Hotels are ignoring chain rules. Guests book properties assuming they’ll get what the brand promises, and then the individual property doesn’t deliver, choosing to cut costs instead. That devalues the brand, while helping the bottom line of the individual hotel.
Chains used to be far better about policing brand standard compliance. In the past few years they’ve mostly stopped, and hotels are getting away with things until called out publicly. They seem to prioritize short term franchise fees over long term profits. The only thing that makes a chain valuable is their brand.
This often manifests in properties skimping on or ignoring elite benefits like breakfast. But it also covers housekeeping. And it’s certainly not limited to the best-known offender, Marriott. Here are a couple of Hyatts that don’t invest in required housekeeping.
- The Hyatt Regency Wichita offers housekeeping only every 4th night, unless you’re an elite member.
- The Hyatt Regency London Albert Embankment offers housekeeping only on request even for elite members who are supposed to receive it daily by default.
I asked Hyatt about this trend and did not receive any acknowledgment.
Generally speaking most Hyatt brands are permitted to provide housekeeping services just every third night (Park Hyatt, Alila, Mirvaal, and all Asia Pacific properties must provide it daily). However daily housekeeping is supposed to be available to all guests. All Hyatt brands are supposed to honor daily housekeeping if requested. And the default for elite members should be to receive housekeeping daily unless the guest opts out.
Some properties will do their best to discourage you from taking housekeeping. One Hyatt Place actually has signs saying that they ‘renounce it’. Other properties barely seem to clean between guests.
One Hyatt Regency came up with a trick to reduce housekeeping requests, requiring guests to call for it and fill out paperwork.
There were hotels trying to reduce housekeeping expenses even before the pandemic. The Hyatt Regency Seattle was even given permission to do so. Obviously things accelerated with Covid-19 being used as an excuse to cut costs. Over 100,000 housekeeping jobs were eliminated in the industry.
Reduced housekeeping means rooms that aren’t as clean, ironic coming out of Covid-19. We’ve seen trash pile up in hallways. And it means hotels often aren’t staffed to turn rooms expeditiously, keeping guests waiting at check-in time. It also reduces the differentiation between hotels and homesharing, walking away from a key selling point against an existential threat. It’s short-term thinking. Sad.
I’m in the camp of not wanting housekeeping the vast majority of the time, but I miss the days when Starwood (and Marriott?) offered points each day for forgoing housekeeping.
I actually think Marriott has been better about this than the rest as of late? Ever since they announced the new brand standards depending on brand, every property I’ve stayed at has followed the guidelines. Which basically means every full service Marriott family hotel I’ve stayed in the past few months has offered the daily refresh without asking.
I don’t see the big deal with housekeeping by request. I also don’t see the big deal if certain brands don’t offer daily housekeeping – if they can still sell rooms, the market is saying people just don’t value it (I know I don’t, I don’t clean my own house every day and I don’t care for other people being in my stuff.)
As long as you can just ask for housekeeping at check-in, almost non-existent harm, no foul.
All I want are clean towels and not to have to tip. I hate traveling in the US and do it as rarely as possible.
Tony. We don’t like when you travel in our country either. Please don’t.
Look at the bright side more super size massive rats feeding in the hallways all the leftover food from take out/away or room service
Sing along Mick………..Key Mouse………
With the high prices hotels charge, they can afford to keep hotel rooms spotless. Hyatt used to be my favorite chain hotel but I stopped using them due to poor housekeeping standards. Bedbugs in two separate Hyatt hotels was too much for me.
Many people equate housekeeping with daily maid service but forget that it includes cleaning in between guests.
Value pricing, free breakfast, room upgrades and convenient location are all important.
However, hygienic and sanitary rooms are the most important quality in a hotel.
It’s really disappointing to see Hyatt corporate being indifferent to these obvious reduction in brand standards. Not only are they caving to the worst of their hotels, but it encourages their hotels that currently offers good housekeeping (& follow brand standards) to drop their standards.
If Hyatt corporate is really going to permit non-daily housekeeping, it should only be in lieu of 1,000 WoH points/night (750/night in HH & HP), similar to what SPG did. It would still be a massive cost-saver for hotels (and not the direction I’d recommend Hyatt go down).
I’d expect Marriott to do this in a heartbeat…but not Haytt.
I don’t remind reduced housekeeping visits provided the room is clean upon arrival. I recently stayed at five different Hyatt’s in the San Diego area. All of them had varying degrees of uncleanliness. The problem was the the worst in Palm Springs. I have decided not to stay at Hyatt’s unless there are absolutely no openings at other hotels.
Poor move by Hyatt. It’s a poor move for any chain, but especially for Hyatt. Unlike Bonvoy and Hilton, you often have to work to find a Hyatt. While most anywhere you can close your eyes and fall backwards into. a Hilton, Marriott, or IHG property. Sad!
Hyatt has been sinking for years yet in some markets they still shine especially abroad
US is an embarrassment for the most part
Hyatt Place in Charlotte was garbage on this. Put me off Hyatt forever.
More proof that the grass isn’t greener in the Hyatt ecosystem:
1) No daily requirement
2) No turndown service anymore
3) Almost no Regency club lounges are open or open with any F&B service
4) No newspapers
5) Dispensers instead of soap
6) Dumpy Aimbridge-managed Hyatt Place properties
When you get on the plane, bring your disinfectant wipes. When you get off the plane go to Walmart and buy a set of bedsheets and disinfectant spray and paper towels.
At least part of the reason they curbed everyday housekeeping is because they can’t find enough staff. Lack of full staff is a problem across the nation. Even in Europe, many people did not return to work. Also, hotels need to increase the pay. Hotels are losing people to higher paying jobs.
Marriott are the same I stayed 6 nights they cleaned just once, I requested daily cleaning
First time any blog has written anything negative about Hyatt? :O
I’m in the camp of not carrying about routine daily cleaning. If there’s something I need, and requests are fulfilled in timely fashion, I don’t mind not having someone come into my room on a daily basis. Housekeeping by request seems a logical progression in tailoring services to customer preferences.
Stayed at Hyatt Charleston over Labor Day, boy was I surprised when I had to retrieve charger from behind nightstand. The wall had dust up the wall . I already complained about filthy carpet in room. They did give clean towels everyday and removed garbage. Hotel staff were pleasant!
Bring on the robot maids!!!
Wonderful news, especially at a time when hotel rooms nationwide are already at their filthiest and most disgusting… let’s reduce cleanings even further. As an airline employee who stays in 175+ hotels per year ranging from high end Hiltons and Marriotts to lower end Courtyards and Hampton Inns, in the past year or so I’ve never encountered such run down, dirty, bug infested, and gross hotels.
Clean them every day, I say.
For those who defend the current slack in cleaning hotel rooms, one can only surmise they are accustomed such things at home: dried semen on the couch, cockroaches scurrying along the carpets and pubic hairs in the bedsheets.
My husband and I travel 90% of the year; and I can attest to the poor housekeeping standards of Hyatt, Marriott and lesser known brands like SOKA Suites. In regards to Hyatt, we were Globalists back in 2016 (notice I said were, simply because Hyatt keeps changing their reward milestones, making us rebuild our points each year, but that’s a topic for another day).
Now back to the cleanliness standards: I’ve found that Hyatt Place and Hyatt House do NOT change bed blankets. I’ve found all sorts of body fluids on the quilts. There were even instances where the sheets were not changed between guests. The towels often have residual stains in them. And when I brought this to the hotel’s attention, they labeled us in their database as a “nothing is ever good enough for us” guest.
The standards of Hyatt have gone down the toilet. Many of the new builds are franchised (so they don’t care about brand loyalty). Anywhoos, I believe that it’s an industry standard to “not” change the blankets; and simply put flat sheets on the bed to “appear” clean.
Hyatt regency Santa Clara is the personification of this problem. I’m done with Hyatt.
For the first time out of many times staying at HR Grand Cypress over Labor day (Globalist) they told me I needed to be out of my confirmed suite by 2pm on Monday after Labor day because another guest needed my suite. When I pressed, I was immediately given 4pm. Then noticed Monday afternoon that the hotel and pool were deserted (most people LEAVE properties on Labor day, not come in). I then realized it’s a concerted effort to get people out of the rooms as early as possible, because they don’t have enough housekeepers to turn the rooms. Because they don’t want to pay a fair wage. Sounds like a they problem, not mine.
In most cases “we can’t find Housekeepers” is not true. It´s used as excuse to make more profit.
Not think they save, cause I´m not going back.
Last time in Hilton St. Louis, dust all over, not sure they gave me fresh/clean sheets either…
On the other hand there is Airbnb’s where your opinion matters so owner take good care of you, and they clean better… sad…
I love all the comments from those who THINK they know all about hotel operations. Staffing is the #1 issue why services have been reduced. Many hotels have increased ther wages to attract staff. when interviews are set up with candidates, 85% do not bother to show up! the few that do, think they can call the shots on the conditions of how they will work. The work ethic sucks today! Then there are the staff who are tired of the “guests” who feel they are entitled and want you to discount their rate for any stupid thing they come up with! Respect and common courtesy no longer exists!
I don’t need it every day, but the Hyatt’s I have been staying in weren’t even cleaning at the frequency promised upon checkin. It sucks running out of towels and having take-out trash piling up and having to call the front desk to rectify it.
-signed, no longer a Hyatt customer
I did a two night stay in the Hyatt Regency Wichita earlier this month. While they had signs posted that housekeeping would come every other day, I received services after the first night. The policies pages might be a holdover from COVID, or it might be a CYA for being short-staffed.
Regardless, that property is pretty solid for the cost, though it is in need of a refresh in room.
That hotel is unique in that it was publicly owned for quite a while.
As long as my room is clean when I get there, I’m fine if I can get housekeep on request. I usually keep the do-not-disturb sign on my door anyway.
@ Alan — 1) Clearly the wages aren’t high enough if 85% don’t show for interviews and 2) Guests ARE entitled to things like daily housekeeping, or they should get a discount. Why should the hotel be able to collect full payment when they fail to provide full services?
Don’t mind if they don’t clean rooms from night to night. Room should be clean upon entry. No cleaning means I don’t tip at the end of my stay
My wife and I stayed at the Gaylord Texan in June. While we did have our room cleaned during a 2-night stay, it wasn’t cleaned until we had left for dinner.
It’s one thing to have the “Do Not Disturb” sign out while getting ready for breakfast, but not while getting ready for dinner.