How would you handle this problem?

[OllieDannyandMe]

Since we are spending part of our vacation in August in a Royal Guest Room at POR, I was reading the DIS blog here with interest:

http://www.disunplugged.com/2012/05/27/getting-the-royal-treatment-at-port-orleans-riverside/

At the end of her review, she goes into a few details about the room not being clean. That happened to me in 2003 at CBR, and like the blogger, we tried to ignore it. But it really did put a damper on our stay.

So what is the best way to handle it, if it happens again? Is it best to call mousekeeping first? Or should I call the front desk? I want to assert myself this time. It's no fun staying in a room that feels dirty.

I don't expect perfection, however, I would like the room to be dusted and vacuumed well. What is the most positive way to handle this sort of situation?

 

[Eliza32]

Phone housekeeping - the front desk phone number just goes to a call centre.

 

[CoachBagFanatic]

Absolutely phone housekeeping and if that doesn't work, go and speak to the manager on duty.

 

[TinkerMarie]

It depends on how dirty ... a few loose hairbands? OK. Missing towels, messy soap, some spilled water in the bathroom? I would call housekeeping. Dust, crumbs, trash, etc? In that case I think *I* would probably call or go back down to the front desk and ask to be moved because the room has not been cleaned yet.

That sounds like you're giving the benefit of the doubt ... it was mistakenly marked as ready and it is obviously not if there's still trash and crumbs from the previous guests. The front desk can let them know that Room 123 still needs to be cleaned.

I wouldn't want to ask for housekeeping to come and clean it unless there was no other option. What would I do? Stand there and watch them? I can't imagine that would feel good from either perspective. Go tap my foot in the lobby and then trek back to the room to inspect it again? I don't like that option either. I also wouldn't want to go to the parks, dinner, etc and have the possibility of the room still being dirty when we returned at night.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

Thanks! That's exactly what I will do.

Just about any problem that I have had at Disney has been solved quickly whenever I have asked for help, so that's the way to go.

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

It depends on how dirty ... a few loose hairbands? OK. Missing towels, messy soap, some spilled water in the bathroom? I would call housekeeping. Dust, crumbs, trash, etc? In that case I think *I* would probably call or go back down to the front desk and ask to be moved because the room has not been cleaned yet.

That sounds like you're giving the benefit of the doubt ... it was mistakenly marked as ready and it is obviously not if there's still trash and crumbs from the previous guests. The front desk can let them know that Room 123 still needs to be cleaned.

I wouldn't want to ask for housekeeping to come and clean it unless there was no other option. What would I do? Stand there and watch them? I can't imagine that would feel good from either perspective. Go tap my foot in the lobby and then trek back to the room to inspect it again? I don't like that option either. I also wouldn't want to go to the parks, dinner, etc and have the possibility of the room still being dirty when we returned at night.

I would go ask for a different room, too, if it obviously had not been cleaned between guests. So far, that's never happened to me. I do believe I would not even bother to bring in my luggage, if I saw something like that.

What I experienced in 2003 was thick dust on the furniture and small debris in the carpet. (Plus stains on upholstery...but that might be more difficult to fix. If I was at home, I would use Nature's Miracle, but maybe hotels do not have something like that to clean upholstery. They should, though.)

So if it is just some dust and crumbs, I will call housekeeping and go out to enjoy the day. Then, if it is not clean by that evening, I will try asking the hotel manager for help.

Hopefully, it won't be a problem, but it is nice to have a plan in mind.

 

[flortlebap]

I've got to say, for us, POR was the worst mouse keeping. Dirty sheets and bits of food behind the dresser, ugh!

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

I've got to say, for us, POR was the worst mouse keeping. Dirty sheets and bits of food behind the dresser, ugh!

Did you call housekeeping or ask for the manager on duty? Or did you just decide to let it go? I hope you at least asked for clean sheets! I don't think I could sleep comfortably otherwise.

Last year, our room at Kidani was beautiful--super clean, except for one thing. Behind the big chair, there were four or five pieces of dried up curly pasta. Someone must have had a pasta salad and spilled it, and the mousekeeper did not move the big chair to clean behind it. We just picked it up with a napkin and threw it away. Not a big deal.

If a truly dirty room happens to me again, I do not want to let it mar our visit. During my stay in 2003, CBR was a beautiful resort, and unfortunately, the main thing I remember was how dirty I felt my room was. And it had just been refurbed at the time. Unfortunately, I was with someone who refused to change rooms. He preferred to just complain about it to me for 10 days. His complaining was even worse than the dirty room.

I refuse to let that happen again. From now on, I am politely speaking up!

 

[chigirl]

I'm sure like in other businesses, there is pressure to do more with fewer employees, so I am sure Mousekeeping rushes through the rooms per management. I do know that I always leave a few bucks each day ($3-$5) in any hotel I stay in and I am friendly toward the housekeepers if I pass them in the halls, etc, so my rooms at any hotel are always super-clean. I have never had trouble with Mousekeeping at WDW, except one time at POFQ when I inadvertently left the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door one morning when we left for the park...my bad!!!

It amazes me how few people think to be a little extra-friendly while traveling, what that can get you!!! Last year, when we checked in at LAX to pick up our rental car, I chatted with the car rental agent nicely and bam! Free upgrade to a better vehicle. At the hotel near Disneyland, upgraded again...I am always upgraded and treated extra special whenever I travel simply because I go out of my way to treat the employees at hotels with respect FIRST, even before they open their mouths...now, I know this is off-topic from the room at POR being dirty, but this "friendly first" stance I take always helps my vacations in so many ways.

I do think hair bands on floors and dust on furniture is bad, it shows a lack of attention to detail, but I can only imagine the pressure the mousekeepers are under from management to go fast, fast, fast.

 

[Tori 2001]

I have only very rarely had a problem, and in one instance when I did, I suspect that it was a glitch and I was given a room not yet "cleared" for occupancy.

In any case where there has been an issue, I contact guest services and ask to be connected to the hotel manager on duty, and corrections have been made very quickly.

If the room were really in problem condition, I would very strongly ask them to move me to a different room, even a different resort if necessary. It is their job to provide services as advertised, and I would accept no less.

But let's just hope you last experience was an abberation... for every problem that everyone hears about, there are hundreds of cases where people are thrilled with spotless rooms and mousekeeping details like towel characters! Think positive...

 

[mytripsandraces]

It depends on how dirty ... a few loose hairbands? OK. Missing towels, messy soap, some spilled water in the bathroom? I would call housekeeping. Dust, crumbs, trash, etc? In that case I think *I* would probably call or go back down to the front desk and ask to be moved because the room has not been cleaned yet.

That sounds like you're giving the benefit of the doubt ... it was mistakenly marked as ready and it is obviously not if there's still trash and crumbs from the previous guests. The front desk can let them know that Room 123 still needs to be cleaned.

I wouldn't want to ask for housekeeping to come and clean it unless there was no other option. What would I do? Stand there and watch them? I can't imagine that would feel good from either perspective. Go tap my foot in the lobby and then trek back to the room to inspect it again? I don't like that option either. I also wouldn't want to go to the parks, dinner, etc and have the possibility of the room still being dirty when we returned at night.

I second going to the front desk. I stayed at Port Orleans Riverside for the first time this year. On my first morning, I discovered that there was something wrong with the shower head. When I pulled up the toggle to have the water come through the shower head instead of the bath tap, the water came out of both, with most of the hot water staying in the bath tap. I called housekeeping to arrange for the repair, then headed out for the day. I got back to my room at 10pm and they still hadn't fixed it. I called the front desk to get someone to take care of it and had to stay up an extra hour and a half while someone came out, checked it out, left to get the right parts, came back and changed it.

 

[robinb]

I would think that the vast majority of housekeeping problems can be handled by ... housekeeping. There is no reason to go to the front desk manager unless housekeeping doesn't fix the problem.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Our room at POR in 2/08 was immaculate!

Actually, that's how we've found most of our WDW rooms. I have never had a problem communicating any want or need to WDW's housekeeping staff, which I feel is stellar in the hospitality industry.

 

[DisneyFamilyMomof5]

I had a similar problem at coronado springs.. i called down to housekeeping and the front desk and they IMMEDIATLY moved us to a closer room that was totally clean..
i find if you call with any problem they are always happy to help or fix the situation..

 

[susanrose73]

We had our 1st Disney stay at POR in 2009. When we checked our room it looked so clean, but then we noticed on the tv stand it looked like the previous occupant spilled yogurt. When we opened the drawers there was even more yogurt inside! We called housekeeping and explained. They sent someone and also the manager right away to clean it.

I felt awkward as I'm sure they did, but I'm glad we called. After they left, we went into the bathroom and behind the door, we daw a cheese doodle. Lol because we're weird, we said, let's leave it and see if it's gone the next day.

Well, each day housekeeping came and each day that darn cheese doodle was still there! And I know they they cleaned the bathroom, but they must have never closed the door while inside it!
I didn't let the experience bother me, but I do want a clean room! We'll see next week!