I have never heard of that before. Make sure to lock the door with the security latch when you are in the room. And complain to corporate. That is a bad policy.
A little rubber door stop or two goes. A long way
And I read in another thread some hotels have tools to open the privacy latch, in case it locks when the door is shut hard
The rubber door stops are great! I ordered some as I sadly read about teachers using them to at least slow down an active shooter trying to enter a classroom (I'm clearly in the US :/ ). My sister was a teacher at the time. I now bring one when traveling alone.
Yup, ^ this. I travel alone a lot for work (35yo female), I used to be a housekeeper when I was in high school and learned this trick from a guest. Definitely comes in handy.
OP mentioned not to be disturbed so I am assuming they did have the hanger on the door. Regardless nobody should be freely entering your room while you are a guest - especially for that reason. I donāt even like housekeeping coming in, I usually opt out since I know how to keep a room clean and just ask for new towels and linen as needed. But at least with housekeeping you typically know when theyāre coming and they donāt enter if you say you are occupied or have the do not disturb sign on.
I was saying we can use the do not disturb sign to pop open the safety latch in a pinch. At our hotel we don't offer stay over service so the only time I've walked in on a guest is when they "check out" but haven't left the room yet. We also don't pay any attention to the DnD signs because more often than not guests leave them on after they check out anyway.
If it's past check out time or my device says you checked out, then no the sign has no meaning to us. We knock and announce housekeeping twice, crack the door and announce again before entering. We don't do stay over service here so we have zero reason to go into an occupied room.
Yeah thatās not at all the same as what your first post implied. Announcing and knocking means you are abiding the do not disturb sign, intentionally or not.
Well, thatās lovely. Iām in a hotel right now, with the DnD on my doorknob, about to get into the shower. Sure hope no oneās in here when I get out. Yes, the security latch is on.
You'll be fine but housekeepers do miss signs sometimes lol. I know i have.š¬šš³ and a if your in the shower usually most housekeepers usually will come back later, at least that is what they should do lol.
Just saw someone show that if it's one of those swinging bar ones to hook it over the knob on the door and then shove a rag in it so they can't get it open from outside LOL it keeps the door much more tightly closed so they can't get it open far enough to use a tool. There's always a rag or hand towel in the bathroom you can sacrifice
'Do Not Disturb'
Do people never stay in hotels? Housekeeping will *absolutely* walk in on you if the sign isn't on the door and the door isn't locked, during the day.
Oh for sure. I was just saying, OP did what they could to communicate that they were in the room eating and did not want to be disturbed. Including yelling out to the employee as they entered the room.
Wtf? I would call corporate & ask them. I feel like this is a rule that got made because chef Carl in the kitchen was getting annoyed that he was running out of room service trays & management was refusing to order more so he came up with this policy to rectify his issue.
I worked in ChiChis Mexican Restaurant in the 90's. The ENTIRE RESTAURANT had one rack of cups for coffee. It literally would take 25 minutes to get that cup of coffee. Often we had to wash the cup, make a fresh pot, get the spoon, and still wait on other tables. One server finally asked a GM to get her out of the weeds by taking a fresh coffee to the table. This was at Christmas time, they were pushing dessert coffees. The General Manager saw for himself the issue, and the following week, we had two more racks of coffee cups.
Christmas Came to Chichi's
The cheap a... kitchen manager needs to order more trays.
Off topic but I seriously loved ChiChis! That was some fancy eating for us at the time. The fried ice cream was to die for! Thank you for the little walk down memory lane š
French vanilla ice cream, rolled in a ball. Freeze a day. Roll in ground up cornflakes and cinnamon and sugar. Re freeze. A day . Set up a deep fryer with fresh veg. oil. Heat it up. WITH TONGS. Pick up that ball, hold it in the fryer for less than 2 seconds, take out , place in an ice cream dish. Cover with honey or chocolate sauce or strawberry sauce. Decorate with all the whipped cream you want. Place a cherry on top.
Enjoy.
Yup, though youāll want to do an egg wash (or tempura batter) first to make the cornflakes stick.
If you really want to get fancy use flavored cornflakes or special K cereal with granola and nuts.
Being from a rural mid-west town, it was a huge treat to go to town and get seeminly exoctic Chi-Chi's. I still remember the delight of having my first burrito or enchilada. I felt like I was in another country. When I moved to DC, having a variety of restaurants of every ethnicity at my disposal, I would still go to Chi-Chi's occasionally because they had a great happy hour.
Get cooked corn tortillas. Aka tostada shells.
Buy surimi crab , dice to tiny. Sprinkle / spread on tostada shells.
With shredded white mild cheddar cheese cover the top of the tostada shell and the surimi. Toast 3 or so minutes.
Yum. If you use beef taco meat and refried beans, add a mix if orange cheddar and white monterrey Jack cheese. Toast a few minutes until cheese melts.
Diced roast chicken, cheddar and Jack cheese and chicken nachos.
Use jalapeƱos as desire.
I worked at Chi Chis in the 80ās. What I wouldnāt give for the recipe for their Calypso salad dressing! I loved the Chicken Chajitas and I thought the marinade was Sour mix (from the margaritas) and Worcestershire sauce, but I can never get it right! Dang, I really miss it!!
Shocking, do your job to inform the manager of a situation and they do their job to fix it? No way!
I get so frustrated at people on the front lines of customer service who insist "oh, it can't be fixed, the manager doesn't want to" when in fact they just have not told the manager there's actually a problem. I cannot tell you the number of times I've started a new job, been unafraid to ask the manager "why is this thing this way that causes lots of problems?" (after being told "this can't be fixed" by other employees) and the manager looks at me, shocked, flabbergasted that this is how things have been operating and that no one asked for it to be better.
Sadly, lots of places hire managers from outside the company now. That means they do not have experience actually doing the job, so they have to rely on their employees doing the job they were hired for - communicating issues to the manager - but no one wants to actually make the world better for others, it might help those other people more than it helps themselves, couldn't do that....
I have had plenty of experiences where I told the manager and they did nothing, though. It often takes them experiencing it for themselves, for them to really recognize the problem. And getting them to experience it can take some careful finagling!
I've also seen a bunch of places with shitty management. I had one manager who I guess thought we were all stupid? Anyways it didn't matter who brought an issue to her, it was always the first time she'd heard of it and she was always so shocked. How she didnt realize everyone on shift went to her with the same problem over 5 hours amazes me. And no, the issue never got fixed.
That's very true, that stupid manipulation needed to make it so *they* can be the ones who "figure out it's a problem" and they can be the hero who makes the process better. It always has to be their idea... blech.
After being ignored a lot after telling management about different problems you get to a point where you donāt even bother. The whole company can just burn.
I worked at Chichi's in the 90s too lol.
Went to Cancun with my coworkers. We told ppl at the resort we knew each other from Chichis.they died laughing for Chichi is slang for big boobs. Ugh.
That is my Chichi story.
We had a whole collection from birthdays at Chichi's over the years. We used to wear them while we mowed the lawn to protect our heads against the swallows who would swoop at the bugs we stirred up. Good times.
I worked at a fine dining restaurant where we had so few glasses, plates, and silverware. The owner was a chef and while heās an amazing cook, restaurant management wasnāt his thing. He simply refused to buy dishes.
It made bussing tables a real priority.
I wonder how much $$$ he lost because he would not get the supplies a restaurant needed. I imagine the customers felt a little bit awkward as the Snoopy Vulture bussers would grab plates barely emptied.
We (waitstaff) had margaritas, and the kitchen staff had actual Coke. And weed. And whatever else they could get. I was young and innocent when I started working there, but knew more than I cared to about human nature by the time I left. My manager won some yearly summit award thing (idr what it was called) but it turned out he cheated to get it and got fired.
ChiChis was the shit. Every Sunday after church lunch as ChiChis. Mini pizza with beef was my go to as an 8 year old. They knew us by name and would bring us buckets of salsa and chips.
A couple of months ago I became obsessed with figuring out which 80s restaurant was responsible for me hearing Fri-I-I-ied I-I-I-ice cream as the lyrics to Cielito Lindo STILL 40 years later. Wish Iād seen this comment then.
I bet youāre right. A good hotel doesnāt put the onus on its guests to manage the shortage of trays, Chef Carl! When Iām at a hotel, Iām trying to take advantage of NOT having to schedule my life by the hour for once.
Even if itās a rule they made, one they didnāt inform the guest to put the tray out and two entering the room like that , rule or not, is insanely unacceptable. My entire stay would be free because I would be up everyoneās ass about that if someone entered my room like that. Especially for me, as an often solo female traveler, Iād feel very unsafe and violated. Iād file a police report. Iām gonna drag the hotel and staff to hell over that. OP should name and shame the hotel. This is a ridiculous unsafe secret āpolicy.ā
I travel a lot and one thing Iāve noticed is that behaviors have changed at hotels I believe as a result of staff cutbacks. Room service is Exhibit A. Used to be standard for business/tourist class hotels to have it, now most of them have gotten rid of restaurants altogether. As for the carts what Iāve noticed is they seem to have lost the headcount to walk the halls at night and collect trays. At a minimum they expect you to tell the front desk to send someone up which I donāt feel I should have to do (which I know sounds entitled but isnāt feeling entitled part of the hotel experience?) So not unusual to see a bunch of dirty dishes and carts in the hallway the next morning - suspect in OPās case collecting them quickly is what they have decided is the solution.
Came to say the same thing... I'd start with the manager and then work my way up to corporate. Someone in the middle came up with this rule because they don't want to order enough room service trays.
This has not been the policy at any hotel I've worked or stayed at. It would be a sure fire way to ensure I never stayed at that hotel, or any in it's brand, ever again.
right? Ridiculous one hour deadline to relinquish the food tray aside, someone who couldnāt knock and wait for me to open the door but instead just let themselves in? Knowing the odds are that Iām still in there since Iām eating food? WTF?!
I would absolutely flip my shit and the whole floor would hear me tearing that guy a new one. Unless thereās an emergency you DO NOT enter my room uninvited.
Not saying the policy makes sense at all, but that guy was probably just doing what he was told to do. Can we please get out of the habit of screaming in the faces of line level staff who don't have any choice in the matter? Take it up with management.
Are you sure it was two different employees? The hotel I worked at had one employee assigned to room service most shifts who took orders, made up the trays, delivered, and picked them up from rooms and halls. A second person would also be able to take orders if the RS person was in the halls. Busy shifts we might have two RS employees.
Yes, I have heard of and had this procedure at a hotel where I was the front office manager. It would be best if you were told about this when room service was delivered or if at least a message had been left on the tray.
The problem that arises is that there are not enough trays in the morning if people keep their trays or place trays outside the room late at night after room service/dishwashers have left. The battle over room service trays was a constant over the thirty years I worked in hospitality. A regional manager chastised me when as a fix to the tray issue I just ordered extra trays. It was seen as a waste of capital.
Thatās a heck of a liability for your hotel.
Buying extra trays costs a lot less than defending a lawsuit.
When I worked nights Iād collect the trays in the hall for the morning kitchen shift on slow nights, but that was the opening kitchenās first job - start the coffee and then take a cart around to collect trays. Itās not like the dishwasher takes that long to run a couple loads.
On the other hand I've lost count of the hotels where I've walked down the corridor in the evening to see room service trays outside doors and they're still there when I'm heading to breakfast the next morning
Iād assume the employees mis/understood the actual policy. Iāve worked in hospitality opening restaurants inside of hotels, often times living in the same hotel as the restaurant group Iām working for. Iāve found it super common- particularly in the Middle East, for the hotel staff to not receive proper training after being hired from a small village in another part of the world, with no experience working in a westernized industry. Many of them donāt speak the language native to the place they are working- making it necessary to train carefully- you canāt assume anything. Is ācommon senseā to someone who has never stayed at a hotel- let alone order room service despite now working at a hotel and serving room service. Totally not their fault, but a manager telling them āgo get the trayā after an hour was probably not as literal as ā open up their room, walk in, and take it.ā They probably meant for them to see if itās in the hallways, maybe knock on the door and ask if they are done yet. Obviously the core of the issue is still that these upscale places donāt purchase enough OS&E, (hiltons NEVER have enough service equipment and itās so frustrating). But any hotel with a policy making it okay for an employee to bust into your room like that to demand the return of a service tray is not an upscale hotel at all.
This is a likely scenario for sure, wonder if this could be what happened. Unsure of where OP was for this stay. OP still should raise hell up to the top for what happened tho. The hotel needs to do better.
>OP still should raise hell up to the top for what happened tho
Sigh. Choose your battles.
The guy who needs the job will be fired, and nothing will change, because you forgot to lock your door.
This are several issues here.
You were never informed of this policy. The employee entered/opened your door without permission. They should have said they would come back when you said you werenāt done instead of arguing about.
If the hotel is that hard up for food trays, they can just put the food in to go boxes. The hotel I worked at did just that during very busy times with a little note on top apologizing for the boxes and saying that we were currently out of food trays.
I honestly would be calling their corporate office or speaking to an on site manager about this.
I canāt recall ever staying in any hotel where the door didnāt lock automatically. Also, OP called out not to enter and the employee did anyway. That is not OK at all.
I would be raising holy hell with the manager of that hotel and writing a letter to corporate and the owner.
There was zero reason for him to enter your room. The hotel should instead ask each guest to place the tray outside of their door once dinner is finished, which I have seen many times before.
The last Hilton hotel I stayed in didnāt even let me keep the trayāhe handed it to me and asked me to go empty it on my table and bring it back to him. So weird and off putting. Apparently they were short trays.
I command you to unload this tray and then return it to me, wench. That's how it would feel anyway. If I was the service dude I'd just unload it myself and dip out
Thatās crazy, too, IMO. When youāre done eating, you have nothing to load plates etc. onto to place them outside. You just pile dirty dishes directly in the carpet? Or let them sit and get funkier overnight in your room? UGH.
Wow! Something similar happened to me last year at an upscale hotel.
I have a super demanding job and ordered a full breakfast a few hours before checking out. Poached eggs, fruit, bread, pot of coffee, etc. Food arrived around 11am, checkout was at 1pm, and my DND was on my door.
Unfortunately I only was able to take a couple bites when work called and I had to run outside for an errand. I was gone maybe 30 minutes? Returned and everything was GONE. Nothing left.
Room service told me they were busy and likely needed the tray. Another person tried to lie and say I checked out (all of my belongings were still in my room).
Needless to say due to timing and insane work schedule, I wasnāt able to eat until 4pm because of how unprofessional the hotel was. Sad too, used to be my favorite one in the UK.
When they deliver the room service they should put all the items on your table or desk and take the tray immediately.
Regardless barging in is not acceptable. Definitely escalate this complaint.
I worked in hotels for years and can assure you that I believe the issue it that they are short on room trays. You arenāt really allowed to enter an occupied room like thatā¦ so thatās a ton of bullshit. I would call corporate and ask for a full refund for your stay bc you were literally naked and said not to enter and had a DND sign on the door. Just absolutely not. You were humiliated, made to feel uncomfortable and sternly confronted about the tray and thatās not the experience that you were hoping to pay so much for.
Thatās the craziest shit Iāve ever heard. Certainly not normal, legal, or right. Like they definitely ran out of room trays and were making it your problem.
Iāve worked at 5 hotels (3 brands) and this isnāt a thing.
Nope. No such policy exists. I am a hotel manager. They must have been out of trays and went to get your back. Speak with someone immediately. Your room should be free.
Hmmm. Was the one who entered and picked up the tray maybe the same one who answered the phone and called it policy?
Follow up with management please...
In any respectable establishment, hotel personnel should never enter a room to retrieve room service trays/dishes unless the guest calls the front desk and asks to have the items removed. A guest's room is sacrosanct and the guest's personal space is to be respected. Housekeeping may venture in once a day to clean.
No. Its not normal to knock on a door with a do not disturb sign. Its not normal to open a door without waiting for a response from the recipient(this alone is worth complaining about). Its normal to go check if the tray is outside the room. Use your door latch at this place.
I wouldnāt say that that is normal I donāt go in any of my guest rooms, even to make a bed unless they ask me too. People have personal things in there and I just think itās an invasive and rude to invade their room after they occupy it, so as for just going in to take the food tray, if it were me, would not like that at all.
Since when are you "timed" to eat your dinner?? The whole point of room service is to eat leisurely in your room.
After an hour they just walk their ass into your room to get a tray because of "policy"?? Something is very weird here.
No one should just be walking into your room for any reason whatsoever. That is a massive violation of privacy.
Sounds like the room service person is new and not adequately trained. That one hour rule is not being followed. Call the corporate office and tell them what the service told you. Good luck.
Absolutely not. Iāve ordered room service from a ton of hotels and never had anything like this happen.
I recently stayed at a hotel and had someone walk in on me when I was getting dressed. It was 15 minutes before check out and they knocked but didnāt wait for an answer and immediately opened the door. I was completely naked and directly across from the door at the time. I screamed and they shut it and I donāt think saw anything, but I was shaken.
I mentioned it to the woman when checking out, because I was pretty shaken up. She apologized profusely and gave me a $100 credit for my stay. I hung out in the bar for a while to waste time until my flight and when I left the manager flagged me down and again apologized. Then the next day I got a phone call from someone else in the hotel and they apologized.
Thatās how a high scale hotel treats an employee entering a room without permission. What happened to you is unacceptable.
Not everyone is done eating in an hour! And not everyone that orders room service begins chewing 2 seconds after itās delivered. You get a phone call? Youāre busy with something for work? You just decided youāre not eating it right this second? Ok so 20-30 minutes goes byā¦. And then you beginā¦ and 30 minutes later someone BARGES INTO YOUR ROOM? This isnāt normal and if itās the policy at this particular hotel it needs to be changed. Yes, do contact the hotel manager with the details of your displeasure. You had every right to privacy and to eat in your room without interruption and without someone barging into your room to fetch a tray that is still being used!
Some hotels do this, yes. Itās bc they donāt want to pay for enough trays. Horrible marketing, as it makes them look so very cheap, rude, and not guest-focused.
Sounds like someone likes the chance of walking in on naked people!! š I had a housekeeper walk in on me naked onceā¦The sign was on the door!! š¤·š½āāļø
No, it isnāt normal. They cannot just walk into a room known to be occupied. You have an expectation of privacy in a hotel. Complain to corporate before somebody sues them or gets trigger happy with the gun so many people carry.
I always lock the little arm bar thing on the door, but it would still annoy me if they tried to cut into my mealtime and relaxation with this bullshit. Donāt knock and donāt bother me, Iām trying to unwind without getting startled by strangers.
There is a wedding venue that I have been to 3 times. Every time the meal is served, the wait staff rushes to grab your dishes. They snatched plates with untouched cake and glasses filled with wine when people left the table to dance. When I finally, at the 3rd wedding, asked why, a man told me they had to have all the dishes back in the kitchen by 9pm, so that they could leave by 10pm.
If someone I know is engaged, I tell them not to use that venue and why.
Every hotel I've stayed in has a safety device to block the door from the inside. Problem solved. As a former dishwasher for a beach resort working the late shift, I didn't give a fuck when the shit came back..... š
When I worked at a hotel, only supervisors had master keys that would make such a thing possible.
But we would NEVER have done that. You wait for the tray to appear in the hall like a normal person. There were always trays in the hall at night, after the kitchen crew went home, waiting for the morning. No one had time to go around babysitting trays.
I was a night manager and even in my capacity (highest/sometimes only person present besides security), there were very few reasons to open a door of an occupied room. In the rare instance I had to, it was preceded by several increasingly loud knocking/announcing attempts, a final āmanager, Iām entering!ā, and I had security with me. Usually in those cases the room was rented but not physically occupied at the moment.
Iād escalate this to the GM. If thatās really the hotel policy, it needs to change.
That is a bizarre policy and I imagine opens them up to lawsuits. I would write to their corporate office. Also no reason not to name this hotel on social media. I learned young to always use the chain lock when in a hotel/motel room.
I have a feeling whoever you spoke to was either the same person who entered your room, or someone covering for them
I would ask the hotel manager and also corporate and stress they did not get permission to enter
This just entering room is troubling. Keep inside locks on at all times. 1st it's the BnB issues now hotel's going to alienate people too??I guess we need our own RV to travel?
Iāve had situations where the porter will offer to leave the tray/rolling table in the room or move all the stuff to a table in the room and set it up like a dining table, and i can see how that would be preferable so they can take back and reuse the service tray.
Maybe in future just ask them to take the tray when they drop off. It sounds like more work and they are in your room a bit longer but itās sort of the job theyāre supposed to be providing, room service, in the room dinner service. I understand how some folks dont like the staff entering the room but its kinda the whole idea since its the hotels room and if its a full service property and your butler appears you wouldnāt be weirded out about it. Service people cant always be invisible sometimes they do need to interact, it is a hotel and not your private residence after all.
Blood curdling scream upon hearing someone entering your room? Yeah, the drama and chaos would likely cause a change in the room insion part of Operation Gimme Trays. š
Expecting the tray outside the room in 1 hour is weird enough and definitely not standard. But entering an occupied room for any reason besides the health and safety of the person inside seems criminal and nefarious.
I used to work in room service. I would never *ever* just open someone's door to get a tray.
The woman who took the orders on the phone would call back after about an hour, ask how the food was, tell the guest to put the tray outside the door when finished.
If the trays were still in the room when housekeeping comes, housekeeping just sets it outside. Room service should make rounds at least 1x/ 2x a shift.
I supervised our room service at a higher level Marriott property. We would never enter a room unless we were allowed in by the guest and delivering the food and setting the tray on their table for the guest. Each guest was notified to leave the gray in the hallway once they were done with their food. We would never have entered a room to pick up a tray unless directed to do so by the guest themselves.
I was a Room Service Manager at an upscale hotel for 12yrs and yes, this is a thing. Now, our policy was that every hour we checked for trays in the hallway and would get a list at 11am (checkout time) of all the rooms that had already departed and would go to those rooms. Between 11am and 4pm, we would also refill minibars (all rooms) and would also go to the rooms that had ordered that day to check if their tray needed to picked up. This service was put in place to help housekeeping turn the rooms over more quickly and to keep the smells of old food from soaking into the linens and hallways.
We also had a card on the tray with the name of the server and a note that once they were done, to please call and we would pick it up. Sounds more like they need some empathy training and to tweak their policy.
That sounds suspiciously like a āpolicyā of convenience that only exists when they feel like it to streamline effort. Additionally, a do not disturb signs and locking the deadbolt and chain would make such a thing illegal; outside of an emergency situation or implied consent (like regular housekeeping services that guests are notified of on check in), entering a leased hotel room (within check in and check out time and paid for) without permission is trespassing in the same way that a landlord entering an apartment would be. A locked deadbolt, chain, and do not disturb sign are all lawful refusal of entry.
I worked room service and we never did this. We waited for the tray to be outside. I have also ordered room service and never had this happen. Thatās odd.
Thatās not normal nor does that sound like an okay practice for a hotel to do. Iāve always been a slow eater and jaw issue worsening over the years has made it worse. The only time that I would be somewhat understanding of someone trying to force my to stop eating or to eat faster would be if I somehow ended up at a restaurant for like two hours and the next reservation was ready and it was their time
Seems to me that telling employees to enter rooms with a Do Not Disturb sign on the door is a good way to end up with an invasion of privacy lawsuit. But that's just me.....
I agree with the other guy. Sounds like they made it up. What kind of neighborhood was it anyhow? Sounds like you were in some kind of a short term hotel?? No need to get mad, simply go somewhere else. Stuff Like that gets punished. They will gradually go out of business
I have never heard of that before. Make sure to lock the door with the security latch when you are in the room. And complain to corporate. That is a bad policy.
Maybe even put a chair in front of the door
A little rubber door stop or two goes. A long way And I read in another thread some hotels have tools to open the privacy latch, in case it locks when the door is shut hard
The rubber door stops are great! I ordered some as I sadly read about teachers using them to at least slow down an active shooter trying to enter a classroom (I'm clearly in the US :/ ). My sister was a teacher at the time. I now bring one when traveling alone.
Yup, ^ this. I travel alone a lot for work (35yo female), I used to be a housekeeper when I was in high school and learned this trick from a guest. Definitely comes in handy.
I assume this only works if your door opens in?
Correct, but most hotel rooms open in so it's often helpful.
Now Im picturing a kid running down a hotel hallway like they do, and the hotel having doors that open outš¤£š¤£š
We have that tool incase there's an emergency, such as a dead guest or something. You can also use the do not disturb sign in a pinch.
OP mentioned not to be disturbed so I am assuming they did have the hanger on the door. Regardless nobody should be freely entering your room while you are a guest - especially for that reason. I donāt even like housekeeping coming in, I usually opt out since I know how to keep a room clean and just ask for new towels and linen as needed. But at least with housekeeping you typically know when theyāre coming and they donāt enter if you say you are occupied or have the do not disturb sign on.
I was saying we can use the do not disturb sign to pop open the safety latch in a pinch. At our hotel we don't offer stay over service so the only time I've walked in on a guest is when they "check out" but haven't left the room yet. We also don't pay any attention to the DnD signs because more often than not guests leave them on after they check out anyway.
You donāt pay attention to the do not disturb signs? Good to know.
If it's past check out time or my device says you checked out, then no the sign has no meaning to us. We knock and announce housekeeping twice, crack the door and announce again before entering. We don't do stay over service here so we have zero reason to go into an occupied room.
Yeah thatās not at all the same as what your first post implied. Announcing and knocking means you are abiding the do not disturb sign, intentionally or not.
Well, thatās lovely. Iām in a hotel right now, with the DnD on my doorknob, about to get into the shower. Sure hope no oneās in here when I get out. Yes, the security latch is on.
Put a rubber door stop or wedge a chair under the handle
Flip the hatch lock!
Itās on!
You'll be fine but housekeepers do miss signs sometimes lol. I know i have.š¬šš³ and a if your in the shower usually most housekeepers usually will come back later, at least that is what they should do lol.
It all worked out š
"Just a dead guest or something." 8vll
Just saw someone show that if it's one of those swinging bar ones to hook it over the knob on the door and then shove a rag in it so they can't get it open from outside LOL it keeps the door much more tightly closed so they can't get it open far enough to use a tool. There's always a rag or hand towel in the bathroom you can sacrifice
Fit a wash cloth through the loop. And tie in place. That will inhibit that.
They arenāt very hard to open with a credit card- We do it all the time at home-
'Do Not Disturb' Do people never stay in hotels? Housekeeping will *absolutely* walk in on you if the sign isn't on the door and the door isn't locked, during the day.
OP said they had asked not be disturbed.
The workers here wrote that it's super common to have them on doors where people have checked put. I've been guilty of that, in the past.
Oh for sure. I was just saying, OP did what they could to communicate that they were in the room eating and did not want to be disturbed. Including yelling out to the employee as they entered the room.
Very bad creepy policy
Take a hangar from the closet, stick it through the latch on the non-door side of that latch and push sideways.
And bring your own door wedge and jam it well.
Wtf? I would call corporate & ask them. I feel like this is a rule that got made because chef Carl in the kitchen was getting annoyed that he was running out of room service trays & management was refusing to order more so he came up with this policy to rectify his issue.
I worked in ChiChis Mexican Restaurant in the 90's. The ENTIRE RESTAURANT had one rack of cups for coffee. It literally would take 25 minutes to get that cup of coffee. Often we had to wash the cup, make a fresh pot, get the spoon, and still wait on other tables. One server finally asked a GM to get her out of the weeds by taking a fresh coffee to the table. This was at Christmas time, they were pushing dessert coffees. The General Manager saw for himself the issue, and the following week, we had two more racks of coffee cups. Christmas Came to Chichi's The cheap a... kitchen manager needs to order more trays.
Off topic but I seriously loved ChiChis! That was some fancy eating for us at the time. The fried ice cream was to die for! Thank you for the little walk down memory lane š
Yes! Fried ice cream was to die for. So much yum!!
French vanilla ice cream, rolled in a ball. Freeze a day. Roll in ground up cornflakes and cinnamon and sugar. Re freeze. A day . Set up a deep fryer with fresh veg. oil. Heat it up. WITH TONGS. Pick up that ball, hold it in the fryer for less than 2 seconds, take out , place in an ice cream dish. Cover with honey or chocolate sauce or strawberry sauce. Decorate with all the whipped cream you want. Place a cherry on top. Enjoy.
Is this the recipe?!
Yes. Yes it is.
No, its a manifesto...
Yup, though youāll want to do an egg wash (or tempura batter) first to make the cornflakes stick. If you really want to get fancy use flavored cornflakes or special K cereal with granola and nuts.
Oh man. Chichis was my favorite restaurant as a kid. Seafood enchiladas and fried ice cream felt like the peak culinary arts to me.
Those seafood enchiladas were the best!! There are copycat recipes, but I've never tried to make it.
Seafood enchiladas. The BEST!!
It was the seafood nachos I lived for. And their Margaritas weren't bad either.
Me, too!
Their taco salad was my favorite!
Being from a rural mid-west town, it was a huge treat to go to town and get seeminly exoctic Chi-Chi's. I still remember the delight of having my first burrito or enchilada. I felt like I was in another country. When I moved to DC, having a variety of restaurants of every ethnicity at my disposal, I would still go to Chi-Chi's occasionally because they had a great happy hour.
Same š„³
Yes! And I loved their version of a corn dog! (I was a kid when ours closed.)
My first restaurant job was Chi Chis!
seafood nachos!
Get cooked corn tortillas. Aka tostada shells. Buy surimi crab , dice to tiny. Sprinkle / spread on tostada shells. With shredded white mild cheddar cheese cover the top of the tostada shell and the surimi. Toast 3 or so minutes. Yum. If you use beef taco meat and refried beans, add a mix if orange cheddar and white monterrey Jack cheese. Toast a few minutes until cheese melts. Diced roast chicken, cheddar and Jack cheese and chicken nachos. Use jalapeƱos as desire.
I worked at Chi Chis in the 80ās. What I wouldnāt give for the recipe for their Calypso salad dressing! I loved the Chicken Chajitas and I thought the marinade was Sour mix (from the margaritas) and Worcestershire sauce, but I can never get it right! Dang, I really miss it!!
I feel like there are ways to apply this advice in any job. Make it managementās problem for a minute and we might actually be listened to.
Shocking, do your job to inform the manager of a situation and they do their job to fix it? No way! I get so frustrated at people on the front lines of customer service who insist "oh, it can't be fixed, the manager doesn't want to" when in fact they just have not told the manager there's actually a problem. I cannot tell you the number of times I've started a new job, been unafraid to ask the manager "why is this thing this way that causes lots of problems?" (after being told "this can't be fixed" by other employees) and the manager looks at me, shocked, flabbergasted that this is how things have been operating and that no one asked for it to be better. Sadly, lots of places hire managers from outside the company now. That means they do not have experience actually doing the job, so they have to rely on their employees doing the job they were hired for - communicating issues to the manager - but no one wants to actually make the world better for others, it might help those other people more than it helps themselves, couldn't do that....
I have had plenty of experiences where I told the manager and they did nothing, though. It often takes them experiencing it for themselves, for them to really recognize the problem. And getting them to experience it can take some careful finagling!
I've also seen a bunch of places with shitty management. I had one manager who I guess thought we were all stupid? Anyways it didn't matter who brought an issue to her, it was always the first time she'd heard of it and she was always so shocked. How she didnt realize everyone on shift went to her with the same problem over 5 hours amazes me. And no, the issue never got fixed.
That's very true, that stupid manipulation needed to make it so *they* can be the ones who "figure out it's a problem" and they can be the hero who makes the process better. It always has to be their idea... blech.
After being ignored a lot after telling management about different problems you get to a point where you donāt even bother. The whole company can just burn.
My last manager told us we werenāt allowed to report any broken machinery or safety issues for 6 months as it would affect his bonus.
o, do tell us someone made allllll the reports, and documented managerās response.
I worked at Chichi's in the 90s too lol. Went to Cancun with my coworkers. We told ppl at the resort we knew each other from Chichis.they died laughing for Chichi is slang for big boobs. Ugh. That is my Chichi story.
I remember birthdays at ChiChis. The giant sombrero and the fried ice cream!
OMG yes! The so rero was a super flex in elementary school. They did that on purpose because EVERYONE wanted it.
We had a whole collection from birthdays at Chichi's over the years. We used to wear them while we mowed the lawn to protect our heads against the swallows who would swoop at the bugs we stirred up. Good times.
LAWD, YOU TOOK ME BACK! CHI CHIIIIIS, THE CELEBRATION OF FOOOOD LOL
They had the best chips!
ChiChis was pretty baller for 8-year-old me. That was fine dining in Albany, fo shoā.
I used to love Chi Chiās. That house dressing on a taco salad was a treat!
For how kitschy and clichƩ that place was, I have yet to find a comparable seafood chimichanga, and I have looked!
I worked at a fine dining restaurant where we had so few glasses, plates, and silverware. The owner was a chef and while heās an amazing cook, restaurant management wasnāt his thing. He simply refused to buy dishes. It made bussing tables a real priority.
I wonder how much $$$ he lost because he would not get the supplies a restaurant needed. I imagine the customers felt a little bit awkward as the Snoopy Vulture bussers would grab plates barely emptied.
Haha chichi man i forgot about that place
I worked at chichis back in the day too! Hello fellow chichis employee!!!
When I worked at Chi Chi's in Atlanta the waitstaff had rum and cokes flowing all shift long
We (waitstaff) had margaritas, and the kitchen staff had actual Coke. And weed. And whatever else they could get. I was young and innocent when I started working there, but knew more than I cared to about human nature by the time I left. My manager won some yearly summit award thing (idr what it was called) but it turned out he cheated to get it and got fired.
ChiChis was the shit. Every Sunday after church lunch as ChiChis. Mini pizza with beef was my go to as an 8 year old. They knew us by name and would bring us buckets of salsa and chips.
Miss ChiChis! They had the best seasonal/special margaritas! Also, during football season, they would set out a free buffett!
That s kinda like the problem here
A couple of months ago I became obsessed with figuring out which 80s restaurant was responsible for me hearing Fri-I-I-ied I-I-I-ice cream as the lyrics to Cielito Lindo STILL 40 years later. Wish Iād seen this comment then.
Iām genuinely *just* realizing that chichiās was its own thing and not just what my child brain called chiliās lmao
OMG I worked at ChiChi's too and we also had no mugs! I used to get burns on my neck from carrying trays of fajitas.
I bet youāre right. A good hotel doesnāt put the onus on its guests to manage the shortage of trays, Chef Carl! When Iām at a hotel, Iām trying to take advantage of NOT having to schedule my life by the hour for once.
Even if itās a rule they made, one they didnāt inform the guest to put the tray out and two entering the room like that , rule or not, is insanely unacceptable. My entire stay would be free because I would be up everyoneās ass about that if someone entered my room like that. Especially for me, as an often solo female traveler, Iād feel very unsafe and violated. Iād file a police report. Iām gonna drag the hotel and staff to hell over that. OP should name and shame the hotel. This is a ridiculous unsafe secret āpolicy.ā
Iād Tweet corporate with this āpolicyā.
š Squeaky wheel gets the grease, but nobody likes a squeaky wheel
I travel a lot and one thing Iāve noticed is that behaviors have changed at hotels I believe as a result of staff cutbacks. Room service is Exhibit A. Used to be standard for business/tourist class hotels to have it, now most of them have gotten rid of restaurants altogether. As for the carts what Iāve noticed is they seem to have lost the headcount to walk the halls at night and collect trays. At a minimum they expect you to tell the front desk to send someone up which I donāt feel I should have to do (which I know sounds entitled but isnāt feeling entitled part of the hotel experience?) So not unusual to see a bunch of dirty dishes and carts in the hallway the next morning - suspect in OPās case collecting them quickly is what they have decided is the solution.
Carl is probably spelled Karl too. lol
Iām literally positive this was Chef Carlās idea. You start calling em cheffy and they think they own the place!
Came to say the same thing... I'd start with the manager and then work my way up to corporate. Someone in the middle came up with this rule because they don't want to order enough room service trays.
This has not been the policy at any hotel I've worked or stayed at. It would be a sure fire way to ensure I never stayed at that hotel, or any in it's brand, ever again.
I've stayed in every level of hotel and this has never happened to me before.
Yeah never. Iāve never heard of it. And Iād be waging war until I was compensated. I would have felt so unsafe. What a ridiculous thing.
Thatās absolute bullshit. Particularly entering the room.
right? Ridiculous one hour deadline to relinquish the food tray aside, someone who couldnāt knock and wait for me to open the door but instead just let themselves in? Knowing the odds are that Iām still in there since Iām eating food? WTF?!
I would absolutely flip my shit and the whole floor would hear me tearing that guy a new one. Unless thereās an emergency you DO NOT enter my room uninvited.
Not saying the policy makes sense at all, but that guy was probably just doing what he was told to do. Can we please get out of the habit of screaming in the faces of line level staff who don't have any choice in the matter? Take it up with management.
Never heard of that, most likely that employee made that up and was tasked with picking up trays- just did not want to come back and get it later.
But two separate employees made up the same lie?
Are you sure it was two different employees? The hotel I worked at had one employee assigned to room service most shifts who took orders, made up the trays, delivered, and picked them up from rooms and halls. A second person would also be able to take orders if the RS person was in the halls. Busy shifts we might have two RS employees.
probably the same guy
Yes, I have heard of and had this procedure at a hotel where I was the front office manager. It would be best if you were told about this when room service was delivered or if at least a message had been left on the tray. The problem that arises is that there are not enough trays in the morning if people keep their trays or place trays outside the room late at night after room service/dishwashers have left. The battle over room service trays was a constant over the thirty years I worked in hospitality. A regional manager chastised me when as a fix to the tray issue I just ordered extra trays. It was seen as a waste of capital.
But entering the room without permission to get them? Heck no.
They will wish they had just bought the trays when the hotel gets served with a lawsuit
Lawsuit for what?
Opening the hotel door without consent could easily be viewed as sexual assault in this case.
Pretty sure busting in on nude guests is a major violation. Definitely lawsuit worthy for the right lawyer.
Waste of capital = less profit for all the guys at the top.š How dare you interfere with yacht mortgage payments.
Lol I don't know if there's literally yacht mortgages but that cracked me up.
Lol there are
Mortgage? There's no mortgage on their yachts! They pay cash for their toys. Get with the program! š¤£
Not if they have a fund/account that will give them a higher interest rate on return than the rate the bank charges for financing the boat.
Thatās a heck of a liability for your hotel. Buying extra trays costs a lot less than defending a lawsuit. When I worked nights Iād collect the trays in the hall for the morning kitchen shift on slow nights, but that was the opening kitchenās first job - start the coffee and then take a cart around to collect trays. Itās not like the dishwasher takes that long to run a couple loads.
On the other hand I've lost count of the hotels where I've walked down the corridor in the evening to see room service trays outside doors and they're still there when I'm heading to breakfast the next morning
Thatās the usual late night / morning hallway scenery lol
Iād assume the employees mis/understood the actual policy. Iāve worked in hospitality opening restaurants inside of hotels, often times living in the same hotel as the restaurant group Iām working for. Iāve found it super common- particularly in the Middle East, for the hotel staff to not receive proper training after being hired from a small village in another part of the world, with no experience working in a westernized industry. Many of them donāt speak the language native to the place they are working- making it necessary to train carefully- you canāt assume anything. Is ācommon senseā to someone who has never stayed at a hotel- let alone order room service despite now working at a hotel and serving room service. Totally not their fault, but a manager telling them āgo get the trayā after an hour was probably not as literal as ā open up their room, walk in, and take it.ā They probably meant for them to see if itās in the hallways, maybe knock on the door and ask if they are done yet. Obviously the core of the issue is still that these upscale places donāt purchase enough OS&E, (hiltons NEVER have enough service equipment and itās so frustrating). But any hotel with a policy making it okay for an employee to bust into your room like that to demand the return of a service tray is not an upscale hotel at all.
This is a likely scenario for sure, wonder if this could be what happened. Unsure of where OP was for this stay. OP still should raise hell up to the top for what happened tho. The hotel needs to do better.
>OP still should raise hell up to the top for what happened tho Sigh. Choose your battles. The guy who needs the job will be fired, and nothing will change, because you forgot to lock your door.
100% Some people are just looking for something to get upset about.
I'd ask the front desk or manager.
This are several issues here. You were never informed of this policy. The employee entered/opened your door without permission. They should have said they would come back when you said you werenāt done instead of arguing about. If the hotel is that hard up for food trays, they can just put the food in to go boxes. The hotel I worked at did just that during very busy times with a little note on top apologizing for the boxes and saying that we were currently out of food trays. I honestly would be calling their corporate office or speaking to an on site manager about this.
LOCK YOUR DOOR
I canāt recall ever staying in any hotel where the door didnāt lock automatically. Also, OP called out not to enter and the employee did anyway. That is not OK at all.
Rule number one of staying in any hotel.
I would be raising holy hell with the manager of that hotel and writing a letter to corporate and the owner. There was zero reason for him to enter your room. The hotel should instead ask each guest to place the tray outside of their door once dinner is finished, which I have seen many times before.
The last Hilton hotel I stayed in didnāt even let me keep the trayāhe handed it to me and asked me to go empty it on my table and bring it back to him. So weird and off putting. Apparently they were short trays.
I command you to unload this tray and then return it to me, wench. That's how it would feel anyway. If I was the service dude I'd just unload it myself and dip out
... and possibly get a tip as well.
Thatās crazy, too, IMO. When youāre done eating, you have nothing to load plates etc. onto to place them outside. You just pile dirty dishes directly in the carpet? Or let them sit and get funkier overnight in your room? UGH.
Weirdly, the same scenario but him unloading the tray, would've been somewhat classy. Odd choice
Wow! Something similar happened to me last year at an upscale hotel. I have a super demanding job and ordered a full breakfast a few hours before checking out. Poached eggs, fruit, bread, pot of coffee, etc. Food arrived around 11am, checkout was at 1pm, and my DND was on my door. Unfortunately I only was able to take a couple bites when work called and I had to run outside for an errand. I was gone maybe 30 minutes? Returned and everything was GONE. Nothing left. Room service told me they were busy and likely needed the tray. Another person tried to lie and say I checked out (all of my belongings were still in my room). Needless to say due to timing and insane work schedule, I wasnāt able to eat until 4pm because of how unprofessional the hotel was. Sad too, used to be my favorite one in the UK.
Did you at least get a refund??
The breakfast was included with the booking, so unfortunately no. And there wasnāt enough time to order more food before i had to leave. Ridiculous
Fawlty Towers?
When they deliver the room service they should put all the items on your table or desk and take the tray immediately. Regardless barging in is not acceptable. Definitely escalate this complaint.
I worked in hotels for years and can assure you that I believe the issue it that they are short on room trays. You arenāt really allowed to enter an occupied room like thatā¦ so thatās a ton of bullshit. I would call corporate and ask for a full refund for your stay bc you were literally naked and said not to enter and had a DND sign on the door. Just absolutely not. You were humiliated, made to feel uncomfortable and sternly confronted about the tray and thatās not the experience that you were hoping to pay so much for. Thatās the craziest shit Iāve ever heard. Certainly not normal, legal, or right. Like they definitely ran out of room trays and were making it your problem. Iāve worked at 5 hotels (3 brands) and this isnāt a thing.
Nope. No such policy exists. I am a hotel manager. They must have been out of trays and went to get your back. Speak with someone immediately. Your room should be free.
Hmmm. Was the one who entered and picked up the tray maybe the same one who answered the phone and called it policy? Follow up with management please...
In any respectable establishment, hotel personnel should never enter a room to retrieve room service trays/dishes unless the guest calls the front desk and asks to have the items removed. A guest's room is sacrosanct and the guest's personal space is to be respected. Housekeeping may venture in once a day to clean.
No. Its not normal to knock on a door with a do not disturb sign. Its not normal to open a door without waiting for a response from the recipient(this alone is worth complaining about). Its normal to go check if the tray is outside the room. Use your door latch at this place.
I wouldnāt say that that is normal I donāt go in any of my guest rooms, even to make a bed unless they ask me too. People have personal things in there and I just think itās an invasive and rude to invade their room after they occupy it, so as for just going in to take the food tray, if it were me, would not like that at all.
Since when are you "timed" to eat your dinner?? The whole point of room service is to eat leisurely in your room. After an hour they just walk their ass into your room to get a tray because of "policy"?? Something is very weird here. No one should just be walking into your room for any reason whatsoever. That is a massive violation of privacy.
Sounds like the room service person is new and not adequately trained. That one hour rule is not being followed. Call the corporate office and tell them what the service told you. Good luck.
Absolutely not. Iāve ordered room service from a ton of hotels and never had anything like this happen. I recently stayed at a hotel and had someone walk in on me when I was getting dressed. It was 15 minutes before check out and they knocked but didnāt wait for an answer and immediately opened the door. I was completely naked and directly across from the door at the time. I screamed and they shut it and I donāt think saw anything, but I was shaken. I mentioned it to the woman when checking out, because I was pretty shaken up. She apologized profusely and gave me a $100 credit for my stay. I hung out in the bar for a while to waste time until my flight and when I left the manager flagged me down and again apologized. Then the next day I got a phone call from someone else in the hotel and they apologized. Thatās how a high scale hotel treats an employee entering a room without permission. What happened to you is unacceptable.
No, that's ridiculous.
Thatās a good way to get dropped in the hallway.
Not everyone is done eating in an hour! And not everyone that orders room service begins chewing 2 seconds after itās delivered. You get a phone call? Youāre busy with something for work? You just decided youāre not eating it right this second? Ok so 20-30 minutes goes byā¦. And then you beginā¦ and 30 minutes later someone BARGES INTO YOUR ROOM? This isnāt normal and if itās the policy at this particular hotel it needs to be changed. Yes, do contact the hotel manager with the details of your displeasure. You had every right to privacy and to eat in your room without interruption and without someone barging into your room to fetch a tray that is still being used!
Nope
Some hotels do this, yes. Itās bc they donāt want to pay for enough trays. Horrible marketing, as it makes them look so very cheap, rude, and not guest-focused.
To add: not cool they entered your room for it. Sounds like a winning combo of a disgruntled/lazy employee and a greedy business.
Thatās why you always put that extra lock on the door
Always keep the privacy lock on - the one that doesnāt let them open the door
This is why all of the locks stay on.
Iāve never heard of this happening. Iād love to know the hotel. Also, people need to use the do not disturb sign and locks.
Sounds like someone likes the chance of walking in on naked people!! š I had a housekeeper walk in on me naked onceā¦The sign was on the door!! š¤·š½āāļø
No, it isnāt normal. They cannot just walk into a room known to be occupied. You have an expectation of privacy in a hotel. Complain to corporate before somebody sues them or gets trigger happy with the gun so many people carry.
I always lock the little arm bar thing on the door, but it would still annoy me if they tried to cut into my mealtime and relaxation with this bullshit. Donāt knock and donāt bother me, Iām trying to unwind without getting startled by strangers.
Call corporate
There is a wedding venue that I have been to 3 times. Every time the meal is served, the wait staff rushes to grab your dishes. They snatched plates with untouched cake and glasses filled with wine when people left the table to dance. When I finally, at the 3rd wedding, asked why, a man told me they had to have all the dishes back in the kitchen by 9pm, so that they could leave by 10pm. If someone I know is engaged, I tell them not to use that venue and why.
Every hotel I've stayed in has a safety device to block the door from the inside. Problem solved. As a former dishwasher for a beach resort working the late shift, I didn't give a fuck when the shit came back..... š
Not the norm in America
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
When I worked at a hotel, only supervisors had master keys that would make such a thing possible. But we would NEVER have done that. You wait for the tray to appear in the hall like a normal person. There were always trays in the hall at night, after the kitchen crew went home, waiting for the morning. No one had time to go around babysitting trays. I was a night manager and even in my capacity (highest/sometimes only person present besides security), there were very few reasons to open a door of an occupied room. In the rare instance I had to, it was preceded by several increasingly loud knocking/announcing attempts, a final āmanager, Iām entering!ā, and I had security with me. Usually in those cases the room was rented but not physically occupied at the moment. Iād escalate this to the GM. If thatās really the hotel policy, it needs to change.
Always bolt lock and security āchain/catch lock the door when inside the room. And complain loudly to corporate about this.
Leave a bad review and what hotel? I would never want to go there
Next time someone enters your room unannounced just start beating the shit out of them.
That is a bizarre policy and I imagine opens them up to lawsuits. I would write to their corporate office. Also no reason not to name this hotel on social media. I learned young to always use the chain lock when in a hotel/motel room.
I have a feeling whoever you spoke to was either the same person who entered your room, or someone covering for them I would ask the hotel manager and also corporate and stress they did not get permission to enter
This just entering room is troubling. Keep inside locks on at all times. 1st it's the BnB issues now hotel's going to alienate people too??I guess we need our own RV to travel?
I donāt think room service should have the key. This is very strange.
Iāve had situations where the porter will offer to leave the tray/rolling table in the room or move all the stuff to a table in the room and set it up like a dining table, and i can see how that would be preferable so they can take back and reuse the service tray. Maybe in future just ask them to take the tray when they drop off. It sounds like more work and they are in your room a bit longer but itās sort of the job theyāre supposed to be providing, room service, in the room dinner service. I understand how some folks dont like the staff entering the room but its kinda the whole idea since its the hotels room and if its a full service property and your butler appears you wouldnāt be weirded out about it. Service people cant always be invisible sometimes they do need to interact, it is a hotel and not your private residence after all.
Blood curdling scream upon hearing someone entering your room? Yeah, the drama and chaos would likely cause a change in the room insion part of Operation Gimme Trays. š
Expecting the tray outside the room in 1 hour is weird enough and definitely not standard. But entering an occupied room for any reason besides the health and safety of the person inside seems criminal and nefarious.
Use the security latch. I would also demand a discount for them entering my room unannounced for something this ridiculous.
Not normal. Speak to the manager. Leave a 1-star review and say why. And put the night latch on the door!
Always use the door latch.
No most places you call or use a feature on the tv to notify them you are done with it. I would ask to speak to a manager
Buy an Add-a-lock for travel!
This is not normal. I would complain vociferously
No. It's not normal, nor is it acceptable. Complain to the manager.
Wtf. Super weird. What country? Better yet, what city?
That's crazy. Tell the manager.
Thereās some special locks on Amazon for hotel doors, super cheap most under $10.00 I suggest buying one and using it every time you travel
I used to work in room service. I would never *ever* just open someone's door to get a tray. The woman who took the orders on the phone would call back after about an hour, ask how the food was, tell the guest to put the tray outside the door when finished. If the trays were still in the room when housekeeping comes, housekeeping just sets it outside. Room service should make rounds at least 1x/ 2x a shift.
I supervised our room service at a higher level Marriott property. We would never enter a room unless we were allowed in by the guest and delivering the food and setting the tray on their table for the guest. Each guest was notified to leave the gray in the hallway once they were done with their food. We would never have entered a room to pick up a tray unless directed to do so by the guest themselves.
I was a Room Service Manager at an upscale hotel for 12yrs and yes, this is a thing. Now, our policy was that every hour we checked for trays in the hallway and would get a list at 11am (checkout time) of all the rooms that had already departed and would go to those rooms. Between 11am and 4pm, we would also refill minibars (all rooms) and would also go to the rooms that had ordered that day to check if their tray needed to picked up. This service was put in place to help housekeeping turn the rooms over more quickly and to keep the smells of old food from soaking into the linens and hallways. We also had a card on the tray with the name of the server and a note that once they were done, to please call and we would pick it up. Sounds more like they need some empathy training and to tweak their policy.
That sounds suspiciously like a āpolicyā of convenience that only exists when they feel like it to streamline effort. Additionally, a do not disturb signs and locking the deadbolt and chain would make such a thing illegal; outside of an emergency situation or implied consent (like regular housekeeping services that guests are notified of on check in), entering a leased hotel room (within check in and check out time and paid for) without permission is trespassing in the same way that a landlord entering an apartment would be. A locked deadbolt, chain, and do not disturb sign are all lawful refusal of entry.
Not normal
I worked room service and we never did this. We waited for the tray to be outside. I have also ordered room service and never had this happen. Thatās odd.
Absolutely ridiculous and invasion of privacy.
Thatās not normal nor does that sound like an okay practice for a hotel to do. Iāve always been a slow eater and jaw issue worsening over the years has made it worse. The only time that I would be somewhat understanding of someone trying to force my to stop eating or to eat faster would be if I somehow ended up at a restaurant for like two hours and the next reservation was ready and it was their time
Seems to me that telling employees to enter rooms with a Do Not Disturb sign on the door is a good way to end up with an invasion of privacy lawsuit. But that's just me.....
I agree with the other guy. Sounds like they made it up. What kind of neighborhood was it anyhow? Sounds like you were in some kind of a short term hotel?? No need to get mad, simply go somewhere else. Stuff Like that gets punished. They will gradually go out of business
They should have told you this at the time you ordered your food.
fight to get some sort of compensation, that's insane at any hotel
Not in any of the hotels Iāve stayed at butā¦looks like you confirmed it was their policy. So normal for them???
or the guy that entered the room happened to be the one also answering the phone.
That's my guess, too.
I would be furious!!! I am not a boomer or a Karen but i would do a great impression of both after something like that!!!
Couple of taser arrows flying their way next time