Who’s been sleeping in my bed?

by Kristine Steffen, IIDA, CID
Director of Interior Design
Architectural Concepts, Inc.

You've heard the nursery rhyme: "Good Night. sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite." Although there may not be bed bugs between the sheets, there may be other unwelcome guests in your timeshare. Questionable guest unit cleanliness is about what you can't see, from dried stains on the bedspreads, carpeting, and furniture to the giant dust balls lurking under the bed.

The web is opening a whole new world for resort accommodations. Now potential guests have resort’s ratings at their fingertips with service and cleanliness being at the top of the list. Guests are free to express their vacation experience, good or bad, to thousands (or millions) of potential travelers. This was recently posted on Trip Advisor about a popular resort on the east coast.

“First of all upon walking into my room, I noticed how disgustingly dirty the kitchen and walk in floors were, the bathroom floors were
even worse.”

Webster’s Dictionary defines cleanliness as the absence of dirt, including dust, stains, clutter and a bad smell. It has also come to mean an absence of germs. It applies not only to the toilet, but floors, walls and other surfaces, movable items such as furniture and draperies, and in room amenities such as pillows, remote controls, and pens. While cleaning crews may dust, vacuum and disinfect rooms between guests, most properties say they do deep cleaning only four times a year, on average -- unless stains are visible.

One of the top five motivations for a vacation ownership purchase is the guarantee of quality accommodations. Cleanliness of a resort is crucial to guest satisfaction. From the moment a guest drives up to the entrance, they should see stunning landscaping and fountains, and a warm and inviting lobby. When the guest enters their unit, there should be a sense of cleanliness as soon as they open the door. Afterall, these are not just guests, they are owners.

Look at the property through an owner’s eyes. As they enter the resort, are the grounds in pristine condition? Are all of the lights working? Is the front desk uncluttered and well-organized? When they enter their Guest unit, are the door handles worn? Does the A/C work? Are the light fixtures filled with dead bugs? Is it CLEAN?

The quality and the richness of accommodations can say “WOW.” But if it doesn’t appear clean and comfortable, it can be reduced to “OW.”

More and more resorts are trying to raise the bar with what they think may give them a competitive advantage – flat screen TV’s, spa showers, fancy fixtures, an array of bath amenities and, of late, all types of luxury beds and bedding. All of these “extras” can be defined under what is called “amenity creep.” No one has been hit harder by amenity creep than the housekeeping department, whose job has become increasingly complex and physically demanding. Housekeeping only has so much time to get a property ready. Timeshares, unlike hotels, may need to ready 90% of their property in a 24 hour period. The basics are to vacuum, clean the bathrooms and kitchens, and provide fresh bedding and towels. Now add to that, shining luxury fixtures, removing water spots on everything from windows to glassware, adorning rolls of toilet paper, folding towels in some fan-shaped origami to hold soaps and shampoos, removing trash under the bed and behind the dressers, making up the bed with the nine layers and twenty pillows that need to be placed as the designer intended, and still meet your daily quota. The more units a housekeeper has to turn over, the more likely they are to cut corners.

How can the design of a property ease the number of housekeeping tasks and help project an image of cleanliness?

Housekeepers normally wipe down everything with industrial strength cleaner. We would like to think that “everything” includes door knobs, light switches, alarm clocks, remote controls, ice buckets and pens. We know this isn’t the case. A remote control has been shown to harbor more germs than a toilet. Zaplax offers disposable remote control protectors. The interior design should incorporate easy to clean surfaces including floors, walls, and counters. Make sure these surfaces can stand up to intense use and cleaning. Scratched or streaked surfaces appear dirty. Shampoo carpets as often as possible, not just when a stain appears. Can you walk across the floor in white socks? Or use hard surface flooring with rugs that can be rotated out for cleaning. An extra touch is to provide slippers for the Guests.

When selecting furniture, take into consideration, the dust factor. The more crevices, and exposed surfaces, the more places there are to collect dust. If dressers are built-in there are no tops to clean. If enclosed platform beds are used, there are no surprises under the bed. The same goes for light fixtures. There is nothing worse than turning on a light fixture and seeing it full of dead bugs. If the fixtures are not enclosed, provide covers for them. This can be requested of the manufacturer. Provide outlets that are convenient so the Guest is not crawling around the floor looking for a place to connect amongst forgotten trash and dust bunnies.

Most upholstery and drapery textiles are now available with an anti-stain and anti-microbial treatment. Fabrics such as Crypton can prevent wear and stains from shaming the look of your furniture.

The latest trend to create a restful sleep experience has left properties with super-thick mattresses to turn, feathered mattress covers, mountains of pillows to place, hefty duvet covers or bedspreads, and bed scarves to carefully arrange.

Mattress companies have begun offering mattresses that do not need to be flipped. There have been various “health-conscious” companies offering encasements for mattresses and pillows which stave off stains, bugs and dust mites. The encasements protect your mattress and can be washed a needed. Duvet covers can protect your comforter and be changed with the sheets.

Triple sheeting, which has become popular over the past few years, is supposed to project an image of cleanliness with billowy white bedding. Gone are the bacteria-laden bedspreads. The blanket is protected by a sheet that can be washed. But what about all of those strategically placed pillows? They probably came off of the floor – which is where they are thrown until housekeeping makes up the bed again. The popularity of platform beds has given designers the opportunity to provide drawer storage for pillows and extra sheets. Or change the bench at the end of the bed into a storage chest. Or get rid of pillows that can’t be used!

In addition to the bedding boom, which causes both physical and time demands, resorts have unleashed a snowball of fixtures in the bathroom. There is the infamous “spa” bath. Gone are the combination tub/showers with a curtain. Now there are elaborate whirlpool tubs, showers with glass walls or entire wetrooms with multiple pulsating showerheads. Many travel magazines’ suggest that a guest avoid a whirlpool at all costs. Bathwater does not completely drain from the jetted pipes. Instead, it remains in the damp and dark environment--the perfect breeding ground for bacteria--until the next time someone uses the bath. Sani-jet offers a pipeless whirlpool bath. Or think about using a soaking tub instead. Or remove the tub altogether and create the ultimate shower experience. Glass doors and walls can be coated with a product like Diamond Seal that minimizes water spots and makes the glass 75% easier to clean.

Adequate lighting can give the illusion of cleanliness. You’ve heard the phrase “dark and dingy.” Provide multiple options for flexibility of lighting especially in the vanity area. Make sure the vanity and kitchen sinks are not cracked or stained. Broken or damaged fixtures make a place seem unkempt.

An image of cleanliness goes hand in hand with a feeling of satisfaction. It is critical that resort properties sustain satisfaction of the Vacation Owners or they will not continue to pay for products they have purchased. Even though most Vacation Owners only use their property once a year, they expect it to be clean. The point of owning a Timeshare is to get away from the “one-million” served hotel.