By SHANNON KELLY

We’ve all seen one of those news-program exposés on the filth in hotel rooms that can’t be seen by the naked eye. Best Western is determined to never be the target of this type of “gotcha” again, by arming its cleaning staff with UV inspection and sterilization technology.

Each of the hotel chain’s room will receive high-tech cleaning using UV wands and black lights. Rooms will also get seamless remote controls that are easier to clean and each pillow will be wrapped with a single-use (and recyclable/biodegradable) cover to show they’ve been cleaned between stays.

Best Western’s goal is to become recognized as the cleanest of the mid-range hotel chains says Ron Pohl, the chain’s senior vice president of brand management and member services. Individual Best Western hotels that were involved in the pilot program for the new cleaning techniques over the past year showed a 12- to 13 per cent increase in guests’ overall satisfaction and intention to recommend the property.

Though guests may perceive this as a big step forward, Purdue University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Howard Adler told CNN that better training of housekeeping staff would be more effective and said that, “I relate this to homeland security. We are not any safer, but many people believe that we are.”

The new cleaning program will be implemented across all Best Westerns in North America this year.

Have any hotel cleanliness “war stories”? Go ahead, gross us out: @wherecanada.