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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is not standard in a hotel?

184 replies

sniffle12 · 14/02/2017 08:44

Staying in quite a nice hotel and housekeeping have knocked on once at 8am and once at 8.20am even though I said not yet thank you the first time. AIBU to think that's a bit intense? What if I'd been asleep still or in the shower, would they just have walked in on me?

I would always put my do not disturb card on if I was intending to sleep in, but I presumed that before 9am was pretty safe as people are still getting up, getting ready for work, etc?

Will just put do not disturb on tomorrow but wanted opinions!

OP posts:
NapQueen · 14/02/2017 08:46

Yabu for not putting the DND on. They second maid more than likely wasnt the same maid as the first time.

These staff have roughly 10 mins to clean a "stayover" room and 15 to do a "departing" room. And its a weekday morning when most guests leave early.

Youve got a dnd for a reason - use it!!

Dothehokeykokey · 14/02/2017 08:47

Sounds standard after 8 to me.

People are either there on business in which case they are up and out early, or on on holiday in which case you put a do not disturb up

BlahBlahBlahEtc · 14/02/2017 08:48

8am seems really early to me! What time is kick out because the cleaner might have wanted a head start?

DesolateWaist · 14/02/2017 08:50

I disagree with NapQueen. I have never put the DND sign on my door unless it is after about 9am. I have never once had housekeeping knock on the door.

They usually turn up after the breakfast service has finished. It is perfectly normal for you to still be getting dressed etc at 8am. I would not expect house keeping to knock then.

That said in a hotel with work once and a college was in her room in the bath. Housekeeping knocked on the door and she shouted that she was in the bath. The woman came in anyway. Into the bathroom. Reached over the bath and changed the towels!!

MojhitoSparkle · 14/02/2017 08:51

YABU. If you don't put the card up they will keep trying. Best to put it on the night before and take it off when you leave the room in the morning.

AntiQuitty · 14/02/2017 08:52

It's ridiculous unless checkout time is 8am!

Trifleorbust · 14/02/2017 08:52

I wouldn't be pleased to have someone knock before the end of breakfast. Obviously if they serve breakfast until 11 or so, they must be aware that people sleep until 10 and are getting ready until 10.30 or so. It isn't the cleaners' fault of course.

AntiQuitty · 14/02/2017 08:52

You don't get that crap at a Premier Inn!

CMOTDibbler · 14/02/2017 08:53

If its a hotel with mainly business stayers, then they often start at 8am ime. I pop the dnd sign on if I'm not up early just in case anyway

londonrach · 14/02/2017 08:54

Yabu. Its standard. They need to turn the room around. The cards there was a reason. We always put it out whilst we went to breakfast and then removed card when out for the day.

DrivingMeBonkers · 14/02/2017 08:55

If check out is eg 10 am I would not expect to be disturbed until that time.

I would mention it, without fuss, the the staff when you check out.

MsGameandWatch · 14/02/2017 08:55

Just stayed at a premier inn last night. Most pleasantly surprised actually. Have stayed in far worse hotels costing far more.

I'd be wanting to get my work done ASAP if I were a hotel room service person. I bet they work their arses off and have a huge work load. Can't blame them really. Far worse is when they don't get round to it till late afternoon Angry

RoughBeast · 14/02/2017 08:55

When I worked as a chambermaid in a high-end US hotel, I started my shift at 7.30 am and was immediately expected to knock on any doors that didn't have a DND up. Schedules were incredibly tight and pressured, and if housekeeping saw you get behind on three days, you were fired.

In a business-y hotel midweek, I imagine the thinking is that people are likely to have meetings and to have left by eight ish.

TheHodgeoftheHedge · 14/02/2017 08:58

Just put the DND. That's what it's there for.

BarFlyInThePeanuts · 14/02/2017 08:58

Yes, it's a weekday so business people up for breakfast and gone by eight. Seven minutes to service a room and 15 to turn it around.

Trifleorbust · 14/02/2017 09:05

It's not that relevant whether it's a business hotel or not, really. Most customers might be business customers but some won't be. Doesn't mean they want to be awoken at the crack of dawn.

BarbaraofSeville · 14/02/2017 09:05

I leave the DND sign on all the time as I hate having to dodge housekeeping. I've stopped staying in hotels where I can as they just seem to have the knack of trying to get in when most inconvenient.

It's the worst thing about staying in hotels and I'd rather they didn't do any housekeeping most of the time anyway as I don't like how they make the bed and I don't like how they retrieve all the cushions and throws when I have removed them.

Worst was when I was working nights once and staying in a hotel. They ignored the DND sign and knocked/rang etc.

MrsNuckyThompson · 14/02/2017 09:06

I'd say it's pretty standard. The DND sign is there for a reason - why didn't you hop up and put it on after the first knock?

YABU

TheNaze73 · 14/02/2017 09:07

YABU, that's what DND signs are for. Surprised you are even asking

namechange20050 · 14/02/2017 09:09

In my youth I was a chambermaid for a 5 star hotel. In the kind of location that lends itself to tourists, not business. We started turning rooms around at 8am. And yes we would knock any rooms without a DND.

Basicbrown · 14/02/2017 09:11

It's the worst thing about staying in hotels and I'd rather they didn't do any housekeeping most of the time anyway as I don't like how they make the bed and I don't like how they retrieve all the cushions and throws when I have removed them.

So just tell reception that you don't want them in everyday.

OP I used to work in a hotel years ago. I think YANBU, particularly in this day and age where everything is computerised it can't be beyond possibility to provide housekeeping with the numbers of the rooms where people have checked out to make a start on. We used to be careful and would try our best to make sure the room was empty before we knocked. Very often you'd see someone leaving. And to knock twice is Confused. We started at 8 midweek but 9 on Saturdays and 10 on Sundays.

KidLorneRoll · 14/02/2017 09:13

If you don't want to be disturbed... put the sign on the door.

Basicbrown · 14/02/2017 09:15

If you don't want to be disturbed... put the sign on the door.

Signs on the door are not a guarantee tbh. They fall off as they are made of paper and then housekeeping have no idea if it was the 'DND' or 'Please clean my room' side that was showing. Also lots of people leave without removing the DND sign from the door, so you had to knock eventually.

KidLorneRoll · 14/02/2017 09:19

True, but you can't really complain that you are being disturbed if you didn't put the sign on there at all.

myfavouritecolourispurple · 14/02/2017 09:19

I thought the DND was if you wanted a lie-in. 8am is not a lie-in. Even if you are a business traveller. You might only be going down for breakfast then, and attending a conference starting at 9 or 10.