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Just in time for the peak travel season and in line with current reports on poor guest hygiene, Swissfeel is addressing an issue that has become a daily challenge for many hoteliers: the hygienic condition of a hotel room depends not only on housekeeping, but increasingly on the behavior of the guests themselves. A recent study by the University of Surrey, reported on by Spiegel Online among others, shows that not even half of people wash their hands after using the toilet – with noticeable consequences for the hotel industry, for example through the constant recurrence of norovirus outbreaks. 

“As unappetizing as this topic may be, it is equally important to address it. This is because guests in particular can increasingly become a hygiene risk factor due to a lack of personal hygiene and communicable diseases,” explains Philipp Hangartner, Managing Director of Swissfeel GmbH. 

Guests bring a variety of hygiene-critical substances such as parasites, bacteria, and viruses into hotel rooms not only via their shoes, clothing, and luggage, but also via their personal hygiene – whether visible or invisible. Bathrooms and beds, i.e., those places with direct physical contact, are particularly affected.

While bathrooms are easy to clean thanks to their smooth surfaces and disinfectants, hotel beds remain a critical issue. “The mattress is the problem child of hygiene,” Philipp Hangartner continues. “During use, it absorbs several liters of bodily fluids and corresponding particles per night—from all pores and openings.” 

The situation is even more critical when guests neglect basic hygiene standards. Recent adjustments to the criteria catalog of hotelstars.eu and new training formats such as the DEHOGA seminar “Bed Hygiene 2.0” prove that this is not an isolated case. 

The responsibility for hygienically impeccable beds lies fundamentally with the hotel itself. Those who fail to upgrade risk not only complaints, but also a possible breach of their duty of care. However, the problem is not new: conventional mattresses cannot be hygienically reconditioned, and hygienic protective covers have proven to be deceptive protection, as numerous studies have shown. Until now, this has usually meant that mattresses had to be disposed of after five years, which often involves enormous costs and places a heavy burden on the environment. 

Swissfeel offers an innovative solution with fully washable and recyclable mattresses that can be deep-cleaned hygienically thanks to their special construction. In the DACH region, the company already operates its own washing facilities and cooperates with professional laundry service providers to help hotels achieve more sustainable hygiene with the SWISSFEEL 2-CYCLE concept.

“We are actively helping the industry to finally solve a decades-old hygiene problem. And we are doing so in an economical and environmentally friendly way, with the next guest in mind,” adds Kai Rittmeier, senior engineer at Swissfeel GmbH. The message from the Swiss manufacturer, which also has locations in Germany and Austria, is clear: washing mattresses instead of throwing them away saves money, conserves resources, and meets the growing expectations for genuine cleanliness in hotel beds.

*Example study: Cost & Logis, Check-UP 2019 and 2022