I totally agree. It's a combination of things. In many ways, you get what you pay for. You want to pay next to nothing for a service, well, you aren't going to get five star results. People don't put out five star effort for a half a star salary. Most people who are great at what they do will chase higher salaries.
Also, not just in this industry, but in many others, you have a lack of supervision and a lack of any hands on management. At my own place of employment, it isn't unusual to meet management staff who never bother to take a walk around the facility and get to know their staff or find out what needs troubleshooting. I observe this every day on the public transportation that I use. When was the last time a senior management person actually RODE the transportation, or came down to see what goes on at the bus stops and train stations? Most managers don't try to involve themselves in what rank and file staff are involved in. They don't try to involve themselves in the customer experience. The weak link in the chain is when management thinks that their job is more about paperwork than the physical nature of any product.
I believe that more hands-on supervision of housekeeping would yield better results. Things like random walk throughs. And it doesn't have to be adversarial. Just a walk through for supervisors to acquaint themselves with their staff, and a friendly hello. If housekeepers didn't know when a supervisor would show up, they might be a little bit more attentive to their job responsibilities.
And you obviously built up a healthy immune system...
I've only been sick at WDW with a stomach bug once and that was one of the last times I stayed off-site.
