Hidden camera footage has emerged showing cleaners at more than a dozen five-star hotels in China using dirty towels to clean toilets, cups and showers, sparking outrage on Chinese social media.

Key points: The footage was captured by a Weibo user who frequents luxury hotels

The footage was captured by a Weibo user who frequents luxury hotels He claims the cleaning standards in Chinese hotels, is lower than other parts of Asia

He claims the cleaning standards in Chinese hotels, is lower than other parts of Asia The clip has been shared more than 80,000 times online and viewed nearly 100 million times

In a 12-minute video posted to the popular Chinese social media site Weibo, cleaning staff were also shown washing cups and mugs with the same sponge used to wipe down the shower and sink.

Eleven of the 14 hotels involved have apologised since the video went viral, and China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has ordered investigations into the apparent breaches of hygiene standards.

Major international hotel chains have been caught up in the scandal, including the Waldorf Astoria in Shanghai and the Park Hyatt in Beijing, which have both since apologised.

The blogger who posted the video, under the pseudonym Huazong, said he had spent more than 2,000 nights in 147 five-star hotels across several major Chinese cities.

A cleaner washes a glass with a used face washer in the video. ( Weibo )

In one section of the video, which is captioned in Chinese, he criticises a cleaner for washing dishes with a cloth that had been stored next to a used toilet-scrubbing brush.

The captions indicated that the incident was filmed at the Le Royal Meridien Shanghai, and that he had paid 1,600 yuan ($317) a night for the room.

The clip has been shared more than 80,000 times online and a topic section on Weibo dedicated to the video has been clicked on 99 million times.

"Even the best hotels in China, their hygiene and ethics levels are not comparable to a small hotel in Japan," one user wrote.

Others pointed out that hygiene at hotels was an ongoing concern for locals — but said it was surprising to this sort of behaviour at luxury hotels.

"Everyone knows about it, the hotel has high and low levels. But some people have no bottom line," said another Weibo user.

A hotel cleaner uses a guest towel to wash a sink in the video. ( Weibo )

Seven of the hotels filmed were in the city of Shanghai, where the local tourism authority is conducting investigations into the issues raised in the video, according to the state-owned Global Times newspaper.

Law enforcement will be cooperating in the probe.

"The hotels involved will be dealt with in a strict manner upon investigation," the Global Times reported.