Just back from BLT 2/25-3/4 Housekeeping Horror

[Mousemommy1]

We didn’t run into this problem at AKL last week, though we did use the room occupied sign.

That being said, one day we heard loud banging followed by “Guest Services” many times in a row. I looked out to check and make sure they weren’t knocking on our door. There were a bunch of “suits” in the hallway and one guy says “bypass this” (the room across the hall from us) and then maintenance immediately came up and they went into the room.

I wonder what was going on.

 

[Deb & Bill]

This is no different than being required to remove your shoes and belt and empty your pockets to board an airplane and to have your luggage opened and rifled through. There is no profiling of guests who might be setting up drug labs or arsenals. It's "everyone is guilty" from the start. Just profile the bad guys, set up surveillance cameras in the corridors and have real security people watch the cameras all day and all night long. Don't hire people to be housekeepers and expect them to identify a criminal from a two minute check.

In the mean time, sit in the room, tell the person the baby is sleeping and ask them to be very quiet and let them get the trash. It will solve the problem, get it over with and no one will have any heartburn over it. And accept the fact that you no longer have any privacy.

 

[pattyw]

OP and others who've been negatively impacted by this farce of security- PLEASE e-mail Disney. If you're there, speak to a manager in person. If we all just sit back and accept this, no changes will be made. If we voice our dissatisfaction and if enough do, they will make positive changes to this and we can all be able to enjoy a Disney resort stay.

 

[JeannieE]

I've already phoned Disney twice over the new daily security visits and I've been told each time that our family won't be disturbed with the Room Occupied sign on the door. I have no problem with housekeeping coming in once a day, but this is a vacation and these are resorts. There should be a reasonable expectation of privacy. I'm disturbed by so many of the experiences guests have been having the past few months! The housekeepers and security should absolutely work around guests requests and allow guests to sleep in, shower, and rest in peace. Treating all guests like criminals is just lazy and I'm surprised that they are enacting a policy in such a way.

I agree with PattyW! I'm so sorry the OP had this terrible experience and I hope you contact Disney. I don't think a parent should have to let someone in the room while their child is sleeping or stress about a knock on the door when they've requested time for a nap. That is not unreasonable. It's just basic decency and what you should expect from a good hotel. Especially Disney. I haven't read of any other hotels treating guests like this, so I'm hopeful Disney will find a way to treat guests like guests again and not like suspects.

I love the boards, but this inspired me to join and post

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

I've already phoned Disney twice over the new daily security visits and I've been told each time that our family won't be disturbed with the Room Occupied sign on the door. I have no problem with housekeeping coming in once a day, but this is a vacation and these are resorts. There should be a reasonable expectation of privacy. I'm disturbed by so many of the experiences guests have been having the past few months! The housekeepers and security should absolutely work around guests requests and allow guests to sleep in, shower, and rest in peace. Treating all guests like criminals is just lazy and I'm surprised that they are enacting a policy in such a way.

I agree with PattyW! I'm so sorry the OP had this terrible experience and I hope you contact Disney. I don't think a parent should have to let someone in the room while their child is sleeping or stress about a knock on the door when they've requested time for a nap. That is not unreasonable. It's just basic decency and what you should expect from a good hotel. Especially Disney. I haven't read of any other hotels treating guests like this, so I'm hopeful Disney will find a way to treat guests like guests again and not like suspects. I think PattyW's ideas about how to do effectual security measures is spot on as well.

I love the boards, but this inspired me to join and post

Well said! You paid for a room a little privacy should not be out of the question. It's very different then being expected to go through a metal detector. And if Disney is that worried then maybe instead of doing this to guests in the rooms maybe metal detectors and Xrays need to be set up in the lobby when you the hotel. You have to do it when you get to the park anyway. And PattyW is completely correct, Disney won't change anything unless there is a pattern in the complaints.

 

[snappy]

I've already phoned Disney twice over the new daily security visits and I've been told each time that our family won't be disturbed with the Room Occupied sign on the door. I have no problem with housekeeping coming in once a day, but this is a vacation and these are resorts. There should be a reasonable expectation of privacy. I'm disturbed by so many of the experiences guests have been having the past few months! The housekeepers and security should absolutely work around guests requests and allow guests to sleep in, shower, and rest in peace. Treating all guests like criminals is just lazy and I'm surprised that they are enacting a policy in such a way.

I agree with PattyW! I'm so sorry the OP had this terrible experience and I hope you contact Disney. I don't think a parent should have to let someone in the room while their child is sleeping or stress about a knock on the door when they've requested time for a nap. That is not unreasonable. It's just basic decency and what you should expect from a good hotel. Especially Disney. I haven't read of any other hotels treating guests like this, so I'm hopeful Disney will find a way to treat guests like guests again and not like suspects.

I love the boards, but this inspired me to join and post

Welcome to the boards!

 

[kaytieeldr]

You pay for a little privacy, you get a little privacy. Just not 24 hours daily

Metal detectors and similar security measures would be pointless. Many Disney resorts consist of multiple!e buildings, and even those that don't, do have multiple!e entrances.

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

You pay for a little privacy, you get a little privacy. Just not 24 hours daily

Metal detectors and similar security measures would be pointless. Many Disney resorts consist of multiple!e buildings, and even those that don't, do have multiple!e entrances.

I disagree there are many hotels that have them in the lobby in NYC and those hotels have multiple entrances as well. Disney often refers to your room as your home when you check in so you should expect the same respect and right to privacy you have while you're at home.

 

[FSU Girl]

What I really don't get is why Disney is being so evasive about the checks. When you go to the front desk to check in (I've done this twice since the new policy started) no one mentioned anything about this. If I wasn't on this forum I would have no idea this was even happening. So I get why people get so upset, many don't realize there's been a change and are not expecting their privacy to be invaded with these security checks. Does anyone know if they are tweaking how the process is being handled? I can't imagine after so many negative complainants they wouldn't change something?

 

[disneyseniors]

Pattyw, I am going to write to guest services today. Yesterday was our long, long travel day so I wasn't awake enough to send a complaint in.
But I will today and let them know how this impacted us and what I think about it. I hope someone in management has some common sense about this policy and will fix it to give guests common respect and some privacy, instead of making you feel like the gestapo is waiting at the door at any time.
I do feel there is some correlation between the room signs and security coming, at least in our experience. It was too coincidental that only 15 minutes after I requested housekeeping come back that security showed up. I don't' believe in coincidences

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I get it that there could be security issues. But my family naps while on Disney vacations. All of us. If someone knocks and wakes us up, that's the end of the nap, and now I am stuck with grumpy kids for the rest of the day and evening. I'm sure this is because I am bad parent, but one of my kids could easily end up grumpy enough to ruin the evening for us.

 

[pattyw]

Pattyw, I am going to write to guest services today. Yesterday was our long, long travel day so I wasn't awake enough to send a complaint in.
But I will today and let them know how this impacted us and what I think about it. I hope someone in management has some common sense about this policy and will fix it to give guests common respect and some privacy, instead of making you feel like the gestapo is waiting at the door at any time.
I do feel there is some correlation between the room signs and security coming, at least in our experience. It was too coincidental that only 15 minutes after I requested housekeeping come back that security showed up. I don't' believe in coincidences

That's great! I hope they have some answers for you- please come back and let us know how it goes!

 

[ArwenMarie]

I wrote this on another thread but I did write Disney about this and someone called me back. My feeling after the call was that they are not backing down on this policy at all.

All the rep had to offer me was to request that housekeeping come in the mornings (when we are always out).

In a way, the call was good because it made me realize that they don't take Do Not Disturb signs out of rooms unless you have lost your right to not be disturbed

 

[Simba's Mom]

I'm so sorry to hear of your problems with this OP. The behavior you experienced is completely unacceptable in my book. I'm concerned about our stay at Disney next month.

I was a chambermaid for four summers when I was young, at a motel in a popular tourist area. If I had barged in on a guest like what the OP experienced I would have been reprimanded or lost my job. It would have been unthinkable to me to insist upon entering when a guest is obviously in the bathroom or has someone sleeping in the room. Heck, if the guest had been sitting there watching tv, I still would have apologized and left immediately.

I don't understand this policy at all. Treating all guests like they are all secretly criminals out to hide something is insulting and not even statistically accurate either. It accomplishes nothing except anger guests and damage the reputation of the company. If the guest's behavior is not suspicious, then you have no reason to negate their basic privacy. If the guest IS acting suspicious, then you better get the police in there pronto, because there is no way that a chambermaid should be expected to deal with that successfully or safely.

Thank you for your post. Too bad many Disney housekeepers don't seem to have such courtesy.

 

[robinb]

Thank you for your post. Too bad many Disney housekeepers don't seem to have such courtesy.

I don't know if we can lay this all at the feet of the housekeeping staff. My guess is that they would do the same as @CeruleanMoon if they could. Instead, they are being forced to enter the room or call security.

 

[MickeyMouseCD524]

Does anyone else find it odd that they're using the housekeepers as a front? I've been thinking about it and after everything I've read on the boards a lot the time they use the "we didn't take the trash out" as an excuse to get back in. Don't you think this would cause more problems for them? Especially if Disney isn't informing guests of this policy at check in. It sort of comes off as Disney's housekeepers looking incapable of doing their jobs. Which I think would lead to an even bigger headache for Disney.

 

[maxiesmom]

Does anyone else find it odd that they're using the housekeepers as a front? I've been thinking about it and after everything I've read on the boards a lot the time they use the "we didn't take the trash out" as an excuse to get back in. Don't you think this would cause more problems for them? Especially if Disney isn't informing guests of this policy at check in. It sort of comes off as Disney's housekeepers looking incapable of doing their jobs. Which I think would lead to an even bigger headache for Disney.

My guess is that Disney thinks it comes off as less invasive to have housekeeping do the check. And if you are not in your room, it is! Why have security go to every room if housekeeping is already entering most of them? It just sucks for anyone trying to take a nap or rest or whatever.

 

[bridgetbriarrose]

This whole mess stinks of Disney disconnecting from the guest expereince. I'm a little concerning for my upcoming trips where I'll be trying to go back to the resort to sleep and eat lunch midday

 

[Tksolomom]

Some Las Vegas hotels have a similar system where if there's a Do Not Disturb sign on the door for more than I think its 48 hours but it might be 72, someone's coming in your room. And they announce themselves, and they will ask you to step out for a moment so they can have a quick look around. And you know after 2-3 days of no signs of life they have every right to suspect something. They had this before the shooting. It was in place mainly because someone might be very ill or hurt (ie. Fell and can't get up) which makes sense. And I understand Disney's stance on it there's a lot of families and a lot of kids and it would be horrible if something like that happened on their property but there's got to be a better way.

It is 24 hours.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I disagree there are many hotels that have them in the lobby in NYC and those hotels have multiple entrances as well. Disney often refers to your room as your home when you check in so you should expect the same respect and right to privacy you have while you're at home.

Disney resorts have too many places to enter not just one door. so you fence each resort and make everyone enter thru main entrance. remember no luggage carts so you park and have to walk with your suitcases back to main entrance then walk to your room in another building which could be quite walk. also to get back to your car to go to parks you now have to walk to main building. what are you gaining