THE hygiene of hotels has always been a concern for consumers. According to a post released by the city’s health supervision authority on WeChat, Welcome Inn in Meisha Subdistrict, Yantian District, was found problematic for not having a sterilization room, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported Monday.

The inn has a hygiene license, the staff have health certificates and the inn was also able to provide health credibility ratings, but when the law enforcement officers required an inspection of the sterilization room, the head of the inn became evasive.

Officers found that the sterilization room was only furnished with a cleaning and disinfection sink, which had neither water pipes nor a drainage system connected. There were also a lot of sundries in the room, far from the hygiene standards of a sterilization room.

As the room was problematic, the officers guessed it was not the actual sterilization room and stressed the consequences of deception and non-cooperation to the head of the inn, who later led the officers to the true sterilization room.

The door of the room was labeled “sterilization room” and there were visible signs of a rinsing sink, a sterilization sink, and a cleansing sink posted on the walls. However, the room was furnished with a bed, a desk, a sterilizer and other items.

The head explained that when the inn got its hygiene license, the room was equipped with a cleansing sink. But because the staff on the night shift didn’t have a lounge, the cleansing sink was removed and the room was converted into a dormitory for the staff.

As for the sterilization of the drinking glasses in the guest rooms, the head of the inn responded, “After the demolition of the cleansing sink, the drinking glasses were cleaned in the bathrooms of the guest rooms. They were repeatedly used without being sterilized.”

The inn’s hygiene management files were also reviewed at the site, but no hygiene inspection report for 2016-2017 was found. The supervision department issued a warning and a 3,000-yuan (US$449) fine to the inn for repeated use of drinking glasses without sterilization and not conducting hygiene inspections on the micro climate, air and water quality, lighting, noise and public articles.

The hotel has been required to install a cleansing sink in the sterilization room, regulate the cleansing and disinfection of public articles and equipment and apply to the hygiene inspection institution for an examination.

(Zhang Yu)