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

[patty57]

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.

Swan & Dolphin have been doing this for quite awhile, although it's always been a $5.00 per day resort credit, or SPG points.

 

[ArwenMarie]

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.*

Yes they have conventions but I was talking about the difference between WDW vacation travelers and business travel. The vacationers are often filling the rooms to capacity and have Garden Grocer deliveries sent to them etc. Business travelers don't do that.

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.

People who voluntarily opt out, I agree. People who are being paid to opt out...not necessarily

 

[ArwenMarie]

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.

Maybe they can just give everyone they miss a $20 gift card when they complain?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yes they have conventions but I was talking about the difference between WDW vacation travelers and business travel. The vacationers are often filling the rooms to capacity and have Garden Grocer deliveries sent to them etc. Business travelers don't do that.

Right but you said: "WDW hotels are much different than those that cater to business travelers." And my point was Disney already has hotels that cater to business travelers. Heck they have an entire website dedicated to them https://www.disneymeetings.com/disneyworld/hotels

 

[robinb]

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

They don'r have *that* much of a vested interest. I don't think they really treat the villas like "home". The difference is that guests have an expectation to keep their own room clean.

 

[HopperFan]

They don'r have *that* much of a vested interest. I don't think they really treat the villas like "home". The difference is that guests have an expectation to keep their own room clean.

I disagree. How is the cost of Disney DVC's not "that much"? If I am spending that much for my DVC (obviously not talking about renters) then I want my investment in good shape for the long term, I expect other guests to maintain as they would home and I would be much more protective of the lodging than I would a hotel room.

 

[Flamingeaux]

I have this vision of bags of towels and trash lining the hallways.....

On our Nov 2016 trip we used the do not disturb sign every day and didn't get one bag of towels nor did we see any on any doors. I wondered if this was some kind of test...

 

[ArwenMarie]

Right but you said: "WDW hotels are much different than those that cater to business travelers." And my point was Disney already has hotels that cater to business travelers. Heck they have an entire website dedicated to them https://www.disneymeetings.com/disneyworld/hotels

Ok fair enough. I was talking about the WDW vacationers which hotels that mostly cater to business travelers don't have

 

[robinb]

I disagree. How is the cost of Disney DVC's not "that much"? If I am spending that much for my DVC (obviously not talking about renters) then I want my investment in good shape for the long term, I expect other guests to maintain as they would home and I would be much more protective of the lodging than I would a hotel room.

I am a long time DVC member and no, I don't think of it that way.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Swan & Dolphin have been doing this for quite awhile, although it's always been a $5.00 per day resort credit, or SPG points.

Excuse my ignorance, but does the resort credit mean that they deduct it from your bill?

IDK if the germaphobe signed up for SPG. I'll be on my own room, happily getting housekeeping. I love being on vacation when somebody other than me is doing the cleaning. LOL!

 

[ArwenMarie]

I don't see how this is going to save on costs.

Aren't they just going to be cleaning up even dirtier rooms? Even more wet towels to haul out after people check out? More garbage? Dirtier sinks (they do seem to wipe those daily) I know myself with my own house if I miss a day on daily housekeeping it makes the next day far far worse!

 

[HopperFan]

I am a long time DVC member and no, I don't think of it that way.

Wow, my folks have a huge TS investment that they share with us. We all have the utmost respect for their units and complexes, and keeping them nice for future trips.

I don't see how this is going to save on costs.

Aren't they just going to be cleaning up even dirtier rooms? Even more wet towels to haul out after people check out? More garbage? Dirtier sinks (they do seem to wipe those daily) I know myself with my own house if I miss a day on daily housekeeping it makes the next day far far worse!

YES^ So now pizza boxes, soda bottles and such will sit by the door for days inviting all kinds of bugs (unless guest piles them outside), wet towels will begin to mold in a very short time piled up in FL so now they will spend more money replacing them and that's only if they pile them on floor areas instead of carpet, crumbs and food will now get walked on and ground into floors, stain buildup in toilets will become harder to clean ......

And if they can't keep Housekeepers now, what will this do when the work becomes more backbreaking.

 

[Lothlórien]

I am a DVC Member. It works. It really is not that big of a big deal IMO. Having said that, I have only stayed at a Value when somebody else was treating and there is a different level of standard when it comes to prepping the room for the next guest. I might not want to skip Housekeeping at a Value based upon my prior experiences.

 

[Lothlórien]

I don't see how this is going to save on costs.

Aren't they just going to be cleaning up even dirtier rooms? Even more wet towels to haul out after people check out? More garbage? Dirtier sinks (they do seem to wipe those daily) I know myself with my own house if I miss a day on daily housekeeping it makes the next day far far worse!

I believe the goal is for Disney to see if they can make it an option to charge for the service instead of offering it nightly. It is most likely an effort to save on water and even electricity. It is also an effort to cut jobs, most likely.

I do not get how this change makes a room "dirtier". How much garbage do people actually acquire in their rooms? How hard is it for the guest to use a towel and wipe out the sinks? If you want new towels, you would exchange the ones you currently have, resulting in the same amount of towels at check-out that you had at check-in. Unless people are total slobs, I do not see how they could "destroy" a room to the point of it creating extra work for Disney staff.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I believe the goal is for Disney to see if they can make it an option to charge for the service instead of offering it nightly. It is most likely an effort to save on water and even electricity. It is also an effort to cut jobs, most likely.

I do not get how this change makes a room "dirtier". How much garbage do people actually acquire in their rooms? How hard is it for the guest to use a towel and wipe out the sinks? If you want new towels, you would exchange the ones you currently have, resulting in the same amount of towels at check-out that you had at check-in. Unless people are total slobs, I do not see how they could "destroy" a room to the point of it creating extra work for Disney staff.

I know when I skip a day of doing dishes or tidying or emptying trash or changing out towels, the next day it takes me more than twice as long to get the house back in order. If I miss a few days, forget it. That's the whole theory behind all of these housekeeping strategies that people blog and write books about...do a little bit every day.

I'm not really talking about destroying a room, although I am sure that happens. Four people jammed in a hotel room for a week without housekeeping could be quite a mess to clean up upon checkout

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I am a DVC Member. It works. It really is not that big of a big deal IMO. Having said that, I have only stayed at a Value when somebody else was treating and there is a different level of standard when it comes to prepping the room for the next guest. I might not want to skip Housekeeping at a Value based upon my prior experiences.

I'm not sure what you mean by a different level of standard for prepping the room for the Values?

 

[robinb]

Wow, my folks have a huge TS investment that they share with us. We all have the utmost respect for their units and complexes, and keeping them nice for future trips.

I didn't say I didn't have respect for the units . I have just as much respect for the DVC villas I stay in as I do any other hotel/timeshare. No more, no less. I find treating an accommodation better because I "own" it perplexing. I don't do a single thing differently.

 

[married2mm]

Not a wdw hotel-but in london...

I'd spread all my stuff out all over very quickly & moved in-we had another room for ds&Dd but theirs was much smaller & I utilised all our space!

The next day we happened to be in the corridor as the housekeepers were doing their rounds-we had a do not disturb sign on both doors..
I requested more towels and the housekeeper was insistent the only way we could have towels was if he was allowed access to our rooms-he would hand them over!
This discussion lasted a while-until I took him to the kids room and he took towels to the bathroom...it was rather bizarre.


Back to wdw-I would very happily accept $20
I'm very surprised of the actual amounts $$$$$

 

[NuJoy]

I disagree. How is the cost of Disney DVC's not "that much"? If I am spending that much for my DVC (obviously not talking about renters) then I want my investment in good shape for the long term, I expect other guests to maintain as they would home and I would be much more protective of the lodging than I would a hotel room.

Speaking for just myself, owning DVC does make me feel more invested in the property I own. I sweep up the bathroom floor after getting dressed; I leave dirty towels in one neat pile; I put dishes away in the dishwasher; and once, I cleaned out the bottom freezer tray because I thought we had spilled something in there; but later my husband said it wasn't our mess...oh well. There is a bit more feeling of embarrassment of leaving the room in bad shape for the housekeeping to come in and see. I can't help feeling that it would somehow be recorded against us if we made a huge mess every time we stayed in a unit. Ultimately, I do feel more respectful toward the housekeeping and my fellow owners who may be using the room after us than I would a hotel room we utilized once.

Personally, I would like some kind of housekeeping more often than every 4 days. We do have lots of recyclables, I don't like feeling grit on my bare feet, and I would prefer to come in to a made bed every day; but I resigned myself to the cleaning schedule when we bought in.

 

[Mome Rath]

Disney runs research on things alllll the time, in every aspect of their business. I'm sure there are plenty of sociologists and industrial/organizational psychologists on board. Anyone in either profession would be able to tell them to expect a completely different result if they try to take away housekeeping vs. paying volunteers. They are running a test on paying volunteers, not taking away housekeeping. Sure, they may run a different experiment in the future on taking away housekeeping (making people pay for it) based on some of the data they collect here, but the outcome will all be statistically based. Emotions will only count if it has an impact on the numbers. Which it may. Or it may not. That's what statisticians live for.