writerguyfl

I'd guess that Hanlon's Razor is the culprit. This isn't a scam, it's just poor implementation of a company-wide program by some hotels. If it were a legitimate scam, that would mean that hundreds of hotels that are owned by dozens of different companies somehow conspired to cheat guests.

I've worked in and been associated with the hotel industry for decades. I've never heard of any housekeeping staff every being paid anything other than hourly. (I'm talking about the US.) As Kree notes, they will be required to clean "X" rooms per hour.

Where I worked, that "X" calculation was actually a bit complicated. For example, it takes longer to clean a check-out room than a stayover because you have to strip the bedding (even on unused beds), check every drawer for items, check under the beds, and replace all towels and toiletries. Similarly, any room larger than the average (junior or regular suites) would get allocated more time because there's more to clean.

As for the concept that people declining housekeeping are economically hurting the housekeeping staff, I've never seen that happen. Even a poorly-run hotel will know the approximate number of guests who will decline housekeeping. Different types of rates (corporate vs leisure) will be evaluated differently. Schedules are based on those projections. In my experience, it's pretty rare to have those projections be wrong. And the small variations like having a couple extra rooms that must be cleaned are easily accommodated by offering an extra hour of voluntary overtime. If you end up employees with "free" time at the end of their shift, you can offer voluntary early release or simply assign a different task like public space cleaning.

In the end, I applaud your mindset. Pausing to think about how our actions affect other people is never a bad thing. In practice, however, it's probably not as impactful as you may want. But, having your room cleaned certainly doesn't hurt the housekeeper. I'd probably recommend continuing to have your room cleaned every day.

Side Note: Don't underestimate the value of a compliment. If you have a great experience with a hotel housekeeper, tell someone. Housekeepers are often overlooked because they aren't under constant supervision by management. Compliments can help good employees get recognition via programs like Employee of the Month. (I've never heard of a hotel that doesn't do that program.) Compliments can also help good people get promoted to supervisory positions.