Housekeeping Shenanigans?

[beer dave]

I agree with you but I also understand the housekeepers position. If you were the housekeeper and you were given a sheet of rooms to clean, you need to get them done by a certain time, you don't know the condition of the rooms, (and I have seen some that you would not believe), your boss is putting pressure to work faster, you know that later you will be getting chewed out if you don't finish by 4:00.

We were bugged by a house keeper last month who wanted to get into our room, she said that the people checking into the room were very upset that the room wasn't ready and that the front desk told housekeeping to get the room ready ASAP.

Bill

Well the people checking in need to take a pill and wait. We all know how it works.

 

[disneynutz]

Well the people checking in need to take a pill and wait. We all know how it works.

Actually "we" may know but IMO most DVC owners don't. DIS and internet active members are such a small percentage of members. Most don't look at the member website, 50% still book with a phone call. Talking to other members at the mingles is a real eye opener on what others know about the DVC and what they want to know.

Just think about what you would know about the DVC if you only read the DVC mailings and talked to MS CM's.

Bill

 

[bumbershoot]

Ah --- interesting thought..... soon they will gps your bands so they will know when you leave...

I've read about housekeeping looking at FP+s on the Resorts board. If they checked gps at least they'd know we were in the room!

We were bugged by a house keeper last month who wanted to get into our room, she said that the people checking into the room were very upset that the room wasn't ready and that the front desk told housekeeping to get the room ready ASAP.

Bill

Doesn't that sound off to you Bill?

If I were in your shoes that would go on the "lies CMs have told me" list.

Before checkin time, before checkOUT time, we believe they have let a new guest know the room number they will have even though it's still occupied? Because the guest wouldn't be upset unless they knew that it was still occupied. And the front desk could simply reassign a room to them, one that's closer to being ready.

What the housekeeper said doesn't even make sense to me.

 

[southerngirl528]

If I were in your shoes that would go on the "lies CMs have told me" list

While I agree that one could certainly hear incorrect info from a CM at some point, I absolutely believe this scenario, whether it was accurate in this particular instance or not. Years ago, I worked MS when I first moved here and though it was (thankfully!) a minority of DVC members, some folks are downright….well….crazy, delusional, or whatever you want to call it. They have demands that are unreasonable to anyone with a mind that is working logically, but to them it is absolutely correct. They want what they want, when they want it and HOW they want it. Again, this was a very small minority, but I can tell you that working the teamline, I heard from more than a few. I could explain the facts and situation over and over, earnestly trying to be helpful to the outraged member, but some refuse to hear reason.

FD has the ability to be readily in contact with Housekeeping and vice versa. I can entirely believe that some "entitled" member was pitching a fit at the FD and the call was made to please get their villa ready to c/i as soon as humanly possible. FD just wants to get members that are acting out taken care of and OUT of there so they can take care of the lines of other members waiting to check in. Some folks seem to love to cause a scene, and the really sad thing is that sometimes unreasonable behaviors are rewarded/reinforced by the angry guests/members getting exactly what they wanted. I very much disagree with doing an out of the norm guest service for someone being hateful or unreasonable.

What I think we all can forget is that each of us has our preferred area of a resort to request, perhaps even a certain floor and/or view as well we want. And if we're honest, we want to get in that room as soon as possible. But there are only so many rooms that meet our individual criteria on any given day that are being vacated. I have at times been offered a room to check in right away at the FD, but if it wasn't in the general area I had requested, I have said I would be happy to take a room with a later check in to get some of my requests. Just depends on the situation. But I do try to remember how hard the job is at times for the CM at the FD, Housekeeping, etc. And I try very hard not to be one of "those members".

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

I agree with you but I also understand the housekeepers position. If you were the housekeeper and you were given a sheet of rooms to clean, you need to get them done by a certain time, you don't know the condition of the rooms, (and I have seen some that you would not believe), your boss is putting pressure to work faster, you know that later you will be getting chewed out if you don't finish by 4:00.

Oh I totally get the housekeepers position and the pressure they are under. I've been there, although my experience was cleaning regular hotel rooms which is not as intensive as cleaning a villa. I can overlook the first knock for that reason, but once I've told them in person when we'll be out, which is still an hour before checkout time, and they could see that the room was still dark (bc people were sleeping), I think it crosses the line of rudeness to keep calling/knocking. Since it's happened to me on the last 3 visits, and at checkin for those same visits, my villa was not ready on time (meaning by 4pm, not when I got there), it seems that they clearly have a staffing issue that should be addressed.

 

[disneynutz]

I've read about housekeeping looking at FP+s on the Resorts board. If they checked gps at least they'd know we were in the room!
Doesn't that sound off to you Bill?
If I were in your shoes that would go on the "lies CMs have told me" list.
Before checkin time, before checkOUT time, we believe they have let a new guest know the room number they will have even though it's still occupied? Because the guest wouldn't be upset unless they knew that it was still occupied. And the front desk could simply reassign a room to them, one that's closer to being ready.
What the housekeeper said doesn't even make sense to me.

The housekeeper didn't say that the guest knew the room number only that they wanted into their assigned room. Since it was early in the day and the housekeeper was waiting outside our room and not trying to clean another room, my guess is that she was being honest.

Bill

 

[Julylady]

I also find it so annoying when they start knocking on the morning of checkout! I have started giving them a specific time when we will be leaving. "We will be leaving the room at 10:30am. Please don't come back until after that time." Being specific has seemed to help. Since I have started doing that, they have not contacted us a 2nd time. However, each time the housekeeper is lurking in the hallway as we exit.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

As long as we remember to put up the DND sign we have not been bothered. Check out time is 11am and there is zero excuse to be bothering a guest who has not left before that time. I think the housekeepers have a tremendous job to do and we almost always do things to help turn over a villa faster but on the days they might happen to get all their rooms checking out and no one leaves until 11am? Well, that makes up for the days they apparently get to leave early and still receive the full pay. But I think that would be quite a rare day for them just as getting to leave early should be quite a rare day.

On check out day housekeeping doesn't know if you checked out and left the DND sign out so they don't really pay attention to the sign. Per housekeeping it's a common problem.

Bill

Then the housekeeper is at the room at 11am. There should be no knocking anc checking before then if there is a DND sign and they are not certain the room has been left.

The housekeeper didn't say that the guest knew the room number only that they wanted into their assigned room. Since it was early in the day and the housekeeper was waiting outside our room and not trying to clean another room, my guess is that she was being honest.

Bill

I'd also chalk this up to being a bit of a fib. First - I've yet to meet a front desk that would harp on the housekeeping about not having a room ready to go well before 4PM. It just isn't going to happen. And if they were really being bothered they could have located a room that was ready to go. We just returned from VGC and were given the option of 2 different rooms. I asked if either were ready, which they weren't, and they said they would not being to check with housekeeping for when they would be ready until after 4PM, not that I had asked for that anyway. Now DL is not WDW but I've also never had the front desk check on a room unless it was well after 4PM there either.

 

[southerngirl528]

I have had Front Desk check with Housekeeping on the status of a room at checkin a few times over the years and at several DVC resorts. I've also had this happen at Marriott TS's. I've been standing right there when they picked up the phone and called them. Not saying that's normal by any means, but over the 2 decades plus I've been a member, I have certainly seen it done a few times.

 

[RooRach0906]

As long as we remember to put up the DND sign we have not been bothered. Check out time is 11am and there is zero excuse to be bothering a guest who has not left before that time. I think the housekeepers have a tremendous job to do and we almost always do things to help turn over a villa faster but on the days they might happen to get all their rooms checking out and no one leaves until 11am? Well, that makes up for the days they apparently get to leave early and still receive the full pay. But I think that would be quite a rare day for them just as getting to leave early should be quite a rare day.

What things can be done to help them turn over the room faster? We always start the dishwasher and put all the towels in one location. I am just wondering so I can do them in the future.

 

[WDWforUs]

Oh I totally get the housekeepers position and the pressure they are under. I've been there, although my experience was cleaning regular hotel rooms which is not as intensive as cleaning a villa. I can overlook the first knock for that reason, but once I've told them in person when we'll be out, which is still an hour before checkout time, and they could see that the room was still dark (bc people were sleeping), I think it crosses the line of rudeness to keep calling/knocking. Since it's happened to me on the last 3 visits, and at checkin for those same visits, my villa was not ready on time (meaning by 4pm, not when I got there), it seems that they clearly have a staffing issue that should be addressed.

I agree. I don't think we have ever had a 1BDR stay where it was ready before 5 pm.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

What things can be done to help them turn over the room faster? We always start the dishwasher and put all the towels in one location. I am just wondering so I can do them in the future.

Our things are just gathering the towels together, always cleaning out the fridge and getting everything in the dishwasher and starting it.

 

[Iamthequeen]

The front desk will not give out room numbers until the room is ready. We were there in Dec and we were told the general area where our room was and what floor, but no room number. We just left our bags at bell services and went off to the park, waiting for a text message that never came. Got our room number when we got back to the resort later that evening.

 

[MsTessP]

Another tip if in a 1 bedroom or larger is to start the dishwasher early so the housekeeper doesn't have to run it. Not starting it early can add and hour or two to the room availability for the next guest.

Bill

That's a great tip and a courtesy to guests checking in. We have, however, checked into our newly-cleaned room while the dishwasher was still running.

 

[Donna M]

"What things can be done to help them turn over the room faster? We always start the dishwasher and put all the towels in one location. I am just wondering so I can do them in the future."

I've been told to go, not call, to the front desk and let them know you are leaving, they in turn can get it into the computer that your room is vacant, and the housekeepers can get started.