Confessions of a Hotel Maid

[Copperhead]

Just thought you guys would enjoy reading this confession - Glad I am a B&B traveler!
travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-25303242

 

[Willowpondgj]

WOW.

 

[gillumhouse]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet.

 

[DaisyMae]

yeah, this pretty much confirms some of the things i am paranoid of when staying somewhere. i have to confess that i am a compulsive handwasher & can be rather OCD when it comes to certain things like. i HAVE to have a bottle of hand sanitizer with me at all times ( i know we have had these discussions in other threads) i will NOT drink out of anything but a paper/plastic cup wrapped in plastic. we recently stayed at a a large inn for a weekend. Our room had a small kitchen area with a sink,dishes,fridge & cutlery. before i used a fork i rewashed it with the hottest H2O i could stand. when we came back that afternoon & saw the dirty silverware was not in the sink anymore my paranoia kicked in and wondered what the odds were that the housekeeper maybe just wiped it off with a wet cloth or something & slipped it back in the drawer. i wonder about stuff like this. im sure many of yo have seen the Dateline? investigations of hotels where the maids were washing the glasses with the same cloth that wiped the urine marked toilet seat!?
when i was a waitress i swore i would never pick something up,that fell off a plate onto the floor, and put it back on the plate. i beleive in what goes around & i would die if i ever thought that was done to me(it maybe has been but i'm better off not knowing) but i can't tell you how many times i have seen people do stuff like that.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

It is worse than you think.
Why do we pray before our meals? THAT IS ONE REASON! KEEP US SAFE!
I can tell you stories aplenty from working environmental health - like the guy who sat ON the toilet as he chopped veggies at the chinese restaurant. Health inspector caught him in the act.
I will say that chinese restaurants overall are the worst offenders.
If the front doesn't look clean - the back is 100 times worse. That is the rule of thumb. Since many kitchens in America hire illegals workers, many who not speak or read english - you can imagine some of the issues that arise from that.
Here is the worst - neighborhood ice cream trucks have a toilet in them BUT NO SINK or handwashing station.

 

[springlady]

It is worse than you think.
Why do we pray before our meals? THAT IS ONE REASON! KEEP US SAFE!
I can tell you stories aplenty from working environmental health - like the guy who sat ON the toilet as he chopped veggies at the chinese restaurant. Health inspector caught him in the act.
I will say that chinese restaurants overall are the worst offenders.
If the front doesn't look clean - the back is 100 times worse. That is the rule of thumb. Since many kitchens in America hire illegals workers, many who not speak or read english - you can imagine some of the issues that arise from that.
Here is the worst - neighborhood ice cream trucks have a toilet in them BUT NO SINK or handwashing station..

One reason to NEVER eat food from a festival vendor. The little tourist town that my shop was in is known for its festivals. We have at least one every other month. During the festivals the streets are lined with food vendors selling everything from boiled crawfish to bbq, finger foods galore. Yum.
Until you realize that during festivals the powers that be lock the public toilets because of septic system issues and bring in portable toilets. That means everyone who doesn't have a storefront is using a porta potty and NOBODY is washing their hands. Including the food vendors.
Gross.

 

[GeorgiaGirl]

It is worse than you think.
Why do we pray before our meals? THAT IS ONE REASON! KEEP US SAFE!
I can tell you stories aplenty from working environmental health - like the guy who sat ON the toilet as he chopped veggies at the chinese restaurant. Health inspector caught him in the act.
I will say that chinese restaurants overall are the worst offenders.
If the front doesn't look clean - the back is 100 times worse. That is the rule of thumb. Since many kitchens in America hire illegals workers, many who not speak or read english - you can imagine some of the issues that arise from that.
Here is the worst - neighborhood ice cream trucks have a toilet in them BUT NO SINK or handwashing station..

Here is the worst - neighborhood ice cream trucks have a toilet in them BUT NO SINK or handwashing station.

 

[Morticia]

It is worse than you think.
Why do we pray before our meals? THAT IS ONE REASON! KEEP US SAFE!
I can tell you stories aplenty from working environmental health - like the guy who sat ON the toilet as he chopped veggies at the chinese restaurant. Health inspector caught him in the act.
I will say that chinese restaurants overall are the worst offenders.
If the front doesn't look clean - the back is 100 times worse. That is the rule of thumb. Since many kitchens in America hire illegals workers, many who not speak or read english - you can imagine some of the issues that arise from that.
Here is the worst - neighborhood ice cream trucks have a toilet in them BUT NO SINK or handwashing station..

Our street vendor carts were required to install hand washing sinks. Let's think about this. The cart is on the sidewalk. Where does the water come from? Nowhere. Where does the water go IF someone uses bottled water or the cart-cleaning hose? All over the sidewalk. What's usually IN the hand-washing sink? Junk.
It's a good idea with no way to implement it. And, yes, it's gross to think these kids are out there in the sun and rain all day making lemonade and sandwiches with no way to wash up. Even if it was just to get the sugar and lemon and ice cream, etc off their hands, much less the bacteria from handling raw meat. (They do have an inside bathroom they use. Whether they wash is unknown.)

 

[EmptyNest]

It is worse than you think.
Why do we pray before our meals? THAT IS ONE REASON! KEEP US SAFE!
I can tell you stories aplenty from working environmental health - like the guy who sat ON the toilet as he chopped veggies at the chinese restaurant. Health inspector caught him in the act.
I will say that chinese restaurants overall are the worst offenders.
If the front doesn't look clean - the back is 100 times worse. That is the rule of thumb. Since many kitchens in America hire illegals workers, many who not speak or read english - you can imagine some of the issues that arise from that.
Here is the worst - neighborhood ice cream trucks have a toilet in them BUT NO SINK or handwashing station..

One reason to NEVER eat food from a festival vendor. The little tourist town that my shop was in is known for its festivals. We have at least one every other month. During the festivals the streets are lined with food vendors selling everything from boiled crawfish to bbq, finger foods galore. Yum.
Until you realize that during festivals the powers that be lock the public toilets because of septic system issues and bring in portable toilets. That means everyone who doesn't have a storefront is using a porta potty and NOBODY is washing their hands. Including the food vendors.
Gross.
.

I NEVER eat at street festivals and fairs. It just has always grossed me out. Besides the food not really very appealing to me..the thoughts of where the vendors hands have been just turns me off totally.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?

 

[Morticia]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?
.

What is an onyum bag?

It's a plastic bag from a fake onion snack called 'Onyums'. Like a potato chip bag.

 

[gillumhouse]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?
.

OnYums is like chips but onion flavored. A bag of snacks was behind the nightstand.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?
.

OnYums is like chips but onion flavored. A bag of snacks was behind the nightstand.
.

Thanks..I've never heard of them and was banging my head trying to figure out what it was.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?
.

What is an onyum bag?

I am not the only one who didn't know!!! ha ha I had only heard of Funyuns.

I thought it was a type of provolactic, so just left it at that.
click here

 

[Morticia]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?
.

What is an onyum bag?

I am not the only one who didn't know!!! ha ha I had only heard of Funyuns.

I thought it was a type of provolactic, so just left it at that.
click here
.

I thought it was a type of provolactic,

'Provolactic'...a nursing mother in Utah?

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?
.

What is an onyum bag?

I am not the only one who didn't know!!! ha ha I had only heard of Funyuns.

I thought it was a type of provolactic, so just left it at that.
click here
.

I thought it was a type of provolactic,

'Provolactic'...a nursing mother in Utah?
.

I thought it was a type of provolactic,

'Provolactic'...a nursing mother in Utah?

Now that would be frightening to find behind a nightstand.

 

[gillumhouse]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?
.

What is an onyum bag?

I am not the only one who didn't know!!! ha ha I had only heard of Funyuns.

I thought it was a type of provolactic, so just left it at that.
click here
.

OK, they probably are called Funyums - I knew they were onion flavored and Deb called them OnYums. Surprising as it is, I do not eat chips and stuff like that to actually know their real name. Thanks for setting me straight. No wonder everyone looked at me as to say "what the hell are you talking about?" If they looked behind that nightstand they will know.

 

[Morticia]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?
.

What is an onyum bag?

I am not the only one who didn't know!!! ha ha I had only heard of Funyuns.

I thought it was a type of provolactic, so just left it at that.
click here
.

OK, they probably are called Funyums - I knew they were onion flavored and Deb called them OnYums. Surprising as it is, I do not eat chips and stuff like that to actually know their real name. Thanks for setting me straight. No wonder everyone looked at me as to say "what the hell are you talking about?" If they looked behind that nightstand they will know.
.

OK, they probably are called Funyums - I knew they were onion flavored and Deb called them OnYums. Surprising as it is, I do not eat chips and stuff like that to actually know their real name. Thanks for setting me straight. No wonder everyone looked at me as to say "what the hell are you talking about?" If they looked behind that nightstand they will know.

In the case of the hotel staff, I would not have been so helpful...I would have said, 'There is trash behind the nightstand and behind the curtains left from the previous guest. The room has not been cleaned. I will return at 7 PM and expect the room to be CLEAN. If it is not clean, I will expect the manager on hand to review the room with me and then I will expect a refund. If it is impossible for anyone on this staff to clean a room properly, I will expect the hotel to provide me with new linens so I can clean the room properly myself. If need be, I will provide my own cleaning supplies.'
They were just BEYOND the pale as far as I am concerned. I have NEVER had that sort of problem anywhere, ever. They NEEDED to hear how bad their service is. And I'd still be writing to corporate and explaining that you were there representing WV tourism and you were appalled. Heck, I'M appalled and I'm 700 miles away!
You and your manager put up with too much in my opinion.

 

[gillumhouse]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?
.

What is an onyum bag?

I am not the only one who didn't know!!! ha ha I had only heard of Funyuns.

I thought it was a type of provolactic, so just left it at that.
click here
.

OK, they probably are called Funyums - I knew they were onion flavored and Deb called them OnYums. Surprising as it is, I do not eat chips and stuff like that to actually know their real name. Thanks for setting me straight. No wonder everyone looked at me as to say "what the hell are you talking about?" If they looked behind that nightstand they will know.
.

OK, they probably are called Funyums - I knew they were onion flavored and Deb called them OnYums. Surprising as it is, I do not eat chips and stuff like that to actually know their real name. Thanks for setting me straight. No wonder everyone looked at me as to say "what the hell are you talking about?" If they looked behind that nightstand they will know.

In the case of the hotel staff, I would not have been so helpful...I would have said, 'There is trash behind the nightstand and behind the curtains left from the previous guest. The room has not been cleaned. I will return at 7 PM and expect the room to be CLEAN. If it is not clean, I will expect the manager on hand to review the room with me and then I will expect a refund. If it is impossible for anyone on this staff to clean a room properly, I will expect the hotel to provide me with new linens so I can clean the room properly myself. If need be, I will provide my own cleaning supplies.'
They were just BEYOND the pale as far as I am concerned. I have NEVER had that sort of problem anywhere, ever. They NEEDED to hear how bad their service is. And I'd still be writing to corporate and explaining that you were there representing WV tourism and you were appalled. Heck, I'M appalled and I'm 700 miles away!
You and your manager put up with too much in my opinion.
.

She has learned to rock the Council's boat but is still learning to not put up with crap from others. She really was angry with me for talking to the manager. But when the Internet was still on the bill I guess she nailed them. I thought it was so funny to hear her tell me, "I had to be you just now!" (I thought she meant she said she was me, not that she had nailed them! and my thought was a victory Hot Damn!!) It has taken her almost 15 years to get this far. She is doing very good to have actually protested the bill to get both the Internet and the parking removed - and I got us 2 dinners and honestly only because the service was horrible, 4 days with a faulty door lock, the chips bag, etc. I would have much preferred everything being up to standards (mine). Had I done your approach (which is the correct one) she would have cancelled the appointment as City Clerk because that would have proved she could not control this loose cannon.
She and I get along because we understand each other. If I go to the office to see her she knows she can say go away and I will or she can also say shut up and sit down. She is the future of my City and I am a willing slave to get it done. I have discovered I am a people collector - that I know a lot of people who know the person needed for whatever. I am useful and she knows she can trust me. It is nice to be needed..... and not in a dependent way.

 

[Morticia]

We are at a Marriott. Onyums bag behind nightstand - last night city manager left note that it was there (not ours BTW) - and tonight it is still there. We also found a hair pick on the floor under the drapes. So much for housekeepping at a very expensive, big name hotel that also is charging $9.95 + tax per day for Internet..

What is an onyum bag?
.

What is an onyum bag?

I am not the only one who didn't know!!! ha ha I had only heard of Funyuns.

I thought it was a type of provolactic, so just left it at that.
click here
.

OK, they probably are called Funyums - I knew they were onion flavored and Deb called them OnYums. Surprising as it is, I do not eat chips and stuff like that to actually know their real name. Thanks for setting me straight. No wonder everyone looked at me as to say "what the hell are you talking about?" If they looked behind that nightstand they will know.
.

OK, they probably are called Funyums - I knew they were onion flavored and Deb called them OnYums. Surprising as it is, I do not eat chips and stuff like that to actually know their real name. Thanks for setting me straight. No wonder everyone looked at me as to say "what the hell are you talking about?" If they looked behind that nightstand they will know.

In the case of the hotel staff, I would not have been so helpful...I would have said, 'There is trash behind the nightstand and behind the curtains left from the previous guest. The room has not been cleaned. I will return at 7 PM and expect the room to be CLEAN. If it is not clean, I will expect the manager on hand to review the room with me and then I will expect a refund. If it is impossible for anyone on this staff to clean a room properly, I will expect the hotel to provide me with new linens so I can clean the room properly myself. If need be, I will provide my own cleaning supplies.'
They were just BEYOND the pale as far as I am concerned. I have NEVER had that sort of problem anywhere, ever. They NEEDED to hear how bad their service is. And I'd still be writing to corporate and explaining that you were there representing WV tourism and you were appalled. Heck, I'M appalled and I'm 700 miles away!
You and your manager put up with too much in my opinion.
.

She has learned to rock the Council's boat but is still learning to not put up with crap from others. She really was angry with me for talking to the manager. But when the Internet was still on the bill I guess she nailed them. I thought it was so funny to hear her tell me, "I had to be you just now!" (I thought she meant she said she was me, not that she had nailed them! and my thought was a victory Hot Damn!!) It has taken her almost 15 years to get this far. She is doing very good to have actually protested the bill to get both the Internet and the parking removed - and I got us 2 dinners and honestly only because the service was horrible, 4 days with a faulty door lock, the chips bag, etc. I would have much preferred everything being up to standards (mine). Had I done your approach (which is the correct one) she would have cancelled the appointment as City Clerk because that would have proved she could not control this loose cannon.
She and I get along because we understand each other. If I go to the office to see her she knows she can say go away and I will or she can also say shut up and sit down. She is the future of my City and I am a willing slave to get it done. I have discovered I am a people collector - that I know a lot of people who know the person needed for whatever. I am useful and she knows she can trust me. It is nice to be needed..... and not in a dependent way.
.

She has learned to rock the Council's boat but is still learning to not put up with crap from others. She really was angry with me for talking to the manager. But when the Internet was still on the bill I guess she nailed them. I thought it was so funny to hear her tell me, "I had to be you just now!" (I thought she meant she said she was me, not that she had nailed them! and my thought was a victory Hot Damn!!) It has taken her almost 15 years to get this far. She is doing very good to have actually protested the bill to get both the Internet and the parking removed - and I got us 2 dinners and honestly only because the service was horrible, 4 days with a faulty door lock, the chips bag, etc. I would have much preferred everything being up to standards (mine). Had I done your approach (which is the correct one) she would have cancelled the appointment as City Clerk because that would have proved she could not control this loose cannon.
She and I get along because we understand each other. If I go to the office to see her she knows she can say go away and I will or she can also say shut up and sit down. She is the future of my City and I am a willing slave to get it done. I have discovered I am a people collector - that I know a lot of people who know the person needed for whatever. I am useful and she knows she can trust me. It is nice to be needed..... and not in a dependent way.

I guess then that I have a fairly low opinion of a city council that would put up with tourists being insulted in the way that you both were if they expected you to put up with that, then it is ok for anyone else to have to deal with that as well. You can be darned certain that no one on that city council would have tolerated those conditions on their own vacation. So why they think you are a 'loose cannon' for not tolerating shabby treatment is beyond me. Do they expect that you will just shut up when things are not done properly, or would they hope you would do your best to make sure your town is everything it can be?
No need to answer, we all know what small town politics can be like. But I'm surprised you could lose your job for making sure you were treated right when you were PAYING for the room. Maybe it is necessary to tip toe around in Council meetings (fat chance) but why is it necessary to put up wth crap when you're not even home?