Hotel Sanitation Regulations and the Incidence of Sanitation- Related Disease Outbreaks: Are There Implications?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to: a) compare the degree of hotel sanitation regulations and standards of enforcement which exist in state and federal agencies of the United States, and b) test the hypothesis that there is an inverse relationship between standards of government sanitation regulations of hotel properties and the incidence of sanitation-related disease outbreaks. Hotel sanitation regulations were solicited from each state health department. Only 33 of the 50 states had published regulations specifically related to hotel sanitation. Critical sanitation measures considered important for the control of hotel sanitation-related disease outbreaks included the hotel water distribution system, ventilation system maintenance, swimming pool and whirlpool spa requirements, and inspection frequency. Alabama was the only state to cover each of these measures in their regulations. An inverse relationship between standards of government regulations and disease outbreaks was not observed because a) the exact incidence of sanitation-related disease outbreaks was unknown, b) compliance to hotel sanitation regulations was not guaranteed, and c) outbreaks occurred in states with and without hotel regulations.