hotel secrets... ill never stay in one again....

United States
February 18, 2009 12:32pm CST
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-25303242 "Allison Rupp worked at Yellowstone National Park's historic Old Faithful Inn in 2004. The best guests sleep in Three simple letters could inspire the "Hallelujah" chorus: DND, or do not disturb. One sign hanging on a doorknob, and the day's work was shortened by half an hour. Two signs? Pure heaven, but only if they remained there until my eight-hour shift ended—otherwise I'd have to circle back and clean the rooms. My daily list of 15 rooms (out of 325 in the hotel) consisted of DOs (due out) and Os (occupied), which in housekeeping lingo meant the guests were scheduled to check out or were staying another night. An occupied room was less labor-intensive (making the beds rather than changing the sheets saved me 20 minutes), but there was always the possibility the guest would stay in the room while you worked. One man watched me clean his entire room, from scrubbing the toilet to emptying the trash—and told me at the end that I was "building character." Condescension is not nearly as encouraging to a maid as a couple of dollars. As long as it looked clean I cut corners everywhere I could. Instead of vacuuming, I found that just picking up the larger crumbs from the carpet would do. Rather than scrub the tub with hot water, sometimes it was just a spray-and-wipe kind of day. After several weeks on the job, I discovered that the staff leader who inspected the rooms couldn't tell the difference between a clean sink and one that was simply dry, so I would often just run a rag over the wet spots. But I never skipped changing the sheets. I wouldn't sink that low, no matter how lazy I was feeling. A bacterial wonderland I was disgusted by the many guests I came in contact with through the things they left behind: the hairs on the pillow, the urine on the toilet seat, the half-eaten cookie, the stained sheets. One woman had soiled her sheets so thoroughly that we had to toss them in a biohazard bag—they could never be used again. Rooms where young kids stayed were the worst, with food ground into the carpet and piles of used diapers in the trash. That kind of demoralizing mess could take 45 minutes to clean up. Most maids wore rubber gloves when they worked, but mine were too big, so I discarded them. Unsurprisingly, I got the flu twice. Not for love — or money I didn't know maids received tips, so it took me weeks to realize that the coins left in rooms were an intentional gift. My tips were paltry: I almost never received more than $1, and at times guests left religious pamphlets. One day, however, I was shocked to find a crisp $100 bill lying on a table. Although the generous tip put a little spring in my step and compelled me to do a better job that day, it didn't change my work ethic for long. I apologize to you now if you ever stayed in one of my rooms. You deserved better. But if housekeepers were paid more than minimum wage—and the tips were a bit better—I might have cleaned your toilet rather than just flushed it." ~~after reading this it made me think. i knwo they cant be paid much and i hardly ever stay in a hotel just because yo never know who stayed on the bed the night before and what happened..
1 person likes this
4 responses
@ravend (658)
• Malta
18 Feb 09
When I was 17 I had tried working as a housekeeper in a hotel to pay my studies. It was i.m.p.o.s.s.i.b.l.e. I had to do like 4 bedrooms in an hour... toilets and baths included... no matter whether they were departures or just occupied rooms. I do not blame the lot. But that's the issue. Hotels are managed by greedy capitalist who abuse such people. They know maids are usually people who cannot get a better job so they abuse that situation. When I was a maid, that was the demographic of my colleagues - one was a divorcee whose husband used to abuse her and needed the job to keep her children and could not find better, one was the wife of a killed husband, one was a 16 year old thrown out of her house. And they were employed on a casual part time basis, meaning they were not entitled to sick leave or benefits. It was horrid.
• United States
18 Feb 09
thats very true. i think they need to re-evaluate this situation
@teka44 (3420)
• Brazil
18 Feb 09
Hi chantal. It is sad but truth. People get advantage from who needs to work at any job. Why not say "thank you" and "please" and give better tips? People waste money with absurd things but don't like to give good tips for who did something to them. I discovered the power of a smile and a "thank you". And I do this always and it work. Having consideration and respect for the others everybody can get better things from them. Who needs to serve someone is a person too and have feelings too. About staying in a hotel don't worry because we can see if the sheets was changed. It have a difference between an used sheet and a new sheet. Have a good day.
@marciascott (25529)
• United States
18 Feb 09
I have worked it Hotels before, i I wouldn't ever do it again, they don't wash the Speads and Blankkets that often I don't even like to walk on the bare floor when I am staying in th Hotel.
@goldeneagle (6743)
• United States
18 Feb 09
I don't have to stay in a hotel very often, and I try not to think about it when I DO have to stay in one.