To think this hotel policy is rather odd!

[Athyrium]

I was on a work related course today. It was a bit of a distance so I decided to book into a hotel local to the course. So yesterday I booked in 4 ish, made myself at home, get my clothes out ready for next day, treated myself to a pre-dinner bath and glass of wine, and wandered out to find tea. I got back to the hotel in the dark at half 8 to find a man in my room. Frightened the life out of me! He quickly explained he was room service doing a tidy up. Eh? I had not asked for room service, had only booked in 4 hours ago, and felt very intruded upon. Knickers both clean and dirty scattered around! Am I the only one who thinks that this was a weird time to do room service?

While staying in Singapore once there was a knock on the door and a very nice lady presented me with a kind of padded silk envelope thing. Absolutely not a clue what it was for as it didnt come with instructions or explanation.

Mind, this was a fairly posh hotel so once you have plied guests with fruit, turn down service perhaps the next step is a silk envelope.

I stayed at a remote Scottish b&b on a work trip. After a long day ididnt have much time to get changed for dinner. I pulled my clothes out of my case and left my day clothes scattered. When I returned later, the landlady had ironed and folded every single item of clothing, including underwear, put all my toiletries (including tampons) neatly laid out on the dresser, a hot water bottle in the bed, and a copy of People's Friend on my pillow.

Very posh hotels do tidy up in the evening as well as the morning. It's lovely.

You think that when you checked in they would have informed you about this.

I always put the do no disturb sign on the door as I don't like people in my hotel room.

I loved the turndown service at our hotel in Las Vegas. What I found slightly surprising was that they kept cleaning my hairbrush (I have long hair, so it gets hairy quickly).

I'm all for personal hygiene, but five pairs of knickers for one overnight stay alone? Come on, now.

I have never heard of a "turn down" service and I have stayed in a lot of reasonably nice although not very posh hotels. I really hate the idea. I don't even like the fact that they will make beds in the morning and usually put out a "do not disturb" sign.

@ people fixating on OP's scattered knickers! Maybe the OP was on her period or whatever and wanted to have several pairs of knicks. So what? And so what to them being scattered around also. I'm a bit untidy in hotel rooms myself too. Meh. I would hate a turn down service and I hate anyone tidying my stuff in hotel rooms.

Dara sums it up perfectly

Turn down team

I regularly perform a turn down service in my own bedroom, much to dps disappointment
In all seriousness, I love hotel turn downs, very cosy and feels quite luxurious. One hotel I stayed in, I returned from an evening out to find all my underwear that I had bunged on top of my drawers folded neatly and divided with scented drawer liners - I was baffled! (And slightly pissed so used the phone calling all the rooms my friends were staying in to tell them. They all ended up in my room laughing and we emptied the contents of the minibar and guess who got charged - ME!)

I would be really suspicious to be honest. I am airline crew and have stayed at 1000s of hotels. If you walked in on someone doing a 'turn down service' ( usually only done in larger/posher hotels) they would be busy closing curtains, switching lamps on, folding duvet down and leaving the chocolate! I would expect this to be finished off after you walked in (it is just a 5 minute job) It doesn't sound like you interrupted him doing this. I would be asking to see the manager ASAP

Op, I did hotel work for a few years.
Turn down is normal, tedious, but normal in 'posh' hotel's.
I can honestly say the staff would not bat an eyelid at knickers, dirty or not.

In comparison to what staff see, knickers, worn or otherwise, are rather boring!!

Reading this thread I'm realising that the fact I've never experienced "turn down" means I've never stayed in a posh enough hotel. I need turn down

I like the turn down service, and have just received £334 from Thomas Cook for holiday shortcomings, one of which was the intermittent nature of the advertised turn down service.

If posh hotel turn down service. I remember coming back to find pjs reading and bed covers turned over and paper saying weather tonorrow. Very exciting at the time.

Pjs ready not reading....

Used to work as hotel manager. Don't worry about the knickers, the staff have seen it all and won't have batted an eyelid. I've served naked people in bed their breakfast and stepped over many pairs of dirty pants and sex toys!

I wouldn't want someone folding up my pyjamas and I'd be really freaked out if someone filled my bra with flowers. Clearly I don't stay in posh enough hotels to be worried by this though.

Would be really surprised if a 5 star hotel didn't do a turn down service in truth, would be very disappointed. Love fresh towels, bins emptied, new bottled water etc late afternoon, early eve.

Reading this thread I'm realising that the fact I've never experienced "turn down" means I've never stayed in a posh enough hotel. I need turn down

That was my first thought but I have stayed in posh hotels so I think I just haven't noticed. I generally stay out all day after breakfast until 10 or 11 pm. I also put the "do not disturb" sign on the door for the whole time if I'm only staying a couple of nights.
The whole thing seems really weird and pointless to me. I'm amazed that people actually like it.

Did he leave the door propped open while he was cleaning? If so, then fine. If not, then I'd be suspicious.

I was a chambermaid during my student years in several veh posh hotels and had to leave the door open while cleaning because of our own security, and to ensure that we weren't nicking the guest's stuff.

Hilarious obsession with my knickers!! Sorry to disappoint, I only had 3 pairs, one used, one on and one for the next day, on the floor/ bed. Hope that settles the debate. Apologies if I had led people to believe that I arrived and then promptly threw dozens of pants around, it was more my clothes generally but it was the knickers that embarassed me!

It wasn't a particularly posh hotel; no, he didn't leave the door open when he was inside, I walked in on him; and yes he said room service not turn down to answer a few questions.

But hey, I'm over it, and will henceforth always put up the do not disturb sign when I arrive!

The best turn down service Zombie experienced included a birthday cake!

When I'm staying in hotels I always hang a do not disturb sign on the door. It's there 100% of the time. I want privacy in hotels and the idea that people can walk in and out really freaks me out.

I am too bargain basement to experience the turn down service, but that Dara clip made me laugh.

Does the ability to fashion animals out of towels form part of the interview process for hotel staff?