Is £150 Too Excessive For Hotel Carpet Cleaning Fee?

[cb87]

Hi all,
I recently stayed in a hotel for a week and came down with mild food poisoning/a bug one night. I was sick mostly in the toilet but unfortunately at some point was unable to make it that far, and was sick (in a small amount) on the carpet. The next morning, I did my best to clean everywhere - I put dirty sheets in the bath and used a very hot towel to clean away the sick on the floor. Admittedly, I should have used carpet cleaner but did not have access to any. Anyway, when I had finished I genuinely believed that the room no longer smelled and that the carpet looked fine. I wrote a polite note to the housekeeping to tell them I had had food poisoning and that some of the items in the bath had sick on. I didn't want them to touch with with their bare hands, thinking it was only wet towels. Anyway, I left the hotel and later got a call saying 'the state' meant a £150 charge for carpet cleaning. I'm not totally against paying it, as fair enough, I was sick. But, isn't that too much for a stain removal job? Do you think I should a) ask for photos of the stain and then b) say I want to see a receipt from the carpet cleaning place. If they then show me it, i'll then contact the carpet cleaning place to try and make sure (without them knowing i'm the person whose stain they cleaned) that the £150 was genuine, and the hotel didn't ask them to quote that much. Opinions are appreciated, thank you

[carolegif]

I think that us not unreasonable. Hotels are insured against these things. If you ate at the hotel then they should pay you!

[daffy654]

£150 seems far too much. It would cost no more than £40 to have a professional clean just the one small room (bro in law own carpet cleaning business).

[bookbinder]

I suspect they probably charged you for cleaning the whole carpet, not just the part that you stained. Sometimes, if only part of a carpet is cleaned, it shows the rest of it up, so it's better to do the whole lot.

[237SJ]

Tell them you got the food poisoning from their restaurant and then see what they say!
Seriously though, I think it`s a bit steep charging you for it. They must be insured against damages. I would want proof that it costs £150 to clean a mark off the carpet.

[cb87]

Thank you for your replies. Good point about them having insurance - i'll question that. When I was called, I politely said I was driving so would call the next day regarding payment. I didn't, but today (the day after I was supposed to have called), she left a voice mail asking me to call her back. I just want to get my strategy right first. I completely understand that it's not nice if someone's sick on their floor, but for all i know, their food may have been the cause of the bug! I did try my best to clean up and upon departure, felt the room looked fine - the carpet looked okay and I thoroughly scrubbed the toilet. I'm glad that you think £150 is too much for stain removal. As far if they did the whole carpet (which really wouldn't have been necessary), surely the hotel routinely must do this anyway?

[2sp_]

Is it just the cleaning of the carpet they are charging you for?

If you have told them you had food poisoning they may deep clean the entire room, including carpets and soft furnishings.

You could ask them for a breakdown of the £150 bill.

[hc4361]

It's not just the carpet though. The sheets, towels and bedding would have to cleaned separately - food poisoning/tummy bug in a hotel is a serious thing.
You should have notified hotel management as soon as was reasonably possible, not used their towels to clean up.
Leaving a note for the cleaner is not good enough.

[pastafreak]

You keep referring to the stain...but the real problem as far as cleaning may have been the odour...and odour from vomit is difficult to get rid of. So I agree that a deep clean was most likely required.

[2sp_]

When I was a chambermaid during my summers at school, the hotel would pay any chambermaid an extra £40 if they had to deep clean a "dirty room".

I have never earned £40 harder...

[cb87]

In that case, it's fair enough. I'm really not trying to be awkward with them - just find out whether it really cost them £150. All they said to me is that there were stains on the carpet which need professionally cleaning. That was it, no mention of anything else. To me, it implied the cost of having a stain or two removed is £150.

[2sp_]

No harm in you asking them how they came to charge £150, cb87.

Hope you're feeling better, by the way!

[cb87]

Thank you, I am thank you :) Took a few days though - today's my first day of felling 100% again.

[ummmm]

Deep clean or not it doesn't cost £150. We have a guy round here that will clean your carpets for £25 a room.

[SimonBolivar]

That's certainly a bit steep. Definitely query it.

[murraymints]

If you took ill in their restaurant....I would tell them to claim their insurance and be thankful you didn't call environmental health in !

[carrust]

How are they going to collect the £150-00? I can't see them taking you to court for that amount of money. Offer them £50-00 on a take it or leave it basis.

[andy-hughes]

I would dispute that any reputable hotel would charge a guest for cleaning of this type which, although above and beyond the standard cleaning, is not without precident.

I would agree with answers querying if they have invited their insurance company to pick up the bill.

You could ask them to sue you for the money, and advise them that you will be delighted to see them in court, while also advising them that any attendant media you can rustle up - from the local radio and paper up to Sky News, will be attending as well.

My bet is that they will back down - that sort of adverse publicity is worth far more than them swallowing a £150 bill - if indeed that is what they have paid.

[pixie373]

It sounds expensive to me. I agree, ask for a breakdown and if you had food poisoning, did you eat there? I think you were probably more honest and helpful than many would have been. It may also have prevented them booking the room out that day/night, i suppose?

[EDDIE51]

My grandson was sick on the carpet in the housing association office, they didn't charge us but they told us it would cost them £200 to clean it.