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Overlooked: hotel norovirus outbreaks

March 2, 2007

The travel blogosphere likes to get all lathered up about norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships — and yes, I’m one of those commentators who doesn’t miss an opportunity to join in. But how about the hotels that have similar problem? That was the case just yesterday at the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City.

And what have the bloggers said about that? Pretty much nothing.

As many as 150 guests may have become infected at the Hyatt. In January, the Hilton Washington Dulles Airport hotel closed temporarily after about 120 employees and guests were sickened by Norwalk.

While that does make for a good local story, it hasn’t had nearly the reach of the norovirus stories on cruise ships. (In fairness, at least one blogger for Fodors, and another for Tripso (which I happen to also edit) mentioned the Dulles outbreak. But only in passing.

Here’s why the hotel incidents don’t resonate with bloggers, I think.

First, the Centers for Disease Control doesn’t require hotels to report norovirus outbreaks. Cruise lines are.

Second, I think there’s a difference in bloggers’ minds between a hotel — which you can leave anytime — and a cruise ship, where you’re basically trapped for days. You can’t walk away from an infected ship as easily as you might check out of an infected hotel.

And finally, travel bloggers don’t get nearly the same number of complaints from infected guests as they do from infected passengers. In fact, I’ve never gotten a letter, e-mail or call from a person whose hotel stay was ruined by a norovirus infection and wanted compensation from a hotel.

Fact is, hotel infections happen a lot. And the blogosphere doesn’t treat them in the same way as it does cruise ship infections.

Perhaps it should.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

2 comments

  • Paul Motter, editor, Cruisemates.com

    It is true that cruise ships are the only entity required to report norovirus, much to the delight of reporters and other people who love to bash cruising just for the fun of it.

    If it is a questions of “fairness” between one travel offering and another, how can you even pose the question, “perhaps they should require hotels to report the same.” If fairness is the issue, of course they should.

    The question is why does the CDC require cruise ships to report and not others? Actually, I don’t know, but I assume it is because they CAN, and monitor the situation in a closed environment. But ironically, the fact that a hotel guest can leave a hotel and check into another actually makes it much more likely that the Norovirus will travel.

    At least on a cruise ship they can contain the outbreak, but in a hotel or school or restaurant how many people get an order of norovirus with their “take out?”

    The point is, the CDC monitors cruise ships because it is the one environment where they can contain and control it, they are powerless over most other institutions when it comes to containment. So, the conclusion is that the CDC monitors cruise ships for their own benefit, not the ship’s, solely because it is a way for them to show their muscle. Does it improve public health as much as if the CDC were actually tracking the properties far more likely to spread the disease like schools and hotels? No, but it sure makes a lot of splashy headlines for travel reporters.

  • Ed

    I find this interesting too that the press doesn’t jump on this as well. This one instance isn’t the only one in the DC area where this happened.
    In January of this year (on the 18th to be exact) the Hilton Dulles was shut down because of the Noro virus. Over a hundred guests and dozens of employees were infected…yet all it got was a by-line in the local paper. What’s insidious is that these happened within two months of each other and it occurred to 5 star properties!
    Ed
    web/gadget guru

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