hhoope01

If the person in the room has not asked for (and been given) a late check-out, I agree. But if you have a late check-out, then there is no reason for them to think that the person in the room has left yet.

This is why most here have been mentioning this is a "management" and a "process" issue. If the process were set up correctly, then the maids should know that I told the hotel I would still be in the room. The maids would then act appropriately and wait until after the late check-out time. At that point, they can then assume I have checked-out and knock on the door.

JFKSFOLAX_friend

Speaking of hypotheticals, what if the people involved were gay?

drizz1129

I know the point is you shouldn't have to worry about it, but why not just use the deadbolt? Sends the message pretty clearly to HSKP that someone is still in the room...

Forstbetrieb

And if there is no dead lock???

M18A1 Claymore?!

sbtinme

I was a Marriott employee a billion years ago (when I was in high school) and while that was decades ago (ahem), the reasons that Housekeeping keeps knocking when the DND sign is on the door are still the same.

Please understand that a great percentage of folks who put the DND sign on their door COMPLETELY FORGET ABOUT IT THE NEXT MORNING in their haste to leave the room. A common scenario is someone who has a very early flight might need to be in bed at 7:30pm ... they put the DND sign out after dinner and call it an early night. After a 2:55am shower, they grab their coat, bags and blast out of the hotel at 3:17am to catch the airport shuttle for the 5:40am flight.

Now, what do you think the odds are that guest removed the DND sign from the door? I'd hazard about 7% chance that it was removed. The other 93% of the time, the room is vacant and housekeeping must guess which rooms are really occupied and which ones aren't.

Should there be better processes in place? Sure, there's room from improvement, but everyone needs to understand the other side of the equation here. If a housekeeper is assigned to 17 rooms a day (this is fairly standard) and all of her rooms are on one floor (this is also standard) and she has 6 rooms with the DND sign on the door and needs to punch out by 3pm, then at some point, she's gonna start knocking. Remember, she knows from experience that 80% of the rooms with DND on the door knob have vacated.

A perfect solution? I don't know of a perfect solution as long as guests consistently leave DND signs on the door that don't apply.

I'm just wanting to point out the very legitimate OTHER SIDE of this story.

hhoope01

As mentioned, the solution really isn't too hard or complicated. Don't try to enter until after check-out time if there is a DND sign on the door. If the person has asked for and been given a late check-out time, then don't try to enter until after that time.

I would guess that if the hotel were in a situation where the maid had cleaned all possible rooms except for those with DND signs, they could call the front desk and check to see if any of those had check-out yet or not. Again, not too complicated or hard to do.

mahasamatman

Housekeeping should be notified when guest check out. Unfortunately, many guests don't bother to check out, which exacerbates the problem. Maybe that should be a requirement.

sbtinme

It certainly is complicated when 85% or more of guests don't bother to stop off at the front desk these days. I don't think I've checked out of a hotel at the front desk (unless there was a billing issue) since about 1993.

This is not a cut and dried issue. I understand it can be very frustrating for the guest, but there is a level of frustration for hotel staff, too. I'm just pointing out that many who posted here aren't seeing that side of the story.

fireworksboy

No dead lock? Can someone please post the Marriott location whose rooms have no dead lock?

RAPC

How about we start with the Starwood hotels first eh?

N965VJ

What if they were cougars?

Seriously though, just just throwing the bar or chaining the door will keep the staff out if you don't want them in there.

sbtinme

I'd like to agree with the poster upthread who mentioned leaving a sticky note on the door if the DND issue is crucial. I almost never use a DND sign since I'm usually in at 9pm and out by 7am, but in the few instances where I have absolutely needed it for late sleep ins or being really sick with the flu overseas, etc., I've done two things:

1. call the front desk and make it very clear that I need DND to be honored
and
2. place a small stickynote on the door at eye level explaining that I do NOT want to be disturbed until after xx:xx time.

I've never had an issue with that approach.

fireworksboy

DOH! Forgot which forum I was in.

Flews

My thoughts:

1. I believe the DND sign should be honoured - that's the whole point of it;

2. If the DND isn't honoured - especially twice in a couple hours - then yes, I do believe there is a serious training issue at that property;

3. I personally lock the door so nobody comes in regardless of the sign on the outside;

4. I doubt the lack of response has anything to do with the tone of the email - I bet it has to do with the failure of so many hotel properties - especially GMs - to acknowledge emails from guests. This is BY FAR my biggest beef with *wood properties...

5. If someone did ignore my DND, and if I forgot to lock my door, and if I was naked, then I would do my 'monkey dance' - the one Mrs. Flews hates so much - and scare the crap out of them!

Cheers,

NDDomer86

Locking the door doesn't always keep them out. I had the door locked and the latch closed at the Sheraton Cerritos once and the housekeeper (after having already knocked multiple times to be told that I was checking out late) manually unlocked the door to try to gain entry.