Unannounced "inspections"

[Cindi0511]

One thing on our trip this past week really upset me, and I like to think that I am not an unreasonable person. LOL Don't we all?

We own and love to stay at Saratoga Springs, though AKL is a close favorite as well. I am 100 percent for taking care of our investments and maintaining it as much as possible.

However, we had two 2BR villas at SS and we had just left ours to go to the pool. My mom had a room key, and she had left ours to go to her room, with both of us turning out all the lights. She realized she needed something about 10 minutes later and went back to my room. When she walked in the door, she saw two women, only one of whom had a CM badge on, with cameras and every single light on in the villa. They looked at her, said, "I guess we're done with our inspection" and walked out.

To say the least, she was startled and shaken up a bit. The next day, in her villa, someone knocked on the door to her villa and when my nephew answered it, two more people with cameras said, "Oh, we'll just come back later."

I personally think Disney does a good job overall. I think they have a tough job and do it well, but this one was too much for me. I found a housekeeper and asked her what on earth was going on. She told me that Disney has outside contractors come in every six years to assess and fix damage, and that a housekeeper goes in with every contractor. I totally understand and appreciate that, but I am blown away that we didn't get a simple courtesy call, that they didn't wait until a trash/towel day when CMs were SUPPOSED to be in our room, or that they didn't wait until we or any occupant had checked out. To walk into our room on a day that no one but us was supposed to be in there and to find people with cameras was very disconcerting.

Let me also say that NOTHING WAS MISSING, and I am NOT accusing anyone of stealing or anything like that, but to have people just walking into rooms announced was not a happy surprise. Has this happened to anyone else or do they do it so much when most people are gone that no one even knows about it?

 

[Kuzco]

I don't think you are unreasonable. Barring some type of emergency, I don't think that anyone should enter a guest's hotel room without prior notice of some sort (or piggybacking it on top of trash and towel or housekeeping service). It is very disarming to enter your hotel room and see someone standing there - particularly with cameras. In any event, when your mom entered the room, the CM should have done a better job of explaining what they were actually doing in your room.

 

[Havana]

WOW! That is disturbing.
That soft of "inspection" could be scheduled from 11am-4pm while guests are out of the room on check out days

 

[sissy_ib]

Yeah, I wouldn't like that at all. I clean up the in morning before housekeeping comes. (pick up dirty clothes, etc) I don't want someone walking in and looking at my stuff. Not that I have anything to hid or that is what they are there for, just kinda weird.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I know it's your Home away from home but it really isn't your home. AFAIK Disney has the right to enter at anytime but they also will be respectful which is why they left when someone came back to the room. If it were a regular hotel room with daily service it wouldn't be shocking. And only by going room to room is it going to be efficient and make certain that they cover each and every one. Setting up times when people are not checked in could be a logistics nightmare and would most likely end up in some rooms missing inspection - and take much, much longer and be more expensive to do.

This is an entry that makes sense IMO. Now - if I walked in and found a housekeeper sitting on the couch having lunch I'd be less than thrilled.

 

[ddoconnell]

I agree that this type of thing is totally necessary, but the OP was right in saying that they should have been given some type of notification. Since these are villas, people don't treat them like hotel rooms in that they don't leave by certain time because they know mousekeeping is coming. I agree with the previous poster that the CM should have done a better job of explaining why they were there. I hope it didn't spoil your trip!

 

[DebbieB]

One time when I was at OKW a cm and another person knocked at my door, probably mid morning. The cm said they needed to measure a window. There was a window behind the couch that had plexiglass in it, I don't know if a golf ball broke it and they put it in temporarily. He offered to come back later but I said he could come in. So it's something to keep in mind regarding items you just leave out when you are gone.

 

[Dean]

CM should not be in the room unless planned or announced. This sounds very fishy to me. As a minimum, I would have discussed with a manager to be sure all was on the up and up and to make sure that no one came into the room when I wasn't there.

 

[famsen]

I definitely would have walked down to chat with the manager about this.
It's not at all cool that someone other than housekeeping doing a scheduled cleaning is coming into your room taking pictures with your belongings in the room unannounced.
A simple phone call to you notifying you of the "inspection" should have occurred at the very least and whenever possible these inspections could happen when rooms are not currently housing guests.

 

[DanenRox]

I'll be asking about this in January when we check into the Beach Club for our next stay. We don't expect and don't want anyone unexpected in our room when we are not there (barring an emergency). Until 2042 BCV is our home when we are there and we expect Disney to respect our right to privacy. Notification of intent to enter our villa during a stay would be the minimal action we would expect Disney to take if inspections were anticipated. During a stay at VWL a few years ago, our deck was unexpectedly painted while we were at the parks (ground floor Villa). No one entered our room to paint, but in doing so prohibited us from using our deck for the remainder of the day. When I called and complained I was told it was routine maintenance (much like the OP's routine inspections). The end result of the painted deck story was a telephone apology from a CM. Woohoo! In retrospect, we should have pushed for more...it was unacceptable to take our deck away from us, for an hour or a day. It's unacceptable to have unannounced visitors in your room when you're not there. It is absolutely necessary though to communicate your dissatisfaction with a manager. Unless we communicate, object and (dare I say) complain when necessary, how else will the DVC gods know when they're overstepping their bounds?

 

[toniosmom]

I would FREAK OUT if I found anyone in my room unexpectedly. There are some trips where it's just me and my DS5, so I would be VERY upset if the two of us came "home" to find strangers in the room. I probably would have called the front desk pronto and requested that they do not come into the room again until after I check out and then complain about the intrusion (and it IS an intrusion if this is the room I am calling home for a week.)

Yes, they have the right to inspect the room, but they certainly don't need to do it while I'm checked in. There is plenty of time after I check out and before the next family comes in for them to do this.

I say NO THANKS!!! I may ask about the inspections when I check in on my next trip and specifically request that they stay out while I'm there.

 

[PEANUT1]

I think it is creepy to say the least. Part of what I like about DVC is the privacy and not having people go into our room. I understand the need for maintenece and I would be happy to oblige with propper notice. I would definitely speak to a manager about this...even after the fact.

 

[bwvBound]

I experienced something similar on the Disney Magic in 2005. CMs and "others" entered our room and basically took the room apart in an unannounced "inspection." Our room was basically "out of service" for more than half a day. We received no warning, no apology, no comment at all beyond, "We have a right to do this."

Thanks for letting us know this occurs in the hotel rooms, also. I don't care for this one bit.

 

[edk35]

I agree that this type of thing is totally necessary, but the OP was right in saying that they should have been given some type of notification. Since these are villas, people don't treat them like hotel rooms in that they don't leave by certain time because they know mousekeeping is coming. I agree with the previous poster that the CM should have done a better job of explaining why they were there. I hope it didn't spoil your trip!

HECK YES they should have left a message on your phone. Shoot..we have stayed at SSR twice when we had messages about them POWER WASHING our building letting us know we should have all personal things off the balcony between certain hours. THEN once at AKV they left a message about them testing the fire alarms.

I mean what if you were in the shower, the tub, or getting dressed. I would have certainly called the front desk and asked about that. If you were in the shower you could not hear a knock at the door.

THIS REALLY concerns me.

 

[edk35]

I know it's your Home away from home but it really isn't your home. AFAIK Disney has the right to enter at anytime but they also will be respectful which is why they left when someone came back to the room. If it were a regular hotel room with daily service it wouldn't be shocking. And only by going room to room is it going to be efficient and make certain that they cover each and every one. Setting up times when people are not checked in could be a logistics nightmare and would most likely end up in some rooms missing inspection - and take much, much longer and be more expensive to do.

This is an entry that makes sense IMO. Now - if I walked in and found a housekeeper sitting on the couch having lunch I'd be less than thrilled.

Yes but a simple recorded message with a HEADS UP that this MIGHT occur when you are there..is common sense in my opinion.

 

[disneynutz]

As previously posted, inn keepers have the rite to enter rooms. Expecting them to schedule inspections is unrealistic. Taking the time to place courtesy calls is also unrealistic and would generate a lot of questions. Disney use to notify guests with letters placed in the room when something was scheduled but the letters would generate hundreds of phone calls and inquires. Now they only do it when they have to.

I would guess that most Guests never know when someone enters their room in the course of doing business. We have had Disney people in our rooms changing air filters, installing a new refrigerator, and wanting to look out our window to determine the room category. These happened when we were there, who knows what goes on when we aren't?

If the OP is upset about this, they should have contacted the resort manager while they were there and the DVC Satisfaction Team now that they are home.

Bill

 

[BeccaG]

I have to say I agree with those that expect a reasonable amount of privacy when in my hotel room and would expect some sort of notification if they were going to be inspecting my room. Again, what if you were in the shower when they came in unannounced or worse?
As Dean mentioned, the whole story sounds "off" to me and I would have called management immediately. Sorry OP, that would have left me with a yucky feeling.

 

[Sammie]

Again, what if you were in the shower when they came in unannounced or worse?

Surely you don't shower without setting the deadbolt and latch.

 

[BeccaG]

Surely you don't shower without setting the deadbolt and latch.

Maybe the shower is an extreme example, but the point is I don't expect people poking around my hotel room when I don't expect it...

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Yes but a simple recorded message with a HEADS UP that this MIGHT occur when you are there..is common sense in my opinion.

disneynutz has posted what I would have thought would happen with a message like that. Some would feel it's reasonable and other's would not. I do agree that it should have been explained to the OP's family when they walked into the room and found them doing the inspection. Then if something seemed fishy a manager could have been called in immediately. But I don't think that the OP felt it was anything other than what they learned later, just that they were surprised that staff could enter for something unannounced - which they can.

On our last stay at BWV maintenance stopped by. Only my mother was in the room, she did not answer the door but they knocked and then entered. She was told they were checking on a report of a sliding door that did not work and said they could come back but she told them it was fine to check. It was nothing we reported but might have been reported by the person staying there before us. If my mother had not been in the room we wouldn't even have known they were there.

When I enter a hotel I know that staff has the ability to enter my room and I never forget that. It may be a good time to share a tip that is often on travel sites. If you are in your room then you should have your security locks in place - day or night. Unless there will be someone in the room to answer a door when I am in the shower then the locks are done up tight. If I am traveling alone then it's almost ritual to walk in the door and do the locks. It could deter those from entering a room that have no right to (actual intruders) and will keep out staff that did not realize you were there.

This thread could have taken an entirely different turn especially after all the complaints about the condition of rooms at SSR. It could also have been a "yay - they're going to fix things!"