Where's Jeeves?

Just wondering.

We are staying at a very upscale ski resort (over $450 per night.)This is not a privately owned condo but a resort. Was rather surprised to discover that housekeeping services other than collecting trash and supplying clean towels is not included in the price. At no time while booking, or in the contract or on check in, was this ever mentioned.

Has anyone encountered this? Even Motel 6 offers housekeeping services.I have stayed at beachside condos where only a weekly housekeeping was included but this is Stipulated in all communications and contracts. When I spoke to resort management they agreed with me and changed to a regular housekeeping service. I said that had I known this upfront we would have stayed elsewhere as my idea of a vacation does not include housecleaning and specially not at these prices. I was wondering if others have encountered this.

xxx

This is a trend with condo rentals in Hawaii why they don't just up the price and include fee in cost is beyond me. Do they just want to p**s us off? In Hawaii you very often are asked to leave the room as you have found it yet you will still be required to pay a cleaning fee. Maybe it is just that we are women but leaving it as we found involves some cleaning. Love Hawaii, it is great to rent a condo but this is just bad business. Not to mention you very frequently get a fridge half full of old old food in Hawaii someone thinks you will use that half used ketchup left by who knows. I thought this was so unsanitary. This is not the five star lodging you are talking about but I still think it is a rip off.

All you can do is voice your disagreement get them to waver this fee or move on!

hungover

How about when housekeeping wakes you up early in the morning because they want to come in and clean your room EVEN THOUGH you are checking out that same day AND arranged for a late check-out! My husband and I recently attended a Christmas party at a restaurant near the Inner Harbor in Baltimore. My husband got a good deal ($100/night) on room at the Hyatt Regency at the Inner Harbor. First, we didn't get the room we reserved because the reservationist failed to note our request for a king-sized bed. We ended up in what they called a "suite," but was more of a business-type set up with the other "room" containing a small round table and a fax machine. The bed was a Queen and pulled down from the wall. We figured it wasn't ideal, but not a big deal. However, as I stated at first, Housekeeping started banging on the door the next morning! They came by no less than four times before we finally checked out. I couldn't believe it. When I complained at checkout, the clerk acted puzzled and said she would check into it. For all of our "inconveniences," she comped us the $15 parking fee. I guess we won't be staying a the Hyatt again!

L

How about using the DO NOT DISTURB sign. Works for me every time!

Monique

If there is no housekeeping and no room service it is a no go for me. I would never want to rent a condo as a big vacation. Why would i want to cook and clean on vacation. Ditto on the non staffed villas they are always shoving down your throat on the carribean forum.

Hotel Manager

Hey "hungover", what you got at the Hyatt was what's known as a "hospitality suite". It's a room used primarily for businesspeople who need to hold small meetings at the hotel, so it's not usually used as a sleeping room.
That's why there was a Murphy bed (wall bed).
And, did you notice the small of smoke? These are usually heavily smoked-in rooms.
They're the bottom of the barrel, last resort rooms given out by the hotel.
If you ever get put in one again, ask for a significant discount. When the hotel can make money off these rooms they consider it a major bonus.

Jeannie

Recently spent a Saturday night at an Embassy Suites for Dad's 80th birthday. Had stayed at this particular location over half a dozen times in the last five years. Took Dad out to dinner. He wanted a doggie bag b/c he couldn't eat all his meal, and we put it in the room fridge. Mother had bought a cake at a bakey, and we had eaten only a few slices. We planned to take the cake and leftovers home when we checked out.

Embassy includes a free breakfast buffet. The next morning, while my parents were eating, I took all our luggage to the car (except the food in the fridge and the cake). I then joined then for a cup of coffee. I went back to the room to brush my teeth and get the cake and leftovers around 10 am. (Check out wasn't until 11am.) When I got to the room, the door was propped open with a towel, and the cake and leftovers were gone. I saw the maid's cart a few doors down, with our cake was sitting on top. Maid had thrown the leftovers away. I did get the cake back, but I learned the hard way to use the DO NOt Disturb sign.

Howard

Jeannie, it wasn't the lack of a "Do Not Disturb" sign that caused your problem. It's simply that you had checked out. And, unless you tell the hotel when you check out that you'll still be in the room for an hour or whatever, they will consider the room vacant at that time.

Jeannie

Howard, please tell me where you got the idea that I had checked out? I still had all our room cards (keys) when I took the luggage to the car, and I didn't even pass the front desk, nor any maids while on my way to the car.
I condsidered us checked-out when, at 10:50 am, I personally handed the room cards to the front desk while telling them we were "checking-out".
The cake and leftovers were taken by the maid between 9:00 and 10:00, well before the 11:00 check-out deadline, and before I turned in the room cards.

Brian

Yup, Jeannie, you have a legitimate gripe.
That's a really low class move they pulled.
On the other hand, I think there are two explanations (not excuses...that was inexcusable) and they are that service people at hotels these days seem to be less and less reliable and of ever poorer quality, and hotels like Embassy Suites are not big on service compared to higher priced hotels.
Regardless, would have been steaming about that one. You have a right to some type of compensation and would receive it without question from management if you ask.

Debbie

Hi Where's Jeeves,May I ask the name and location of the ski resort you stayed at? Just curious.

Suzie

In September we stayed at a very nice condo in Kauai that did not include Housekeeping. No big deal for the two of us. There were plenty of towels and sheets if you wanted them. We were never concerned about privacy as we did not have to rememeber the "do not disturb" sign and it felt more private without the maids about. If we had stayed longer though I think at some point there would have been some service.

We felt more like the condo was ours rather than like renters since no one was inside while we were away. Also we could come and go without any concern about running into housekeepers. The condo was so clean when we arrived we weren't concerned about additional cleaning.

We rent houses in Tahoe every summer so we're used to staying without daily housekeeping.

Beth2

Don't know where Jeeves was, but I do know that is the policy at Smugglers Notch, as well as wherever Jeeves stayed. Very pricy townhouse accomodations that do not inlcude housekeeping!
I also don't like the new trend of not changing sheets every night. I consider daily fresh towels and sheets one of the perks of vacation!
And yup, gotta use those "Do Not Disturb" and "Please Make Up Room Now" signs consistently or all sorts of odd things happen...

Laurie

Jeeves probably stayed at a timeshare resort. Eventhough these aren't privately owned they are considered condos and not hotels. Therefore, there is no housekeeping. At over $450 a night, you should have checked this out before you left home.

nina

Darn right I expect it! We rented a beach house for $ 3000/wk and then when we got there found a long list of housekeeping chores that had to be completed before our departure, by us! I was NOT expecting to have to scrub toilets for that kind of cash. Could they have made the rate $3100 and gotten a cleaning service? Now I ask and I won't stay there if I have to spend my last morning scrubbing the sinks and showers with Ajax.

Debbie

Hi Nina,I totally agree with you.My
friends and I rent a house on the ocean every year and one year got stuck cleaning the entire house before our 10 am checkout time!!
Excuse my language but that really sucked!! Now we inquire about a cleaning service with the people we rent from and pay the $100 extra to let them do it!! Nothing brings a worst end to a vacation then having to clean for 2-3 hours before you leave! I can sympathize with anybody
whose had to do it.

ilisa

Jeannie, your situation reminded me of something that happened to me several years ago. I stayed in a hotel and had planned to stay through Friday. However, I was thinking of going home on Thursday evening. So in the morning, I put my luggage in the car and then went about my business with the intent of returning to the room in the afternoon and then checking out later on. Never did I stop at the front desk to check out. In the afternoon I did go to check out and when they handed me a bill for some man, found that during the day, they gave my room to someone else! In the meantime, there were two of us with keys to the same room (they were actual keys, not electronic cards). According to the front desk, housekeeping didn't see my things and notified the front desk which assumed I left for good. I freaked right there in the hotel lobby, particularly because I thought my safety was compromised. What if I returned to the room to find some strange man there? As it was, my tantrum in the lobby caused the people on line behind me to leave to find other accomodations.

Dottie

Dear Hotel Manager: We stayed at an Adam's Mark last New Years and got the "hospitality suite". Except for the stale smoke we really liked it. It had a huge living area with two sofa's, end tables, coffee table, a console TV. A "pass thru" sink area, big bathroom, etc. We asked them to spray the carpets because of the stale smoke and they gladly accommodated us. We went with other people so our room became the gathering area.

freewoman

To: Beth2

Do you change the sheets on your bed at home every day? And do you get a clean towel at home every time you shower? What a waste of water and wearing out of linens.

I expect housekeeping when I am paying to stay in a resort, but I certainly don't mind if the bed linens are not changed every day and I don't mind hanging up my towel to dry after I use it. After all, if I did take a shower, I was clean when I dried off with it. How dirty could it be?

I have stayed in resorts and condos from the Caribbean to Tahiti and have never had a housekeeping problem. But I leave them a tip every day and after the first day, I receive excellent service with a smile

Barb

Sorry, but the daily changing of sheets and towels is very wasteful. It uses lots of detergents and lots of clean water, which is why people are getting away from it.