That hotels are using covid as a reason to not service rooms to save their costs?

[MrsArchchancellorRidcully]

I'm currently in a premier inn by Euston. It may only apply to PIs but they are not servicing rooms at all during my stay. They blame this on the threat of covid 🙄

I find this must be a cost cutting exercise. I'm not a fan of changing towels/sheets daily but new cups, more loo roll etc would be appreciated. If I've paid money I don't see why I should go down several
Floors to reception tbh. Aibu?

Yes loads of companies who had poor service before are using it as an excuse now.

Yes this happened to us at the Lake District last weekend. We were there for 3 nights and sharing a room with a friend, so it would have been nice to at least have the bin emptied.
Suspect that the lack of room servicing was more due to staff shortages than Covid concerns.

I don’t mind it because I always hang the “please don’t clean my room” sign on the door anyway. And for loo roll etc I just grab it from the trolley in the corridor.

I'd happily not have any of that done during a hotel stay. I hate finding they've made the bed in a way that means you have to unmake it and remove all the cushions and throws to sleep in it.

They could leave you with a couple of extra toilet rolls and tea bags on day one and there would be no need for them to bother you for the rest of the stay.

It is just the cups and extra tea/coffee that I miss but I find that going to reception you get more anyway. I ask as I’m passing so no effort. As a pp I don’t really care.

It’s likely more to do with the fact that they can’t get cleaning staff or enough linen.

Unless you work in hospitality it’s hard to fathom the immense pressure they are under right now

Unless I’m staying for over a week I’ve no interest in having someone come and ‘service’ my room. I always feel so awkward. Having to make sure I’m out the way, sending them away if I’m trying to relax in my room. I find the whole process weirdly stressful. I make sure I’m not too messy.
I would expect them to leave toilet roll and towel etc if needed.

Annoys me very much, if I am staying for more than one night. Looking at you, Hilton!
Their get out is that they tell you at check in that you have to order room service the night before if you want it. During a recent three night stay, I forgot. Rang on the morning to be told that I was too late, but toiletries etc could be replaced. They weren't. Yet their prices don't seem to have gone down .....
I would think if they were safeguarding against covid, their bars and restaurants would be closed, as well as stopping housekeeping. Yet that doesn't seem to be the case.

YANBU. Lots of companies still using COVID as an excuse for poor service or cutting corners.

Stopped somewhere for lunch last weekend and they were selling pasties, but could only serve them cold as heating them was apparently a covid risk. I think they just couldn’t be arsed.

Yes lots and lots of companies are doing this

None of the hotels we've stayed in recently have cleaned during our stay. Partly to avoid contact, partly due to lower staffing levels. It did not matter much to us as we only stayed a couple of nights. Some offered a served breakfast only, some part limited buffet/part served, only one a full buffet.

I don’t mind it because I always hang the “please don’t clean my room” sign on the door anyway. And for loo roll etc I just grab it from the trolley in the corridor

I do exactly this. There's usually someone about servicing other rooms. Just ask. I'd rather they didn't do my room tbh.

Yep,, we stayed at a Hilton for 3 nights , and Covid was blamed for not servicing rooms
I don’t want clean sheets every night , but I don’t want to try and clean mugs in the bathroom sink
We asked at the bar and got fresh mugs , and coffee sachets from the concierge
I understand , lack of staff and Covid are a big problem
I run a BnB , and with our risk assessment , we don’t enter rooms if people are staying more than one night , but at breakfast I ask them if they’d like fresh mugs , tea bags , towels etc and have them ready so they can take the fresh stuff and leave the used outside their door

Yes, we stayed at a PI in London recently for a week and had huge issues with them not servicing the room. After we had been there 5 days with no service (which we had requested the day before) I insisted they move our room upon finding it hadn’t been done again. They actually told us to go out and come back in two hrs and they would do it, but we had already been out all day. Yes it is an excuse and no it is not acceptable.

Wouldnt bother me

Stayed in a premier Inn recently and they changed the check in to 4pm due to the need for cleaning due to covid.... Considering they aren't changing sheets etc each day I can't imagine they actually need that extra hour! Another piss take!

@merrygoround88

It’s likely more to do with the fact that they can’t get cleaning staff or enough linen.

Unless you work in hospitality it’s hard to fathom the immense pressure they are under right now

Yes, this, I stayed in both a PI and Travelodge last weekend, both said room service wouldn't be happening (irrelevant to us as only one night at each), covid is the given reason, but it will be a staffing one - the need the staff to do the room changeovers.

I prefer it and hope it becomes more prevalent.

Its staff shortages due to multiple reasons - the hospitality industry is really struggling to the point that some 5 star hotels I know have turned off their switchboards for incoming calls because there's no one to answer. Any industry that has a high proportion of seasonal staff/staff from overseas is struggling. Yes, covid is a factor but its not the only one.

Anyway, make your own bed and if you need new towels/cups/teabags/whatever, if you ask at reception, I'm sure they will try to help.

@Namechange1million

Stayed in a premier Inn recently and they changed the check in to 4pm due to the need for cleaning due to covid.... Considering they aren't changing sheets etc each day I can't imagine they actually need that extra hour! Another piss take!

They need the extra hour because they have far fewer staff to get round the same number of rooms.

I'm fine with it, I'd rather ask if I need something. I'm never in a hotel more than 5 days though.

It's more environmentally friendly not to change sheets and towels constantly as well.

Same with self catering. Check in 5pm and check out 9am because of extra cleaning. Along with double the price if last year.
Who wants to be be up so early on holiday? I end up leaving the evening before.

This is going to have a relevant impact on repeat bookings. Hospitality is going to experience a second wave of trouble. People have gone on longer for breaks, paid ££££ than they paid before and found the service not as they remember it.

I stayed in a quite old basic travelodge recently and they had a door hanger to leave asking for tea etc to be topped up. They left clean mugs when we did this. That worked well, I wouldn’t want clean bedding or towels for a 3 night stay.

Yep seen it lots in hotels all over England.

Fair enough initially, before vaccinations and high cases but I think they could be making 'some' effort by now.

Best we went to was actually the cheapest! They left new tea/ coffee/ soaps/ towels etc outside the room doors in sealed bags and reception/ cleaners would constantly remind us to let them know if we wanted anything.

The most expensive gave us 1 toilet roll (4 night stay) and barely enough other bits to last 2 nights!

But yes I agree it's a massive cost saving exercise for many hotels.