10. Hovering in the Room While They Clean
When a housekeeper arrives to refresh your room during a multi-night stay, sitting on the edge of the bed and silently watching them work creates an incredibly uncomfortable dynamic.
Cleaning a hotel room is a highly physical, demanding job that requires constant bending, rigorous scrubbing, and moving quickly from one task to the next. Trying to maneuver a heavy vacuum cleaner and wipe down dusty surfaces while carefully navigating around a seated guest makes the job awkward, highly inefficient, and socially stressful for the staff member.
When housekeeping knocks on your door and announces their presence, take it as your immediate cue to vacate the space. Use those 20 to 30 minutes to visit the lobby, grab a fresh coffee from the café, or utilize the hotel gym. Giving the staff an empty room allows them to clean thoroughly and efficiently without feeling rushed or scrutinized.
If you absolutely cannot leave the room because you are actively working on a laptop or recovering from an illness, politely decline the full cleaning service for that day. Simply open the door and ask them to hand you a stack of fresh towels and a quick restock of coffee pods so they can move on to their next assignment.
12 Responses
Tips for Budget hotel staff don’t hide in the office watching on CCTV guests standing around the reception area hoping guests will check in them selves
Thank you for the helpful information about proper room etiquette when staying at a hotel/motel.
I worked as a housekeeper. I strip the beds as a guest putting pillow cases in a pile, fitted sheets in a pile, sheets in a pile and duvets. I do this because I worked with a woman who just kept all that on if it looked “clean enough”. N I loved when people did it for me. And I wipe ALL mine and my families hair out off the bathtub. Cause that was the worst
I don’t want to sleep on used sheets that someone else left body waste on
Touché
Don’t forget a tip
Be honest… they don’t want the beds stripped because they don’t always replace the sheets and definitely don’t replace the duvet covers!
That’s what I thought. So I just pile them neatly -easy to see there are no remotes, etc in the pile.
Exactly!!!
I was a hotel housekeeper while in college. So, I do follow these rules. Yes, they are helpful reminders to treat hotel staff with respect.
Great information
All good points, but I also suggest stopping by the front desk (or calling right before you depart) and telling the staff that you’ve actually left – especially if it’s very early in the morning. That way the housekeeping staff can get an earlier start on that room. Several desk clerks have said they appreciate the courtesy
After reading all the 10 Things Hotel Staff Hate I can only imagine how frustrating the staff would be since all the things are what COMMON SENCE should show in this article. I have never done any of those things and can’t imagine that there are people who would not respect some ones property. I believe most of the things is how people were raised poor parenting!