How about a housekeeping services doorknob menu?
There’s nothing quite like hotel room service. Be it an indulgence or a necessity, few things seem better suited to serve a jet-lagged traveler, (who gets into the hotel past midnight), than a breakfast tray delivered to the room…long after the restaurant had closed for the morning’s meal. Never mind that it can take forever to get to the room and that when it does - is often cold and tasteless!
When room service was first introduced by hotels, the choices both in what were served and service times were very limited. Despite that, it was a huge hit for guests to be able to order meals and drinks over the phone and have it delivered to their room. In 1968, 24-hour room service was introduced and the menu by then had become fairly extensive. Included was the option to order breakfast to the room, with the printed room service menu, instructing guests to place their order with room service staff, before 11:00 pm the previous night, and indicating the time it should be served. Then followed the concept of the breakfast doorknob menu; a listing of a number of breakfast items and times of the day that the meal can be served. Guests select what they want to eat and the times they want the food delivered, and then hang the menu outside the room door, on the doorknob.
Since the onset of COVID-19, many hotels including Hilton for example, suspended daily cleaning of occupied rooms, limiting basic/partial cleaning to either ‘on-request’ or after multiple days, with full cleaning done only after check-out. These safety protocols aimed at minimizing contact between guests and staff. It looks that way, although underneath it was the potential to save labour costs by slashing services and staff cadres. For instance, Omni Hotels & Resorts with its ‘Opt Out to Help Out’ a program donates a meal to ‘Feeding America”, each time a guest forgoes housekeeping services.
What if the concept of the ‘breakfast door knob menu’ could be adopted for housekeeping services? Let’s say your hotel informs guests on your website and/or when they check-in, that room cleaning will be undertaken every 3rd day. This means that those staying two nights will not have their room cleaned. However, a list of ‘on request’ services is made available in the form of a doorknob card (similar to the breakfast card), where guests can tick off the requested service/items and hang the card on the doorknob outside the room door.
“On request’ services can include: - Clearing the trash bin / Replacing used towels / Cleaning the bathroom / Replenishing bathroom supplies / vacuuming the floor…to mention some simple chores. Bearing in mind that all guests are not equal – I for one, keep my ‘do not disturb’ card on all the time, and prefer to call housekeeping in, only if I need a room clean-up. It can be different for others. For instance, a businessperson may want his / her room totally cleaned daily, whereas a vacationing guest may not be so picky. In the case of the former, one could charge ‘extra’ for the additional days of full cleaning. I.e. follow the airline route of attaching a cost to various additional services not listed in the base price.
Do you think this is something the hospitality industry may introduce?
Ilzaf Keefahs is a freelance writer who enjoys focusing on hospitality related matters that he is passionate about, and likes to share his views with hoteliers and customers alike. He delves into the heart of hospitality to figure out both customer service and consumer trends that impact the industry.
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