Every night, millions of travelers sink into crisp hotel sheets, blissfully unaware that someone might have died in that very room, or even that very night. It’s an unsettling thought, but hotel deaths are far more common than most people realize. If you stay in hotels regularly, odds are you’ve unknowingly spent a night under the same roof as a recently deceased guest. Sweet dreams.

How Often Do People Die in Hotels?

While exact statistics are hard to pin down, public records and industry reports suggest that hotel deaths happen with surprising frequency. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, major hotels in Las Vegas alone report at least one death per week, often from heart attacks, overdoses, or suicides. The MGM Grand, for instance, has averaged two to three deaths per month over the years, and that’s just one hotel. Talk about checking out permanently.

In New York City, data obtained by The New York Post revealed that from 2018 to 2021, more than 100 people died in hotels each year, most found only after failing to check out. Meanwhile, forensic cleaning companies,called in to handle post-mortem cleanups, report they regularly respond to hotels nationwide, proving this is far from a rare occurrence. At least someone’s getting frequent flyer miles, just not the kind they expected.

What Are Your Odds of Staying in a Hotel with a Dead Body?

Let’s do the math. If a mid-sized hotel with 200 rooms experiences one to two deaths per year, and you stay in hotels once a month, there’s a high probability,at least 75%,that you will be in a hotel where a death has occurred within that year. If you travel frequently, you’ve almost certainly checked in while a corpse was still in the building. Hope you enjoyed that continental breakfast.

But here’s where it gets more unsettling: If someone dies in a hotel room, it’s usually housekeeping that finds them, typically after checkout time has passed. In cases where guests book extended stays, bodies can remain undiscovered for days, or even weeks, until the smell raises alarms. According to crime scene cleaners interviewed by Vice, decomposition can begin within 24 to 48 hours, making for grim discoveries. If walls could talk, they’d probably scream.

The Silent Reality of Hotel Deaths

Unlike violent crimes or high-profile incidents, most hotel deaths never make the news. Hotels have little incentive to publicize these events, as it could damage their reputation. As a result, guests remain unaware that their room may have been the scene of a fatal heart attack, overdose, or suicide just days before. So if that room has a weird vibe, maybe trust your instincts, or at least sage the place.

Hotels take swift measures to erase any trace of such events. According to industry insiders, mattresses and bedding are typically replaced, and deep sanitation teams are called in. But walls, carpets, and furniture often remain untouched unless bodily fluids have seeped through. One former hotel manager told Business Insider, “If people knew how often we replace mattresses because of deaths, they’d never sleep in a hotel again.” Hope that bed feels extra cozy tonight.

Business as Usual: The Unspoken Hotel Protocol

For hotel staff, dealing with death is just part of the job. Most major chains have standard procedures for handling fatalities quietly and efficiently. When a body is discovered, security or management calls emergency services while staff keeps guests unaware of the situation. The room is sealed off, and once authorities remove the body, a deep clean is performed before the room is put back in circulation. Some high-end hotels leave rooms vacant for a short period, but many budget hotels turn them over within a day or two. Because let’s be real, capitalism waits for no one, not even the dead.

How Likely Are You to Die in a Hotel?

Surprisingly, hotels can be risky places for certain guests. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that people traveling, especially older adults or those with pre-existing health conditions, are at higher risk for fatal medical emergencies due to stress, dehydration, and changes in altitude or climate. Additionally, excessive drinking, recreational drug use, and sheer exhaustion contribute to many deaths. Turns out, it’s not just the minibar that can kill you.

If you’re feeling off during your stay, take a few precautions:

• Let someone know, text a friend or family member if you’re feeling unwell.
• Keep your door unlocked or slightly ajar if you’re experiencing distress and need easy access to help. Maybe don’t let your final moment be a frantic fight with a hotel door latch.
• Hydrate and rest, travel fatigue is a serious concern. Also, maybe don’t go full rockstar and trash the room.
• Familiarize yourself with emergency numbers,if you’re overseas, know how to contact local emergency services quickly. You don’t want your last words to be “Wait, what’s 911 in this country?”

What This Means for Travelers

So, should you be worried the next time you check into a hotel? Not necessarily. People die everywhere, homes, offices, airplanes, cruise ships, and yes, hotels. But the next time you unlock your hotel room door, just remember: statistically speaking, someone may have taken their last breath in that very space.

Take care of yourself, and sleep well. If you can.