What your hotel cleaner wishes they could say to you
We all love a hotel stay, right? Soft sheets, cloud-like mattresses, fluffy towels, someone else cleaning your bathroom and making your bed - It’s a total escape from daily household drudgery.
But behind the scenes, there are huge teams of people making this all happen, quietly swooping in while you’re out so everything is spotless when you return.
“Housekeeping is the true foundation of any hotel,” says Darren Signorino, executive assistant manager - rooms at Auckland’s Park Hyatt hotel.
“You can offer every luxury and five-star detail, but without a crisp bed and a spotless bathroom, the true heart of hospitality.
It’s a tough, backbreaking and intensely time-pressured job, often underappreciated by guests and Signorino says it’s a lot more than just a checklist of tasks.
“The job is a careful balance of timing, resources and, most importantly, people. Having the right team in the right place at the right time is what ensures every guest feels truly cared for.”
While they’d never say it to your face, there are a few things housekeeping staff secretly wish you knew. We interviewed some hotel cleaners around New Zealand to ask what they wish they could tell you (we promised anonymity so they could really tell us how they feel).
- We love it when you say hello or acknowledge us. It can be a really isolating job, and that two-minute chat or a simple thank you can truly make our day.
- We are under huge time pressure. Often, we only have 15–20 minutes to turn a room around, so if we know what you want done with your towels, it’s so helpful. Hang them up if you don’t need a change, or put them in the bathtub or on the shower floor if you want new ones.
- If you’ve stained bed linen, don’t be embarrassed to let us know; it’s no big deal and happens all the time.
- We know some of you think it’s nice to make the bed and leave the room tidy when you check out, but if you want to make an effort - not that we think you should because you are on holiday - stripping the bed is actually more helpful than making it.
- We know it’s tempting to take all of the free tea and coffee sachets when you check out, but the time taken to replace them adds up when you’ve got lots of rooms to get through.
- If you’ve got unopened food that you can’t take with you, don’t throw it away - we’ll find a use for it.
- Put your rubbish in the bin.
- We’re not judging you. Odd requests, quirky things in your room- we’ve seen it all. But we do prefer it if you put your used condoms and dirty nappies in the bin and wash and put away your sex toys and drug paraphernalia. That’s all a bit gross to have to deal with.
- We love your little notes and bars of chocolate saying thank you. It really is the nicest thing to find when it’s been a rough day.
- Use makeup wipes if you have them, or maybe just use one face towel for makeup rather than getting foundation over all of them [some hotels have darker-coloured facecloths for this very reason].
- Check power points and shower shelves before you leave. They are the most common places for forgotten items.
- If you don’t want us in, hang the sign. Skipping housekeeping saves us time and means we don’t interrupt you. Every housekeeping staff member has an embarrassing story about walking in to clean a room, thinking no one was there when there definitely was.
- Before accusing staff of taking things, check your luggage first! It’s pretty awful to be accused of stealing when the guest has actually just forgotten they packed it.
- Let us know if you break a glass, spill wine or have some other kind of accident you can’t clean up yourself. We are happy to help, and it’s much easier than dealing with it 24 hours later.
Housekeepers are the unsung heroes of every hotel stay, working tirelessly so you can enjoy that holiday feeling of ease and indulgence.
While many guests never even meet them, their efforts are evident in every crisp sheet and gleaming bathroom. A little kindness and consideration go a long way, whether it’s a simple thank you, putting your rubbish in the bin, or towels where they should go.
The next time you relax in some super comfy room, spare a thought for the people who made it happen, and maybe even leave a note of thanks.
Source: Stuff
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