Housekeeping and Check In

[Her Dotness]

DVC isn't a hotel.

Indeed.

Nor does "check-in starts at 4:00 p.m." guarantee all rooms are ready by then.

 

[TomorrowlandOfYesterday]

Nothing makes me feel more motivated to do my job than to hear people say "We pay your salary."

 

[Travel60]

Just got back from 1 wk VB, 1 wk SSR in 2 BR, 1 wk SSR in 1 BR and 5 days HHI. All check-ins we're ready on time or early. The transition at SSR from 2 BR to 1 BR was assisted by arranging immediate availability in same building.
As always, we declined housekeeping (I reuse towels at home and plenty are supplied in each room for a change if wanted).
The only thing that bothered me about the daily trash check was timing. We never knew when they were coming. We like to get up, have breakfast, read online papers in pajamas. Around 11:00 we put on workout stuff and go for 4-5 mile walk then come back for showers. Trash was seldom done by then so we took turns getting ready so one was able to answer door. Sometimes they didn't show til 6:00. Wish there could be a window.

 

[Sandisw]

Good talk.

DVC isn't a hotel.

It is not a hotel, that is true, and it is a timeshare. But, that doesn't change the fact that room ready needs to be reasonable based on what is included in the home resort rules and regulations (or whichever document includes it) for the program.

As DVC owners, we contract with Disney to manage the property and part of that agreement is to provide the cleaning services for us. While we will never get that to change, we certainly should be expecting that rooms be ready 99% of time by 4:00 pm.

One way to help with this situation is to limit rooms requests and at 4:00 pm, any guest who is there, gets a room that is indeed ready, even if it had originally be given to someone else based on a request.

Now, prior to 4 pm, sure, hold those given based on requests, but as soon as it is 4:00 pm, no guest should be waiting for a room if one is already ready to go. And, after 5 hours from check out to check in time, there should be very few rooms, left to finish.

Not all owners arrive before 4 pm, so honestly, not much of an excuse that any owner should have to wait hours beyond 4:00 pm.

 

[Vulnox]

It is not a hotel, that is true, and it is a timeshare. But, that doesn't change the fact that room ready needs to be reasonable based on what is included in the home resort rules and regulations (or whichever document includes it) for the program.

As DVC owners, we contract with Disney to manage the property and part of that agreement is to provide the cleaning services for us. While we will never get that to change, we certainly should be expecting that rooms be ready 99% of time by 4:00 pm.

One way to help with this situation is to limit rooms requests and at 4:00 pm, any guest who is there, gets a room that is indeed ready, even if it had originally be given to someone else based on a request.

Now, prior to 4 pm, sure, hold those given based on requests, but as soon as it is 4:00 pm, no guest should be waiting for a room if one is already ready to go. And, after 5 hours from check out to check in time, there should be very few rooms, left to finish.

Not all owners arrive before 4 pm, so honestly, not much of an excuse that any owner should have to wait hours beyond 4:00 pm.

I did online check in for our upcoming trip, and the first day our flight doesn't get in until, essentially, 7PM. So when I did the check in I said 7PM (we will probably be closer to 8, but I hoped to ride the line of readiness).

Does anyone know if they take that information into account when determining room placement on that day? For example, I specify 7PM, someone else says 4:00PM. You would think that if that someone else shows up at 4:00PM, they would just get a room that is ready. But I thought on here I read that room assignments are set a day or so before arrival, and to a point that must happen because we can request things like rooms near an elevator, or rooms with Epcot/Fireworks view, and so on.

Just has me wondering what the point is of asking that information if it doesn't help someone that needs a room at 4PM. It sucks to think our room may be ready at 4PM despite us not being there for three more hours, but someone else has a room designated to them already but won't be ready until 5PM.

Hopefully that makes sense. I guess they could use your check in time to determine room cleaning schedules, so maybe that is how it works. In any case, I hope people are generally honest about their expected check in time so they can make sure those that need 4PM or early check in are handled first.

 

[McCrae]

It is but between this, the IT fiasco beforehand, the IT fiasco during (this trip), the service provider actually needs to help create that fun.

At some point you need to throw your hands up and say "I paid a lot of money for what you are advertising as deluxe (hotel) accommodations. Fix it."

As an international owner Disney really helped all of us who had to cancel vacations due to Covid. They didn’t need to, but they did. They are allowing all of us to use points that would have been lost to book another trip. To me that is fantastic service. Literally this is worth thousands of dollars to us. When it comes to the big issues I trust Disney to make the right call.

 

[Sandisw]

I did online check in for our upcoming trip, and the first day our flight doesn't get in until, essentially, 7PM. So when I did the check in I said 7PM (we will probably be closer to 8, but I hoped to ride the line of readiness).

Does anyone know if they take that information into account when determining room placement on that day? For example, I specify 7PM, someone else says 4:00PM. You would think that if that someone else shows up at 4:00PM, they would just get a room that is ready. But I thought on here I read that room assignments are set a day or so before arrival, and to a point that must happen because we can request things like rooms near an elevator, or rooms with Epcot/Fireworks view, and so on.

Just has me wondering what the point is of asking that information if it doesn't help someone that needs a room at 4PM. It sucks to think our room may be ready at 4PM despite us not being there for three more hours, but someone else has a room designated to them already but won't be ready until 5PM.

Hopefully that makes sense. I guess they could use your check in time to determine room cleaning schedules, so maybe that is how it works. In any case, I hope people are generally honest about their expected check in time so they can make sure those that need 4PM or early check in are handled first.

That is a great question and I am going to ask this week when I am there! I know they clean rooms in an order and doing it by arrival time could crisscross them all over the place.

But, the policy should be first available so when people arrive, rooms ready get assigned. It is silly, IMO, that an owner who is there is waiting on a specific room because someone assigned it to them days before when a different one is cleaned and ready to go.

To be fair, I have had CMs at a few resorts who did indeed move me to a ready room over when was first assigned, which was very much appreciated.

 

[kes601]

That is a great question and I am going to ask this week when I am there! I know they clean rooms in an order and doing it by arrival time could crisscross them all over the place.

But, the policy should be first available so when people arrive, rooms ready get assigned. It is silly, IMO, that an owner who is there is waiting on a specific room because someone assigned it to them days before when a different one is cleaned and ready to go.

To be fair, I have had CMs at a few resorts who did indeed move me to a ready room over when was first assigned, which was very much appreciated.

We had this happen at Poly over Christmas. We were earlier than ancitipated (based upon our online check-in time). I think we were there by 9:30 or 10:00. The CM moved us from our pre-assigned room to one that was in the process of being cleaned. 10 minutes later we were on the way to the room (which ended up being a fiasco upon entering the room…I won’t go into that here). My point being though is that if you go the front desk when you arrive and let them know you are physically there they will typically do what they can to get you into a room if it is available.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Part of the conversation about room turnover that I don't hear very often is the other side of it - the check-out. So many times when we're at a DVC location, we've seen people clearly moving out of their rooms at 11:30, 12:00, or even later sometimes - often with housekeeping prepared and ready to go clean the room at 11:00, when folks are supposed to be out. It's rude, unnecessary, and will often impact the check-in availabilities later in the day.

We were just there last week and had 3 DVC resorts on split stays. At OKW and AKL, our 2BR rooms were ready and available by mid-afternoon (2:00 or so). Beach Club was a little later, but still was 4:10 or so - not terrible. We've had very good luck getting our DVC rooms in a timely manner. And those 2BR accommodations can't be easy to clean and turn over quickly. Anything before 4:00, we view as getting in early.

 

[Sandisw]

Part of the conversation about room turnover that I don't hear very often is the other side of it - the check-out. So many times when we're at a DVC location, we've seen people clearly moving out of their rooms at 11:30, 12:00, or even later sometimes - often with housekeeping prepared and ready to go clean the room at 11:00, when folks are supposed to be out. It's rude, unnecessary, and will often impact the check-in availabilities later in the day.

We were just there last week and had 3 DVC resorts on split stays. At OKW and AKL, our 2BR rooms were ready and available by mid-afternoon (2:00 or so). Beach Club was a little later, but still was 4:10 or so - not terrible. We've had very good luck getting our DVC rooms in a timely manner. And those 2BR accommodations can't be easy to clean and turn over quickly. Anything before 4:00, we view as getting in early.

The only thing I will add is that you don’t know for sure these people didn’t reserve the room for that night.

When we have a late flight, I also book that night so we are not homeless for too many hours before going to the airport, We have left our room many times around 1 to 2 pm.

I would not assume all those people are simply a late check out.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

The only thing I will add is that you don’t know for sure these people didn’t reserve the room for that night.

When we have a late flight, I also book that night so we are not homeless for too many hours before going to the airport, We have left our room many times around 1 to 2 pm.

I would not assume all those people are simply a late check out.

I do know what you're saying, but that's probably the exception. But when the housekeeping cart is waiting outside the door, it's a pretty good indication they're ready to get in by 11 and get the room ready. But yes, I should not assume - I agree!

 

[Sandisw]

I do know what you're saying, but that's probably the exception. But when the housekeeping cart is waiting outside the door, it's a pretty good indication they're ready to get in by 11 and get the room ready. But yes, I should not assume - I agree!

I had a cart outside my room every day at RIV in January for our three night stay..lol

I think our room was centrally located which did make it a bit of a pain for our guest with a scooter…we kept having to slide it down!

But, it was nice seeing the mouse keeper so often to get more supplies!

 

[philharmagic fan]

This may be a trivial point, but we try to help the staff by moving all our trash to one or two wastebaskets and putting them just inside the door. We leave dirty towels nearby in a pile on the floor and leave a note mentioning any items we need replaced ("more shampoo, please") and we usually get multiple bottles/packages/towel sets. A little courtesy toward the staff will not only be repaid but frees up their time to turn over rooms a bit quicker, which seems to be what several of the early posts on this thread would like to see.

 

[karrit2000]

Whenever I stay in the 1 bedroom or larger Villas I always start the Dishwasher before I checkout so it's already washing the load whenever they get into the room to clean and will just need to be emptied when done.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

We stayed at a Hyatt Regency in Chicago last weekend and the room wasn’t ready 2 hours after check-in, so it isn’t just Disney.

 

[J-Dog]

That is a great question and I am going to ask this week when I am there! I know they clean rooms in an order and doing it by arrival time could crisscross them all over the place.

But, the policy should be first available so when people arrive, rooms ready get assigned. It is silly, IMO, that an owner who is there is waiting on a specific room because someone assigned it to them days before when a different one is cleaned and ready to go.

To be fair, I have had CMs at a few resorts who did indeed move me to a ready room over when was first assigned, which was very much appreciated.

But the problem with this first-come, first-serve policy for check-in time is that someone like me, who lives on the West Coast and rarely gets in to the resort before 8 or 9pm - we will pretty much constantly be getting the less-desirable rooms compared to people who live local and can drive in early in the day. To me, that's not fair if I booked a room and made a room request much earlier than someone who just happens to live closer and can show up sooner.

 

[DebbieB]

That is a great question and I am going to ask this week when I am there! I know they clean rooms in an order and doing it by arrival time could crisscross them all over the place.

But, the policy should be first available so when people arrive, rooms ready get assigned. It is silly, IMO, that an owner who is there is waiting on a specific room because someone assigned it to them days before when a different one is cleaned and ready to go.

To be fair, I have had CMs at a few resorts who did indeed move me to a ready room over when was first assigned, which was very much appreciated.

They tried that around 2004 and it didn’t work. People would get there early, see what was available and if they didn’t like it, come back later. One good thing came out of it - the boardwalk view category.

 

[chaoskids]

For our OKW stay in October we didn't get our room until about 5:30. However, we got the exact area we requested. I think if people don't have specific requests they usually get in to a room quicker.

 

[Sandisw]

I was told that they try their best to use the info but not always possible.

I can say that we had rooms within an hour or so after I said we’d be there. First was 3:00 pm when we said we’d be there By 2 and the other said by 1:00 and had room by 2!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

It is not a hotel, that is true, and it is a timeshare. But, that doesn't change the fact that room ready needs to be reasonable based on what is included in the home resort rules and regulations (or whichever document includes it) for the program.

Exactly right. I do not mind and am never going to complain about 5 minutes. I won't complain about 20 minutes as long as the CM's are courteous and are actively working on getting me a room (not saying they have not been). I HAVE in the past (distant) had my room not ready until 9pm... that's simply not acceptable. "starts at 4pm" is absurd. When does it END? 11:59pm? 2am? 3 days later?

Does anyone know if they take that information into account when determining room placement on that day? For example, I specify 7PM, someone else says 4:00PM. You would think that if that someone else shows up at 4:00PM, they would just get a room that is ready.

I used to argue that there is no reason they could not integrate with DME (of course that's a mute point now). But since DME knew the flight information, we could have told them when any guest arriving by plane was going to arrive - including those you can delay since the flights are late. Further, DME could notify them of a pickup and they would know that guest would be at the hotel within the hour. Sadly they never did that integration.

This may be a trivial point, but we try to help the staff by moving all our trash to one or two wastebaskets and putting them just inside the door. We leave dirty towels nearby in a pile on the floor and leave a note mentioning any items we need replaced ("more shampoo, please") and we usually get multiple bottles/packages/towel sets.

I always put all my towels and if used other bedding in a pile. I put all dirty dishes in the dish washer and start it. I pick up all trash and put it together in bags (sometimes I even run those to the trash room). If I have time, I strip the beds.