Trump hotel fails coronavirus cleanliness test

New York hotel owned by US president denied investigation's claims

The Trump International Hotel has been criticised over a lack of cleanliness amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Three Manhattan hotels – the Trump International, Hyatt Place Times Square and Hampton Inn Times Square – were included in an undercover investigation that alleged rooms were not completely cleaned between guests.

That comes despite Covid-19 infecting more than 220,000 New Yorkers since the pandemic began, whilst some 22,000 have died in New York City alone.

Investigative news programme Inside Edition aired those claims on Monday night, which documented unchanged bed sheets and unclean surfaces between separate guest bookings.

TV producers were said to have booked into each hotel and marked bed sheets, pillow cases, and towels and with an invisible spray that becomes visible under ultraviolet light.

At the same time, producers applied an invisible gel to commonly touched surfaces including door handles and side-tables.

Inside Edition returned to the same room at Trump International Hotel within 24 hours, booked under another name, to monitor what cleaning had taken place using UV light.

Producers discovered that, whilst bed sheets and bathroom towels had been changed, the pillowcase had not – with the Inside Edition logo still shining under UV light.

Inside Edition also claimed that a counter area above the minibar and the remote control had not been cleaned between guests.

That comes despite the show’s producers having been handed an information card that promised cleanliness along with a PPE “welcome kit” that included some cleaning supplies and a mask.

The Trump International Hotel, where the room under investigation had cost almost $600 (£484) a night, told the show that its findings were false.

“Following an internal review, we have concluded that the claims made by Inside Edition are categorically false,” said a Trump Hotel spokesperson to Inside Edition.

“Trump International Hotel & Tower New York is one of the premier luxury hotels anywhere in the world and has received countless accolades, including the Forbes Five-Star award for the past 13 years, for its consistently impeccable service”, added the spokesperson.

Hyatt Place Times Square, where Inside Edition discovered uncleaned bed sheets between guests, said it was ”deeply concerned by the situation” and that action had been taken to ensure rooms were cleaned properly.

Hampton by Hilton blamed its own cleaning lapse on housekeeping workers, who had “relied on a visual inspection of the room’s cleanliness to determine which areas received attention, deviating from our protocols,” said a spokesperson to Inside Edition.

The Independent has contacted Trump Hotels for comment on the claims.