When I checked into a Hampton Inn in Michigan last week and saw post it notes stuck on the headboards of the beds, I assumed that housekeeping had done a shoddy job of cleaning the room. But a closer inspection revealed just the opposite. The notes read: "Duvet covers and sheets are clean for your arrival."

My wife's first response was, "Well, they had better be." But the truth is that very few large hotels wash the duvet covers or bedspreads for each newly arriving guest. Hampton Inn has been doing so for some time now, but based on my experience, it looks like they're making another push to try to promote it. We also saw signs advertising the clean duvets in the elevators.

I typically take the bedspread off the bed completely, but at this particular hotel, it felt great to leave it on, safe in the knowledge that I wasn't cuddling up with Lord knows what kind of disgusting stains.

Filed under: North America, United States, Hotels and Accommodations