Self Extenders

[CarolAnnC]

I don't know about anybody else, but I find it very disturbing that guests who occupy the room till 11 am are able to come back after that time and enter the room with their room key.

I am wondering, how long does that go on for? Are they able to come back the next day too? No wonder people are having thefts in their rooms!

I understand the room keys need to have some validity during the checkout day due to park passes on the key, DDP, etc., but having access to entering a room they no longer occupy is ridiculous.

I hope with all the reports that we have just seen here on this thread, that were brought to the attention of the DVC resorts, that something will be done about this very soon.

 

[tomandrobin]

I understand the room keys need to have some validity during the checkout day due to park passes on the key, DDP, etc., but having access to entering a room they no longer occupy is ridiculous.

And that is the root of the problem for those who take advantage of extending thier stays.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

They should definitely deactivate the room keys @ 11am (unless prior arrangements have been made). That way, if someone doesn't actually vacate their room, a supervisor should be the only one allowed to give them entry to retrive their personal items...at which time they would also be told a late check-out penalty would be assessed (which in my opinion should be cash -- not points). Can't demand to speak to a supervisor as he/she would already be dealing with the situation.

As for people that simply don't vacate the room, a phone call should be made from the front desk advising them they have just had the late check-out fee added to their bill.

I feel it should be a statement posted on any reservation paperwork, as well as the back of the room door...and anywhere else it needs to be to get the point across.

 

[spiceycat]

the other resort handles it in the paper you sign.

so you can't say that you weren't notified ahead of time.

DVC is aware of this problem - keys still working. but so far no inclined to change it.

so in a way I feel sorry for the maids. It is one thing to clean the room the first time. but to go back and have to clean the room again - just because the prior guest came back - well that is just mean and unfair.

until Disney changes its policy this will continue to happen.

they need to charge guests for staying beyond 11 am and they need to change the lock as soon as the maid has reported the room clean.

right now the standard is your change the room lock only when the new guest checks in.

 

[dianeschlicht]

We usually get up early on check out day. We usually pack most things the night before and are out the door by park opening time. We usually store our luggage either at the bell station or in our rental car, and head for the parks. We usually drive that last day and pick up some of our favorites one last time before heading back home. Why do people think they need to come back "that one last time" to the room after checkout time?

 

[spiceycat]

believe me I don't know. If I am driving then I leave at 4 am. If flying not much after - get flights that take off at 7:30am.

so coming back to a room when you knew the check out time is 11 am and it is after 11am. That is just plain rude and shows how little you care about others.

some people just don't care.

 

[bobbiwoz]

This idea of getting a room that had been used for a while by other guests happened to us only once..at a Gaylord resort, the one in Nashville. After writing a letter of complaint, we were given a free weekend in one of their suites!

Every time we go to enter one of our DVC villas, I wonder what's behind the door. It does add unnecessary worry to my vacations. However, we've been 100% pleased so far...if I didn't read the disboards, I wouldn't know about such things.

Bobbi

 

[dianeschlicht]

That story I told about the used towels and luggage on the made up bed was from our very first DVC point stay. Other than that, we have experienced a few late times to get into the room, and when we did get into the room, the carpet was still damp etc. I have no real knowledge if this was due to the previous occupant leaving late or just one that made an extra large mess.

 

[Simba's Mom]

They should definitely deactivate the room keys @ 11am (unless prior arrangements have been made). That way, if someone doesn't actually vacate their room, a supervisor should be the only one allowed to give them entry to retrive their personal items...at which time they would also be told a late check-out penalty would be assessed (which in my opinion should be cash -- not points). Can't demand to speak to a supervisor as he/she would already be dealing with the situation.

As for people that simply don't vacate the room, a phone call should be made from the front desk advising them they have just had the late check-out fee added to their bill.

I feel it should be a statement posted on any reservation paperwork, as well as the back of the room door...and anywhere else it needs to be to get the point across.

OMG-I am shocked to find out that they don't deactivate room keys at 11:00. I always assumed the previous guest's room key stopped working at 11:00. I've been fortunate enough to get into my room several times right around 11:00. This sounds like it means that the previous guest could come into my room with all my stuff in it. Suppose I come in at 10:30 am, drop my stuff off, and run out to the park. You mean, there's nothing to prevent the previous guest to come back into the room and possibly "happen to" take something? If so, I've never used the room safe before but now....

 

[tjkraz]

OMG-I am shocked to find out that they don't deactivate room keys at 11:00. I always assumed the previous guest's room key stopped working at 11:00.

When the inbound guest's key is activated, the departing guest's is deactivated. Both parties should not have access to the room at the same time.

I assume that Disney has the ability to automatically lock-out guests at a specific time and my have even experimented with such a process. However, I suspect it's more trouble than it's worth. While many here may advocate a hard-line approach to locking people out, someone who is running 2 minutes late (or 30 minutes, or 60 minutes) then has to trek to the front desk and back to gain access to the room again. When you've got resorts with 600-800 rooms (not to mention the 30,000 rooms total on property), I'm sure it would happen dozens of times per day, even impacting those guests with the best of intentions. When you combine the time wasted by the resort staff resetting room keys with the irritant to the guest, I can't see any value in putting automatic blocks on the rooms.

In fact, I think it's a given that the vast majority of these situations are no harm, no foul to the resort (i.e. housekeeping hasn't even reached the room yet.) Even at DVC resorts, the staff can't clean every single room at once.

The guests who stay hours past the posted times--or try to extend their trip by additional days--are obviously a different matter and should be delt with accordingly. But I don't think the answer is implementing processes that place a terrible burden on someone who is running 10 minutes late because they had to wait longer than expected for a restaurant table, or someone who had to return to the resort after discovering they left something behind in the room.

Automatic lockouts wouldn't even solve the problem in many cases. All you need to do is leave someone behind in the room to open the door. The rest of the party can swim, visit the parks, load the car, etc. If it's a ground-floor unit, just leave the patio door open. If the major concern is people who are intentionally abusing the system, they will catch on to all of the rules quickly and turning off keycards will have little effect.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Couldn't the front desk tell each guest that on check out day that their room key will no longer open the door after 11AM, check out time. If they required entry into the room after 11 AM, the resort manager would be the person who would be required to open the door.

Otherwise, all you would have to do is tell a housekeeper or supervisor at 11:30 that you needed to get back in the room, being helpful, might open a door to a thief.

 

[fishermouse]

The keys themselves are used for many purposes, park admission, external doors and charging priveleges all of which can be used for the remainder of the day, so they can not just time out at 11:00. When the room is assigned to a new guest the lock is reassigned to the new key, preventing the old key from working. All things considered this is probably the best way to do things, furtunatly the self extending guest is in fact rare, not much consolation when your the one waiting. The majority of the time guests don't have to wait for a room unless they have specific requests, there is usually something available. I did say usually. I almost always arive early and have so far not had to wait for a room, but getting in the room and situated is more important than a specific veiw. So far I have not had a room that the veiw was bad maybe not the best in the resort but lots better than the veiw out my office window.

 

[TCPluto]

But for people who just choose to stay over, I'd tell them sorry, we'll help you try to get a room at whatever resort still has vacancy, either on points or cash, but you are moving out of that villa.

What they did you to, Holly, was just wrong.

What they did was incredibly selfish and wrong, no doubt about that. But you can't simply put them out of the room. There's a civil remedy that has to be followed.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I believe the room keys should be deactivated at 11 am on day of checkout. I would much rather inconvenience an employee to come and supervise a guest who needs to be "let in" to the room again rather than have these people continuing to use a room after they have stopped paying for it. Isn't this considered trespassing? Geez....

 

[Debbie H]

(or 30 minutes, or 60 minutes) then has to trek to the front desk and back to gain access to the room again.

I think if you know you are running late, then you notify the front desk. Running 30-60 minutes late is unexcuseable without notifying them. So what if they have to "trek" to the front desk and back to gain access to a room they should be out of. I've been to many resorts that state the room key will be deactivated at a specific time. When check out is at 10, they mean 10, not 10:05. I guess I am a little OCD about being on time. What if all the people checking out that day decide to run 30-60 minutes late? I'm sorry, check out is check out, not "check out is after" such time. Imo it is being obnoxious and rude.

 

[jco_direwolf]

Couldn't the front desk tell each guest that on check out day that their room key will no longer open the door after 11AM, check out time. If they required entry into the room after 11 AM, the resort manager would be the person who would be required to open the door.

I can just see it now. "I was putting the last of the luggage in the car, and now my BABY is locked in the room. I'm going to sue DVD and DISNEY they have locked my child in the room." Even if the baby is 8 or 9 years old...

I'm pretty sure this is why the card keys work the way they do. There are people, some of whom I'm sure are either DVC Renters or even DVC members, who look for situations like this. To take advantage of it.

There is the toll on the guests who can't check-in on time, and then there is the toll on manpower/staffing to do what they would HAVE to do. Send someone (and most likely two someone so when the is a "problem" they have two people) officially to each room to enter the room do a "death march" though it, ie looking in all the closets, and bathrooms. And then officially lockout the previous guest, or document that the room isn't empty, and charge them.

The other solution is to do what some hotels, although fewer and fewer seem to be doing it, and MAKE everyone check-out. If you don't come and sign out of your room, or use the TV remote, or use the phone system to "logout" of the room, you get charged.

Even then "I SWEAR I used the TV/Phone/whatever I was out by 10:55am. Why are you charging me? Your system is messed up."

I would love to see DVD fix this. I'm just not seeing how they can. The simplest solution is to leave it the way it is, and try to do what you can for the check-ins who have a problem. To be honest most of us just try to put it behind us and we are just too nice.

johno

 

[sharond150]

I wonder what the longest amount of time is that a guest has "self-extended" before being kicked out. Theoretically, in a slow period, the keys work until the next guest rents that room!

 

[graygables]

Seems like an easy solution would be to have mousekeeping check the rooms by 11. Anyone who isn't out is reported to the front desk, asked to leave by management, then their DVC account suspended (can't use points) until they pay a cash fine. $50 hour sounds fair enough to me.

 

[tjkraz]

I think if you know you are running late, then you notify the front desk. Running 30-60 minutes late is unexcuseable without notifying them. So what if they have to "trek" to the front desk and back to gain access to a room they should be out of. I've been to many resorts that state the room key will be deactivated at a specific time. When check out is at 10, they mean 10, not 10:05. I guess I am a little OCD about being on time. What if all the people checking out that day decide to run 30-60 minutes late? I'm sorry, check out is check out, not "check out is after" such time. Imo it is being obnoxious and rude.

Two comments:

1. To cash guests, Disney ALLOWS late check-outs. Given that all of the resorts with DVC rooms (including OKW and SSR) are home to cash guests, there is never going to be an all-encompassing solution. Auto locking all of the keys at 11am would not be appropriate.

2. Back on Page 2 of this thread "Doctor P" had this to say about evictions:

"The law provides that an innkeeper can evict in Florida, but they must give prior notice (orally or in writing) and are supposed to use law enforcement to do a formal eviction. Bottom line is that this can take some time, especially when you have a guest waiting. "

It is my understanding that locking a guest out of his/her room--potentially with their belongings still inside the room--IS an eviction. Even with the favorable Florida laws, the resort would be required to personally confront the guest regarding the late departure. If the guest agreed to pay the published rate for an additional night, I do not believe that the resort has any grounds to force him to leave.

Unless someone else is familiar with other aspects of the law which I have not read, it is my belief that automatically locking rooms at 11am would constitute an illegal eviction.

I understand that getting access to rooms late is a hot button issue for all, but personally I think that housekeeping issues are to blame far more of the time. Each housekeeping CM certainly has a half-dozen (or more) rooms to clean in a given day. It would take 4 or 5 late departures in rooms assigned to a single CM before it became an issue. IMO, the issue has more to do with mis-management of housekeeping CMs or lack of proper staffing.

 

[Debbie H]

I understand that getting access to rooms late is a hot button issue for all, but personally I think that housekeeping issues are to blame far more of the time. Each housekeeping CM certainly has a half-dozen (or more) rooms to clean in a given day. It would take 4 or 5 late departures in rooms assigned to a single CM before it became an issue. IMO, the issue has more to do with mis-management of housekeeping CMs or lack of proper staffing.

I agree with this. However, when is enough enough? What if everyone decided to self extend? Or what happens if they decide to stay a few more days? Nothing happens? Gee, maybe more of us should try it and see what happens! Housekeeping is a mess, everyone knows that. When you ask for a kitchen towels and get bath mats, there is a problem. What is the solution and how can we get DVC to listen that we, as owner's, are tired of it and do not want to put up with the nonsense any longer?