Guests’ top cleanliness concern is what lies between the sheets

A new survey by Miele Professional has found that over a quarter (26%) of UK hospitality guests, including those who stay in bed and breakfasts, worry about the cleanliness of the room that they are staying in. Of those who do worry, over 60% were concerned over the state of the bed sheets, pillows and bed covers/blankets. 52% of respondents said that they didn’t like the thought of items being unhygienic and a further 44% were worried about catching germs from previous users.

The research revealed that with 90% of people visiting hotels and luxury bed and breakfasts for pleasure rather than business, nearly two thirds (62%) listed a comfy/big bed as the top factor that makes them feel most at home, with a good breakfast also being of high importance (41%). Over a third (39%) of respondents stated that clean, crisp sheets on the bed made them feel most comfortable.

The Miele Professional research also revealed that 55% of consumers list high levels of cleanliness as an influential factor in encouraging them to return somewhere. This was the second most influential factor behind competitive pricing (64%). 69% listed an unclean room as the factor most likely to put them off returning to a hotel or bed and breakfast, with a generally unclean establishment coming in second place (66%) and unfriendly service close behind (54%). The survey also revealed that three quarters (75%) of consumers feel that the cleanliness of the room most influences their perception of the company’s values.

Les Marshall, Sales & Marketing Director at Miele Professional comments: “It is evident that hospitality guests in the UK expect high standards when it comes to the cleanliness of their rooms and, most importantly, their bed linen. Providing pristine laundry for your guests reflects standards of quality that customers are looking for. Having laundry facilities on site means that any bed and breakfast manager can be safe in the knowledge that their laundry is clean, that it will be ready on time and that it will be cleaned to their customers’ high standards.”

Miele Professional offers a wide range of laundry equipment. Choosing to install a Miele Professional on-premise laundry allows busy bed and breakfasts to oversee the laundry process in-house, and giving them greater control over their linen by ensuring it is thoroughly cleaned without compromising on the end product whilst reducing costs over the lifecycle of the machines.

Miele Professional has created a wide range of water efficient washing machines, all of which use less water than conventional washing machines without compromising wash performance. The Little Giant range of machines (including models PW6055, PW6065) minimises energy consumption and has water efficient programmes that optimise the water needed for each cycle.

The cycles are short – 6.5kg of laundry can be washed and dried in Little Giants in little over an hour (85 mins). Miele Professional’s heat-pump dryers, PT 5137 WP, PT 8257 WP and PT 8337 WP have a load capacity of 6.5kg – 16kg and are leading the field in energy efficiency. With a reduction in energy consumption of up to 60% and short cycle times, the machines are perfectly geared to save costs for businesses with a high laundry turnover, such as a bed and breakfast, as well as actively contributing to protecting the environment.

For more information on Miele Professional’s products, please phone 0844 8936907 or log onto

http://www.miele-professional.co.uk/.