What should I do if my hotel room is dirty?

Photograph it, go to the front desk before you unpack, and ask for a different room or a clean. Note who you spoke to and what they offered.

Can I get a refund for a dirty hotel room?

Often yes, if you report it during the stay and the hotel cannot fix it. Ask in writing and keep your photos.

How common are pests in hotel rooms?

In our scan, 54 of 192 (28%) hotels had at least one review mentioning bed bugs or another pest.

Dirty hotel room: what to do, and how to avoid one

192 hotels scanned · 95 cities · data refreshed 2026-11-13

A dirty hotel room ranges from a hair in the shower to stained sheets, mould or pests. The fix is the same: document it, report it straight away, and ask for what you want.

Pests are the clearest sign that cleaning has slipped: of 192 hotels we scanned, 54 of 192 (28%) had at least one review mentioning bed bugs or another pest. See cockroaches in hotel rooms and hotels with bed bugs.

What counts as a dirty hotel room

Hair, stains or marks on the sheets, towels or pillows.
Bins not emptied, used glasses, or the last guest’s things left behind.
Mould around the shower, bath or window frames, or a damp smell.
Dust and dirt on surfaces, the floor or under the bed.
Pests or their signs: cockroaches, ants, mice droppings, bed bug spots.

How often guests report pests in hotel rooms

54 of 192 (28%) hotels we scanned had at least one review mentioning bed bugs or another pest; 49 of 192 (26%) had one mentioning cockroaches, mice, ants or similar.

Price is no shield: among 153 four- and five-star hotels we scanned, 48 of 153 (31%) had at least one review mentioning bed bugs or another pest.

What to do about a dirty hotel room

Photograph it before you touch anything, with the time on the photos.
Go to the front desk straight away, ideally before you unpack, and ask for a different room or a full clean while you wait.
Note who you spoke to and what they offered.
If it is pests, ask for a room on another floor and follow the steps in the pest guides.

Can you get a refund for a dirty hotel room?

Often, if you report it on the spot and the hotel cannot fix it. Ask in writing for a room change, a partial refund or a refund for the night, and keep your photos.

If the hotel refuses, escalate through the booking site. The steps are the same as in what to do if your hotel has bed bugs.

How to spot a dirty hotel before you book

Search the newest reviews for "dirty", "stained", "hair", "mould", "smell", "cockroach" and "bed bugs". Look at guest photos, not the hotel’s own, and read how the hotel replies.

Our step-by-step routine: how to tell if a hotel has bed bugs before you book. For a calm room as well as a clean one, see quiet hotels.

Browse researched hotels

Cities where every listed hotel has a full HotelShortlist review dossier:

Alytus Athens Barcelona Birštonas Bona Breuil-Cervinia Cervinia Cortina d'Ampezzo Davos-Klosters Dubai Gstaad Holzgau Jamaica Jennersdorf Kaunas Kitzbühel Kraków Kretinga Lisbon Madonna di Campiglio Magland Megève Milano Méribel Palanga Paris Pärnu Riga Rimini Rubuliai San Vigilio Sanya St. Anton am Arlberg St. Moritz Tartu Tauperlitz Trakai Trento Utzmannsbach Vilnius Vysoké Tatry Wagrain Warsaw Zakopane Zermatt Łódź Žiaukos

How we counted

We scanned the English-language guest reviews of 192 hotels in 95 cities for mentions of bed bugs and other pests (cockroaches, mice, ants, fleas and similar). Reviews that deny a problem ("no bed bugs") are excluded, and each hotel counts once however many reviews mention it.

A mention is a guest’s report, not an inspection result — it may be old, and the hotel may have dealt with it since. This page shows totals only and never names a hotel. If you represent a hotel and believe a figure is wrong, write to members@hotelshortlist.com and we will review it.

Questions

What should I do if my hotel room is dirty?: Photograph it, go to the front desk before you unpack, and ask for a different room or a clean. Note who you spoke to and what they offered.
Can I get a refund for a dirty hotel room?: Often yes, if you report it during the stay and the hotel cannot fix it. Ask in writing and keep your photos.
How common are pests in hotel rooms?: In our scan, 54 of 192 (28%) hotels had at least one review mentioning bed bugs or another pest.

More guides

Hotels with bed bugs: what guest reviews report10 of 192 (5%) hotels we scanned had a guest review mentioning bed bugs. City-by-city data and how to check your room. Cockroaches in hotel rooms: what guest reviews report49 of 192 (26%) hotels we scanned had a guest review reporting cockroaches, mice or other pests. See the data by city and what to do. How to check a hotel room for bed bugsA five-minute room check, the signs to look for, and what to do if you find them. 10 of 192 (5%) hotels we scanned had a bed-bug review. Which cities have the most hotel pest reports?Bed bug and pest mentions in guest reviews of 192 hotels across 95 cities, compared city by city. Why 9.0+ rated hotels still get pest reports37 of 159 (23%) hotels rated 9.0+ had a guest review mentioning bed bugs or pests. Why a high score doesn't rule them out. Hotel chains with bed bugs: Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Accor and moreBed-bug reviews at 18 chain hotels, group by group — Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Accor, Hyatt — against independents. Quiet hotels: how to find one, and how to get a quiet room542 of 1,792 (30%) hotels we read are rarely called noisy by guests. Quiet hotels by city, and how to get a quiet hotel room. Is there a bed bug registry for hotels?Most countries keep no official bed bug registry for hotels. What exists, how to search it, how to report a hotel. 10 of 192 (5%) had a report. What to do if your hotel has bed bugsFound bed bugs or bitten in a hotel? What to do in the first 30 minutes, how to get a refund, whether you can sue, and how to keep them out of your… How to tell if a hotel has bed bugs — before and after you bookHow to tell if a hotel has bed bugs: the review search to run before booking and the room check on arrival. 10 of 192 (5%) hotels had a report.