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Scottish Sun

I'm TV's hotel inspector – here are eight red flags you've booked a bad room from poached eggs test to hot tub

The Hotel Inspector star Alex Polizzi reveals the subtle clues your hotel room is not up to scratch, including why you should be cautious when booking a 'boutique' hotel ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT I'm TV's hotel inspector – here are eight red flags you've booked a bad room from poached eggs test to hot tub Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FROM badly-cooked eggs to peeling stickers on the window, sharp-tongued hotelier Alex Polizzi says there are plenty of red flags to watch out for when booking your next stay. With more than two decades in the game and her own successful hotel chain, the 53-year-old star knows exactly what makes a stay memorable, and what turns it into a nightmare. 8 The Hotel Inspector star Alex Polizzi reveals the subtle clues that scream that your hotel room is secretly not up to scratch Right now, she admits, the industry is going through a difficult period, and it's hitting the guest experience directly. 'It's miserable at the moment,' she says. 'The challenges facing hoteliers are enormous. I wake up every day and wonder why I'm still doing it. 'But there are small things they can do to make a big difference. Many people go into this industry with no experience. 'They will not survive without taking their heads out of the sand and taking a look around them at what works and what doesn't.' Here Alex — whose new series of The Hotel Inspector returns to our screens this week — reveals her top red flags, the subtle clues that scream that your hotel room is secretly not up to scratch. 1. IT'S A 'BOUTIQUE' HOTEL 8 Stay away from fancy descriptions and staying at a 'boutique' hotel doesn't mean you'll get a better bedroom Credit: Getty THIS word is bandied around so much now and has become completely meaningless. Hoteliers use words like 'sumptuous' and 'luxury' in a bid to lure in customers. But most customers know you aren't getting luxury for a few quid. Ignore fancy descriptions. Instead look at the photos and the facilities on offer. Watch out for the type of place where every surface is covered with fake cacti and there are bits and bobs everywhere. It's untidy and potentially unhygienic. Clear, clean surfaces are best. 2. LANDLORD IS LAZY YOU need energy and enthusiasm to run a hotel. If the landlord looks slovenly and won't show you to your room, it's a red flag. One hotel landlord in Dartmoor from this series was so lazy. Some people think, once they've got their own business, they can lie about on the sofa all day. Actually you are now chief cook and bottle washer as well. The day never ends. If they won't show you to your room, what else are they not doing? The Hotel Inspector's Alex Polizzi reveals the struggle she's had with a hotel owner over a restaurant interior 3. BAD EGG 8 If the hotel kitchen can't cook a decent poached egg, best to eat somewhere else Credit: Getty THE true test of a hotel kitchen is the poached egg. So many hotel chefs can't cook decent ones. I always order them as the ultimate test of what is going on behind closed doors. If they can't do a decent job of this, I wouldn't expect much from the food on offer and would find somewhere else to eat. 4. THEY HAVE A HOT TUB 8 Every bad hotel has a hot hub, which are a breeding ground for germs Credit: Getty THERE'S a huge trend for hot tubs right now. Every crappy hotel I go to has one and hopes it will make them a profit. They don't. And hoteliers either spend all day keeping them clean, or they are dirty. I am not someone who would get into a hot tub. They are a breeding ground for germs — repulsive things. Incidentally, beware places that advertise that they have a spa, when what they actually have is an eight-person hot tub. 5. COFFEE OUT OF ORDER 8 If your room features a broken coffee machine, it's likely there's more stuff inside the hotel that won't be fit for purpose Credit: Getty THE first thing that greeted me at The Railway Rambler's Rest in Dartmoor was a broken coffee machine. If it doesn't work, why not just throw it out? If that's out of order, it's likely there's a ton of other stuff inside the hotel that won't be fit for purpose. It gives a bad first impression. 6. CIGS OUTSIDE FRONT DOOR 8 Hotels with cigarette butts outside the front door shows your hotel isn't clean Credit: Alamy FIRST impressions count. Dirty entrance halls and dirty windows with peeling stickers on them. Fag butts outside the front door. If I arrive and see this stuff, I panic and think: 'Here we go again'. Socks under the bed are also a red flag, as you'll wonder when was the last time the place was hoovered. We need cheap hotels, but why can't they be cheap AND clean? 7. TOWEL ON THE BED 8 A hotel with towels on the bed shows poor thought and design Credit: Getty WHO started the trend of towels on the bed? It's not a good idea. You need one in the bathroom. It's no good having a shower and then having to walk dripping wet through to the bedroom to pick up your towel. It shows poor thought and design. You never see a towel on the bed at a five-star hotel. It's only acceptable in Disneyland, where the staff make the towels into fabulous animal shapes for the children. That's fun. 8. LOO LABEL LUNACY 8 Hotels which say your loo has been sanitised should make you worried about the hygiene in the rest of the bedroom Credit: Getty MANY cheap hotels have a cover over the loo to tell you it has been sanitised. I should hope so! You don't need to tell me. I take it for granted that it has been cleaned. If they have to tell me, I'd immediately start worrying about hygiene in the rest of the bedroom. It's the same with making the pointy bit at the end of the loo roll. I don't want someone touching my loo paper, especially the end I'm going to use. The latest series of The Hotel Inspector begins tomorrow on Channel 5 at 8pm. Episodes will be available to stream on My5.