To make or not to make

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JBloggs

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Every once in a while we have this debate. A guest told us that her bed was not made at check out and wanted us to know. The bed was covered up and looked "made" and had pj's so it was not fully made by the inn.
Now we have DH and my debate going, and I have said if they make it look made and have personal belongings there I don't make it, and he said at every hotel he has ever been to they make the bed no matter what.
What say you?
*(Disclaimer - there is another room here that is very silimar to the "Amish" in appearance, and have their own pillows, and make the bed just like the other room did, with shams on top, but I don't touch it, to respect their privacy. Sure it is a diff situation, but as housekeeping would they know the difference?)
 
I hate this answer...it depends.
If it's pulled up nicely and not just 'thrown together' then I leave it alone. I did not used to do this but I'm older now. If it's thrown together, then I will make the bed. If there is crap everywhere, no.
PJ's? I make the bed and put them back where I found them. An entire suitcase full of clothes? Nope, you're on your own.
One piece of electronics? I'll move it. Radio Shack on the bed? Nope, you're on your own.
IF a guest mentioned that something wasn't done the way they had expected I would tell them why...'It looked like you had already made the bed up the way you wanted it. We respect your privacy.'
(Tell YDH that this ain't no stinkin' hotel.)
Your guest was making the assumption that your housekeeper was slacking off and that you should know about it. Yeesh, JB, quit eating those bon bons in the afternoon!
 
Since I ask my guests if they want "maid service" I do not have a clue. I did work briefly in housekeeping at a motel in the area and their rule was - you do not touch guest belongings.
I think I would have - without moving the PJs, pulled up the sheet & blanket and fluffed the pillows, making the bed but not moving the PJs. And not putting the bedspread or duvet on.
 
We never touched anything. Straightened up the room..whatever, if I could fluff the pillow, or straighten the comforter without touching their stuff I did that. We are not hotels. I would just say, we don't make up the beds if your personal items are on it. That's it.
 
DH and I grumble about this to each other all the time. Since he's the bed maker (I know, I'm lucky!), I try to leave it up to him, but he won't touch the bed if it looks like they've even 'tried' to make it. If I see it, I ask him to straighten it out. If there are pjs on the bed, he would make it. Computer on the bed? Nope.
 
We straighten the bed unless they specifically tell us not to. If there are electronics that would hamper making it, we don't. But if we can straighten the bed with the electronics in place and not touch them, we make it.
Since we had a guest who complained once that we didn't make the bed with their electronics in place we are more cautious. I would leave a note saying something like "Unfortunately we are not allowed to move electronic items on the bed for insurance purposes, so we could not straighten your bed. Please leave the bed clear if you want us to straighten it in the future."
That way, it's their choice.
 
I havn't done it yet but im going to put into my welcome letter that says if you leave your stuff on the bed then you don't get it made then I have a position that I can say "well it does say in your letter that if you leave items on the bed you don't get it made"
I always say to my chamber maid not to do it as if something say went missing then it could lead to a problem.
 
I havn't done it yet but im going to put into my welcome letter that says if you leave your stuff on the bed then you don't get it made then I have a position that I can say "well it does say in your letter that if you leave items on the bed you don't get it made"
I always say to my chamber maid not to do it as if something say went missing then it could lead to a problem..
Which is why we try to make it without moving things. Guests are sometimes surprised to find that the bed is straightened for them and everything is exactly where it was.
 
I havn't done it yet but im going to put into my welcome letter that says if you leave your stuff on the bed then you don't get it made then I have a position that I can say "well it does say in your letter that if you leave items on the bed you don't get it made"
I always say to my chamber maid not to do it as if something say went missing then it could lead to a problem..
I havn't done it yet but im going to put into my welcome letter that says if you leave your stuff on the bed then you don't get it made then I have a position that I can say "well it does say in your letter that if you leave items on the bed you don't get it made" I always say to my chamber maid not to do it as if something say went missing then it could lead to a problem.
DH mentioned this, and I said, What more for them NOT to read?
It is not a big deal, she may have just been telling me in case they (me) get paid for a job not done. I explained it to her. Will she go and write a review now? Who the heck knows. She was nice enough, I thought...Two other rooms did NOT want their rooms freshened. Period. So to each his own...
 
The next question was for DH and myself. If I stayed at an inn and they had staff that didn't make the bed 'properly' or at all when I had it semi-made would I say something? No I wouldn't. I got fresh towels, new toilet roll even tho there was a spare, trash emptied, blinds opened and new chocolates...
Case in point. Hotel near the beach. In my own room with two doubles. I took the two flat spare pillows from the next bed to use on my bed with my flat hard pillows, three pillows made a normal pillow. I made up the bed how I liked it before leaving, with the bedspread from CSI folded over the end and the blanket etc with sheet over it how I like it. Pj's near there.
Maid takes the two spare pillows and stuffs them back into the other bed that was not being used - yes I slept on them already, and makes it. Then makes my bed. Made me mad! Meanwhile there are still dead flies in the window sill...go figure.
 
I havn't done it yet but im going to put into my welcome letter that says if you leave your stuff on the bed then you don't get it made then I have a position that I can say "well it does say in your letter that if you leave items on the bed you don't get it made"
I always say to my chamber maid not to do it as if something say went missing then it could lead to a problem..
Which is why we try to make it without moving things. Guests are sometimes surprised to find that the bed is straightened for them and everything is exactly where it was.
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Eric Arthur Blair said:
Which is why we try to make it without moving things. Guests are sometimes surprised to find that the bed is straightened for them and everything is exactly where it was.
When I made up beds, I did the same thing. Made it without moving things off the bed, or if I had to move them, I would replace them exactly as they had it (except on a made up bed).
If a guest grabbed pillows from another un-used bed, I would make up their bed with the extra pillows included. If they had jammies on top of bed, or under their pillow, I would fold up nicely and place them where they had it. No-body ever complained.
I would do as much as I could (in a reasonable time frame) so when they came in, they would be pleasantly surprised.
 
I havn't done it yet but im going to put into my welcome letter that says if you leave your stuff on the bed then you don't get it made then I have a position that I can say "well it does say in your letter that if you leave items on the bed you don't get it made"
I always say to my chamber maid not to do it as if something say went missing then it could lead to a problem..
I havn't done it yet but im going to put into my welcome letter that says if you leave your stuff on the bed then you don't get it made then I have a position that I can say "well it does say in your letter that if you leave items on the bed you don't get it made" I always say to my chamber maid not to do it as if something say went missing then it could lead to a problem.
DH mentioned this, and I said, What more for them NOT to read?
It is not a big deal, she may have just been telling me in case they (me) get paid for a job not done. I explained it to her. Will she go and write a review now? Who the heck knows. She was nice enough, I thought...Two other rooms did NOT want their rooms freshened. Period. So to each his own...
.
I dont expect them to read it - just that I can say well it says on your welcome letter if you leave possessions on the bed we will not make it as we don't want to internfear with your stuff = thats why we havn't done it.
 
We use to tidy up every room every day! We no longer do that! We have signs that people hang on their doors if they would like this service. Most Honeymooners skip on room tidies. If I went into a room where there is computers and clothes all over the bed, I do not touch it. sure as I do, some pita would say I broke their computer or stole something. Joey ask your DH if he would clear sex toys off a bed to make it for them! This has happened before! Nope not gonna do it!!! People sometimes really like their privacy and I'm ok with not making up their room. This will save a lot of time by only tidying rooms that requests it!
 
We use to tidy up every room every day! We no longer do that! We have signs that people hang on their doors if they would like this service. Most Honeymooners skip on room tidies. If I went into a room where there is computers and clothes all over the bed, I do not touch it. sure as I do, some pita would say I broke their computer or stole something. Joey ask your DH if he would clear sex toys off a bed to make it for them! This has happened before! Nope not gonna do it!!! People sometimes really like their privacy and I'm ok with not making up their room. This will save a lot of time by only tidying rooms that requests it!.
How do you handle the situation where you have been told to not touch the room but in walking outside you see they have all the room windows open and the A/C running?
I would love to skip room cleans on stay overs but this weekend was pretty typical- every light on in the rooms (multiple), water running in the sinks (multiple) and the A/C on in one room with the windows open. One room had a wet shopping bag on the bed. The colors from the bag bled onto the sheets. Had I waited 2 days to get to that, I doubt it would have come out. Another room had broken the blinds. We ended up NOT seeing that in time and had to move a guest to another room. We still haven't been able to replace that.
Still, I would love to not have to try to hire someone to clean if I could trust the guests to just do the right thing!
 
We use to tidy up every room every day! We no longer do that! We have signs that people hang on their doors if they would like this service. Most Honeymooners skip on room tidies. If I went into a room where there is computers and clothes all over the bed, I do not touch it. sure as I do, some pita would say I broke their computer or stole something. Joey ask your DH if he would clear sex toys off a bed to make it for them! This has happened before! Nope not gonna do it!!! People sometimes really like their privacy and I'm ok with not making up their room. This will save a lot of time by only tidying rooms that requests it!.
Bob bob bob...If I mention anything in the rooms and he walks away, he won't hear it. I mention someone barfed, or missed the toilet or worse...he says don't tell me about it. You see unlike myself, where I get to/must interact with the guests ANYWAY, he won't.
Sometimes he doesn't even believe it, so your story...he wouldn't listen, he would say to me "Dont tell me!"
That is why I AM the INNside INNkeeper and he is the OUTside Innkeeper.
whattha.gif

This is why his opinion on this doesn't matter, I told him "I am also the head of housekeeping in this joint" LOL
 
We use to tidy up every room every day! We no longer do that! We have signs that people hang on their doors if they would like this service. Most Honeymooners skip on room tidies. If I went into a room where there is computers and clothes all over the bed, I do not touch it. sure as I do, some pita would say I broke their computer or stole something. Joey ask your DH if he would clear sex toys off a bed to make it for them! This has happened before! Nope not gonna do it!!! People sometimes really like their privacy and I'm ok with not making up their room. This will save a lot of time by only tidying rooms that requests it!.
How do you handle the situation where you have been told to not touch the room but in walking outside you see they have all the room windows open and the A/C running?
I would love to skip room cleans on stay overs but this weekend was pretty typical- every light on in the rooms (multiple), water running in the sinks (multiple) and the A/C on in one room with the windows open. One room had a wet shopping bag on the bed. The colors from the bag bled onto the sheets. Had I waited 2 days to get to that, I doubt it would have come out. Another room had broken the blinds. We ended up NOT seeing that in time and had to move a guest to another room. We still haven't been able to replace that.
Still, I would love to not have to try to hire someone to clean if I could trust the guests to just do the right thing!
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even if they say don't bother I have the chamber maid go in and check just as a precaution - 9 times out of 10 its fine but the 10th is some kind of problem that needs dealing with.
 
We use to tidy up every room every day! We no longer do that! We have signs that people hang on their doors if they would like this service. Most Honeymooners skip on room tidies. If I went into a room where there is computers and clothes all over the bed, I do not touch it. sure as I do, some pita would say I broke their computer or stole something. Joey ask your DH if he would clear sex toys off a bed to make it for them! This has happened before! Nope not gonna do it!!! People sometimes really like their privacy and I'm ok with not making up their room. This will save a lot of time by only tidying rooms that requests it!.
Sex toys stay exactly where they are! (But it's hard to look the guest in the face after that!)
 
We still check the room even if a guest tells us they don't need us to do that. If we couldn't make up the bed for whatever reason, we want to check for problems like wet towels on the furniture or take out the trash so it doesn't get smelly, etc.
 
As far as our guests are concerned, we do not go in their room at all. Total privacy. Don't want that liability and relieves us of having to take the time to fluff their room. I wouldn't want someone coming in my room while I went into town for the day. I'd be wondering if they went through my stuff. I'm just weird like that
embaressed_smile.gif

Now, we will sneak in to put the cleaned spare set of sheets back in the closet just so they are not laying around the laundry room... But we just installed locks on all the bedroom doors, so the guests aren't expecting anyone to be able to get in. We do offer a changed bed if they are staying more than 3 nights at which time we'll tell them that we're going in...
 
As far as our guests are concerned, we do not go in their room at all. Total privacy. Don't want that liability and relieves us of having to take the time to fluff their room. I wouldn't want someone coming in my room while I went into town for the day. I'd be wondering if they went through my stuff. I'm just weird like that
embaressed_smile.gif

Now, we will sneak in to put the cleaned spare set of sheets back in the closet just so they are not laying around the laundry room... But we just installed locks on all the bedroom doors, so the guests aren't expecting anyone to be able to get in. We do offer a changed bed if they are staying more than 3 nights at which time we'll tell them that we're going in....
Do guests know there is no daily housekeeping? It is so strange that JB got dinged for not REMAKING a made bed and you don't make beds at all and seem none the worse for it!
We do clean the guest rooms everyday. Pretty thoroughly at that.
 
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