When booking hotel rooms are you the type to look for luxury or economy? Do you ever consider the levels of hotel bacteria? What if I told you that the luxury 5 star hotels are known to harbor more bacteria than their economy priced competitors?  A new study claims that according to a general survey on the amount of bacteria found in hotel rooms that expensive hotels have more germs than the cheaper ones.

An online trip calculator, Travelmath, sought to test for the presence of various types of bacteria. Including bacilli, cocci, yeast, mycotoxins and bacteria that causes various ailments, such as skin irritation and respiratory issues. The study investigated rooms in 9 U.S. hotels ranging from a 3 to 5 star rating.  They swabbed the desk, bathroom counter, remote control and the phone in each room.  The results are surprising.

Naturally the study found that hotels carry more germs than our homes, but the same can be said for schools and airplanes. What is more surprising is that the higher the star rating, the higher the microbe count was.

While the germ count varied among all the hotels.  It was higher in the 4 and 5 star rated hotels, but for different reasons.  For example, the bathroom counters in the 4 star hotels were the worst of the bunch.  Whereas, the remote controls in the 5 star hotels had the highest count, possibly due to more T.V. activity, but the bathroom counter came in a close second.

According to the study hotel desks were the worst in the 4 star rated hotels, and hotel phones to be the dirtiest in 3 star hotels.

There are a number of different reasons for the results. For example 4 star hotels had many more decorative features, which could possibly make cleaning more difficult. While the overall trend is that more expensive hotels are dirtier, this could be due to customer habits and cleaning practices.

While you may still choose the luxury hotels during your next stay, it is recommended to practice regular hand washing, to avoid the spread of bacteria. Much like we would follow any recommendations to live in a healthier home,  It may also be a good idea to start disinfecting surfaces before you touch them to be safe.