I used to work at a hotel – why declining room service actually annoyed us
A FORMER hotel worker has revealed the reason why declining room service actually annoys them.
Many holidaymakers leave their hotel rooms without making sure staff can come in to clean up the mess.
But in doing so you could be annoying the housekeeper in charge of your room.
For this, an experienced hotel worker has shared tips on how you can make their job easier.
Maria Mata, who works at W Hotel San Francisco, said: “After being a housekeeper, I would never leave the ‘do not disturb’ sign up for my whole stay.
“Maybe the guests think that when we don’t clean the room, it’s easier for us, but when a room has two or three days without cleaning, it’s very dirty.”
Hotel workers can have dozens of rooms waiting to be cleared in a day, and an extremely dirty one can delay their job.
Maria added: “I have to rush to clean the room, and it hurts my body. It’s very easy to get an injury. It’s easier for me to clean and refresh the room every day.
“And if enough guests don’t want housekeeper service, the hotel will tell me not to come to work, and I’ll lose the wages I was counting on that day, even though the cleaning cost is already included in your room rate.”
Other hotel workers, who have shared their own experiences, claimed they have come across rooms with huge piles of garbage and rotting food.
Hotel worker Antoinette Clerisier said not allowing housekeepers to do their job can affect their livelihoods.
She explained: “I would never skip daily housekeeping because I know what it’s like for us housekeepers. Guests might think it helps your housekeeper if you skip getting your room cleaned, but it’s not true.
“When rooms go multiple days without cleaning, they are so much dirtier and harder for me to clean. I’ve opened the door and seen huge piles of garbage, dirty diapers, and rotting food that I have to clean so the room is ready for the next guest.
“It also means it puts our co-workers out of work because less housekeepers are put on the schedule.
“But last year we came together with our union where we fought and won back automatic daily housekeeping ― all housekeepers should have it.”
Other hotel workers recommend guests to let reception know they the exact time their room can be cleaned to avoid waisting their time.
Director of corporate services at Stay SoFlo Cinthia Camilo Vargas said: “Things to avoid is wasting their time. Sometimes they will go to the rooms and ask the guests, ‘Oh, do you want service?’ And they will say, ‘Come back later. Come back later.’
“So usually I would recommend people to notify the front desk and let them know what would be the best time for the housekeepers to go to their room.
“They can request at a certain time, or after a certain time. That way [housekeepers] use their time efficiently and at the same time they keep the guests happy.”
It comes as one expert recently revealed why holidaymakers in Europe are more likely to be met with more hospitable hotel staff.
Julie Ritcher is the owner of Russo Fine Jewels, a high-end jewellery store in London.
After spending 30 years designing high-quality pieces of jewellery, it’s safe to say Julie knows the true meaning of good service.