Resort Housekeeping

[Disney Frenhines]

So I wonder what happens to the daily "room check". Will they still be sending somebody by? Or did Covid solve the resort threat?

I hope they stop that, I found it intrusive and potentially dangerous. We are expected to let a stranger into our room? I don't care if he or she is wearing a Disney uniform, it actually goes against Disney's own advice.

 

[aballerina]

I chatted with a CSR on the WDW website and she said the gift card offer was still in effect.

Oh I do hope so. We're staying (hopefully) for 14 nights in November so $130 is a lot of treats.

 

[Eastern]

I would bet these housekeepers are more at risk of not being able to afford food on the table, paying rent, or buying essential medications. I doubt they have the luxury of choosing to stay home.

So you should make them clean your room even at an increased risk of getting ill? Not sure I understand what you are trying to say.

I'm guessing that Disney would provide daily housekeeping if it's within recommendations and they have enough workers who are willing to do it.

 

[lanejudy]

Disney isn't making this move to "protect"the housekeepers.

I would bet these housekeepers are more at risk of not being able to afford food on the table, paying rent, or buying essential medications. I doubt they have the luxury of choosing to stay home.

What makes you think the housekeepers will stay home, out of work? The housekeepers are (or will be) working - doing extra cleaning of resort public areas as well as the deep cleaning of guest rooms between occupants.
Also, i’m not entirely in the know about the union return-to-work demands. No daily housekeeping could be part of the union agreement, as protection for the employees, similar to the mask requirement.

 

[The WDW 3]

I assume you can still call them if you need anything done or more towels etc.

 

[Deb & Bill]

My guess is that without the College Program, they have a lot fewer cast members to do the jobs they need done. Results in resorts not opening, restaurants not opening, limited services. I thought the Union argued for the right of the employees not to report back to work immediately if they felt they might be more susceptible to the virus (age, medical condition, etc).

 

[02AggieGirl]

People knew there would be changes made across the board when Disney reopened. People insisting strangers enter their room every single day to repeatedly touch their linens during a pandemic that hasn't gone away, is bizarre. With new cleaning protocols in place, there is no way housekeeping can service every room daily.

Surely they will be wearing gloves...And hopefully new gloves in every room.

 

[Rosanne]

I hope they stop that, I found it intrusive and potentially dangerous. We are expected to let a stranger into our room? I don't care if he or she is wearing a Disney uniform, it actually goes against Disney's own advice.

I was at Riverside March 13-16 and on the 14th and 15th I decided not to go into the parks and just hung out at the resort, enjoying nice weather but both times I was taking a shower someone (I'm guessing the person doing the "check") came into the room. The first time I called out and they left but the second time they came all the way (opening the bathroom door) into the part of the bathroom where there is the toilet and I was in the shower, water running, and I said, "Excuse me!!! I'm right here!!!" and then they left.

I'd actually forgotten about it until now because so much else has happened in the world since then. I know I could have put up that latch thing on the main door but I honestly forgot about it both times... probably because I was thinking about all the changes ahead with the shutdown everywhere.

 

[Dsny4fun]

Yep, my point all along.

No, your point was in calling people who would like daily housecleaning "Entitled"

 

[kaytieeldr]

I'd actually forgotten about it until now

It's not too late to contact Disney about that, if only to make them aware. Nobody should be going as far as that CM did!

 

[tippity]

What makes you think the housekeepers will stay home, out of work? The housekeepers are (or will be) working - doing extra cleaning of resort public areas as well as the deep cleaning of guest rooms between occupants.
Also, i’m not entirely in the know about the union return-to-work demands. No daily housekeeping could be part of the union agreement, as protection for the employees, similar to the mask requirement.

You're right the housekeepers could be cleaning other areas, besides guest rooms. I don't know the plan. But why is cleaning the room at the end of a stay any "safer" than cleaning throughout the stay?

According to the housekeepers at Marriott, they want to clean rooms daily, because it's easier than dealing with a mess that has accumulated over a guest's length of stay.

Also, I'm glad that Disney is giving out gift cards as compensation for the lack of housekeeping. That's great news.

 

[lanejudy]

But why is cleaning the room at the end of a stay any "safer" than cleaning throughout the stay?

It's limiting exposure. Being exposed to that close personal space once (at the end of a stay) instead of multiple times during the week (daily cleanings).

 

[tippity]

It's limiting exposure. Being exposed to that close personal space once (at the end of a stay) instead of multiple times during the week (daily cleanings).

But according to the latest CDC info (that could change daily) length of exposure is the critical factor. I would guess the end of a stay exposure would be prolonged in rooms that haven't been cleaned for extended stays.

 

[MomOTwins]

But according to the latest CDC info (that could change daily) length of exposure is the critical factor. I would guess the end of a stay exposure would be prolonged in rooms that haven't been cleaned for extended stays.

I don't think that's quite right--once you are talking about direct person contact, the critical factor is length of exposure. But absent that, type of exposure is a huge factor. Per CDC, contact with surfaces is not a common form of transmission. Close proximity to actual people is, or sharing air in a room where a covid-infected person very recently was (but in that case, it is estimated that Covid only stays in the air for 8-14 minutes, so that risk would mostly likely be gone by the time housekeeper comes in to an unoccupied room). So on the whole it seems the risk to housekeepers is pretty low, no matter how frequently they clean.

I suspect the alternate day housekeeping is more of a cost-cutting measure than a safety one. I'm not surprised, given they are hurting majorly financially. Still, from my perspective, it is a pretty minor inconvenience, and its not worth my time or energy to fret about it. Then again, I felt the same way about a lot of things people lost their minds over on these boards, like parking fees, wall-mounted shampoo, and daily room checks...

 

[Rosanne]

I do know that one of the agreements with the union is that housekeepers never have to be in the guest room in the presence of another... not guests, not a manager, no one. They are not supposed to even walk in the door as per the agreement. They can bring things to you but not go in. If there is an unusual circumstance, perhaps there are people specifically to deal with that but it won't be the general housekeepers.

 

[Rosanne]

It's not too late to contact Disney about that, if only to make them aware. Nobody should be going as far as that CM did!

True, but I think with the new rules it is unlikely to happen again.

 

[dizanimator]

Could the reduction in housekeeping be in part to the fact that most of the open rooms will be DVC resorts? DVC rooms are normally cleaned between guests and on the fourth and eighth night of longer stays. So housekeeping would not be staffed to clean most rooms every day. With there being no easy way to make DVC members pay for extra housekeepers to service Disney's guests, reducing the housekeeping for those guests is one solution to the problem.
I could be entirely wrong, but this is just a thought I had.

 

[aweehughes]

I watched the Housekeeping presentation for the Disney union and it appears that security checks like someone else experienced will be a thing of the past. The housekeepers can’t even enter the room with another CM—can’t imagine the “security check” folks could.

 

[cakebaker]

I watched the Housekeeping presentation for the Disney union and it appears that security checks like someone else experienced will be a thing of the past. The housekeepers can’t even enter the room with another CM—can’t imagine the “security check” folks could.

I don't think one has anything to do with the other.

 

[jennyq87]

When you charge $500 to $1000 + a night for a room. You expect daily housekeeping.

We are in this price range. I don’t care about daily housekeeping .
——————————
I’m certainly not going to throw a fit over receiving a $10 gift card for reduced services when I’m signing up to go to a place that I KNOW is going to be full of temporarily reduced services. What next? Demanding gift cards or compensation because the pool isn’t open? Because not all of the restaurants at your resort are open? It’s a weird time. Things will be different.

I’m just kind of put off by those who think they deserve compensation for every slight inconvenience.