Favourite Books

  • The Green Mile
  • Animal Farm
  • Lord of the Flies
  • Lord of the Rings
  • To Kill a Mockingbird

Saturday 24 March 2012

Hotel secrets and tips

Decided that it was time to fill some of you in on the sneaky little secrets in hotel housekeeping. These are for your comfort next time you happen to book a room, and things that surprised me when I started in housekeeping.
  I am amazed at how many rooms I go into clean, only to find that the guest has chosen to sleep on the blanket, and under the bedspread. Do not do this, if you have any fear of strangers. In truth, the only things usually changed on beds between guests are the sheets and pillow cases. I know, seems yucky, but it is true. Perhaps this is the hotels way of helping stay environmentally friendly? I don't know for sure, but it blew my mind at first.I always thought everything was replaced. I understand the impossibility of this happening now, as I have done more than my share in the laundry side of things. We have 2 household front load wash machines, and 2 matching dryers, in which to keep up with a hotel full of laundry. Imagine yourself washing all the towels and sheets for your neighbours on your block. Each wash takes 30 minutes and each dryer load perhaps 1 hour, and you work a 7.5 hour day. Now add to this all the bedspreads (which our dryers do not like, and apparently insist are dry when they are damp) and blankets. Impossible, right? So, we do what we must, and that is to offer nice clean sheets and pillow cases. We are not alone, I have checked, it is apparent many hotels no longer do bedspreads, so the safest place to sleep, is under the sheets! I really must stress this fact, as it actually bothers me to see folks sleep on a blanket that may have had 3 different over nighters use.
  In our hotel, we have another secret, well, it's not really a secret, it is just plain weird. In almost every room we place a coffee pot, we also must ensure there are filters for this pot, but...here comes the kicker, absolutely no coffee is provided! So many times I have gone in to clean, to find the pot filled with water, and can imagine the guest searching about for the packet of coffee, that was not there. I can't explain this, just some really strange policy.
  Then we have the Row houses. These do not get the same service as other rooms. 6 days a week, they simply get towels changed and garbage removed, no bed making. Not sure how many time we have come to a door, to find the Maid service requested sign on the door knob. We go in, do what we are suppose to, and back the next day to find the sign again. Folks complain to the waitress in the morning that they don't get their beds made, hey, again, company policy, but guests are apparently not warned about this, therefore the blame is placed on housekeeping.
  I will have to do some thinking on any other warning I have for you innocents out there, but, bet you are very glad you have someone in the know to offer you this information,lol.
  Now as to tips. What a pleasant thought, and one that seldom occurs in housekeeping, but when it does, it is generally by the cleanest, easiest guest we have had to clean up after. Oh, my buddy has got the Puke tip, occasionally, yep, exactly what it sounds like, someone pukes, and leaves $20 to muck it up. That is gross, but it is a huge step up from those who puke in their beds, and simply ball the blankets up, leaving a nasty surprise. We do not get the standard gratuity like in some hotels, just a nice surprise when we least expect it. We had a guest stay for about 4 months, simple as pie to clean up, hardly messed his bed, he left, and handed the office 75$ to share between us, wow, that was nice. I have received an $80 tip after having a crew stay for about 5 months, and once in awhile a few scattered 20$ and the more often toonie. The worst tip, approximately 65 cents on a table with a note saying "Thanks A lot" from a row house full of drug sucking slobs, who were upset with their mega thousand dollar bill, and felt the urge to take it out on housekeeping. Tips for us can be many things, a 1/2 full container of candies is a joyful sight, ichiban is O.K. popsicles left in a freezer, not bad, a 1/2 can of coffee, quite a find, frozen steak is a treat,lol..yes, the job does have its perks.
  So next time you head to the hotel, be sure to crawl in under the sheets, and perhaps pick up a couple of chocolate bars, that you conveniently leave on the table when you check out.

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