imverge

In light of the recent Las Vegas hotel shootings... Disney Resorts just announced the elimination of Do Not Disturb signs and Hilton Hotels just also updated their policy - If a guest has the room not serviced for a period of 24 hours, member of hotel management will check on the guest room.

I guess hotels figure if someone had checked on the room more often, maybe they would have discovered the weapons?

It got me thinking about a recent stay at The Courtyard in Taipei, where even though I had the DND light indicator on, someone from the management team called me to check if I needed anything. This happened 3 times during my 7-night stay.

I don't ever recall this happening before.

Has Marriott quietly implemented a similar policy? Has anyone recently experience the same?

jalves

Disney changed the wording to "Room Occupied". Yes, a minor nit to pick.

soy

Would be a knee-jerk, TSA style solution to require staff to enter every room every day searching for lunatics who are armed to the teeth. While it 'might' make sense in some places/circumstances, I don't think that this makes sense to implement globally.

I think that the US is a rather unusual case in that you have widespread access to military grade weapons, plenty of folk with mental issues (without corresponding healthcare system that would mitigate their problems) and mega-hotels where things are very impersonal (making it unlikely staff notice unusual behaviors).

Per LoyaltyLobby blog Hilton have changed their T&C to reserve the right to inspect the room, though I would have thought they had that right anyways https://loyaltylobby.com/2017/12/28/...ay-to-inspect/

dmodemd

This bothers me greatly as when we travel we keep the DND sign out constantly. My wife prefers to clean the room herself as housekeeping never meet her standards. As such, we do not want anyone in our room, providing the opportunity to steal something (or more often, leave the door open while housekeeping wanders around elsewhere). Now they have an excuse to knock and barge in during the day when people may be sleeping or during other activities!

kennycrudup

FWIW, in >2500 nights between multiple chains over the last few years I've never had anything stolen from my room. While this isn't saying it never happens, it's just something I don't worry about anymore.

I have never stayed in any hotel in any chain that didn't have a bar of some type on the door that prevented anyone from passing thru the door. Nonissue (and they have tried to get in during said "other activities" ... apparently hotel room doors let IN every sound, but for some reason HK can never hear thru it ... )

CPRich

Except that's not what's happening, anywhere. I'm relatively certain all hotels have policies to check on guest status/health if DND/unheard from in several days.

JackE

Just to highlight one falsehood in your rant -- and trust me, there are more -- Medicaid is the single biggest payer for mental health services. For those who are not on Medicaid, Obamacare plans all cover mental health treatment.

Kagehitokiri

above quoted change for hilton is not big deal in terms of language used

many FT reports of DND not being followed including at very well regarded expensive properties

CALMSP

I've found USA hotels obeying the DND, but have found Autograph properties internationally who do no follow the DND. Rather odd I thought. Most recently at Domes Elounda and The Boulevard.

Points Scrounger

I have run across the occasional housekeeper, across chains not just Marriott, who tries to enter even with DND clearly displayed. Usually, they just apologize, although once (Residence Inn I think) my late checkout had not transferred to the housekeeping list, so she honestly had assumed the sign was a leftover error. I thgink the occasional housekeeper will try it, hoping it really was an error, so she can knock off the departed guest's room sooner.

hockeyinsider

I was at a non-Marriott, five-star hotel in the spring 2017. I had the do not disturb sign on the door. I was naked in the shower. The housekeeper entered with me in the shower and the water running. The bathroom door was closed. I walked out, saw her making my bed, yelled out of surprise and quickly remembering the DSK incident ran back to the bathroom, closed the door and put a robe on. When I came out, she was still there as if nothing happened. I had to ask her to leave. I called down to the front desk to document the incident and register a complaint.

Srisarin

Handcake

I was at the JW Marriott in Hanoi in early 2017. I got some serious food poisoning which left me praying to the toilet gods. I had the DND sign on, but housekeeping kept insisting on knocking on the door. I had to call the front desk and tell them I was sick and if I needed anything I would call them. STILL they kept bugging me. I wonder if they were worried I was going to die? It was more I needed to sleep to recover and I definitely didn't want to be disturbed.

I don't think it is all knee jerk to Las Vegas. Hotels probably have been thinking for a while on DND...