GC Incentive if Housekeeping Declined? Update July 14 - Testing Concluded

[robinb]

I can do without the sarcasm, it is really not necessary. I never said $20 was chump change or a drop in the bucket. I merely said that at these prices even $20 is not enough of a discount FOR ME to forgo housekeeping. No amount would be as far as I am concerned because I go on vacation so I don't have to pick wet towels up from the floor.

If you enjoy doing that and find value, have at it. I am concerned that if many people accept this it will turn into a charge for housekeeping eventually and those that opt out will get nothing.

It wasn't necessary to mention how much you were spending on your next 3 vacations to make the same statement that it wasn't enough FOR YOU to forgo housekeeping.

Disney is ALREADY charging for housekeeping but it's rolled into the price of the hotel room.

 

[eastendlights]

It wasn't necessary to mention how much you were spending on your next 3 vacations to make the same statement that it wasn't enough FOR YOU to forgo housekeeping.

Disney is ALREADY charging for housekeeping but it's rolled into the price of the hotel room.

My point is that for these prices, it is insanity to even contemplate that housekeeping would possibly be an additional charge at some time. Plenty of people spend A LOT more than I do and mention it endlessly on this board so this was not a brag-it was an example. Why you found it offensive is beyond me.

 

[oceanmarina]

I've never heard of that.

I don't think I would decline housekeeping though. I like a cleaned up room after a day out.

I sure hope if people decline housekeeping for a few days they throw out their own garbage!

Yes, like other posters have said, can you see the garbage in the hallway now. With Florida critters helping clean up the mess. Gross, tacky & awful!!

They are looking to cut down their housekeeping cost drastically. I am sure they are testing the waters here, with eventually cutting down on housekeepers they have to employ, but in the future, no compensation. Just my guess.

I like housekeeping. I don't usually have time in the mornings at home to make my bed, so on vacation it's a nice little "luxury" to come back to a made up bed and fresh towels. Plus I like having the trash emptied.

I don't care if they are going to offer perks for declining it, but I really hope they don't ever start charging extra for daily housekeeping.

Me too, as we are already paying a lot to stay on site! I agree, I make my own bed 360 days a year, the 5 other days that i'll be on vacation at Disney is a luxury for me that I enjoy.

We also love housekeeping. I don't go on vacation to make beds, wipe down counters and reuse damp towels. At these prices, there better not be any added charge for housekeeping-not one cent. That would be the end of our Disney trips forever and I wouldn't even be sorry about it. Talk about a line in the sand-that would be it for me.

Yep, me too. That would just about do it for me as well.

AND THIS IS THE POINT! For the over-inflated prices we pay to stay in Disney hotels this shouldn't even be a discussion at the table. This is tacky and honestly I don't want to stay in a hotel that won't be kept up in the best way. I can pay way less for much better service and much nicer rooms WITH housekeeping.

I agree completely, if Disney is marketing their hotels as high quality, as times goes by with less upkeep / cleaning of the rooms i'm sure it will be all downhill from there. The kind of gross , dirty rooms you can see pictures of on TripAdvisor. I agree with you HopperFan, for what I pay to stay at Disney, I don't want to stay in a hotel that is not maintained for cleanliness and quality.

Exactly. Disney is not testing this as a way to make resorts more affordable or to help out their guests. They are doing it to see if they can get away with not including something that should not even be a question. Do you really think that eventually they will not stop giving the incentive and then come out and say "Our guests let us know that they really did not care for housekeeping so we will now charge for those that want it-all in the name of improving guest experiences???" They will eliminate the incentive, eliminate housekeeping and then charge extra for something we are already overpaying to have.

If that happens, as much as I love Disney that would push me over the edge. We pay top-dollar to stay onsite at deluxe resorts (and have to work very hard all year to be able to do so), I can't even imagine the audacity Disney would have to charge a housekeeping fee on top of what they already charge.

 

[robinb]

My point is that for these prices, it is insanity to even contemplate that housekeeping would possibly be an additional charge at some time. Plenty of people spend A LOT more than I do and mention it endlessly on this board so this was not a brag-it was an example. Why you found it offensive is beyond me.

*shrug* I didn't find it offense.

 

[HopperFan]

I travel a lot for work currently. 3-4 nights a week. I didn't say it as standard but it is becoming more common. Almost all of the hotels I stay in offer an incentive to forego housekeeping. As I noted in a previous post I stay at mostly Hilton and Starwood brand hotels and this is the case in nearly all of them now. The amount varies by hotel and chain, $5/night credit, 500-3000 points per night, free breakfast at the hotel restaurant, etc. All of these are incentives I've been offered over the past 2-3 years.

I never see loads of trash or towels laying in the hallway. When I come back after the 2nd or 3rd night I have a plastic bag hanging in my door handle with new towels and toiletries. Most of the time I don't even need it and it stays in the bag.

No one is forcing anyone to stay in a Disney hotel or pay any particular rate. And again, as we have been seeing, other folks are just fine paying these rates and declining housekeeping for no incentive at all. Why would allowing the housekeeping staff to plan with a formal incentivized system in place be a bad thing? It's an option. You don't have to choose it. I can't foresee them completely doing away with housekeeping or making it a paid amenity but I'm certainly fine with having the option. If I feel like it's a good deal I take it, if I don't, I pass.

We can agree to disagree but I don't honestly see why others can't have a choice on whether to skip housekeeping and accept a gift card in return if they wish.

Absolutely we can agree to disagree.

With close to 130 WDW hotel stays, mostly value and moderate .......... these guests ........ not business guests. I'm disappointed now with guest behavior and treatment of rooms, halls and food courts .......... we remove the basic housekeeping for cash, many will be living the college dorm life. I just don't spend that much money to be in that environment. It's fine with me, I have AP and a car, so offsite is okay.

 

[SL6827]

Exactly. Disney is not testing this as a way to make resorts more affordable or to help out their guests. They are doing it to see if they can get away with not including something that should not even be a question. Do you really think that eventually they will not stop giving the incentive and then come out and say "Our guests let us know that they really did not care for housekeeping so we will now charge for those that want it-all in the name of improving guest experiences???" They will eliminate the incentive, eliminate housekeeping and then charge extra for something we are already overpaying to have.

Absolutely!!

 

[KrazeeK120]

I travel a lot for work currently. 3-4 nights a week. I didn't say it as standard but it is becoming more common. Almost all of the hotels I stay in offer an incentive to forego housekeeping. As I noted in a previous post I stay at mostly Hilton and Starwood brand hotels and this is the case in nearly all of them now. The amount varies by hotel and chain, $5/night credit, 500-3000 points per night, free breakfast at the hotel restaurant, etc. All of these are incentives I've been offered over the past 2-3 years.

I never see loads of trash or towels laying in the hallway. When I come back after the 2nd or 3rd night I have a plastic bag hanging in my door handle with new towels and toiletries. Most of the time I don't even need it and it stays in the bag.

No one is forcing anyone to stay in a Disney hotel or pay any particular rate. And again, as we have been seeing, other folks are just fine paying these rates and declining housekeeping for no incentive at all. Why would allowing the housekeeping staff to plan with a formal incentivized system in place be a bad thing? It's an option. You don't have to choose it. I can't foresee them completely doing away with housekeeping or making it a paid amenity but I'm certainly fine with having the option. If I feel like it's a good deal I take it, if I don't, I pass.

We can agree to disagree but I don't honestly see why others can't have a choice on whether to skip housekeeping and accept a gift card in return if they wish.

Great post. I mentioned upthread as well that there was a similar incentive at the Drury Inn that I recently stayed at, in the form of reward points.

I'm just not sure why people are thinking that Disney is going to jump to (or even considering) charging for housekeeping. Other hotels have been doing this for awhile and aren't charging, so why would Disney? Couldn't it just be that, like other hotel chains, they are attempting to use resources more efficiently?

 

[TomServo27]

I think many would be surprised the number of people who don't even use housekeeping when their is no incentive. I used to do a lot work for some hotels and worked with the head of housekeeping and this was often the case.

 

[WEDWDW]

Also, as we have seen in this and other recent housekeeping threads there are many folks who prefer to not have daily housekeeping. Right now, the staff who are assigned to clean the rooms have no idea whether that do not disturb sign is up for an hour, the day, or the duration of the stay.

Can't a Guest place a call to Housekeeping and request it be noted they will not be needing daily housekeeping instead of using the DND sign?

 

[ArwenMarie]

Absolutely we can agree to disagree.

With close to 130 WDW hotel stays, mostly value and moderate .......... these guests ........ not business guests. I'm disappointed now with guest behavior and treatment of rooms, halls and food courts .......... we remove the basic housekeeping for cash, many will be living the college dorm life. I just don't spend that much money to be in that environment. It's fine with me, I have AP and a car, so offsite is okay.

This is a really good point. WDW hotels are much different than those that cater to business travelers. Business travelers are solo, eat all of their meals out, using the room to sleep and shower. These are rooms packed to the gills, often to capacity. This means many more towels, showers, toilet usage, garbage. People bring groceries, they're eating breakfast in the room, snacks, cups.

I also wonder if this will make the rooms dirtier overall. You know how like the more often you wipe your bathroom counter the easier it is to wipe your bathroom counter (insert any cleaning task in here)

 

[JerseyJanice]

I went to Disney last year with a relative who doesn't want housekeeping in his room. He has a lot of allergies and doesn't want them disturbing dust or touching his stuff. Germaphobia and a bit OCD. He goes nuts at the thought of someone using a vacuum cleaner in his room with strangers' dust and dander in it.

We are traveling in the same group this fall and staying at the Swan. After reading this thread, I'm going to encourage him to ask at the front desk about being compensated for using no housekeeping. If he could, he'd turn his room into a fortress to keep from anyone getting inside it.

 

[mb187143]

Absolutely we can agree to disagree.

With close to 130 WDW hotel stays, mostly value and moderate .......... these guests ........ not business guests. I'm disappointed now with guest behavior and treatment of rooms, halls and food courts .......... we remove the basic housekeeping for cash, many will be living the college dorm life. I just don't spend that much money to be in that environment. It's fine with me, I have AP and a car, so offsite is okay.

The guest behavior point is a fair one, I'll agree with you there. The concept doesn't bother me but there are many who travel to wdw already who treat the parks and rooms this way. I do see your point there.

Can't a Guest place a call to Housekeeping and request it be noted they will not be needing daily housekeeping instead of using the DND sign?

Sure, and some do, without any financial incentive, already. Where I've stayed and this is offered, it's not done with the regular do not disturb sign. There's a second hang tag for the room stating the guest is opting for no housekeeping. I'm not sure how current guests are communicating their desire to skip housekeeping under the test.

Either way, having a process in place to communicate clearly the desire to forego housekeeping is probably a good thing. I think many people just use the do not disturb sign for th duration of their stay which does leave the housekeeper having to come back and check multiple times each day to see if it's been removed.

 

[Lynne M]

I think it was mentioned upthread, but for all those worried that the rooms will deteriorate without daily housekeeping...

This is not a new concept. Disney has been running the DVC resorts on this model for 26 YEARS, and in no way are they filthy or run down. The rooms are cleaned weekly, and between guests. Guests dispose of their own trash. It works just fine. Yes, of course you get the occasional guest who makes a mess. That happens in any hotel, no matter how frequently they're cleaned.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This is a really good point. WDW hotels are much different than those that cater to business travelers. Business travelers are solo, eat all of their meals out, using the room to sleep and shower. These are rooms packed to the gills, often to capacity. This means many more towels, showers, toilet usage, garbage. People bring groceries, they're eating breakfast in the room, snacks, cups.

I also wonder if this will make the rooms dirtier overall. You know how like the more often you wipe your bathroom counter the easier it is to wipe your bathroom counter (insert any cleaning task in here)

According to Disney they have 6 resorts that are dedicated convention resorts: BoardWalk Inn, Contemporary Resort, Coronado Springs, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Yacht & Beach Club. Appearantly that all adds up to more than 700,000 square feet of ballroom, meeting and function space.

And don't they have tickets specifically for those who attend conferences?

I mean sure the majority of guests are probably not business guests at Disney but Disney certainly already caters to those who do come for business.

*I understand that for now this is a pilot test at a Value resort but the talk has branched out into mousekeeping and resort rooms as a whole and as a generality.*

 

[HopperFan]

I think it was mentioned upthread, but for all those worried that the rooms will deteriorate without daily housekeeping...

This is not a new concept. Disney has been running the DVC resorts on this model for 26 YEARS, and in no way are they filthy or run down. The rooms are cleaned weekly, and between guests. Guests dispose of their own trash. It works just fine. Yes, of course you get the occasional guest who makes a mess. That happens in any hotel, no matter how frequently they're cleaned.

DVC folks have a very vested interest. I don't think there is a comparison.

 

[Westcoastwild]

This is a really good point. WDW hotels are much different than those that cater to business travelers. Business travelers are solo, eat all of their meals out, using the room to sleep and shower. These are rooms packed to the gills, often to capacity. This means many more towels, showers, toilet usage, garbage. People bring groceries, they're eating breakfast in the room, snacks, cups.

I also wonder if this will make the rooms dirtier overall. You know how like the more often you wipe your bathroom counter the easier it is to wipe your bathroom counter (insert any cleaning task in here)

I really don't think it will.

I think you're being really optimistic thinking that housekeepers really thoroughly clean a room that is occupied. They don't. They do the least amount necessary because they know they'll be deep cleaning when they turn over the room anyway.

In the case of garbage: people who skip cleaning rooms probably don't have a lot of garbage to begin with. I camped at FW and rarely had anything to throw out. I've certainly been in hotel rooms where I've left a lot of garbage, but generally if it's not due to having a baby along, it's shopping garbage and the occasional fast food. I wouldn't think the last applies much to Disney, and the first is not a big deal. Most housekeepers don't touch the first unless you've checked out anyway.

 

[Disneylover99]

DVC folks have a very vested interest. I don't think there is a comparison.

People who opt out of housekeeping, will probably make more of an effort to keep their rooms clean.

 

[HopperFan]

One reason Disney has stayed ahead of other parks is their cleanliness. I get it's been slipping but I blame the guests for leaving their trash wherever they are or it lands, for not worrying if they hit the bathroom trashcans etc. Many guests at resorts are not better. We can have a good arguement the daily cleaning may not get the carpets etc. But I firmly believe most guests who opt for this are doing it for nothing more than the money and are not going to make any effort at all towards cleanliness.

In the case of garbage: people who skip cleaning rooms probably don't have a lot of garbage to begin with. I camped at FW and rarely had anything to throw out. I've certainly been in hotel rooms where I've left a lot of garbage, but generally if it's not due to having a baby along, it's shopping garbage and the occasional fast food. I wouldn't think the last applies much to Disney, and the first is not a big deal. Most housekeepers don't touch the first unless you've checked out anyway.

I disagree. I think the number one incentive for guests will be the money. This does not mean they will carry their garbage out of the room or any further than the hallway. This does not mean there won't be wet towels stacked on the floor, on carpets, on furniture. Sadly folks at Disney seem to think they are on the ultimate vacation, even from parenting, so I have no faith that a large majority will leave garbage wherever it lands. It happens now if you look in the open curtains, the food left on tables at the food court etc.

People who opt out of housekeeping, will probably make more of an effort to keep their rooms clean.

I disagree. The incentive for most will be more spending money and nothing else. It's all good, I'll likely stay offsite most trips.

 

[Disneylover99]

I disagree. The incentive for most will be more spending money and nothing else. It's all good, I'll likely stay offsite most trips.

I definitely agree, that people will take the deal to get the gift cards, but nobody wants to live in squalor. I believe that most will tidy up (to some degree) after themselves.

 

[mom2rtk]

I have occasionally been missed by housekeeping before. I will say that if I pass on the payoff for no housekeeping, it's going to be a bigger issue if they miss me.