There are an endless number of things that will never go back to the way they were. To be honest, some of that is good news, and some of it isn’t. When everything went upside down, we were forced to look at how things worked. During the process, if we found something different and better, then why not keep it? There were also things that were gone for a while, and we realized that we didn’t really miss them.
For example, hotel breakfasts underwent massive cuts. When things started to go back to normal, guests complained that a snack bag wasn’t going to cut it, and full breakfasts made a comeback. The same isn’t true for hotel lounges, as some hotels still have not reopened them. They instead have guests eat at a hotel restaurant and work in their rooms or the lobby, offering some loyalty points as compensation.
But one thing that hasn’t returned to normal is housekeeping services. In fact, hotels have reduced housekeeping as part of their normal operations.
For example, take this checkbox that I saw when making a booking. I can either accept housekeeping every other day or I can reject housekeeping services altogether.
Here’s what Marriott says about this policy on its website.
The way we deliver housekeeping service is evolving. Marriott has launched a new Housekeeping Model for Housekeeping Stayover Services. This new approach is centered on providing you with choices during your Stay.
- Premium Hotels, excluding Resorts, will offer Daily Service
- Select and Extended-Stay Hotels will offer Every-Other-Day Service
- Luxury Hotels/Resorts and Premium Resorts will offer Daily Full Clean Service
Hilton takes a different approach, only limiting housekeeping at its extended-stay brands. According to VFTW, Hilton’s policies changed to the following:
-
Full Service/Lifestyle/Embassy Suites: Stayover housekeeping will be provided to all occupied rooms daily or as requested by the guest. Full cleaning will be provided after the 4th night on the 5th day, and upon guest check-out.
-
Focused Service/Homewood Suites/Home2 Suites: Stayover housekeeping service will be provided to all occupied rooms every other day or as requested by the guest. For example, the first stayover clean would occur after the 2nd night on the 3rd day. Full cleaning will be provided after the 4th night on the 5th day, and upon guest check-out. Note: if a Focused Service, Homewood or Home2 property wishes to return to daily, they may do so without a waiver.
-
Luxury: Stayover housekeeping will be provided to all occupied rooms daily or as requested by the guest. All guest rooms must be fully serviced, cleaned and inspected after every 3rd night on the 4th day, or upon guest request, and upon guest check-out. Housekeeping cleaning protocols will be refreshed to align with the brand service standards.
There have been some hotels where we received housekeeping services every day but I honestly don’t miss daily service. What I would like is to get what our timeshare would call a Trash & Towel service. That’s when housekeeping comes in, empties the garbage cans (and takes plates, pizza boxes, etc.) and replaces the towels with new ones. I don’t need the bed made or the carpet cleaned every day.
It’s a different story when staying at a luxury resort, where staff will come into your room multiple times a day to straighten up, replace water bottles, and leave snacks. That’s part of the experience, and guests expect that level of service.
When I’m staying at a HI Express or Hilton Garden Inn, getting housekeeping every other day or so is plenty. Just make sure the pancake machine is working at the breakfast buffet and we’re cool.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary, or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.