Detroit Hotels Score Lower on Cleanliness Than Most US Cities, Study Finds

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Article courtesy of Boutique Hotel Hub.

• Detroit has the seventh dirtiest hotels in America, with an average hotel cleanliness score of just 7.74 out of 10. 
• A new study analyzed cleanliness levels based on reviews at 7,731 hotels across 123 American cities. 
• Columbus, Georgia, has the dirtiest hotel rooms, with an average cleanliness score of only 7.53 out of 10.

A new study has ranked US cities based on which ones have the dirtiest hotel rooms, with Detroit appearing in the top ten. When traveling, especially with kids, hotel cleanliness is a necessity to prevent the spread of germs and illnesses, as well as ensuring a hygienic place for bottle prep, diaper changes, and playtime.The study by Boutique Hotel Hub compared booking.com cleanliness scores of hotels in each city in the United States with a population of at least 250,000, only including hotels with more than 250 reviews. The research then found the average hotel cleanliness score to find where travelers find the most spotless stays.

Michigan findings

Detroit, Michigan, ranks as the seventh-worst city with the dirtiest hotels in the country. The city had 53 hotels included in the analysis, which had a total of 27,350 reviews. Overall, the city’s hotels have an average cleanliness score of 7.74 out of 10. Detroit places just behind Anchorage, Alaska, which took the sixth spot.

Detroit was also the only city in Michigan to appear in the top 50 cities with the dirtiest hotel rooms in the US, making it the city with the dirtiest hotel rooms in Michigan by far.

Top 10 cities with the dirtiest hotel rooms in the United States:

Ronan McLoughlin, a spokesperson for Boutique Hotel Hub, has commented,  “Hotel cleanliness is an extremely important factor when selecting accommodation, especially after the global pandemic shed light on the spread of germs. Cleanliness is important for any hotel, but it is especially important for those in cities that are more popular among tourists, as they will see a much higher number of guests.”Detroit being the only Michigan city in the ranking highlights just how unclean some of the city’s hotel rooms are. If you plan on visiting Detroit any time soon, especially with your kids, ensure you check reviews carefully when booking your accommodation.”

Methodology:

Across the 123 US cities with populations over 200,000 according to the US Census, data was scraped from booking.com to determine the cities with the most unclean hotel rooms. For each city, cleanliness score data was scraped for every hotel with a 7-night availability during March, April, or May 2025. Hotels with fewer than 250 reviews were excluded from the data, leaving 7,731 total hotels across the 123 cities.

Top 50 cities with the dirtiest hotel rooms in the United States: