Being a hotel maid is hard work. The job can involve long hours and intense physical exertion. The timely cleaning of rooms requires great attention to detail and resilience.
But this kind of work is not always appreciated. Some guests are downright rude to hotel employees, and even well-meaning guests and those outside the industry can misunderstand what would actually be helpful to the people cleaning their hotel rooms.
To sever myth from reality, HuffPost heard from hotel housekeepers themselves about their biggest problems and the things they won’t do now that they’ve worked in their industry. Some answers have been edited for clarity and length.
1. I won’t leave the Do Not Disturb login all the time.
“Having been a housekeeper, I would never leave the ‘do not disturb’ sign for the entirety of my stay. Maybe the guests think that if we don’t clean the room, it’s easier for us, but if a room goes two or three days without cleaning, it’s very dirty.
“I have to hurry to clean the room and it hurts my body. It’s very easy to get hurt. It’s easier for me to clean and freshen up the room every day. And if enough guests don’t want housekeeping, the hotel will tell me not to come to work and I’ll lose the pay I expected that day, even though the cleaning cost is already included in your room rate.” – Maria Mata, W Hotel San Francisco
2. I will not keep telling housekeeping to come back later.
“What you should avoid is wasting your time. Sometimes they’ll go to the rooms and ask the guests, ‘Oh, would you like service?’ And they’ll say, ‘Come back later. Come back later.’
“Normally I would recommend people to call the front desk and let them know the best time for housekeeping to go to their room. You can request at a specific time or after a specific time. This way [housekeepers] use their time efficiently while keeping guests happy.” ― Cinthia Camilo Vargas, Director of Corporate Services, Stay SoFlo, Florida
3. I will not forgo daily housekeeping throughout my stay.
“I would never give up the daily housekeeping because I know what it’s like for us housekeepers. Guests may think that skipping cleaning your room will help your housekeeper, but that’s not true.
“If rooms aren’t cleaned for several days, they’re so much dirtier and harder for me to clean. I opened the door and saw huge piles of garbage, dirty diapers and rotten food that I have to clean to get the room ready for the next guest. It also means that our employees become unemployed because fewer housekeepers are put on the schedule. But last year we joined forces with our union where we fought and won back automatic daily housekeeping – all domestic workers should have it.” ― Antoinette Clerisier, The Diplomat Beach Resort, Hollywood, Florida
4. I don’t ask for more towels than I really need.
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Victor Stanciu / 500px via Getty Images
Try to only use the towels you need and reuse them whenever possible.
“One of the main reasons I wouldn’t request extra towels if I don’t need them is that it’s a waste. It will only make the hard work harder for the ladies or men who come to clean the rooms.
“Other people could use them. Sometimes people just request them because they see it. We have to stick together and use what we need. If we don’t need it, don’t ask for it.” ― Ronnette Lark, Harrah’s Resort & Casino Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey
5. I will not forget to tip.
“After working as a domestic help, I learned how to tip well. I didn’t realize that tips make a huge difference to us because not only does it show appreciation for our work, the money we are left can be used for many different things. So I would say that it would be nice etiquette to leave $5 or $10 every day of your stay because different housekeepers might clean your room every day; You don’t want to wait until you check out to leave a tip.
“In my work in this area I have seen that during your stay the housekeeper who does your checkout may not have been the housekeeper who cleans your room, which is why I say ‘every day’.
“But all in all, working in the hospitality industry has personally taught me to never leave a tip of at least $10, no matter where I go, as I particularly look forward to putting my tip in my emergency fund or my daughter for one.” take special treatment.
“I know that other colleagues use this money for daily transport or as a quick meal option after a long day at work. So next time you stay in a hotel or eat at a restaurant, please keep these things in mind and leave a tip!” – Cameron Thomas, Sheraton Downtown Philadelphia
6. I will not forget to mention my housekeeper if I leave a good review.
“Some of the hotels will pay attention to Tripadvisor or Expedia, so if [guests] For example, if you know the names of your housekeepers, it’s always a good idea to mention them in your reviews when leaving a review, because housekeepers aren’t usually mentioned.
“You see the review that says ‘oh the front desk clerk or this person or this manager helped me with this’ but they never mentioned the housekeepers.” – Camilo Vargas
7. I will not work without proper protective equipment.
“One thing my team and I will not do is handle hazardous materials without proper protective equipment to avoid exposing ourselves to potential health risks or hazards.
“For example, if we encountered blood or bodily fluids, we would not dispose of it without wearing personal protective equipment such as gloves and a mask. We would also report this to the relevant authorities first before cleaning anything up. It’s really important to follow proper protocols and procedures for disposing of hazardous waste.” ― Diana Rodriguez-Zaba, President of Lake Shore’s ServiceMaster, a Chicago-based cleaning and restoration company
8. I will not work without a panic button.
“I would never work without a panic button. Back in 2018, my union negotiated that every housekeeper get a GPS-enabled security button, which is so important. As housekeepers, we usually work alone in the hallways and guest rooms, so if something happened to us and we called for help, maybe no one would hear.
“The safety button makes me feel a lot safer knowing that if I’m in danger, someone will help me.” – Flora Matias, Hilton Doubletree Alana Waikiki, Honolulu
9. I will not go a Big mess for hotel housekeeper to clean up.
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Christoph Wilhelm via Getty Images
Leaving the room in a complete mess makes the work of the hotel staff difficult.
“When I stay in hotels, I try to keep my room fairly tidy so housekeeping doesn’t have to spend too much time cleaning up behind me or my family. When I’m traveling with kids and they make a mess, like when they’re having dinner and leaving crumbs all over the floor, I usually ask for a vacuum and try to clean it up myself.
“I also always make sure to throw my rubbish in the bins – it’s amazing how often people just leave their rubbish on the floor. It’s about being considerate.” ― Rodríguez-Zaba
“Having worked as a maid, I would never leave a huge mess in the room at the checkout. I wouldn’t leave the trash all over the room, I would collect everything in one place. Also, it helps us if the guest stacks the towels all together so I don’t have to bend down to pick them up as often.
“The other day I was cleaning a room where they had a party and they left balloons everywhere. First I had to pull them down and then pop and drain each one individually. And they left drinks everywhere too. When I have such dirty rooms I almost run to get through my shift and am afraid I will hurt myself or fall. At the end of such a day I am very tired. I can’t have a family or social life because I don’t have any energy anyway.” – Mata
10. I will not leave my personal belongings in the way of my hotel stay.
“I try to keep my personal belongings out of sight – be it in drawers, closets or suitcases to make it easier for the housekeeping staff to clean the room without having to move my stuff. This actually helps them do their job more easily and it also reduces the chances that they will accidentally damage or lose my items.” ― Rodríguez-Zaba
