Whether out of necessity due to staffing shortages, out of respect for social distancing or perhaps just to save money, one of the primary amenities that sets a hotel apart from your home — daily housekeeping — is disappearing.
The days of returning to a wrinkle-free duvet are likely gone. Forget fresh towels, and accept that your trash might never get taken out during your stay.The trend of no more daily housekeeping — while largely initiated by COVID-19 — has become the norm at many hotels. During the pandemic’s early days, when transmission was more of a mystery, many hotels cut housekeeping services to reduce contact between strangers. But more than two years later, housekeeping still hasn’t returned.
Marriott’s policies vary by property, but housekeeping is usually offered only on request, with all rooms cleaned automatically every sixth night. Hilton only offers additional daily cleanings at most properties if customers request them. Walt Disney World reduced service to light housekeeping every second day. That entails towel replacement and trash removal but doesn’t necessarily include services you might expect, like getting your bed made.
Other hotels have schedules, like the Hotel Solares in Santa Cruz, California. Hotel Solares does not offer housekeeping for three-night stays, while six-night stays or fewer are cleaned once. The hotel recommends you leave trash outside your door.“Guests don’t want to have to ask every time they need their trash emptied or dirty towels replaced,” said D. Taylor, international president of Unite Here — a US and Canada hospitality workers’ union — in a statement.
“The work we’re doing right now in every one of our brands … is about making them higher-margin businesses and creating more labor efficiencies,” Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta said during a February 2021 investor earnings call. “When we get out of the crisis, those businesses will be higher margin and require less labor than they did pre-COVID.”Research before booking: Hotels typically post cleaning procedures online.