5 Things to Know About Hotels Policy On Charging for Stained Carpet

Many things in a hotel room can end up stained. One of those is the carpet. It can be easy to stain a carpet because of where it is. What’s more, there are all sorts of stains that can mar the carpet’s appearance.

Some of them can be removed easily, while others are more difficult to eliminate. Either way, it can be alarming to stain the carpet in your room, and it can be embarrassing to let the front desk know about it. 

So, do hotels charge for stained carpet? 

Hotels may not charge the guests if the stain is removable. However, if the stain is permanent, then hotels will charge for it to cover the cost of replacing the problem area or the carpet. If the stain is due to acts against the terms and conditions, hotels are likely to charge their guests.

Continue reading to know more about some of the most important things that you need to know about staining the carpet in a hotel room.

After getting to the very end, feel free to share this on social media, especially if you have family and friends who are planning on having a party in a hotel room or bringing their pets.

1. Most Hotels Do Not Charge For Removable Stains

Believe it or not, there are a lot of carpet stains that look nasty alright but can be removed trouble-free.

For instance, coffee, tea, and red wine stains may seem like you are in big trouble, but the hotel’s housekeeping staff can easily remove them with commercially available carpet stain removers.

Another type of stain that can send a lot of people staying in hotels in panic mode is blood. However, blood is surprisingly trouble-free to remove. Cold water and a little detergent can make blood stains go away. The same is true with the help of hydrogen peroxide, except if the carpet isn’t white.

Because a lot of stains can be dealt with rather easily, the best step for you to take is to get in touch with the front desk as soon as you notice the problem so that the housekeeping staff can spring into action without delay.

As a general rule of thumb, the sooner the stain is removed, the better the results will be.

It is a much better idea to own up to it than pretend that the stain does not exist until such time that the front desk informs you about it while you are checking out. You can act like you didn’t know, but the front desk knows.

2. Some Hotels Charge To Cover The Cost Of The Fix

Unfortunately, not all carpet stains can be eliminated as easily as blood and the other examples mentioned above. Some stains can be a cause for alarm not only for you but for the hotel, too.

One common example is nail polish. It is perfectly understandable to want your fingernails and toenails to look pretty in the pictures that you will upload on social media while traveling.

However, you should be very careful when painting your nails on your own in your hotel room. That’s because nail polish is a carpet stain that can be difficult to get rid of. According to stain experts, there is a 50/50 chance that nail polish won’t come off.

This is when a problem in the form of carpet cleaning or replacement fee may appear in your credit card bill. Because the hotel will have to shell out cash to deal with the nail polish stain, the management has no other choice but to charge your credit card to cover the resulting cost.

Whether stubborn or not, a carpet stain may end up in your being charged by the hotel if it stems from your negligence or going against the establishment’s terms and conditions, such as partying in your hotel room.

3. Partying Often Goes Against Terms & Conditions

There are a couple of reasons why the majority of hotels do not allow the guests to hold a party in their rooms.

First, it can upset the other guests, which can cause them to give the hotel a nasty rating or review, as well as never come back to it. Second, it can cause damage to the furnishings and fixtures in the hotel room.

One of the many problems that may strike if you invite some friends over to have some fun in your hotel room is that the carpet, as well as the bedding, towels, upholsteries, and many others, may end up with nasty stains.

No matter if the stain on the carpet is negligible or highly noticeable or easily removable or impossible to remove, one thing remains true: it is the result of having a party in your room, which goes against the hotel’s terms and conditions.

It goes without saying that you and your friends may be asked to leave. What’s more, you are likely to be charged for the damage resulting from the party, including a stained carpet.

Other than paying for the carpet stain, the hotel may ban you from renting a room once again. Some celebrities are no longer allowed to return to certain hotels for partying and trashing their rooms. If these hotels can ban rich and famous people, they can certainly ban ordinary people.

4. Some Stains Are Inevitable

Where there’s a party, there’s booze. And when there’s booze, especially plenty of them, there’s someone who will throw up.

Because the vomit stain on the carpet is the result of partying, which is breaking the terms and conditions of the hotel, it is very much likely for you to be charged by the establishment.

It doesn’t matter if it’s you or a friend who threw up on the carpet. For as long as it stems from a party that you held in your hotel room, you can rest assured that there will be repercussions as soon as you check out.

However, not all vomit stains on the carpet are due to partying and drinking. Some medical conditions can cause a person to throw up, too.

One very common example is a migraine headache. Another is vertigo. If you have food poisoning or appendicitis, you will likely vomit uncontrollably and end up staining the carpet.

Because it is not your fault for having a medical emergency and not being able to head to the sink or toilet bowl on time, it is less likely for the hotel to charge you for staining the carpet with your vomit.

After all, no hotel mentions on its terms and conditions that it is not allowed for a guest to encounter a medical issue while inside the premises.

A hotel will be more than willing to help you get to the emergency room if necessary.

5. Pick Pet-Friendly Inn to Avoid Pet-Related Charges

Some hotels are pet-friendly, while others aren’t. If you sneak into your room your pet while staying in a hotel that does not welcome pets, you will be asked to take the animal outside the premises.

In case your pet pees or poops on the carpet, it’s not just being asked to take your pet elsewhere that is likely to happen but also being charged for the damage to the carpet.

The housekeeping staff of a hotel that does not allow pets may not be armed with products for removing pet stains. Because of this, the stain caused by your pet may sit there for a long time, which can make it extremely challenging to get rid of.

The hotel that you are staying in won’t hesitate to charge you to cover the cost of professional stain removal or carpet replacement resulting from bringing your pet with you to your hotel room.

However, this is less likely to happen if you and your pet are staying in a pet-friendly hotel, as the establishment’s hotel staff is ready for some action.

Other than leaving a stain on the carpet, your pet may also cause other forms of damage, all of which you could be charged for. Just a tip: If you are traveling with your pet, book with a pet-friendly hotel.

Conclusion

Especially if the stain on the carpet is due to an accident, the hotel may not charge you for it. However, it is a completely different matter if the stain is the result of your negligence or going against the hotel’s terms and conditions, such as holding a party in your room or bringing your pet.

No matter the case, it is a good idea to inform the front desk as soon as possible. This will allow the housekeeping staff to spring into action right away, thus minimizing the carpet damage resulting from the stain.

Related Questions

Can the hotel charge me more than once for leaving a stain on the carpet? If the cost of dealing with the problem proves to be higher than initially thought, the hotel may charge you another time.

Should I tip the housekeeping staff? It is a good idea to tip the housekeeping staff daily to show your appreciation. In most hotels, tip $1 to $2 per night. In luxury hotels, tip up to $5 per night.

Photo credit: ©canva.com/AndreyPopov, ©canva.com/mail272

Reed Harris

Reed is a traveler and blogger. He's planning to visit all states in the USA. He's been in 31 states so far.

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