A complaint: lack of housekeeping

[dreynolds1982]

One thing to consider, this whole discussion may be a moot point. We don't know for a fact that Disney isn't going to bring back full housekeeping. I just saw an article that a couple of resorts (including Yacht Club) went back to normal housekeeping schedules as of March 4 (though not sure if that's confirmed or not). I also saw that WDW is bringing back face-to-face character interactions.

We are still in the middle of the Pandemic, though (fingers crossed) it does look promising that we're coming out the other side. Maybe Disney will bring back these services, or maybe they will be doing it differently. Either way, I have a hard time believing that Disney will intentionally continue doing something that reduces the guest experience, the overall quality of their resorts, and gives other resorts another competitive advantage against them. That's just bad business.

But, all of that being said, Disney has made some bonehead decisions in the past so who knows. Does seem like right now though this whole argument may be a bit premature.

 

[jo-jo]

I thought that myself but we all know the answer to that. Do you really think people would accept Disney keeping hotels closed indefinitely? No way in a million years could they do that. People expect to have their choice of hotels and demand it. At some point during this pandemic people wouldn't accept holding back of reopening with exception to extensive enough refurbished. If you keep someone's favorite resort closed indefinitely they'll complain and tell you "not my problem get it open at these rates we pay you should have it open,etc" just like you're seeing with these comments. Then will come the "but if Hilton can, if Universal can, etc then Disney can have them all open" we all know that to be the truth of what people would say.

I don't think Disney really cares what the people demand. If Disney has say 30 resorts and only opens 20 of them. I think disney would rather have those 20 fully booked than 30 resorts 2/3 booked. Disney doesn't care if the pool has a capacity of 300 people, but a thousand want to use it.

 

[samsteele]

Before covid , some resorts had the 'skip housekeeping and get X amount". I wonder how many people took that option. Would it be cheaper for disney to offer that again, then have lots of complaints.

I always took the offer when available. As a solo guest with no kids in the room, it was simple for me to make the bed and call in for towels, coffee pods, etc. Very much depends on the guests in the room. This wasn't popular with families with littles in diapers, etc that needed linens and sheets changed, garbage removed daily and the full service.

 

[tinkerone]

This is an issue that predates Covid. We stayed at Pop when they had the offer of not getting a daily cleaning and you would get a $10 room credit. Remember that? Well, I'm on vacation and I want my room made up everyday, I have to do it at home and I don't want to do it at a hotel. We had two rooms. I declined, at check-in, to have this credit and explained why. Not that she cared but I wanted to make it clear. Go to the parks the next day and come back at 7 to find one of the rooms is not made up. Now, they were connecting rooms and the doors between us were open so it's not like they didn't know we were together. I called housekeeping and they apologized, said they could send someone down then to clean the room. By that time it was close to 8 and we were tired so I told them it would be okay, just make sure we were on the cleaning list for both rooms.
Next day, off to the parks, come back and neither room is made up. Called housekeeping, same offer, not thanks it's to late but why were they not done? No idea, we will credit your account $20 and we will clean the next day, your on the list.
Guess what. Next day, one room clean, one not. I was pissed! Called housekeeping, asked for the manager and gave them an earful. They credited me back one nights stay and swore it would not happen again. I really took it out on this person, which I probably should not have. I don't want to come back from a long day at a park after spending tons of money there and have to clean up two rooms, make beds just so we could climb in. To that managers credit, or not, it didn't happen again. Mind you we only stayed two more nights.
My point is, Disney has been trying to get out of housekeeping for some time now. They try stuff to see how it fits, how people will react. If it works, good, they save money. If it doesn't, lets look at how to make it work better to save them money. I can see them going to a full clean every other day for value, maybe even mods, on a full time basis. Who knows.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We don't know for a fact that Disney isn't going to bring back full housekeeping.

Not only do we not know that for a fact, we don't even know it as a rumor. There's absolutely no reason to believe that they're straight up lying to us when they say that this change is temporary. Everything they've done so far can be filed under "pandemic response and recovery." Imperfect, perhaps, but reasonable under the circumstances as far as I'm concerned.

Anyone treating this as some kind of permanent policy change is making a huge unfounded leap.

 

[snappy]

This is an issue that predates Covid. We stayed at Pop when they had the offer of not getting a daily cleaning and you would get a $10 room credit. Remember that? Well, I'm on vacation and I want my room made up everyday, I have to do it at home and I don't want to do it at a hotel. We had two rooms. I declined, at check-in, to have this credit and explained why. Not that she cared but I wanted to make it clear. Go to the parks the next day and come back at 7 to find one of the rooms is not made up. Now, they were connecting rooms and the doors between us were open so it's not like they didn't know we were together. I called housekeeping and they apologized, said they could send someone down then to clean the room. By that time it was close to 8 and we were tired so I told them it would be okay, just make sure we were on the cleaning list for both rooms.
Next day, off to the parks, come back and neither room is made up. Called housekeeping, same offer, not thanks it's to late but why were they not done? No idea, we will credit your account $20 and we will clean the next day, your on the list.
Guess what. Next day, one room clean, one not. I was pissed! Called housekeeping, asked for the manager and gave them an earful. They credited me back one nights stay and swore it would not happen again. I really took it out on this person, which I probably should not have. I don't want to come back from a long day at a park after spending tons of money there and have to clean up two rooms, make beds just so we could climb in. To that managers credit, or not, it didn't happen again. Mind you we only stayed two more nights.
My point is, Disney has been trying to get out of housekeeping for some time now. They try stuff to see how it fits, how people will react. If it works, good, they save money. If it doesn't, lets look at how to make it work better to save them money. I can see them going to a full clean every other day for value, maybe even mods, on a full time basis. Who knows.

Unacceptable service from both the housekeeper and housekeeping management, multiple failures to fulfill what they promised. Not Disney level service in my book, but not sure if Disney level service exists any more.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't think Disney really cares what the people demand. If Disney has say 30 resorts and only opens 20 of them. I think disney would rather have those 20 fully booked than 30 resorts 2/3 booked. Disney doesn't care if the pool has a capacity of 300 people, but a thousand want to use it.

I never said Disney cared. I'm saying what people would say. We all know the truth of how people would complain about their resort being closed, it'd be the same complaints now, no one can realistically deny that one. If you're looking to make complaints less closing resorts indefinitely to push housekeepers you have to them won't do it. People want the resorts they want.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Not only do we not know that for a fact, we don't even know it as a rumor. There's absolutely no reason to believe that they're straight up lying to us when they say that this change is temporary. Everything they've done so far can be filed under "pandemic response and recovery." Imperfect, perhaps, but reasonable under the circumstances as far as I'm concerned.

Anyone treating this as some kind of permanent policy change is making a huge unfounded leap.

There is a way, like the other poster has, to convey your point without constantly bringing you "You're lying!!!!" "Don't tell falsehoods!!!!" And all the things you've said about people and them discussing what they believe. You've hammered in your point already. You've done it on Aulani threads and you're doing it here. We get it.

 

[Lilsia]

I hate to say it, but I think you're right. The hotels don't want to pay good wages and they expect the housekeepers to clean too much on the shifts.

Housekeeping starting pay is $17/hour and there is a hiring bonus right now. They are hiring, but getting people to apply is that hard part. Work shortages are everywhere and let's be real here, we all know that the majority of housekeeping is immigrant woman. There is a shortage of those too right now. Them being still short staffed, I rather they make sure the room is spotless when I check in then having them come in and make the bed and wipe down the counter. We keep our floors clean by taking our shoes off at the door, just like we do at home. We just left from a 10 night trip and our floor was not dirty. They did change the sheets on the bed once and every 3 nights, we got new towels and they cleaned the sink area.

 

[k5thbeatle]

... but not sure if Disney level service exists any more.

Many are wondering this too.

 

[RamblingMad]

Many are wondering this too.

Doesn't seem like it.

You might get the rides you want with G+/LL. But you're more likely to be frustrated first thing in the morning.

You can pay a lot for a room on property, but most of the perks are gone. And it's unlikely to be cleaned.

And if you have a problem, the Disney phone line will have you on hold for a very, very long time.

What's the selling point right now?

 

[k5xs]

Doesn't seem like it.

You might get the rides you want with G+/LL. But you're more likely to be frustrated first thing in the morning.

You can pay a lot for a room on property, but most of the perks are gone. And it's unlikely to be cleaned.

And if you have a problem, the Disney phone line will have you on hold for a very, very long time.

What's the selling point right now?

My DW and I are part of the problem. We are feeding the Disney money machine while Disney is delivering what you describe: far less value.

Why? We're living on Disney Magic "fumes," the memories of decades. We've been twice in the past three months, and we're going again in May. We like strolling through the parks, engaging with the still-awesome CMs, and riding a few rides. We probably have only a limited number of years of mobility left, so we want to gather whatever crumbs of Disney Magic we can while we can.

But it's a balancing act between those great moments and reduced services in the resorts, reduced food quality and selection in some places, and the loss of perks.

We're just hoping--while shelling out $$$$$--that things will return to what they are. But I'm not sure they ever will fully. Why should they when people like us keep coming and paying more for less?

 

[dreynolds1982]

Doesn't seem like it.

You might get the rides you want with G+/LL. But you're more likely to be frustrated first thing in the morning.

You can pay a lot for a room on property, but most of the perks are gone. And it's unlikely to be cleaned.

And if you have a problem, the Disney phone line will have you on hold for a very, very long time.

What's the selling point right now?

What is interesting to me is that despite all of this (many of which I agree with) the Disney parks are seeing massive numbers, in some cases record numbers.

I just saw an article about how many manufacturers are quietly cutting corners left and right, but not only not cutting costs, but in many cases increasing them. They specifically used toilet paper as an example. The number of sheets per roll is way down, but costs have gone up.

I think we're seeing an interesting thing unfolding in front of us. How much (not just with Disney but in general) will the market bare? Until any business sees a negative trend for their bottom line, there isn't much incentive to do things differently. And right now, for some reason, all across the country we're seeing costs skyrocket but spending skyrocket right along with it. Strange times indeed.

And FWIW to me the value is still there for a Disney trip. My wife and I are doing a land/sea/land trip in a couple of weeks and I couldn't be more excited. That being said, I certainly can understand those that no longer see the ROI.

 

[RamblingMad]

My DW are part of the problem. We are feeding the Disney money machine while Disney is delivering what you describe: far less value.

Why? We're living on Disney Magic "fumes," the memories of decades. We've been twice in the past three months, and we're going again in May. We like strolling through the parks, engaging with the still-awesome CMs, and riding a few rides. We probably have only a limited number of years of mobility left, so we want to gather whatever crumbs of Disney Magic we can while we can.

But it's a balancing act between those great moments and reduced services in the resorts, reduced food quality and selection in some places, and the loss of perks.

We're just hoping--while shelling out $$$$$--that things will return to what they are. But I'm not sure they ever will fully. Why should they when people like us keep coming and paying more for less?

One of my friends lives in FL. They went yesterday and got to experience the crazy flooding. Because they're local, they stop in the parks, hit a ride or two and explore. They Uber between their home and the parks. This works out great for them. This is a lot different from a family that spends over $500/night for a hotel on property, struggles to get rides booked, and spend the day frustrated in the parks only to return to their room without housekeeping. My friend who is local seems to be getting the better experience over the big splurge given how Disney is functioning today.

For me WDW peaked in the 90s. Universal peaked with Harry Potter. And DL is close enough that I can drive there and stay off property and still get a decent day. WDW really needs a lot of work right now. It's just poorly run overall. But consumers still spend, so I'm not expecting improvements any time soon other than some new attractions opening. EPCOT is way overdue.

 

[jo-jo]

One of my friends lives in FL. They went yesterday and got to experience the crazy flooding. Because they're local, they stop in the parks, hit a ride or two and explore. They Uber between their home and the parks. This works out great for them. This is a lot different from a family that spends over $500/night for a hotel on property, struggles to get rides booked, and spend the day frustrated in the parks only to return to their room without housekeeping. My friend who is local seems to be getting the better experience over the big splurge given how Disney is functioning today.

And yet the locals get the great ticket prices. Yes they are restricted but for half the cost, I could live that easy.

 

[RamblingMad]

And yet the locals get the great ticket prices. Yes they are restricted but for half the cost, I could live that easy.

I feels like it's more out of the DL playbook, which pulls in a lot of locals than WDW.

My friends goes over for events. They went yesterday to see a concert. And they have APs with much better pricing options.

 

[maxiesmom]

Unacceptable service from both the housekeeper and housekeeping management, multiple failures to fulfill what they promised. Not Disney level service in my book, but not sure if Disney level service exists any more.

And another example of why calling when at the resort is not the best idea. Go down to the front desk and make them deal with you face to face.

 

[disneyseniors]

You have to treat your employees good. Have you been to an understaffed Costco lately?

The hospitality industry doesn't have the greatest track record of good employee relations. You get what you sow. Disney has a long history of not treating their employees well. That's why they had to unionize. We also don't have a solution for child care in the US. Again, we get what we sow.

I agree 100%! We owned a vacation resort for 19 years and we had many housekeeping staff workers. However, because we treated them well, we had excellent service and happy workers who returned year after year. I know we were not as large as disney, but the principle is the same. We paid above average wages with free lunch provided and drinks/ice cream. We gave a nice bonus at the end of the season.
If you treat your workers like they don't matter, then They won't matter how they do their jobs either.

 

[revdon64]

Think of the savings!
Less staffing/staff hours, less cleaning supplies (windex/vaccum bags/paper towels/etc), less water usage for washing linens, less detergent for washing linens, less wear/tear on linens equals less replacement costs... I mean, Bob has got to be seeing dollar signs, right?

Again, less service for more money. The Disney difference is diminishing.

 

[k5xs]

Think of the savings!
Less staffing/staff hours, less cleaning supplies (windex/vaccum bags/paper towels/etc), less water usage for washing linens, less detergent for washing linens, less wear/tear on linens equals less replacement costs... I mean, Bob has got to be seeing dollar signs, right?

Again, less service for more money. The Disney difference is diminishing.

You forgot:
- Less wear and tear on the motorized golf carts that the housekeepers scoot around in
- Lower utilization of CM intra-WDW transportation
- Lower wardrobe requirements for housekeeping CMs
- Lower accounting/payroll processing costs
- Lower medical insurance costs