This reminds me of last year when I left my nightgown on the bed of the hotel, and it was gone when I came back to the room.
Seems that housekeeping just pulled all the sheets and covers off the bed without looking and there went the nightie!
I got it back, washed and ironed :)

I'm pretty neat and don't leave things out or open. I leave dirty towels on the side of the tub, not on the floor, so the maid doesn't have to bend more so than usual. I also remember to leave $2 per person per day in my room every day during my stay. YOu may have different maids....

Glad to see I'm in the majority so far! And, yes, I straighten up each day, not just when I'm leaving. Funny how my home can stay neat but one night in a hotel room and it looks like a tornado hit!

Oh, and even though I didn't mention it, I do tip the maid. And she gets a bigger tip when she does those little things like leave a new soap each day - for some reason that little act makes me feel special. Yeah, I'm easy like that!

I'm with Faina. When I leave there's nothing to clean up because nothing is messed up. Towels have stayed in the bathroom, probably hung separately from unused ones. Trash was placed in the wastebasket as it became trash. If bed has become rumpled, I usually smooth covers a bit so it's easier to sit on and less annoying to look at.

I once worked in hotels. While many people are slobs, others made the bed so perfectly you'd almost think no one had used the room. Or sometimes you'd find that BOTH beds had really been used, but one had been completely made up ... maybe because they had more in the room than they'd paid for ... so if you're a "bed-maker" do everyone, including the next guest who unexpectedly finds a "used bed" that housekeeping thought was unused, a BIG favor by NOT making your bed the last morning.

I straighten my room. I use my own plastic bags if there were none in trash cans. I put all trash into ONE can. I only straighten the bed, and my used towels are hung over the shower curtain rod. I leave a modest tip, and also leave a note to housekeeping on days I'm staying over that they need not clean the room if they'd like to get out of work early, or if they need the extra $ in paycheck to do whatever cleaning they want. I don't like them throwing out partially used shampoo bottles, soaps, etc., so I now bring my own and put them away before I leave for the day.

Chele60 - I do just what you do. I put everything I don't want in the trash so the maid will know not to save it. I don't make the bed but try to neaten up somewhat and also leave a tip, a couple of dollars a day.

I think part of it is that I feel lucky to be able to travel and take vacations in nice hotels and I don't want to make life harder for those who aren't as fortunate. I have had many conversations with hotel maids and have heard major horror stories about some of their guests - a total "screw the little people" attitude that I think shows no class!

There but for the Grace of God . . .

what happens to the newspaper and other recyclables that get tossed into hotel room trash cans?

Do hotel maids change the sheets every day of one's stay? I thought a lot of hotels had stopped that for energy conservation reasons, or was that just a passing fad? I can't say I notice whether the sheets are changed or not when I return, as long as the bed is made up.