Hotel Room Cleaned While You’re In It?

By: Ben Schlappig

Published: July 29, 2014

35 comments

General question — do you expect your hotel room to be cleaned while you’re in it? Either because the room attendant offers to, or because you suggest that they do?

I always thought that was a big no-no. I sure as heck don’t want someone cleaning the room while I’m in it, and I imagine it’s quite awkward for them as well.

Today housekeeping knocked on my door at around 1PM. At that point I realized I forgot to put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door, which was because I was out of the room for a few hours in the morning, and forgot to put it back on when I returned to the room.

*Knock knock knock* “Hoooousekeeping hoooousekeeping hoooousekeeping”
“Yes, coming.”
*Knock knock knock* “Hoooousekeeping hoooousekeeping hoooousekeeping”
*Open door*
“Hi, I’m actually leaving at 3PM if that’s okay.”
“Okay.”

She proceeds to open the door all the way and put the stopper against the door.

“I’m leaving in about two hours, so maybe you could come back then?”
“Okay, no problem.”

She continues to bring her cleaning materials into the room. Once she started flushing the toilet and turning on the sink I said “I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Okay, no problem.”

So have I been living under a (hotel) rock for years? Am I the only one that finds it strange that they’d clean the room while I’m in it, or is that the norm and I’ve just been “missing out” all along?

Do-Not-Disturb

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Kim Guest

February 16, 2020, 4:58 pm

Housekeeping is NOT suppose to go into a room with a guest. I refuse. Safety reasons. Most housekeepers do what the one you experienced because they are impatient and not wanting to come back.

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Wayman Guest

November 30, 2016, 8:44 am

OK feel better after reading this. Housekeeping was at my room at 8:00am. Luckily I had thever door bolted. They gave now time for me to respond. They said "Sorry! " then left. So I did a search before getting pissed. Thsee comments helped me calm down! Thanks!

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Doug Guest

June 25, 2016, 11:57 am

i just had this happen two weeks ago.. i had to leave room to deliver to a hospital 3 hours away (on call STAT doses) i returned at 2 am and was off call at that time .. drank some beers , watched tv, ate, took a shower and fell asleep around 4:30am i woke at 9:30 to relieve my bladder and noticed outside door was wide open... i was naked and confused so i jumped up and shut the door. walked back to bathroom and there's a maid cleaning the bathroom tub! she said she sorry to disturb me but she had to clean my room now because she has a time limit to finish so many rooms. I never heard her knock, but i sleep pretty hard. i told her to go ahead and finish but i needed to use the toliet . she took that statement literally and continued to finish cleaning tub. I am not a modest guy and she seemed to have no problem with me being naked so i just went with her next to me in the bathroom. she looked at me and smiled as i relieved myself . i was turned on from it of course ... but i knew she was in a hurry, so i asked her to come back when off ...but she declined... oh well ....

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Jas Guest

May 9, 2016, 2:43 am

Hi, I am a housekeeper and just want to let you know that we are allocated certain number of rooms to be done within a given time, we will not be allowed to wait (in housekeeping management world, waste our time). So we have to finish cleaning your room if you want it to be cleaned because after 2 or 3 we will be done for the day and there won't be any houseekeeper in the hotel. And yes, somtimes housekeeping staffs are not highly educated and cannot understand english (different accent) because they think cleaning toilets and making beds does not need excellent communication skills. Sorry for your inconvenience but please try to understand housekeeper's side of the story. We are timed for everything and treated like robots...

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gina Guest

May 5, 2016, 11:48 am

Ok. You're straying at a hotel and you tell your houskeeper to come back in an hour be gone in an hour. If you want privacy put the DND sign on the door. I repeat put the damn DND sign on the door. You want to sleep in. Put the DND sign on your door. Another tip, if you decide to sleeep in until 12 with the DND sign the housekeeper has to check one more time after the hour she saw the sign and she will than mark it off as a Do Not Disturb. If you plan on sleeping in until so, and want your room cleaned tell the front desk staff or call houskeeping. Let them know you had a dnd sign but would like your room cleaned. Front desk doesnt always know the rules to housekeeping. They only know front desk duties. The world of housekeeping is far different than front desk. I always give my housekeeper 20 dollars. They make minimum wage. For that type of hard repetitve labour they deserve a break. Plus they'll make sure your'e room is extra clean. If you checked in for a few days and had the same housekeeper- the day you check out leave a tip with the housekeepers name with the front desk and a note in the bedroom letting the housekeeper know about the tip.. That way you know another houskeeper didnt take it or the front desk didnt take either.

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