Unfortunately, it happens more frequently than you might think and all hotel brands have a protocol that has to be followed, but they’re all similar. More often than not, deaths are caused by suicide and drug overdoses. The former can be pretty messy depending on the method the deceased chose to end their life. The hotel secures the scene so any forensic evidence is preserved.
The hotel immediately contacts the police. The police will take it from there so that a cause of death is determined. They will handle the investigation, and contact the coroner for body removal and contacting next of kin.
Any guest belongings are usually turned over to the police.
The hotel is usually instructed to keep media out of the hotel, and any press inquiries are referred back to the authorities. As a rule, media attention is not an issue unless the case is a murder or the deceased is someone famous or of local notoriety.
Once the body is removed, the room must be put back into inventory. If the death were caused by drug overdose or a non-invasive form of suicide, this involves a deep cleaning and normal disinfecting of the room. If it is an invasive death with pervasive bodily fluids or body parts, there are professional crime-scene cleaning services a hotel would use to clean and sanitize the room. In rare and particularly messy cases, things like mattresses, carpet or soft seating might be replaced.
As a rule, prudent employers will also offer any employees who discovered the deceased professional counseling. It can be quite a shock to discover a dead body, and it’s usually the poor housekeeper who makes the discovery. In some rare cases, grief counselling might be offered to other staff members if the guest is well-known or perhaps a long-term resident.
Source: Quora