Rooms get dirty without daily housekeeping, and it’s tougher to get them clean after a stay when there’s been nothing done each day that a room is occupied.
However during the pandemic hotels cut back on housekeeping services. Early on many guests didn’t want anyone else in their room. But after that it was a way to save money. Less housekeeping meant fewer housekeepers, and they save money on supplies too.
Hotels have tried to lock in the savings of not cleaning rooms during stays, even as guests have returned. So we’ve seen many hotels move away from daily housekeeping on a permanent basis, though some still let guests request housekeeping during their stay.
- That’s something many guests forget to do before they head out for the day, and requests often get lost or fail to get tracked.
- In my experience, and that of some readers, rooms are dirtier than they used to be.
I checked in with the major hotel chains on their housekeeping policies. While there’s sometimes a gap between the policies and pronouncements of a chain and on-the-ground reality, Hyatt seems to be doing the most to require hotels to provide housekeeping. Even where chains say it’s supposed to be an option, it may not be.
When hotels don’t offer services that match these standards, you are perfectly justified in complaining both on property, and for compensation after the fact, because you aren’t getting the experience you’ve paid for.
Hilton
Hilton offers full housekeeping at luxury brands while letting guests opt into housekeeping elsewhere.
Guests at any of Hilton’s 18 brands have the opportunity to tailor their housekeeping experience to their individual comfort level.
In the U.S., most Hilton properties are implementing a flexible housekeeping policy, with full deep cleanings prior to check-in and daily housekeeping services available upon request.
Marriott
Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, St. Regis, Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Edition, Bvlgari, and JW Marriott are required to provide daily housekeeping by default.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have it at other hotels. For instance during a May stay at a Westin I was told to call each day that I wanted housekeeping. I did, and it was provided.
In fact, a spokesperson tells me “At our other brands, service is not currently provided unless the guest choses/requests daily housekeeping” however “it is the standard to provide the choice for housekeeping services.., however, there may be extenuating circumstances where it may be difficult to provide in the short term.”
I asked what a guest should do if daily housekeeping isn’t offered or honored and was told they “should ask to speak with a manager on duty or the general manager for an explanation.” That sounds to me like they have little recourse but to accept the explanation given.
IHG
Expect to see some daily service across chains, but in a way that’s faster and less expensive to provide.
IHG luxury properties will have “elevated housekeeping service..resume daily” according to a spokesperson, while the chain is introducing a new “Daily Room Refresh” program this fall in the U.S. and Canada for other brands.
- It’s not ‘no housekeeping’
- But not ‘full housekeeping’ either
Instead IHG tells me “many of our brands will focus on the key elements of daily housekeeping that guests value most, such as trash removal, restocking of towels and amenities and making the bed with existing linens.”
Hyatt
By default 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
- The default for elite members should be to receive housekeeping daily unless the guest opts out
- A ‘small number’ of Hyatt Place properties are allowed to provided limited service housekeeping during a stay (e.g. trash and refresh towels and toiletries), but there’s no available list of which properties
- When a hotel says that they do not offer housekeeping during a stay guests should report that (“• Guests can reach out to consumeraffairs@hyatt.com or call us at 800.323. 7249 or 402.592. 6465 for any additional information for cleaning standards for individual hotels.”)
Hyatt, it seems, wants guests to complain about all of the hotels out there that aren’t currently providing daily housekeeping even on request for elites, as I’ve certainly heard from many readers is the case especially at limited-service properties.
Another example where managing a majority of your full-service properties, as Hyatt does, benefits the customer. Marriott manages less than 30% of its properties.
I am not able to travel often, but when I do, I stay at pet friendly properties, typically Sheraton. I disagree that the room is harder or has more to clean if daily housekeeping is not provided. I treat each room as if it belonged to me, tidy up after myself, and my canine who is not messy either, and even bring a sheet from home and another cover or towel for the bed and other furnishings. Granted every guest may not be so conscientious…but long before it became popular, my hotel of choice had blue bins in the room for reycleables. I skip housekeeping to not have to worry about surprise entry into my room or alarming my pup. All of any take out trash is put in abag and tied with a knot so no odor and often I will take it to one of the available outdoor trash receptacles. AT one time the hotel had signage letting you know as you checked in how much energy and water was saved by not having linen changes daily. It’s one small way to make a difference…and on top of that you’d either get points or breakfast credit. All good for me….
Gary says, “Guests visiting Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and Conrad Hotels & Resorts, as well as hotels in some regions around the world, will receive daily housekeeping but have the flexibility to tailor to their comfort level.”
I wonder how many guests will call the front desk when staying at a Waldorf Astoria Hotel, an LXR Hotel & Resort, or a Conrad Hotel & Resort and say, “To improve and tailor my comfort level, I want the lack of housekeeping found at the Tru by Hilton hotels.”
The term “New Normal” is just another name for FAILURE..
“Instead IHG tells me “many of our brands will focus on the key elements of daily housekeeping that guests value most, such as trash removal, restocking of towels and amenities and making the bed with existing linens.”
I’m fine with that. I want my trash emptied and towels washed, but I never wanted them to change the bed linens every day. I’m also okay with making up rooms on request only, so you don’t have to worry about maids waking you up in the morning. The question is, what does “on request” mean? Having to schedule your maid service 24 hours in advance is not ok. I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express a few weeks ago, and they cheerfully sent someone to make up the room with just 2 hours notice.
Not being a slob, I usually have no need for housekeeping for my 2-3 day stays. Many who complain are slobs.
The real question is whether they even clean the rooms between guests. If you have any doubts, you missed the MtM article on the subject. Property owners have no sense of common decency.
I recently went on a Disney Cruise followed by 4 days at Walt Disney World’s Port Orleans Riverside a moderate resort.
Disney Cruise normal cruise line, cabin host cleaned twice a day
Disney World – on our 4 night stay, the maximum service Disney would provide was a towel refresh and trash collection on our second full day. Which we said yes too. We were in the room a lot on our final full day and got woken up to knock on the door from a staff member saying they needed to enter the room for a “safety and security inspection.” I don’t know if other hotels require that.
I think they’re making it so confusing that we don’t have expectations anymore.
If I’m with my partner I want daily housekeeping, if I’m alone then every other day is fine.
I’ve just made it my new check in routine to go over a list of what I want/expect at check in so that the hotel knows my wishes and I can set my expectations on what they’re willing to provide.
Working as a housekeeper in a hotel, I like to say that we would love to provide the daily cleaning for stay overs, but sadly we are so understaffed that we are struggling to do our jobs correctly. Hiring is difficult if not impossible, nobody wants to work anymore. And fyi, we are not allowed to touch personal belongings, so if you want your beds made, you must take your stuff off of them.
Just another hidden inflation item. Not that dissimilar to companies keeping the same price on products but reducing the quantity of the item you are getting. This is happening everywhere. Including stuff like excessive wait times on phones, it is costing you your personal time. Sadly things are rapidly declining in terms of quality of life.
housekeeping for 15 years the hotels use me up every year to fix the dirty work is only problem is they alound to steel best workers tips year round year after year thats just sad no wonder why all the good girls quit or focred to quit bc the rest cant clean right it should be a law that noone else is aloud to have that girls tips but girl who cleand the room asstant mangers and head housekeepers cant even clean like one so the best one gets every tip stolen from every single room every single year day after day week after week come on is their a way to prove it its just not fair if i gota fix all their buildings in the town then why do i never receve my own cut got kids to feed even during world wide pandemic 3 years of tips being stoln hurts the employee more than compay now days they look as everyone to replace ones best work is so sad no days why others colect full employments and the one who never calls off gets ripd off why the ones who dont clean can run in everyroom take every dollar its a shame name cards be in the rooms but their never receving the tip not fair what happed to all the housekeepers who put their whole heart into their work just to not be able to provide min wadge to their children i beleve all guest deseve their best rooms best scervice but looks like pandemic destroyd that something needs done in this town if the girls cant clean their stil cleaning at pay rate of 7.25 a hour why one deseves $20 hour n gets slamd over worked doing all rooms all laundry even cleaning lobby come on its petty u can read reviews towns gone tip theft happy broke my heart into peaces i over herd they was going to use me to buy all new beds not with the worst screming boss iv ever had she makes all her employees quit n when she gets mad someone cleans better than her wong again lady u got new dryer im deffantly not killing myself to let u steel all the tips to buy mattress get ur girls in check for real 5 star cleaners getting ripd off so they can claim high standerds and good reviews n scam the one who put the work in owell let the dust settle the worst fealing in the world knowing ur being ript off bc noone else can clean 5 star n you know this scence u was young some of the guest know tho sad to see our corning glass guest suffer with dirty sinks tubs hair coverd floors they chargeing $500 a room for hair on the floor is sick buggers on the walls so me always walking was for a purpuse cuz if they get to steel all the tips their hotel dont deserve to be a 5 star n no boss ever deserves to be my boss good cleaners take ture pride in their work not to have some slop cleaners steel tips they never deserved idc down right rude pushing staff threting them on how to do their job when lady wont even bend over to clean toilts Mia was the worst iv ever seen in my whole 15 years of cleaning experances sad i watched about 20 girls quit bc she wouldnt let the housekeepers clean right why she doggd me to the point of going to the er mangers amazing but i dont think they know what goes on behind closed doors sad least the 2nd floor got half done take them another 10 years to fix it unless they find a better boss girl and want the best housekeepers their best guest january 2022 hotel looked like was dump after dogging me 6 months now their a 4/5 star hotel no same with corning quilty inn scamed by feamales who dont clean claiming reviews that not rightfuly theirs idc no more i care more about the city of corning being put back togather the way should be guess nobodys gota heart like me but iv been used more than enuff id rather die than be screemd at by some 7 foot lady 2 foot wide pushing and harassing the girls she dont like wow the town turly pics favors been that way 20 years just iv held my breath in this town with the housekeeping taken tips corning omg glass pay to walk on past 7 years of not clean think il just stay home for rest the year why i let the town of corning curmble best hotel 2019 til 2022
corning corning quilty in thanks Tasha for all u did to all these hotels with out barely any tips for past 15 years do the hotel guest know i was being scamed everytime a guest leave a $20 the theifs know who they are n the ones who get away with it its just down right greed .almost should be sewed for $20,000 everyhotel got to steel the tips she said it was being posted to the world have they read all the coments from all the girls who actuly know whats been done to them stright harassment and unfair why orher hotels in aera cryen they cant find a $20’000 dollar housekeeper bc the town wanted good hard errand money to the suffer why the boss ladys liveing high on the hog jelosly flows for many years to come my poor kids dont get full made meals anymore bc mommy said enuff is enuff in this town w the disrespect yall done to me 20 years so i have right to speek on my own behalf love me or hate me you will never be me period unless i want one to to all they can be so be it they littarty train all their girls to suck on purpuse lazy