A LoyaltyLobby reader shared with us a photo that is being circulated on the Marriott Facebook group about an Aloft hotel in Arkansas that charges a $20 to $50 dirty towel fee.
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Aloft Bentonville’s Notice:
In Text:
Aloft HOTELS
Hotel Towel Policy
Dear Valued Guest,
To maintain the highest standards of cleanliness and comfort for all our guests, we kindly ask you to take note of our towel policy:
- Normal Use: Towels are provided for your convenience and are intended for drying off after a shower.
- Stains: Please inform our housekeeping staff if a towel becomes stained. We understand that accidents happen and will do our best to clean the towel.
- Severe Stains: A replacement fee of $20–$50 per towel may be applied to your bill for severe stains that cannot be removed through normal cleaning processes.
- Avoiding Charges: To avoid any charges, please use towels responsibly and avoid using them for activities that may cause stains (e.g., removing makeup, or cleaning shoes).
Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.
Aloft Management
If I had encountered a laminated notice like this, it would have demonstrated that the hotel manager who devised and implemented this policy was in the wrong business.
Since when were towels only used for dying off after a shower? They are used for other purposes as well. When does a “stain” in a towel become an “accident”?
What is the cost of your average hotel towel?
It cannot be more than five to ten bucks. Hotel towels, due to their frequent usage, undergo plenty of wear and tear, so they must be frequently replaced.
Is this policy intended to deter guests from using these towels for makeup removal? I have no personal experience, but doesn’t regular washing remove any possible stains?
Conclusion
I hate all these “nonsense” rules that some of these hotels come up with without consulting the brand and the brand standards book.
Sometimes, hotel towels have gone through way too many washing cycles and are about as soft as sandpaper, which can also happen at luxury hotels.
I remember asking staff to change all the towels at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives because they were really hard and had not been properly washed. This also happened recently at another luxury brand, but I cannot recall which one.
I have no issue with the hotel charging for actual damage someone causes on purpose, but what about stains on a towel?
Have you been charged for any “damage” you caused at a hotel? Where, when, what, and how much?
