How to Communicate Clean in Hotels 

Key Takeaways:

• In hospitality facilities, cleanliness is more than hygiene—it directly influences guest trust, satisfaction, reviews, and repeat business.
• Visible cleaning activities, clear communication, and well-maintained equipment help reassure guests that cleanliness is a top operational priority.
• Housekeeping teams should focus on high-impact areas such as restrooms, linens, floors, and indoor air quality to strengthen both guest health and perceptions of clean.

 

The destination is chosen, flights booked, and time off officially granted from work. When it comes time to select accommodation, travelers are faced with a plethora of options, and many are considering more than price points. With media increasingly reporting about hidden germs inside hotel rooms and casting doubt on housekeeping practices, the public has become wary of the cleanliness of hospitality facilities.  

Studies show that cleanliness is consumers’ leading factor for a positive guest experience. It is also the top reason to leave a review, both negative or positive. Guests notably pay attention to odors, dirty or moldy showers and tubs, clean and soft linens, and well-maintained carpets and floors. However, they aren’t necessarily aware of what clean actually entails.  

“When it comes to commercial cleaning, the public misunderstands some fundamental aspects,” says Keith Schneringer, Senior Director of Marketing for Jan/San + Sustainability, Imperial Brady, Las Vegas. “They often believe that cleaning and disinfecting are the same, more chemicals equal cleaner surfaces, green products don’t work, and clean just ‘happens.’”  

Educating the public on the behind-the-scenes realities of cleaning is an uphill battle, so hospitality facilities must make it clear to guests that spaces are clean in other manners. Communicating clean is a multi-faceted process that balances guest expectations with everyday tasks. 

The Meaning of Clean 

Before managers can do this effectively, they must understand that clean means more than just appearance, or even hygiene. It is innately tied to the guest experience.  

“Clean is a desired outcome that means a guest can enter a room or enjoy a public space on property and immediately feel safe, comfortable, and confident in the property’s standard,” notes Schneringer. “For a hotel operator, clean contributes to guest satisfaction scores, online reviews, brand reputation, repeat business, occupancy, and employee morale.”  

This understanding must also be imparted on cleaning staff through training and education. Beyond knowledge of products and cleaning best practices, employees should understand the importance of maintaining cleanliness and its impact on the guest experience. Schneringer says this should be incorporated into the culture of the property. 

“A ‘guest first’ mentality can be supported by adherence to proven cleaning procedures, a commitment to consistency, an understanding that details matter, and a culture of communication between all staff members, including housekeeping, engineering, foodservice, and management,” he adds.  

If every employee sees themselves as “ambassadors of clean,” everyone can contribute to the details that make a difference—such as odors, fingerprints on glass, clean and hygienic restrooms, positive first impression lobbies, clean floors and carpets, and clean and disinfected high-touch surfaces.  

Making Clean Clear 

Once facility teams are on the same page and armed with the correct tools and knowledge, they can undertake tasks to show the public cleanliness. The first step? Making cleanliness visible.  

“Guests gain confidence when they can see cleaning is happening,” shares Schneringer. “For example, it sends a positive message when guests see staff cleaning high-touch surfaces, visible vacuum schedules, visible restroom cleaning schedules, day porters in public spaces, and clearly maintained public spaces and guest rooms.” 

He also advises using signage strategically. Guests are comforted when they see signage that displays cleaning protocols. These may include signs touting green cleaning and/or healthy building certification, describing indoor air quality (IAQ) and/or filtration information, outlining laundry standards and complementary crisp, fresh-smelling linens, alongside other signage that emphasizes professionalism and care. Signs can even explicitly read, “This area is cleaned and sanitized regularly.” 

The cleaning cart is another important tool. As one of the most visible aspects of a cleaning operation, it’s imperative carts are used to boost—not diminish—guests’ perception of the facility’s overall cleanliness. They are symbols of professionalism and productivity, notes Schneringer.  

“They can display organization, preparedness, and hygiene standards,” he says. “A housekeeping cart communicates clean by being well-organized, well-stocked, and visually clean itself. It is important to note that you can’t produce a clean result using tools that are not clean.”  

While many professionals believe the smell of clean is a lack of scent—meaning the source of the odor has been neutralized—the public tends to associate pleasant smells with cleanliness. Housekeeping departments should consider utilizing fragrance and air freshening products in high-traffic areas, like lobbies and restrooms, to immediately improve first impressions. Regardless, the cause of foul odors must be properly cleaned and disinfected, not masked with pleasant aromas. 

Whether smells are good or bad, they can easily be sucked up into air vents, which should be regularly cleaned and dusted, as dust is a sign of poor maintenance to the public. This also ensures better IAQ, which may go unnoticed to many. But those that struggle with respiratory diseases will have poor experiences if the facility has poor IAQ throughout their stay.  

The guests themselves must also have a voice. Facilities should track cleanliness ratings in online reviews and provide guest satisfaction surveys upon departure. If problems or concerns arise during their stays, housekeeping staff should respond quickly and effectively. When guests experience excellent service and witness cleaning first-hand, they gain greater confidence in the overall housekeeping operation.  

While everything related to clean is important, housekeeping managers should prioritize some outcomes and tasks. In terms of outcomes, leaders should focus on guest health and safety, guest perception, high-touch surface cleaning frequency, and overall operational impact. The top cleaning focal points include restrooms, guestroom linens and bedding, floors and carpets, and IAQ.  

At the end of the day, Schneringer says that public perception should be a major operational consideration when reviewing cleaning protocols across every hospitality facility. While it shouldn’t be prioritized over cleaning for hygiene, it has great implications for overall operations, even if the public doesn’t quite understand the true meaning of clean.  

Elisa Miller serves as an Assistant Editor for the commercial cleaning group—made up of Contracting Profits, Sanitary Maintenance, and Facility Cleaning Decisions magazines, and CleanLink.com. In addition to tackling articles that profile various industry experts in the above brands, Elisa also specializes in the nuances of cleaning for health for the HealthcareFacilitiesToday.com brand. An award-winning writer herself, Elisa works closely with contributing authors to create quality content that these brands are known for.

Elisa is a people person, which is why she's comfortable in front of the camera interviewing attendees at industry events on the latest trends. Those trends are also easy to identify as she remains the point person for product innovation submissions from top industry manufacturers.

Follow Elisa on LinkedIn here.