lcylocal

I do wonder if it isn’t possible to be more efficient without cutting service by using things like the app better. Too often I end up going to the desk because the app doesn’t handle status upgrades, or parking, or can’t tell me about pool access, or I can’t validate a parking ticket on check out etc etc.

Here in London hotel restaurants in mid-scale hotels really struggle against what else is available. But the hotel still needs a space for breakfast. Lots of things have been tried but I haven’t seen anyone square this circle really well.

I think I will miss daily housekeeping if it goes. Particularly for more shampoo bottles etc. But I think these will go potentially anyway to cut plastic use. In general the app could unlock a more bespoke service where I can opt in to what I want doing which I would appreciate.

However beefing the app up and making sure it implemented well in properties would cost money in the short term.

jebr

So the plan is to use more to-go containers, but not have daily housekeeping to come and pick up those to-go containers from the in-room trash? The trash receptacles are small enough as it is, and it's always felt a bit tacky to just set take-out trash in the hallway for someone to come pick up eventually (but often hours later, so that entire time the hallway is cluttered and starting to smell.)

At minimum, the trash receptacles in the room need to be larger, ideally one with a lid as well. Or there needs to be a way to indicate (in numerous ways that are easy to do) that I've left trash outside my room and to come pick it up - and that it's actually picked up within 30 minutes or so.

Global Adventurer

This right here is why I started bring my own trash bags. Those in-room trash bins are a joke and even more of a joke when they have three dividers in them for recycling. Just the empty bottles of water will fill one up in half a day. Not including when I stop by the corner store to get some beer and snacks. So, yes, I always bring kitchen size trash bags that end up coming in handy for more reasons than one. And, I put them outside my door because I don't get housekeeping unless it's mandatory.

dlaue

Thanks!

I did those estimates a while back and included my travels from 1970 to 1987, the year when the Honors program started. I did not stay in really expensive rooms but did travel frequently for the 17 years prior to Honors. For the first 6 years of our retirement, my wife and I traveled ~300 days a year, but not all at Hiltons obviously. Started as a Sheraton loyalist, but had some issues with some facilities. Have spent time in Marriotts, too, but got angry at their repeated billing errors -- errors all in their favor. I avoid Marriott now, although their properties are really quite good. Settled on Hilton, just like a old well-fitting shoe.

btonkid12345

Are you serious? Who has space in their bags for trash bags (or wants them to come into contact with your other stuff)? And why add another expense?

Hotels have trash bags. If you want a heavier duty one, either ask for one of the ones they use for the hallway trash bins (usually at least one by the elevators), or just go and take on yourself (they usually have an extra one or two hanging off the side).

Global Adventurer

Yes, I'm serious. I always carry heavy duty black trash bags, like the puncture proof ones They don't take up any room at all. Actually, I just recently bought some contractor bags too. They're good to line your backpacks or anything else that could get wet during a storm or whatever. Anyway, that's just how I travel.....with stuff for when the crap hits the fan, like a variety of emergency supplies. Rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Those bags work wonders when you need to change rooms and you already too everything out of your luggage, you just throw it all in the heavy duty trash bags and relocate to a new room.

chrism20

My thoughts on this are that they will try it and it will shortly be recognised that there is a need for at least some of it to be brought back whether it be because the competitors haven't stopped it or the guest complaints are so much it's not worth the agro.

If it does happen they are going to have a hell of a job on their hands explaining to the guest quite what the difference is between the £100 a night Hampton and the £170 a night mainline Hilton and I am guessing in most cases an extra two square meters of room will not wash.

As others have pointed out there will be issues with trash and the associated smells if guests do not leave the rubbish outside or place it in a bin in the hallway - something which will also start to pong quite quickly.

Another issue I foresee is a shortage of towels. Guests will still ask for clean towels everyday - I know I definitely would, I can live with the sheets not being changed for a couple of nights but want clean towels. I can see a situation where the clean towels come up to the rooms but the dirty ones don't go back downstairs until the guest checks out so housekeeping arrive in the room to two or three days of towels for two people all piled on the floor. Issues like this could well lead to towel shortages at times. So its very possible there will be piles of soggy damp towels in the bathroom and piles of kebab wrappers in the living area of some rooms.

1P

All of this is profit-increasing by the back door. Every time I see a notice saying "Please consider the environment. Do you really need to have your towels replaced every day?", followed by statistics on how much water is consumed, etc, I always leave my own notice saying "I'll only consider not replacing my towels every day when you offer me a commensurately lower room rate in recognition of reduced service."

If they want me to accept less housekeeping, they need to lower the price of the room.

btonkid12345

Most of the associates who deliver new towels usually don’t want to take (or don’t ask for) the old towels. I don’t know if it’s a handling concern or what. This was true even before covid.

I also don’t know if the person taking them will appropriately note the swap, and I don’t want to be billed for supposedly taking nasty hotel towels anyways. I prefer they find the pile, and these usually don’t smell.

I prefer freshly pressed sheets in a bed made daily. Why else am I in a hotel? To make my own bed? Pfft

Some hotels also stink (no pun intended) at removing food and trash left in the hallways overnight. Nothing like staying in a FS hotel to be greeted by the smell of everyone’s takeout and room service from last night still in the hallway.

btonkid12345

Ok. The one time I needed the type of bags you are speaking of (found two baby bed bugs in the morning staring at me on the pillow near me, for their breakfast) the hotel brought them to me. And it worked as you said - threw my loose stuff into bags and got out of their as fast as I could.

The hotel dry cleaned all of my stuff, too, and temperature treated it, and I am assuming they burned the bags LOL.

Global Adventurer

You were lucky! They can really cause a major infestation of all your stuff, and when that happens people take home the eggs too. I'm too paranoid, so I always check my entire mattress especially at the seams and spray it with permethrin if I even remotely think there might be bugs. I carry a small bottle of permethrin just for that purpose, and for crawling bugs in the bathroom or wherever, or to spray on my clothes during mosquito season. I have a mini black light too to check areas in my room also for scorpions or to look for the signs of a dirty room. I actually saw a scorpion in a room I stayed without even using the light, but it ran so fast I couldn't catch it, but I caught it the following day with one of my catchmaster glue trap that I carry in my luggage. Those are best and they don't take up any room. I set at least one in the bathrooms of hotels where I plan for a long stay. I started carrying all this stuff because I had traveled to Nepal and other places and they have a lot of bug issues. It's amazing how many creepy crawlers (not ants or cockroaches but small random bugs), are in hotel rooms that you never even know are there if you don't use glue traps. Better be safe than sorry.

aww3583

The cost to launder a towel is negligible ($0.30 max). Additionally, the efficiency (chemicals, water consumption, etc.) of the commercial washers they use FAR exceeds that of a residential washing machine.

aww3583

Do you wash your towels after each use at home?

btonkid12345

Yes, very lucky. Although I did have psychological scarring for weeks in that it was very difficult for me to fall asleep, even at home, for worry that they would be biting me while I emitted CO2 while sleeping (the scariest was reading about the "bombers" that crawl to the ceiling and fall onto you...)

You sound amazingly prepared. Permethrin is great stuff. I haven't taken a glue trap or a blacklight before, partially because I know hotel rooms are dirty, but ignorance is bliss.

The unfortunate part is that everything you and I are describing, is BEFORE cutbacks like what Nassetta is proposing for Hilton, that would make rooms even filthier, and increase the chances of infestation etc more. We all see the effects of a hotel that does regular/preventative maintenance in their rooms versus one that doesn't.

I can't imagine the amount of random bugs and creatures that will continue to "move in" if these cuts are permanent. Especially as traveler volumes increase and there is much more for them to feast on.

Global Adventurer

Yes, I think sometimes I might be over prepared. But, I traveled for 10 years around the US in an RV alone and traveled/backpacked around the world and I've seen enough situations that merit all the stuff I bring along to maintain my sanity As far as first-aid stuff, I carry everything for open sucking wounds, slashes or whatever because crap happens and that short amount of time is where live and death meet the road, so I always have blood clotting powder and a self-application tourniquet because I can't be depending on someone else. All my emergency stuff fits into one red dry bag.