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What is the point of turndown service?

What is the point of turndown service?

Old Aug 10, 2006, 5:09 am
  #61  
 
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Originally Posted by Lindisfarne
Thanks for the info. It's terribly wasteful though; 95% of them probably end up in the trash.
I have about 20 pairs in a closet, for when guests visit. Most are still in their wrapper.

I guess you're right though: they'll eventually wind up in the trash.

I only have a few from US hotels. Most of them I was given at European ones.
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Old Aug 10, 2006, 6:43 am
  #62  
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Originally Posted by Lindisfarne
Were you not clean when you got out of your shower? Had you hung them up, they'd be dry by the next morning. Going through 2 sets of towels a day is really excessive.
When I'm on vacation, I like a little pampering and excess.

Sorry if you don't.
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Old Aug 10, 2006, 1:27 pm
  #63  
 
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Friend of Mine Reported "Turndown" To Hotel Security

I have a friend, who I thought traveled quite a bit, who tells me that he actually called security to let them know that someone had entered his room, turned his bed down, and left candy on the pillow. He was totally unaware of the "turndown" concept and thought someone had broken in his room to play this dirty trick.
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Old Aug 11, 2006, 10:11 pm
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I think turndown service is dumb. I would rather pay less for the room.
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Old Aug 11, 2006, 11:40 pm
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Originally Posted by jpdx
That's a huge annoyance to me, as I often find that I am too technologically challenged to turn the music off on my own.
I hear if you tug hard enough on that rope coming out the back of the cd player, the music will stop.
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Old Aug 12, 2006, 12:28 am
  #66  
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Originally Posted by Mary2e
When I'm on vacation, I like a little pampering and excess.

Sorry if you don't.
Me too, Mary2e
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Old Sep 7, 2010, 11:09 pm
  #67  
 
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Is turndown service complimentary?
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Old Sep 7, 2010, 11:26 pm
  #68  
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Originally Posted by blondee_yvr
Is turndown service complimentary?
Usually it is.
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Old Sep 8, 2010, 8:41 am
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Look it's an extra service, if you don't want it, put up the Do not disturb sign

Benefits of turndown service ?

you have been lying on your bed watching TV for some of the day, you are about to hit the town to the pubs and clubs. You want your bed remade in case you get lucky
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Old Sep 8, 2010, 8:56 am
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Wow, apparently I'm the only one that hates the hassle of turndown service. My hotel is my home away from home... That means my room is my inner sanctum and is mine for the duration I've leased it. I'm often sleeping at odd hours thanks to jet lag, and the last thing I want is hotel staff intrupting me during my down time.

First thing I do when arriving at a hotel room is put on the do not disturb sign. It stays on for the entire duration of my stay except for when I briefly replace it with the housekeeping requested sign while I'm out for the day.

I'm truly surprised at the love for turndown service... The negative of having hotel staff interrupt your evening far outweighs the value of a couple chocolates. Just leave the darn chocolates on the table when you make up the room at midday.
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Old Sep 8, 2010, 9:02 am
  #71  
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Personally, I really appreciate turndown service.
If I need not to be disturbed or have documents I would rather have not disturbed, simply putting out the DND sign works very well.
It is a plus.
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Old Sep 8, 2010, 9:35 am
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Usually I keep the DND sign up but if I'm out for the evening I put the housekeeping sign up.
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Old Sep 8, 2010, 10:42 am
  #73  
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Originally Posted by GeoGirl
I'm green, too, but I LOVE turndown service. I just tell them not to replace the towels and they just tidy up and turn down the bed, leave my chocolate on the pillow, etc.

One thing I don't like, though, is hotels that have turndown service "on request." Even though I love turndown, I feel silly calling to ask someone to come do it.

GG
I don't feel awkward about calling to request turndown service. If it's offered, I'm paying for it (or I earned it). In fact, I'd rather schedule it at my convenience or have the choice to no nothing and not be disturbed.

Originally Posted by alanh
On Amtrak I appreciated the turndown service because turning the seats into beds is a job best left to the expert. For a regular hotel though, I don't see the point.
Same on SQ in FC. They're good at knowing when to ask if I'm ready for my bed and then doing it fast and making it look inviting.

Originally Posted by Telfes
I have to confess that I really like the towel on the floor by the bed. I hate hotel floors & it is nice not to have to be so careful about hitting the slippers dead on if I get up in the dark. That said, I am fully capable of putting an extra hand towel on the floor.
I feel the same way. I've also started to do the towel on floor myself if the linen mat isn't provided as part of turndown service.

Originally Posted by herzmeh
To me it's more of an annoyance... At night, sitting, working, doing other stuff, whatever... *knock* *knock*
Use the do not disturb sign and complain if it's not honored.

Originally Posted by GeoGirl
Well, that's okay. To each his/her own. I like it, you don't. It's nice that we have the option to request that hotels do/don't perform this service.

GG
I really like the option, but I don't like checking in at 4pm to find that my room has already been turned down. I like to see the look of the room with bedspread before it goes away. Reminds me of the small French hotels where the front desk person removes the bedspread when then first take you to the room.

Originally Posted by kered
Just to bend the topic slightly……….

Some of you have mentioned that you’ve come back to your room to find “Relaxing Jazz” playing on the CD player, which was put on as part of the turn down service.

I like to wind down my day listening to soft music as I head for the land of nod & would like to add some Jazz to my CD collection.

Anyone got any recommendations of some “Relaxing Jazz” that I could look out for in the music store ??
I think W hotels seel the CD they use. Check their printed catalogue in the room or their website with the items for sale. You can probably purchase it with SPG points, but it might not be a good value.

Originally Posted by Points Scrounger
I have almost never had music waiting for me, but it did occur recently. Frustrating experience having to locate the OFF switch on an unfamiliar machine before unpacking.
I agree, but usually I have to tackle the thing to figure out the alarm, even if only to check that a previous guest didn't leave it set for some ridiculous hour. I think maids are supposed to check, but sometimes they miss this, especially on the two-alarm models.

Originally Posted by Rejuvenated
I enjoy the turndown service offered by the SQ FA when travelling in their F as they will convert the seat into the flat position, set it up, and tuck you in with the duvet. Not many carriers would have their crews perform this. Crews at CX F are among them that will not do this service.
On SQ, usually when I finish the meal and head toward the lavatory, they offer to do the bed and it's all ready for me when I return to my seat, no matter how quick I am. It sometimes seems like magic.

Originally Posted by ContinentalFan
I have asked this question of a hotel manager. He told me that it's done to show hospitality, to reach out to guests and to prompt them for any other requests that they might have.
The Observatory in Sydney has a suggested to do list with the weather forecast. Many examples involve spending money, such as order a cognac nightcap, order room service breakfast, call home, etc. It's a cute ides.

Originally Posted by viajero7889
Last week at the Crowne Plaza Auckland

Knock on door. "Turn down service?"
Me: "No thanks" - I had business papers spread out on the bed
Her: Would you like some chocolate anyway?
Me whilst taking a handful of tasty chockies "Of course, thanks"

Spent the next hour eating yummy chocolate while doing my work.
When I do this, I susually get two or three times the usual dose of chocolates, perhaps a favor in exchange for saving them the turndown time.

Originally Posted by Lindisfarne
Hotel slippers? I can't imagine it. Someone else complained about the fact that towels are previously used (albeit washed in between guests); I guess the same must be true of the slippers but I'll bet they don't always get washed. I'll take my chances with wearing my own slippers ...
I used to see Japanese hotels offer the communal slippers--like in traditional restaurants--but recently they seem to have switched to packaged disposables. Another former example is Raffles in Singapore, which had beautiful traditional cloth quilted slippers until a few years ago.

Once I saw a sign saying that one would be charged for removing bathrobes or slippers from the room. When I saw a manager, I asked how the slippers can be sanitized and he reassured me that they dispose of used pairs and that I was free to take mine.

I do reuse them at home, for travel (less space and weight than slippers I can buy) in hotel rooms and on planes, and around swimming pools. I also give them (in sealed packages) to overnight guests. Sometimes the slippers are nice souvenirs or are simply well designed. To me, it seems less wasteful to take and reuse them than to leave them for disposal.

Originally Posted by GibSpmuh
At any of the hotels I've stayed at which supply slippers they've always been supplied fresh and new - yours to keep (as far as I could tell anyway). I didn't imagine they'd bother going through the hassle of re-using them for the next guest (unless there's hotels out there that give particuarly fancy slippers out).
See above. I don't think they can launder the ones with rubber or plastic soles because of the water temperature and the others would probably fall apart in the washing machine. Most of them are not expensive for the hotel, although I see them provided more frequently abroad than in the US. From the hotel's viewpoint, it's a way to discourage guests from walking around in their bare feet, including to the lounge (yuk).

ADDED:

I prefer turndown fairly late; it's pointless to do it before I've returned to my room at the end of the day and I don't want the room darkened them. It should be down after I've gotten ready for dinner. (bath/shower) and left for dinner.

It annoys me when slippers don't appear before turndown service (and especially if they're removed during the morning housekeeping service on multi-day stays). I want the slippers for my predinner bath/shower/change of clothes, not just in the evening at bedtime. The robe and slippers should be in the room when I arrive and stay there throughout.

Last edited by MSPeconomist; Sep 8, 2010 at 10:47 am
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Old Sep 8, 2010, 10:45 am
  #74  
 
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I ***HATE*** the turndown service. A typical business day for me means seeing clients with sales reps, then out to dinner. That means I have about 5 minutes to race into my room, go to the bathroom, change my pantyhose, comb my hair, etc., then go back to the lobby where someone is waiting to take me out to dinner. I leave the room looking like a tornado hit it! I don't like the idea of someone coming in and seeing that mess.

When I leave in the morning, I have time to tidy up a bit for the mid-morning cleaning crew.

Here is my true story. I was at the Worthington in Ft Worth, TX. The room was laid out with a little foyer so you can't see directly into the room from the hall. I turned out all the lights, but left the foyer light on so it would be light when I got back from dinner.

I came back to the room, alone, at about 10:30 pm. I opened my room door and immediately noticed the foyer light was off. Huh? Then I heard TV sound from my room.

I do not like TV and never turn it on in a hotel. I was afraid that someone was in my room. Here I was a female, alone, in business pumps (not sneakers which would be better for running) and someone was in my hotel room. My adrenaline was pumping full blast. I truly did not know what to do.

I carefully peeked around the foyer wall to see what was in my room, figuring that a rapist would not be sitting there waiting for me with the TV blaring away. My best hope it was some regular hotel guest who wondered why someone else's suitcase was in "their" room.

There was no one in my room. The turndown service had been there, and part of the service was to adjust the lights and turn on the TV.

I was furious. Absolutely furious. White-hot furious. My intense fear turned to intense anger in a second. I had been scared out of my wits for NOTHING.

Then, I could not figure out how to turn off the #@$$#@#$ TV!!!! No switches on the TV, and the power cord was permanently wired in the wall. The switches were on the bedside table, built in to the furniture.

That made it even worse.

I called the front desk and told them that I was scared to death by the turndown service, and that I did not want it the next night, the second and last of my stay.

They did it again the next night, ignoring my request. I have never been so mad, in my life, at a hotel. I sent them a scathing letter after I returned home. From then on I would see Worthington ads in the DFW airport concourse and I contemplated leaving Post-it notes on the ad saying "Terrible place. Don't stay here.".
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Old Sep 8, 2010, 10:49 am
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I think it best to offer a turndown service on request. Those who like it can request it. Those who don't like it aren't bothered (OR FRIGHTENED) with it.
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