During the pandemic many hotels stopped providing daily housekeeping to save money. Then, when housekeeping returned, they often did less cleaning in rooms and made it “opt-in.” Hotels claimed this was to promote choice but customers already had the choice to decline housekeeping if they didn’t want anyone coming into their room. It was all about cost cuts.
Before the pandemic making a ‘Green Choice’ and getting bonus points for declining housekeeping was a common offer. The bonus points stopped.
Now at Hyatt housekeeping is supposed to be available at least on request at all of their brands, though full service hotels provide it by default. I’ve been to a franchise Hyatt Place that won’t provide this even when asked to do so.
Another one like this is the Hyatt Place at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. Here’s what they tell guests: housekeeping is not an option but you can choose points, a drink at the bar, or to volunteer as a gardener for the hotel.
I reached out to Hyatt because this seemed non-compliant to be. Hyatt Place properties are supposed to make stayover housekeeping available on request. Before that was standard, it was supposed to be available to Globalists members at least.
Hyatt let me know they’d reached out to the property “to update their guest letter,” suggesting this letter was a pandemic holdover. But the letter wasn’t suggesting housekeeping had been suspended due to Covid-19 they claimed it was their ‘environmental initiative’ (a claim that was always and everywhere absurd when hotels have made it).
We do not provide the refresh of the room and therefore reduce our ecological impact, by lowering the use of water, electricity, transport of linen.
Weeks later the hotel had not updated its guest letter. I prompted Hyatt, and they told me they “raised this issue with the hotel again.”
I wrote about another Hyatt property that technically complies with allowing guests to request housekeeping, but makes it so difficult that nobody does. They require guests to fill out paperwork and to call the front desk to let them know that the paperwork has been completed.
I asked Hyatt Chief Commercial Officer Mark Vondrasek about the challenge of franchise hotels – properties neither owned nor managed by the chain – finding ways around or simply ignoring brand standards. They benefit from the chain’s brand, but may wish to spend as little as possible while taking advantage of it. He said this was their problem to solve. Indeed it is.
Truly shocking that Hyatt corporate
Does not take any responsibility.
for hotels, not complying with Hyatt standards. I know there are a lot of complaints about Marriott, but I still find them to be more responsive than Hyatt and I have elite in both. Anyway, I guess we now have to call hotels before staying to ask them if they provide housekeeping.. crazy
What’s funny is, I believe, Hyatt Place properties in Europe are Hyatt-managed. I don’t believe those are franchised. That aside, the reality is Hyatt’s growth in North America is limited to franchised Hyatt House and Hyatt Place properties, all-inclusives and luxury resorts. I don’t see many Hyatt-managed Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Grand Hyatt or Park Hyatt properties opening these days. And as Hyatt expands Hyatt House and Hyatt Place, it is relying upon management companies like Aimbridge to be good good actors. Hyatt can’t go after Aimbridge and similar operators because it needs them for growth. There’s a reason why Starbucks doesn’t franchise. This is it.
The Climate change hoax is being used by greedy corporations to screw their customers everyone already knows this. It’s why people don’t care about so-called “climate change” anymore.
The Degrowth climate hoax is being used everywhere to deceive and scam people
“He said this was their problem”
Pardon my confusion – “their” meaning Hyatt’s, or meaning the local hotel’s?
Wasn’t the Las Vegas mass shooting partial blamed on the refusal of housekeeping. The thought being that if, a hotel employee would have seen the weapons something would have been said. This policy will be walked back like self check out is now. Criminal element will take advantage of this if, they aren’t already.
Next you will be given cleaning materials to clean your own room on arrival. I fail to see how a drink at the bar is so ecologically sound. Even just wiping out the glasses instead of washing them does not make it so.
I have been charged for parking Every. Single. Night. this year even though I’m Globalist and using points. Every night. I even stop by the desk at checkout, something I hate doing, to confirm that they will take care of it. They never do and I have to check my credit card the next week then send emails like some poor loser asking for something that was a huge part of the reason I chose that location over a competitor’s.
Oh come on Gary. Planting a tree is not gardening exactly..
The environment!
What I’m wondering is how much room do they have for trees? A lot of potential “gardeners” stay there. Will they dig up the trees and have the guests replant them?
Cynical, I know, but I’ve had my heart broken too many times…..
Mark Vondrasek is the worst. The Hyatt loyalty program, their sales team and now their operations, at least franchise operations under him have all slipped dramatically since he showed up from Starwood. Hyatt used to have tenured executives who took a long view of the company and its customers. I see their head of operations is retiring next year after 40+ years. A clear sign to me its time to find another high end brand to pledge my loyalty to after Mariott.
Hi Gary,
Is there a global list of all franchised Hyatt hotels?
BBB
I’m really going to start bringing my own sheets when I travel.
Housekeeping by request as default does seem less wasteful and suits me better. Experienced an interesting cultural difference at a non western brand high end hotel in China two weeks ago – asked for no housekeeping service unless I requested one; they waited until I was out and did it anyway, including changing sheets lol.
@Lydia Corrent: I’m not sure what the alternative is. Hilton and IHG both franchise much more than Marriott and certainly more than Hyatt. Four Seasons is small. Same for The Peninsula. I doubt most business travelers — even if they could find a Four Seasons or Pensinula — could stay their for work. Maybe Accor in Europe and Asia? As it stands now, Hyatt is the best option besides Marriott.
The hyatt place in knoxville has some of the rudest employees I have ever seen at hyatt properties.
Come on Gary, gardening is pulling weeds and stuff like that. Planting trees is landscaping. get with the groundskeeping terminology, man.
Absolutely disgusting. Quality of service has gone dow hill in all hospitality and travel related businesses over the last decade. Covid is just an excuse to pull bigger profits at the cost of customer satisfaction. Take your business elsewhere. Screw these guys.
@Jake-1
They need to make sure they have fresh batteries in the bugs.
It’s not like you get to plant the tree anyway. They’ll pay some company like 20c to promise to do it (more like allocate an already existing tree)
@JorgeGeorge Paez
It’s more environmentally conscious to RECYCLE the tree than use a new one each time.
It’s either Marriott or a bed and breakfast that we have found and like then continue to use. Those other hotels tend to smell and are generally ‘never’ clean. I have stayed in my car once after arriving late to a hotel and finding it TOTALLY uninhabitable. Stains, dirt, bugs, smell, etc.
But, this is what they have pushed us towards. So the rental homes and other alternative lodgings thank you for your complete lack of service and care.
I will never understand in my life what y’all are doing in your hotel rooms such that they need to be cleaned daily.
No thanks, I’d rather limit the number of randoms in my hotel room as much as possible.
@vbscript2 – lol, they’re more than welcome to listen-in on my lame conversations or look-in on my lame activities in the room. But doubt that they would need to change batteries everyday to do so. More likely, they just have a different service culture and can’t imagine a guest not wanting their room tidy.
Hyatt Place Orlando Airport same story. I went to the front desk complaining that our room had not been done in two days. They said they wouldn’t clean rooms until the third day. Being a Globalist didn’t matter (also did not receive a room upgrade). Not impressed.
@Freddy Mac
The issue is the housekeeper doesn’t get extra time to clean a room that hasn’t had cleaning for two days or four days when a guest checks out. The housekeeper gets about 20 minutes. Rooms that go days without cleaning are going to be dirtier than a room that is cleaned every day. So at the end of the day, hotel rooms are dirtier with non-daily cleaning.
@Peter V
Technically, the suite upgrade for globalists doesn’t apply at Hyatt Place.
I simply go to the FD let them know I am not satisfied with the room, location, warmth, noise and ask to be moved to a new clean room. It’s a pain to move but I am a light packer and I get a cleaned room. Works 9 out of 10 times.
I know other Globalists who call the FD multiple times requesting every possible amenity including sheet sets towels etc. Once all that arrives they directly request help from housekeeping and leave a tip for the housekeeper.
It’s all a big game!
So Hyatt is overseen by Aimsbridge, and Aimsbridge is owned by Advent International. As usual, private equity has worked its vile influence here.
Ive stayed in a bunch of different hotel brands over the last few years and every one has done daily housekeeping even when they have a sign saying they only do it daily on request.
France is awful!
This is utterly deplorable, NOT cleaning a hotel room?? And hyatt has the audacity to be associated with this hotel ?
I was recently at a Hyatt and received the nastygram under the door stating “we must enter the room every day”. I’m not sure if that meant housekeeping or if they just wanted to snoop through our luggage.
I just stayed in a flagship property owned by its chain in a major city and get this… they have a contest for the cleanest room and if you win, you can earn back the cost of your stay (up to a max of two nights). The cleaning instructions were left next to a garbage bag by the TV and conveniently the property does not include their name/brand or logo, probably for fear of shame or embarrassment on social media. LMK if you want the details and photos I took… and no, I did not clean my room for them per their contest instructions.