To complain about cleaner walking in on me naked

[Yolojo]

Staying in a chain hotel, Western Europe, 8am. I'm up but also naked in bed, having a coffee. Someone knocks on the door, I ignore it, not sure if it's my door or someone else's. Then the door opens and a man calls out something, I dive under my sheets and I think I shouted out 'there's someone in here', so the door closes. I throw some clothes on, go in the corridor and say to the guy that check out is 11, and also angrily 'don't come in my room, what the hell!' I didn't have a 'do not disturb ' sign on my door, but then I wouldn't expect to have to use it if I'm checking out before 11. AIBU to complain?

Next time you stay in a hotel do use the dnd.
I always take a door wedge with me as for some reason not all hotel doors can be locked from the instead which is stupid. And not all doors a chair or something can be wedges behind it because the handle is too high or the chair is too heavy to move. Those rubber wedges take up little space.
It also helps if the room doesn’t have a dnd card.

I'm surprised there was no internal lock on the door there has been in every hotel I've ever stayed in.

A tip for future @Yolojo - take a door stop with you, the wedge type, and wedge it in the closed door on the inside when you go to sleep it will prevent the door being opened from the outside.

Great minds @ihatethefuckingmuffin !

Ridiculous! So what will your complaint be based on? You’re a survivor of sexual abuse and therefore this male clear who knocked, you did not answer, he came in, left immediately once you said the room was still occupied should be disciplined. For what though? How does your past sexual abuse make this particular man’s behaviour unreasonable?

You were in the wrong
And you were rude

Check out time was 11am, yes, but for all he knew you might have checked out first thing. Not everyone waits until checkout time. He knocked, but you didn’t answer so he thought you’d already gone. Just use the DND sign like a normal person, Ffs.

Yes, that’s what you should do. That’s what it’s for. Why wouldn’t it be?

It’s fine that you didn’t know this, but it is also not the cleaner’s fault that you didn’t.

It is unfortunate for both you and the cleaner but now you know you can stop it happening again.

Ignore the drama queens and good luck in your new job.

I can’t believe the hard time you are getting OP

even if you had the chain on the sound of someone trying your room at 8 am would be unnerving

i would never use a DND sign overnight. I’ve never seen them flapping on every other door either, maybe just one one or two

im actually in a hotel now. I've had breakfast but am not leaving till 11. I've put the sign on now to let them know i' m still here but I wouldn’t do it for 8am

I would suggest cleaning later than 8am as most people don't want a 8am wake up call on holiday.

They can do that. You’ll be happy never to be able to check in til after 4pm yes?

I used to work in housekeeping, cleaning started at 10am, but back in those days you couldn’t check in before 4pm. Nowadays, people want to check in earlier and check out later. With an 11am check out, and a 2 or 3pm check in, it would be impossible to turn all the rooms around without having a massive housekeeping staff always available for those hours only, and if the hotel isn’t full, you’d have staff doing nothing for hours on those days (because we don’t want zero hours contracts, right?)

There are options for the guests to avoid being disturbed, you didn’t choose them.

I don't think the OP is getting a hard time.

It's the complete disregard for the service person doing the job they are paid to do. They have no choice. Do you really think they want to be going into hotel rooms at 8.00am? They'll be under pressure to get their allocated rooms turned over. They knocked and didn't get an answer so probably assumed the room was already vacant.

To complain (which could cost them their job and it will certainly be noted against them) when you haven't used the DND sign just smacks of blinkered, self-entitled, and I hate to use this word, 'Karenism.'

Those DND signs are there, precisely for that purpose.

I am really surprised even those with housekeeping experience thinks the cleaner was in the right.

Not sure what kind of hotels you have worked for but surely it is common sense to provide your cleaners with a list of rooms which have been vacated🤷‍♂️

@OnTheBoardwalk - it's literally what the DND disturb sign is for, putting on the door handle on the corridor side overnight. It's to stop a staff member trying your door when you're asleep.

even if you had the chain on the sound of someone trying your room at 8 am would be unnerving

If you are so unnerved by someone knocking and trying to enter a hotel room that has no response, you probably should avoid hotels.

i would never use a DND sign overnight. I’ve never seen them flapping on every other door either, maybe just one one or two

From my experience of working housekeeping, it is way more than one or two people who use them, but also, the vast majority of people are out to breakfast at 8am. In most hotels 8-9 is the busiest time for breakfast.

im actually in a hotel now. I've had breakfast but am not leaving till 11. I've put the sign on now to let them know i' m still here but I wouldn’t do it for 8am

Expect to be in OP’s position at some point.

This. ^ Of COURSE YABU @Yolojo You didn't respond and you had no DND sign on the door.

Maybe instead of complaining about the actual cleaner you could complain to the manager for not organising the times rooms are cleaned when they have been vacated. It's not rocket science a lot of people leave early so the cleaners should be doing those rooms first.

I actually agree with the OP. 8am is way too early for cleaners to be knocking on doors, especially on check-out day. And rooms should be fitted with deadbolts to allow a modicum of privacy. Sounds like a shitty hotel.

With modern technology well managed hotels have a system for alerting cleaning staff to who has already checked out and who hasn't yet.
I stay quite often in Premier Inns and rarely check out much before 11. I've never been disturbed by cleaner checking if I've left yet

i hope you apologised. Do not disturb signs are there for a reason. No sign and nobody answers the knock? fair game.

Just out of interest what if someone forgets to use the DND sign say it was you who forgot. Would you think.... Oh well it is my own fault I forgot to use the card or would you think... You would think the cleaner checks first to see if the room has been vacted first from their list?
I can't believe for one minute the cleaners do not have a list of vacated rooms.

But what about those staying longer? They wouldn't know if you have checked out or having a lie I'm or at breakfast or down at the shops. The DDD sign is for a reason

Then they should be cleaning the rooms that they know have been vacted and concentrate on getting those rooms cleaned ready for the next guest. Then clean the rooms where guest are staying for more than one night.

But the OP was checking out. We're talking about being disturbed at 8am to clean the room on checkout day @maddy68

Yes and the room had not been vacted. Cleaners shouldn't be going round knocking on doors at 8am to see if they have been vacted, they should be going by a list given to them from reception on what rooms have been vacted. Check out is at 11 so guest should be allowed to enjoy their stay until that time whether or not they have used the DND sign.

Grow up. It's not a drip feed. You're allowed to feel uncomfortable about a stranger walking into your room while you're naked regardless of past sexual abuse. OP has explained why it's a trigger for her when others think it's no big deal as he didn't see her. It's not really relevant to her original question but it's relevant to the overall thread as people probe.