addicted you are to coffee. Don’t touch the coffeemaker.

She further added, "Do not use the glasses that they put in the bathroom. You know, like, the really nice glass glasses. Apparently, housekeepers only have so much time to turn the room and so more often than not, they’re just wiping them with Windex. They won’t even wash them." In the second installment of her video series, Riihiluoma emphasized that hotel floors are not adequately cleaned and advised viewers to wear socks or slippers when walking around in their rooms. She also cautioned against using the ice buckets, which, like the coffee makers, can be used as receptacles for bodily fluids and should be steered clear of.

In the last video of her series, the model provided three additional examples of unappealing aspects of staying in hotels. She advised against using the top duvet cover on hotel beds, recommended bringing flip-flops for the showers due to the unknown actions of previous occupants, and urged viewers to check for bed bugs by lifting a corner of the bedding to look for the bugs' eggs or excrement.

The comments section of her videos was filled with mixed reactions. While some agreed with Riihiluoma's comments, others said it really depends on the hotel you are staying at and its protocols. User @nellyrolet said, "It really depends on what kind of hotel you stay in. If it’s a luxury hotel, standards are extremely high. Supervisors even check rooms with UV lights." Another person, @xxcourtneyleigh, commented, "Used to work in a hotel for several years. Can confirm the glasses issue. Also, don’t use the comforter!!" "As a former housekeeper- I was always "too slow" because I actually cleaned everything. like the coffee makers & glasses & other dishes in the room," noted another user @thezombiiemamas.