occupied room

[MolonLabe]

With the traveling I've done over the years, I'm surprised I haven't walked in on someone.

I was down in Florida (not WDW) one night a few years back and an employee tried to enter my room at about 3am. I'm usually very anal about making sure the latch is thrown. My wife went for ice and forgot to throw it back.

That door opening at 3am is pretty disturbing. I think I scared her more than she scared me, I'm a light sleeper and before the door was fully opened she had 200 lumens of light coming out of a mounted surefire in her face. Door slammed shut immediately.

I bolted to the door to find out who had opened my door, going from pitch black to a blinding white light makes it difficult to really see who you just lit up, aside from an outline. Sure enough an employee with housekeeping was running down the hall. Different than from her end, the next day the manager complained to ME that the housekeeper had spots in her vision for hours afterwards, lol.

Anyway, I complained that night up at the desk. The clerk was very apologetic.

Next morning I complained to the manager, and she could care less... aside from the "unholy light" I shined... I wrote corporate and got a free nights stay afterwards but that sort of thing should not happen.

Every job has one or two things (at least) that should never happen. It seems like the one thing that should never happen is room mix ups like that.

No, I was never given a reason why housekeeping would be entering a room at 3am, unoccupied or otherwise. Desk clerk said sometimes they take their break in an empty room to watch TV.... uh-huh.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

This is a glitch that came with LILO when it rolled out in 2010.

1) Actually, no.
2) This pre-dates the new system by many years.
3) Goes back to the installation of key-cards instead of keys.
4) We had the same problems in 2004 when I went to Al Weiss on it. *
5) It is a problem with the key-system and the way locks work.
. . . one needs to understand how such locks work
. . . the locks do not talk both ways to main computer
. . . the lock only receive the new key info
. . . the new key now owns the lock
. . . once the new key is used, the old key is void
6) IT CANNOT BE CORRECTED WITH THE CURRENT LOCKS.
7) We will not discuss the two ways this can happen.
8) But, one is human error, and one is not.

* We first reported this to the DVC General Manager. She claimed it
was an anomaly. I explained the reason(s) for the problem, and she
continued to deny it. Unfortunately, we knew the system and could not
be bluffed. When we went higher up the chain, it was finally admitted that
there is a problem. But, it is too costly to fix for the amount of times it
happens. Even when we walk in on people that are sleeping at 3:00am.
If you want it fixed, write to Crofton or Iger and ask them to get into it.

 

[Sfmarine]

Disney's system doesn't work the same way other hotel chains do. There is no notification that someone is already in the room and the computer assigns the rooms based on availability. What happens is that the new system hiccups and will double book. There really is no way for a CM to realize this has happened without doing some extensive investigating, which can't be done simply because of the length of time it would take while someone is (im)patiently waiting to be checked in. Front desk CMs don't assign rooms, the computer gives them available rooms. In this case, this is not the laziness of the CM, but the obnoxiousness of the computer system.

I did not know that..very interesting.

 

[k3chantal]

We had this same thing happen at an Intercontinental hotel in Monterey, CA. Luckily, no one was there and we walked right out too. So this can happen at any hotel chain.

I don't think any compensation is due. Your reservation was in the end 'honored' and you are all the wiser. We have become a country too interested in getting compensation for the slightest slight. I would write the letter though just to make sure the CM's are made aware that they need to be more careful communicating with the cleaning staff.

 

[aubriee]

Unfortunately, you are not the first one I've heard this happening to at POR....you may want to post on that thread or read it ...you are probably the 3rd or 4th person I've heard it happening to....makes me nervous for my stay in May. :/

It doesn't happen just at PORS. It happened to me at CSR a few years ago. I had checked in, was given my room key, and was told the room was ready. I dragged my carry on over there and just as I put my key in the lock, it was yanked open by a huge, hairy chested, barefooted man, wearing just a pair of shorts and holding a cigarette and a lighter in his hand.lol I don't know who was more startled me or him. He rather rudely asked what I thought I was doing and what did I want. I was speechless for just a second, but finally showed him my KTTW card and told him I had been assigned to that room. He glared at me, yelled check out wasn't until 11:00am and they weren't out yet, then shut the door in my face. I heard his wife yelling from the bathroom, asking what was going on. Imagine if he had left the room just a few minutes later to take his smoke. I'd have walked in on her in the bathroom. I dragged my carry on back over to the main building and the CM apologized, said housekeeping had apparently made a mistake and he'd immediately get me another room. I really liked the location of the first room (corner room, first floor, Cabanas 8A), so told him I'd rather wait for that room. I stored my carry on at bell services and when I came back that evening the previous occupants were gone and my checked bag was waiting in the room.

I never even considered asking for any compensation, nor was anything offered. It was just an accident. Geez, why does everyone want compensation when no one was harmed. I was a female traveling solo. I was startled, but not traumatized. lol

 

[ols386]

That's why I always keep at least that interior chain lock on the door, locked. If someone really wants in, they can get in, that little chain isn't going to stop them. But in a situation like this, at least no one is going to just unexpectedly "walk-in" on me.

 

[glocon]

WDW is huge, with thousands of rooms, and it's just surprising that it doesn't happen more often. Do the rooms have deadbolts also so only the occupants inside can unlock them? Seems like most places have those as well as the latch.

I think that the only reason I would ever want to be compensated for a room key error would be if I was walked in on in a compromising situtation, or if I was robbed. Otherwise, being the one given the room key to an occupied room, that is not a good reason to be comped.

 

[shocker]

I travel often for work and in a large department of travelers. Every year at annual meetings we tell of the previous years "entering and being entered upon" stories. This happens ALL the time. Some are of entering on housekeeping showering in an otherwise vacant room you've checked into (referring to PP of TV watching). My last occurance was of a man trying to enter my room, the latch was thrown. But, 2 visits to the front desk and he still couldn't get the hint so I had to go talk to him at the door. I did consider that had I been out for dinner he could have quickly and easily had a nice laptop-to-go that was sitting on the desk, as there is no way to fully secure your room from the outside.

This is all a big lesson in:
1) using your in-room safe, you never know who might enter your room while you're out
2) put the latch over your lock while in your room so you don't have any suprise attacks
3) use the privacy card, especially the type that physically fit into the key card slot, this should help deter the unsuspecting from trying to enter. Only remove this card when you need the room serviced.

 

[figmentfan6]

1) Actually, no.
2) This pre-dates the new system by many years.
3) Goes back to the installation of key-cards instead of keys.
4) We had the same problems in 2004 when I went to Al Weiss on it. *
5) It is a problem with the key-system and the way locks work.
. . . one needs to understand how such locks work
. . . the locks do not talk both ways to main computer
. . . the lock only receive the new key info
. . . the new key now owns the lock
. . . once the new key is used, the old key is void
6) IT CANNOT BE CORRECTED WITH THE CURRENT LOCKS.
7) We will not discuss the two ways this can happen.
8) But, one is human error, and one is not.

* We first reported this to the DVC General Manager. She claimed it
was an anomaly. I explained the reason(s) for the problem, and she
continued to deny it. Unfortunately, we knew the system and could not
be bluffed. When we went higher up the chain, it was finally admitted that
there is a problem. But, it is too costly to fix for the amount of times it
happens. Even when we walk in on people that are sleeping at 3:00am.
If you want it fixed, write to Crofton or Iger and ask them to get into it.

Huh, I didn't have any incidents reported to me of this happening before Lilo, so I incorrectly assumed it came with her. Thanks for correcting me! I did know of a few incidents that were human error based before Lilo, but none that were computer based. Ah well, I still prefer the old system.

 

[eyor44]

Happened to us this past January at AS Sports. Exact location we wanted and everything. Walked it and it was occupied. Had to go all the way back to the desk to get a new room. The CM was rather suprised and a bit confused to see us come back. He got us another room right away though.

 

[bgraham34]

This happened to me once at the Wilderness Lodge and once at All Stars. This was before 2005 though. BUt I have had this happen to me at places other than Disney many times before. Only once have I walked in on someone and that was at the Allstars. Each other time I just saw luggage in the room and walked out.

 

[nonzerosum]

Wow, this is unbelievable. If it's such a know issue, why is there not a fix in place? I would be pretty upset if someone walked in on me. Good lesson to always use the latch, although sometimes not realistic when kids are coming and going from rooms.

 

[goofy4tink]

This is a glitch that came with LILO when it rolled out in 2010. It's the bane of any CMs existence when stuff like that happens. It doesn't happen often, but it can happen. You did the right thing by leaving the room straight away. It's not unheard of to ask for compensation, but it should be dealt with immediately, not in a letter afterwards. The CMs dealt with it very well, in my opinion. Apologies and not panicking is the best reaction to this situation. No one was hurt or put in danger, and making a big deal out of it might have caused issues later. Trust me, you'd be amazed at how many people start demanding entire stays to be compensated if a CM makes a huge fuss over something.

If you have an issue like this and feel as if you deserve compensation, address it at the hotel with the manager. This is an occurrence that no CMs can control, so writing a letter after the fact won't make any difference unless you want something over the ordeal. It won't, however, make anything right in the sense of CM training or contacting the other family because in this case neither of these things are necessary.

Actually? It happened to me, the first time, in 2004. We arrived at BWV on Thanksgiving Day...about 2:00. Our room was all ready, so up we went. But, it was a room overlooking the now croquet lawn...there was a tree right in front of the balcony, so you couldn't 'see' anything. And, no balcony off the master bedroom since it was on an inside corner, so the bedroom window overlooked the balcony of the room around the corner....kind of as if it were a 'r' with my room at the top or the vertical stem and then balcony we overlooked was right at the left end of the horizontal piece. My dh went back to the front desk area and complained that this really shouldn't be considered a ''preferred' view room. So, they moved us. Okay...off we trudge to the other side of the villa area. We open the door, and see stuffed animals all over the place, clothes everywhere and dirty dishes. Thank God no one was there. Quickly closed the door. We all went back to the lobby. The manager refused to believe dh and said he must be mistaken. Man, he was surprised!!! By the time the two of them got back to that villa the guests had returned. Seems that they had decided to just add another night to their stay, but never checked about doing so. But, housekeeping showed the room as cleaned and ready!!! Go figure. We were given another room that was further away..but turns out it was a wonderful villa. But, we were in danger of being late for our 5:45 ADR at Chef Mickey's. The manager told us he had arranged for a van and driver to take us there directly and that there would be a $100 credit on our room account...told him that was necessary but it still appeared.

But, when the same thing happened at BWV a few years later??? They didn't much care. Said they were sorry....and it was just a case of housekeeping hadn't gotten in yet. But, it sure did look to be occupied to me..unless the guests had left clothing behind. But, other than that 'sorry' nothing. I didn't expect anything, but they could have pretended to be concerned!!!

 

[2kidsForMe]

I have had this happen, but it was housekeeping that came in unannounced when we were at a resort in Mexico this January. I was actually in the shower, and my dd was in bed with a terrible fever. She was soooo sick. Anyway, I came out of the bathroom to find a housekeeper getting my daughter an extra blanket and a glass of water. vShe didn't speak any english, but I actually thought it was kind of sweet. There is something universal about being a mommy (whick I assume she was) when there is a sick kid involved. Needless to say I didn't make a big deal out of it.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I have had this happen, but it was housekeeping that came in unannounced . . .

1) This is not a glitch in the system.
2) Housekeepers use a "hard key" (like a master key).
3) They can open
. . . any guest room
. . . any Housekeeping Dept room
. . . any other housekeeping-related storage room

* A hard key is not a physical key, it is just a term used for key card
that has access to other doors. Maids must be able to enter any
room, so they have a hard key assigned to them. If lost or stolen,
it is easily canceled to stop access. Front Desk and Concierge also
has access to hard keys, but they are kept in the key-tender under
lock. If they need to access a room, they sign out a hard key with
their employee number, then return it when done. (There is a true
physical master key in the key-tender, but this is only used if the
electronic key unit is not working - eg. bad battery, cannot read cards,
other malfunctions. It would be DISASTER if a true physical master key
were to be lost, as every lock in the resort would be at risk. A key
card is easily canceled.)

 

[Karabee]

This happened to us in September at WL! We went to our room - or so we thought - but our keys wouldnt work. I didn't feel like walking back to the lobby so I called and they sent someone to us. That person opened the door and while no one was there, all their stuff was! While I know this happens, it's definitely something that you pretend won't happen in Disney It throws off the start to your trip a bit.

 

[Ro Z]

We had this same thing happen at an Intercontinental hotel in Monterey, CA. Luckily, no one was there and we walked right out too. So this can happen at any hotel chain.

I don't think any compensation is due. Your reservation was in the end 'honored' and you are all the wiser. We have become a country too interested in getting compensation for the slightest slight. I would write the letter though just to make sure the CM's are made aware that they need to be more careful communicating with the cleaning staff.

Not looking for anything. I just want them to know this happened and maybe find a way to make sure it doesn't happen again.........At least not too often

 

[juliemouse]

OP, this happened to my husband and I on an anniversary trip at the GF. Thank goodness we were dressed and ready to leave the room. I may be alone in this but I was a bit traumatized. Yes, we and the other couple went down and let the desk know and no, neither couple was angry nor did we ask for compensation in any way.

This happened to me at a popular hotel chain in Charleston, SC. My husband and I were putting our 2 year old to bed so it was very quiet and calm when all of a sudden 3 college aged boys walk into our room talking rather loudly to each other. It was quite a shock. They were polite and quickly realized what was going on and closed the door. We called the front desk and they just said they made a mistake. I was a bit traumatized too. I didn't sleep because I didn't feel confident that it wouldn't happen again. We actually checked out the next morning and went to another hotel. I'd never heard of this happening to anyone else before.

 

[csmom]

This has happened to us twice - not at Disney. Once we were given keys to an occupied room, walked in, saw clothes, etc. and walked out. Fortunately no one was in the room at the time. The second time, we were sound asleep in a hotel room, and someone walked in and turned on the light. (Don't know why we didn't have latch on!) As soon as I sat up and said something, they turned around and walked out. Called the desk, and barely got an apology.

 

[Mamato3Princes]

I never even considered asking for any compensation, nor was anything offered. It was just an accident. Geez, why does everyone want compensation when no one was harmed. I was a female traveling solo. I was startled, but not traumatized. lol

Just read through this whole thread and didn't see anyone saying they would demand compensation if this happened to them, not even the OP. Maybe I missed it?

Anyway, OP I'm glad you posted this! I think we'll open our room door a little more cautiously now when we first check in . And we will always have the door bolted when we're inside!