Hotel staff fed up with Valentine's Day stains

Hotel staff in Melbourne Australia are fed up with cleaning rooms covered in massage oil, whipped cream and “other things”, according to a report in the Herald Sun.

"For us, Valentine's Day means flower petals scattered all over the floors, spilt champagne everywhere and some very questionable stains all over the beds, but no extra time to clean," one Hilton Hotel room attendant told the paper.

"We see exotic fruits and chocolates ground into the carpets, bubble bath all over the bathroom and massage oils all over the bed. And don't even ask me about the whipped cream," she said.

A protest is set to take place outside Hilton South Wharf Hotel by the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU) where they intend to hand out cleaning wipes.

The union claimed the city was facing a hygiene crisis as cleaners only got 15 minutes to tidy a room that needed around 45 minutes.

LHMU state secretary Jess Walsh said the financial rewards for hotels from Valentine’s Day were huge, but they didn’t want to pay staff to clean up properly afterwards.

"Valentine's Day should be a beautiful occasion for everyone, but hotels like the Hilton ruin it by not giving room attendants enough time to clean rooms properly," Walsh asserted.

Hilton South Wharf general manager Michael Bourne said the LHMU had been making allegations concerning the hotel for quite a while, but had refused to discuss the claims.

"I am quite happy to sit down with them ... staff relations are excellent," Bourne said.

Bourne added that Hilton was a very proud employer that treated staff well. He said the hotel catered mainly to guests attending conventions, not those on romantic getaways, so Valentine's Day should not be particularly draining.

"We don't have many lovebirds in here," Mr Bourne told the paper.