Multidimensional Profiles of Microbial Contamination and Hygiene Risk Across Functional Areas in Family Hotels

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Abstract
Microbial contamination in hospitality settings remains understudied despite the high density of human contact and diverse operational activities that characterize hotel environments. This study aimed to characterize microbial contamination patterns and environmental hygiene risks across multiple functional areas of family-oriented hotels. A cross-sectional environmental microbiological investigation was conducted in family hotels in Bavaria, Germany. A total of 225 environmental surface samples were collected from guest rooms, child areas, food-related areas, service environments, and water-exposed locations. Bacterial isolates were identified using culture-based microbiology and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Microbial prevalence, contamination severity, microbial richness, and pathogen prevalence were assessed using mixed-effects ordinal logistic regression, generalized additive model (GAM), and integrated hygiene profile, all performed in R (version 4.5.1). Microbial occurrence patterns differed markedly across functional areas. Contamination category distributions differed significantly among areas, with food-related environments showing the strongest enrichment in the highest contamination category (72.7%). Food-related areas showed significantly greater odds of severe contamination than guest rooms (OR = 8.37, 95% CI: 1.89–37.00), child areas (OR = 6.16, 95% CI: 1.20–31.46), and water-exposed environments (OR = 12.34, 95% CI: 2.45–62.10). Microbial richness differed across operational zones (p = 0.048) and was positively associated with contamination severity (β = 0.141, p < 0.001). GAM revealed a significant non-linear richness–contamination relationship (p < 0.001). Integrated hygiene profile consistently identified food-related and service areas as the highest risk environments. Environmental hygiene risks in hospitality settings display functional-area heterogeneity, highlighting the need for targeted, area-specific hygiene management strategies.

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