Are hotels ok now? Would you stay in one?

[mommyoffive]

Just wondering if hotels are ok to stay in now.  Would you stay in one?

[mlktwins]

A hard no for me!

 

[kirstenhill]

We did one night in a quiet hotel earlier in the summer.  Not a hotspot area.  It seemed like it would be a pretty safe bet to us, given that there is a state mask mandate, and that applied in common areas.  We really didn't spend any time in common areas thought -- just walked through, went to our room, brought food into our room to eat, and left the next morning.  (We were on the way to a camping destination, and one night for us is not long enough to find it to be "worth it" to set up the tent).  I might think twice if the area was a hotspot or it was in a location with no mask requirement.

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Depends on what you mean by whether they are “ok now”.   It is legal to stay in them in my state’s phased reopening. The hotels that I know of have instituted extra cleaning measures and require masks in public areas. But there is additional risk in staying in public places with lots of guests and possibly not adequate ventilation. 

Edited October 20, 2020 by Jean in Newcastle
Typo

[J-rap]

Well, we're staying in one for the first time this coming weekend.  I'll admit I'm a little nervous about it, but our state has mask mandates and seems to be very careful about how it's handling things.  Our room has a kitchen so we plan to cook our own meals (not go to restaurants).  We've stayed at the hotel before and it's a large building with super high ceilings and big rooms but not a lot of rooms, and I'm hoping we'll feel okay.

[katilac]

I think I would. The room itself would not concern me much. I would just use normal cautions in the lobby and on the elevator and such, and I wouldn't eat in the restaurant or free breakfast area. I wouldn't plan on using the pool or workout area

dh has been back on the road for work, and everywhere he has stayed seems to be using pretty good protocols. Places like Hilton Garden Inn and such. 

[Innisfree]

Given the possibility of aerosol transmission, I wouldn't stay in a hotel. I would be concerned about air being recirculated between rooms.

[athena1277]

We have stayed in a hotel.  We stayed in one while traveling home from a trip about 3 weeks ago.   They were cleaning well between guests and masks were required outside of the rooms.  They had breakfast, but an employee behind a window put whatever you wanted on a plate and gave to you, so there were not lots of people breathing around the food.

We also stayed in an AirBnB type cabin for a few days last week (yes, we’ve been traveling a lot recently, I’ll spare you long story).  We haven’t noticed anything concerning at either place.  
 

Edited to fix typos.

Edited October 20, 2020 by athena1277

[mlktwins]

I think it was Dr. Fauci that was talking about traveling.  He said, if you must travel, stay in an Airbnb and to get it for 24 hours before you planned to stay there.  Meaning rent it for an extra night before you check in.  I’m guessing this is to let the air clear from the last people staying there.

Edited October 20, 2020 by mlktwins
fixing my spelling :-)

[school17777]

Dh and I stayed at a hotel this weekend.  Check in/out was social distanced.  Signs at the elevator asked you only two people on at a time- only one time was the ignored by a group of 3 ladies getting in the elevator dh and I were already in. (I’m sure if we said anything, they would have gotten off) - everyone was masked.

The door to our room had a cleaning sticker on it that we had to break to get into our room showing us that no one had entered after it was cleaned.  There were individual wipes in the room so we could wipe anything we wanted.  The remote was in a plastic bag - something that I hope stays.  On the mirror, there was a sticker explaining the disinfectant process of the bathroom.

Everyone was masked in the common areas.

 

[SereneHome]

NO!!

But I have to say, I can barely stay in one during normal times. I bring my own pillow cases and a few other things....

[Ausmumof3]

  I’d choose self contained options if possible.  
 

It depends on

how low the numbers in the area

shared air con, ventilation and filtration 

sanitising processes 

shared lifts, lobbies, pools, bin chutes, plumbing etc

how good the cleaners are with PPE
 

how good the sanitisation of towels and bedding etc are 

Its not an option I’d jump at right now because I’ve seen some pretty sloppy protocols with cleaners in hotels but I’d like to hope that most hotels would have improved their standards a bit as part of the COVID response.  Didn’t lewelma say they had one case of spread in NZ just from using a shared bin?

On the other hand if it was a case of seeing someone for a last time or actual necessity I would take the risk but probably take my own towels, open windows and opt out of daily room service etc.  But we are more camping and caravan people so it’s not likely to come up.

[Ausmumof3]

17 minutes ago, mlktwins said:

I think it was Dr. Fauci that was talking sbout traveling.  He said, if you must travel, to stay in an Airbnb and to get it for 24 hours before you planned to stay there.  Meaning rent it for an extra night before you check in.  I’m guessing this is to let the air clear from the last people staying there.

Also drop of level of virus on surfaces is fairly dramatic in the short term so would allow for that.

[Farrar]

I actually would consider it. But I'd want to know what they were doing for precautions. Like, opening windows and leaving the room vacant for a period before I entered, cleaning, masks required throughout the building except in rooms, etc.

I'd much prefer getting an Airbnb.

[Bambam]

We stayed in several when we had to travel earlier this summer. I did take in antibacterial wipes and wiped everything down. I used my own pillow. I turned the A/C fan on continuous and the temp down and left for a while. I used a mask in the halls to/from and checking in/out. 

The motel employees were not coming into rooms unless you had been there 7 days or had checked out. They were trying to not use rooms again the next night. If you wanted fresh towels, you could simply ask one of the ladies with the carts in the hall, and they would just let you take what you wanted. 

[TravelingChris]

I have stayed in hotels for almost 4 weeks this summer-  about five days the first time in June and then a day over 3 weeks in late Aug to mid Sept.  We had no issues and never got sick.  And yes, I checked out safety reports and called hotels too before I decided which ones to patronize.  And yes, I am a high risk person but since I already have so many illnesses and may very well live a shorter life for other than Covid reasons, I chose to have fun safely.  Yes, we wore good masks. No we didn't go to the pools.  Etc

[TravelingChris]

4 minutes ago, Bambam said:

We stayed in several when we had to travel earlier this summer. I did take in antibacterial wipes and wiped everything down. I used my own pillow. I turned the A/C fan on continuous and the temp down and left for a while. I used a mask in the halls to/from and checking in/out. 

The motel employees were not coming into rooms unless you had been there 7 days or had checked out. They were trying to not use rooms again the next night. If you wanted fresh towels, you could simply ask one of the ladies with the carts in the hall, and they would just let you take what you wanted. 

Exactly, no one ever cleaned your room.   We had to take out our trash and give it to the people and get new bags, new towels,, whatever.

[Guest]

49 minutes ago, mlktwins said:

I think it was Dr. Fauci that was talking sbout traveling.  He said, if you must travel, to stay in an Airbnb and to get it for 24 hours before you planned to stay there.  Meaning rent it for an extra night before you check in.  I’m guessing this is to let the air clear from the last people staying there.

We just did this for a college visit trip last week. We checked in Friday, the prior person had checked out Monday, and the house had been cleaned on Weds. 

[itsheresomewhere]

I have.  The hotel was enforcing masks and really on top of it.  A lady who had the position of mask enforcer in the lobby was not only making sure the mask was on properly but had extra masks in her bag for anyone who forgot it in their room. They had a team of people walking around sanitizing everything. Our room had a balcony so we had it open for awhile to give the room fresh air.  There is no maid service during your stay so you can just ask if you need something and they will deliver it to your room. 

Edited October 20, 2020 by itsheresomewhere

[EKS]

I stayed in a hotel for 3 weeks in September.  I didn't get sick.

I also flew from coast to coast twice, went into crowded grocery stores, hung out in a crowded hospital, and used public restrooms multiple times.

And I will be doing it all again in three weeks.

These were all things I avoided like the plague (so to speak) until something worse than the plague came along and put it all into perspective.

[bethben]

We have twice for two nights each.  Once in August and once in October.  We brought our own pillows and used our own blankets because we felt like they cleaned sheets in between guests but not pillows and possibly not blankets.  No air circulating since each room was on its own air system.

[Shoeless]

Nope. I'd get an AirBnB if I needed to.  If it was just a one night thing, I'd put the inflatable mattress in the back of my SUV and sleep in the car. 

[SKL]

I think it's probably about as safe as staying in an apartment building.

[Frances]

I try never to stay in hotels because I generally think they are overpriced and dreary. I much prefer camping or using VRBO. We used to also do B&Bs, but now don’t eat enough, especially first thing in the morning, to make the price worth it. So no, I wouldn’t stay in a hotel right now. I haven’t stayed in one since we went to Europe four years ago, even though I’ve been on several vacations since then. I’m actually in an VRBO house right now in a relatively isolated area and spent the day outdoors hiking in the forest and walking on the beach. We’ve been getting take out once per day and cooking the rest of the time.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Frances

[Twolittleboys]

I have. Wasn't really worried about it. I might feel different about a resort though (i.e. using restaurant, activities, pool etc.).

[Carrie12345]

My mom stayed in a Marriott while my stepfather was getting medical treatment out of state. She called ahead and discussed her concerns about their risks. They were put in the first room near a side door to avoid the lobby. Housekeeping stayed out and left towels, etc. in front of their door. Other than check in, I don’t think they had any in-person interaction. She was very satisfied with the stay.

Dh has been in a couple of hotels, but it’s not like he had options other than to quit his job.

[purpleowl]

Yes, I think it's doable safely. We stayed in a hotel for one night in August for an out-of-town medical thing, and we'll need to do that again in January. We're considering a beach trip with a hotel stay as well (probably 2-3 nights). We might look into an Airbnb for that, but I'm not sure.

ETA: I said "safely," but I should have said "with low risk." There is a difference, of course.

Edited October 20, 2020 by purpleowl

[73349]

I wouldn't want to consider it unless the windows could be opened and the weather was suitable for leaving them open a lot of the time (i.e., cool and dry). I'd probably choose stairs over elevators.

ETA: I'm in an area where the new daily case count has not gone down, so in effect, nothing is "okay now," but many things are open anyway. I'd check local stats before going somewhere else.

Edited October 20, 2020 by Carolina Wren

[regentrude]

I would not. It's just more people/public locations to interact with, and that's exactly what we try to avoid.
If I had to travel and absolutely had to spend a night, I would camp.

Edited October 20, 2020 by regentrude

[historically accurate]

DH and DD have. Her college is a little more than a day's drive away. He could drive it in a day, but it's really a bit too long. So, they stayed in one on the drive down to college and stayed in one for a night or two while she was moving in. He'll do it all again next month to bring her home. He said it was ok. It's probably not the safest thing you could do, but if all covid precautions are being done, it's probably not the worst either. We chose to only have DH go with her instead of our original family trek to see her off. 

[mom31257]

We stayed in one almost two weeks ago. It wasn't in a highly visited area, but that wasn't why we chose it. They didn't have the normal breakfast available, only prepackaged things. Other than the staff, we only came near two other guests and even that was at a distance. 

Attending the college preview we were at was more risky. Masks were required and precautions were taken, but we were in smaller, close groups at times. 

Edited October 20, 2020 by mom31257

[mom31257]

2 minutes ago, mom31257 said:

 

 

Edited October 20, 2020 by mom31257

[EmilyGF]

11 hours ago, Innisfree said:

Given the possibility of aerosol transmission, I wouldn't stay in a hotel. I would be concerned about air being recirculated between rooms.

I just helped my parents move and stayed in four hotels. Every single hotel had the weird under-window-unit that controls the air for each room, using outdoor air if you choose fan. I don't think there is air recirculation between rooms.

In three of the four hotels I stayed in, I was able to open the window upon check-in in order to air out the room.

The biggest issue for me was dry hands, as I washed my hands every single time I came into the room or touched something new. I used my elbow to press elevator buttons. People were masked in common areas even though we were traveling through all red states.

Emily

ETA: I wouldn't do a weekend stay-cation right now. 

Edited October 20, 2020 by EmilyGF

[Katy]

I would consider it for older kids & adults, but not infants - 7 or so.

[Laura Corin]

I wouldn't.  We just stayed in an airbnb though.

[Kassia]

We did in August when we took our daughter to college 1200 miles away.  I was nervous about it, but it went much better than I expected and I felt pretty safe.  One hotel was only at 15% capacity and the other was maybe 40% at the highest during our stay, so there weren't many guests.  I wouldn't choose to stay in a hotel now for a vacation, but it was fine for a necessary trip.