Confessions of a Hotel Housekeeper

[MrsKreamer]

Saw this on Yahoo!

"Instead of Vacuuming, I Picked Up Some Crumbs"
Budget Travel, February 2009
Allison Rupp worked at Yellowstone National Park's historic Old Faithful Inn in 2004.

The best guests sleep in

Three simple letters could inspire the "Hallelujah" chorus: DND, or do not disturb. One sign hanging on a doorknob, and the day's work was shortened by half an hour. Two signs? Pure heaven, but only if they remained there until my eight-hour shift ended—otherwise I'd have to circle back and clean the rooms. My daily list of 15 rooms (out of 325 in the hotel) consisted of DOs (due out) and Os (occupied), which in housekeeping lingo meant the guests were scheduled to check out or were staying another night. An occupied room was less labor-intensive (making the beds rather than changing the sheets saved me 20 minutes), but there was always the possibility the guest would stay in the room while you worked. One man watched me clean his entire room, from scrubbing the toilet to emptying the trash—and told me at the end that I was "building character." Condescension is not nearly as encouraging to a maid as a couple of dollars.

As long as it looked clean

I cut corners everywhere I could. Instead of vacuuming, I found that just picking up the larger crumbs from the carpet would do. Rather than scrub the tub with hot water, sometimes it was just a spray-and-wipe kind of day. After several weeks on the job, I discovered that the staff leader who inspected the rooms couldn't tell the difference between a clean sink and one that was simply dry, so I would often just run a rag over the wet spots. But I never skipped changing the sheets. I wouldn't sink that low, no matter how lazy I was feeling.

A bacterial wonderland

I was disgusted by the many guests I came in contact with through the things they left behind: the hairs on the pillow, the urine on the toilet seat, the half-eaten cookie, the stained sheets. One woman had soiled her sheets so thoroughly that we had to toss them in a biohazard bag—they could never be used again. Rooms where young kids stayed were the worst, with food ground into the carpet and piles of used diapers in the trash. That kind of demoralizing mess could take 45 minutes to clean up. Most maids wore rubber gloves when they worked, but mine were too big, so I discarded them. Unsurprisingly, I got the flu twice.

Not for love — or money

I didn't know maids received tips, so it took me weeks to realize that the coins left in rooms were an intentional gift. My tips were paltry: I almost never received more than $1, and at times guests left religious pamphlets. One day, however, I was shocked to find a crisp $100 bill lying on a table. Although the generous tip put a little spring in my step and compelled me to do a better job that day, it didn't change my work ethic for long. I apologize to you now if you ever stayed in one of my rooms. You deserved better. But if housekeepers were paid more than minimum wage—and the tips were a bit better—I might have cleaned your toilet rather than just flushed it.

I doubt it.

 

[dahirsh]

I haven't even finished reading it yet, but just from the beginning- our housekeepings don't like dnd rooms. They get paid by how many rooms they clean, 2 dnd rooms and essentially they lose an hours pay. It's not that simple, there may be extra rooms or other work they can pick up, but believe me they aren't hoping for that sign on the door

 

[Bluestars]

That last sentence in bold describes her. I don't think you can ever pay a lazy person enough money to actually work. They will always find a way to get out of things.

I can imagine that there would be some disgusting things that maids would have to clean up though. Some people are gross.

We always pick up the room and put all the trash in the trash cans. We'll also keep the sink wiped and the place pretty much cleaned up.

 

[hereyago]

Hope she never decides to work at a timeshare. I can see her trying to figure out how to half butt cleaning where a real xmas tree was or she would probably throw out pots and pans because she didn't want to clean them.
She would hate me because I inspect timeshares for a living and I am not really that well liked for lazy workers.

 

[Evil Genius]

I don't believe a word of it. She took a $100.00 bill that was laying on the table as a tip? And kept her job??

 

[englishteacha]

I was a maid in a motor lodge type place. Lots of short term stays. It was disgusting work. I remember facing a bathtub full of water and what appeared to be blood. It was awful! I always prided myself on leaving a clean room, though. I cried when a manager said someone had complained about their shower not being clean. The shower WAS clean, but it was stained beyond scrubbing. The place was in definite need of remodeling. I never received more than $5 in tips for the whole summer. The next summer I worked front desk at a fancy hotel. I'm not sure what was worse...cleaning up after average people or being treated as an inferior by rich folks.

 

[Feeln'Froggy]

I worked as a house keeper at a hotel where my dad was the manager.
It was awful! I am a hard worker and I lasted about a week and a half.
At sixteen the last thing I wanted to do is spend the summer in Panama City Fl cleaning rooms.
I would not wish that job on my worst enemy.

 

[Stacerita]

Not buying it.

 

[dismom2]

What's so gross about hair on a pillow? I shed a lot and there probably are hairs on my pillow. I can think of MUCH worse things to complain about. On that note: I would never take a bath in a hotel tub. I am just never sure how clean they really are (disinfected, I mean).

 

[Buckalew11]

my parents owned a motel when I was growing up. I've helped clean a lot of rooms and it is really hard work. I'd hate to do that job everyday for a living.

My mom was very strict about her motel rooms. Like you could have eaten off the floors in the rooms! LOL

Our favorite rooms were people who wanted clean towels and trash picked up. That did nothing to our pay (nor a DND sign) although we had very few who wanted no service at all.

The worst were a few that rented the room for a few hours and then left. *wink, wink* as a kid I can remember commenting about them "already leaving and they had not even spent the night yet". You'd go in there and even though the night had not come yet, the bed was all messed up!?! LOL I was 10 when we bought that place and I had no idea... kids today probably would though.

People, on vacations, are slobs for the most part. And once again, I will add that to me, the S/D has the best housekeeping services on WDW property. I haven't had a "dirty" room yet!

 

[ORMom2Four]

I'm a bit leery ever since the maid busted herself playing with our camera when we were at Disneyworld. (we stayed at the Nick suites Holiday Inn)

The link to the video is in my signature.

 

[chris1gill]

Hope she never decides to work at a timeshare. I can see her trying to figure out how to half butt cleaning where a real xmas tree was or she would probably throw out pots and pans because she didn't want to clean them.
She would hate me because I inspect timeshares for a living and I am not really that well liked for lazy workers.

I own a condo in a resort that has timeshares, we shared the same housekeeping staff at one time, they had to be the worst I've EVER seen. They get paid minimum wage and they do the lousiest of jobs. They could care less what the place looks like. Not once did I walk in the place and NOT have to either clean the place myself (or have my DH do what I couldn't) or call them back to do a decent job. Well, except the time I walked in and found they took two grand worth of stuff. They have not stepped foot in the place again and the resort no longer has the keys. What this housekeeper says in the article is exactly what I watched and experienced first hand on a full time basis several times a week. How hard is it to clean hardwood floors and NOT leave crumbs? Or granite? Not too difficult IMHO... How difficult is it to remove bars of actual used soap? Never mind they washed the blankets once a month, it was just disgusting. We weren't the only homeowners with this ongoing problem, the timeshare folks had the same problem. Management knows all about it, but are at a loss to find people who will do that job for that money and do a good job, no matter what country they bring them from. They've tried bringing them from several countries and no country has worked out better than the next.

Now I have my own housekeeper, and I watch her and help her when and where I can. I also pay her three to four times what the resorts' housekeepers make in addition to helping her, it's well worth the cost, my guests notice how clean the place is and they very often comment on it, those are the people you want back.

 

[Tink888]

I cleaned rooms for a summer during college. It was HARD work and it doesn't pay well at all. She's right about a few things.

People can be real pigs and you come across some VERY disgusting rooms.

There were some guests who were very condescending.

Personally I LOVED DNDs'. We also averaged 15 rooms per day and if I got a DND I was thrilled. I didn't care about the money, at the end of the day I was exhausted.

I left that job with some humility and compassion. I always try to keep our rooms pretty clean whenever we stay somewhere. I treat the housekeepers like human beings. The majority of housekeepers could care less about going through a guest's personal things - they're just trying to earn a paycheck. I wouldn't ever want to be a housekeeper again.

 

[The Orchid]

I'm a bit leery ever since the maid busted herself playing with our camera when we were at Disneyworld. (we stayed at the Nick suites Holiday Inn)

The link to the video is in my signature.

Oh. My. God. How dumb is too dumb?

I would have been so mad! That is just awful! Did you do anything about it? Did you show the owner/manager what happened? I am a huge privacy freak and I would have felt extremely invaded.

 

[dismom2]

I'm a bit leery ever since the maid busted herself playing with our camera when we were at Disneyworld. (we stayed at the Nick suites Holiday Inn)

The link to the video is in my signature.

Wow!! That is crazy! Was she just looking at your vacation pictures? She should be on that stupid criminal show on T.V.. I hope you let her manager know, and sent them a copy or link so they could see for themselves.

 

[themarquis]

I'm a bit leery ever since the maid busted herself playing with our camera when we were at Disneyworld. (we stayed at the Nick suites Holiday Inn)

The link to the video is in my signature.

OT, but I watched the video and while it's funny that she taped herself, it wasn't clear to me that she was "playing with your camera" or trying to do something bad. How do you know that she wasn't just moving stuff around or moving the camera and accidentally turned it on? I've done that with my camera.

 

[3DisneyBuggs]

I wish hotels had larger trash cans. It only takes 1 diaper or pull up to make the can full. Add in some snack wrappers or tissues and you are now a hotel guest slob. I always felt bad about having trash overflow but i don't travel with my own garbage can.,

 

[anniemae]

I cleaned hotel rooms one summer in college and man was it hard! I was so exhausted by the end of the day. I do remember some guests were pigs and others would complain just to complain. It does not suprise me that some maids cut corners. I have seen dateline episodes that show maids just glossing over the room and not really cleaning it between guests. A room should be scrubbed and disinfected between guests.

 

[Mickey527]

I am not tooting my own horn here but
I agree the garbage cans are small in all hotels I have stayed in. But the cleaning people always leave extra bags in the bottom of the can. When I took my grandson to FL and he wore diapers I NEVER left a dirty diaper in the can, I always put it in a bag and took the bag to the larger garbage outside.
I also take my garbage out each day if it could wind up being smelly (banana peels, etc...)
I do vacuum when I am staying at my DVC if there are crumbs, but I wouldn't if I am at a regular room like Pop, Beach Club, Poly, etc....
I agree that sometimes rooms are not up to par and if I find a mess I will call on it. I don't call for a hair in the shower, or the sink, sometimes when I clean I can't get that one hair off, but I don't sit or touch it, I wash it down the drain.
The last time we stayed at Pop the bedspread was sticky, like someone had put a large lollipop on it and left it for a while. It was pretty gross. I called for a new quilt and took that one off only to find the sheets were wrinkled from the last renter, not new clean sheets. When the maid came with the new bedspread I showed her and insisted she come in and make all the beds over. I also called it in to housekeeping to let them know what condition the room was in when I checked in. Some things do need to be done.

 

[JR6ooo4]

There are much worse and much harder jobs than cleaning...
Nothing but lazy.

Mikeeee