Let friends in your social network know what you are reading aboutTwitterGoogle+LinkedInPinterestPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. The white duvet cover on your hotel bed may look crisp and spotless, but do you ever wonder if it was laundered before your arrival?One of the USA's largest hotel chains thinks enough people do, so it turned to sticky notes to adjust potentially negative perceptions.Earlier this year, the nearly 1,900-location Hampton Inn chain began applying messages printed on sticky notes to headboards that tell guests "duvet covers and sheets are clean for your arrival."In other words, the linens, including the duvet covers, are laundered after every guest departs. What the chain didn't do was change its laundering practices; the same policy has been in place since 2006.USA TODAY reader Doug Drew recently alerted me to the unusual practice after observing the sticky notes at a Hampton Inn in Marquette, Mich. The photo — and topic of linen laundering — sparked an unexpectedly lively conversation on my Facebook page.
TWITTER: Join USA TODAY's Barb DeLollis on Twitter"I think it's terrific," Drew says of the messages, which appeared in other forms throughout his hotel. "My duvet looked like it had indeed been washed. It was as white and crisp as a freshly laundered sheet. I don't think it's just marketing. I really believe that at the hotel I was at they were washing them between guests."They also stand out, in a good way, to frequent traveler Mark Michalski. He has been seeing them for about six months and says they've "been at all of the Hampton's that I've stayed at recently."Frequent traveler Jim Burba, who organizes hotel industry trade shows, also gives the sticky notes a thumbs up."One never knows if the duvet or bedspread is cleaned after each guest checks out (probably not), but a note like this tells the story," Burba says.What do the notes say about other hotels?Hampton's seemingly harmless sticky note may raise questions for travelers. It could, for instance, prompt someone to wonder if other hotels don't launder their bedding after each check-out.
Not so at Hilton's biggest rival, Marriott.John Whitwell, Marriott's vice president of operations for brands such as Courtyard by Marriott, Springhill Suites and Residence Inn, says their hotels have been regularly laundering bedding since 2005.That's when Marriott's brands began rolling out out their answer to the now-common duvet cover (a heavy blanket sandwiched in between two sheets), he says."We clean all the sheets and duvet covers and anything that touches the guests," he says.Marriott advertised the new bedding style at the time with cards in rooms and media events. There is no plan to remind guests of the hotels' linen laundering practices."It's something that we did a long time ago. If we announced it since then, I'd be concerned that people would think that we had a problem and we were telling them again," Whitwell says.Reminders might be a welcome sign for concerned travelersCasey Halloran, co-founder of online travel agency Costa Rican Vacations, says her firm regularly grills hotels on cleanliness — and duvet covers in particular — because it's such a priority for clients."
Since these duvet covers have become all the rage, we grill the hotel providers with whom we work on how often they actually launder these things," she says. "The answers typically range from every check-out to once a month."It's become a particularly hot topic among her clients given concerns about bed bugs, she says.Responding to our discussion on Facebook, prominent Washington D.C.-based meeting planner and frequent traveler Joan Eisenstodt flagged a note (see photo) that she found last night in her room at the Hyatt Regency Dallas Fort Worth at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.The note, signed by a housekeeper named Rosa, says that the room contains fresh linens and towels, among other things."I like it," Eisenstodt says. "It's reassuring and I especially appreciate having the housekeeper's name. It adds responsibility to the action." Hilton: Sticky notes heighten customer satisfaction Why did Hilton's Hampton chain roll out the sticky notes?Kurt Smith, the chain's product vice president, says they decided to roll out the sticky note reminders after customer research revealed that guests either wondered about duvet cover cleaning, or they didn't think about it at all."
It's one of those things that we do really well and we said, we're not getting credit for it," Smith says. "So we said let's figure how to get credit for it."It's worked, he says. The notes have brought greater awareness to the chain's fresh-linen program, which has translated into improved feelings from customer about guestroom cleanliness, overall satisfaction and even the purchasing decision, he says.The reminders have been such a hit that Smith says Hampton will continue the program in 2013. There will be one change, though: The sticky notes will be replaced with another communication form to prevent repeat Hampton guests from dismissing them at first glance.Prices and availability are subject to change from the time and date that you print this page. For Customer Service, please call Simmons ® Beautyrest ® Luxury Firm Mattress Enlarge product image size. Reduce product image size. Requiring no flipping, rotating or maintenance, our exclusive Simmons Beautyrest Luxury Firm mattress combines the conforming back support of their legendary pocketed coil technology with the cool sleeping comfort of AirCool ® technology.
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