[LiteraryLark]

Another member here posted a link to a reddit thread under the same title. I will look through the reddit thread and answer the questions asked there, and welcome any questions here.

Yes, I've seen some crazy stuff! Ask away!

What is the strangest thing you have walked in on because the room occupant forgot to put up the Do Not Disturb sign?

I walked in on a man about to take a shower wearing only his underwear.

If towels that look unused are left on the towel shelf, do you still clean them, or do you leave them there for another guest? We keep them for the next guest unless it is being stripped for a deep clean.

Whats the weirdest thing you stumbled onto in a room?

I found about $60 worth of cocaine on day three, but the weirdest thing I've found in a stayover was that a guy had hooked up his XBOX and Playstation to the TV and there were used condoms everywhere. And during the Emerald Cup (marijuana festival) there were tons of dorito bags and tons of coins left everywhere. The first time I found a gold bible in the drawer was cool, I get excited when I come across it in the room because the red color is standard, so once in a while a guest will get to read from a fabulous gold bible. I've also found a box full of medical pee bags that the guest left behind for me to throw away.

does it really make your day better when you see a room is left perfectly clean?

Yes, but my first reaction is that it's either the wrong room or too good to be true.

If the beds are already made do you still change the sheets? Do you change the sheets between every guest?

No. If there are two queen beds and one has not been touched I do not change it, but we check to make sure it truly is clean.

Some people say its customary to leave a tip for the housekeeper, yet I had no idea. Is this true? And how much?

I would prefer if everyone tips 15% of what they paid for.

What are the dirtiest areas or items in my hotel room? What should I avoid touching directly or handle with a towel during my stay?

Headboards of the bed, toilet, garbage cans, door handles

Does the fact that you are always seconds away from an empty bed come in handy when your boy/girl friend visits you at work?

Hell no, I don't want to F up a perfectly clean bed and I would never sleep in a bed someone else slept in

In regards to tipping, I spend a lot of time in extended stay motels because my boyfriend's job involves moving around the country. We're in the room for months at a time, are we expected to be leaving tips every night? I left a five dollar tip in the last room because we had left a little bit of a mess, is that considered fair or do you think she complained about it to her friends?

I'd say only tip if you ask for the room to be cleaned, I'd say $5 are good for stayovers.

How clean are the glass glasses that are left in the room?

We use wrapped paper cups.

What has been your most disgusting find while cleaning someones room?

Needles give me the heebie-jeebies. Found two of them so far. And finding boogers have become a common thing in tubs, sinks, and toilets. In one of rooms my inspector found a dirty diaper stashed under the bed and the twist was that the guest did not have any children, so it had been left there under the bed before that guest arrived. And I had to clean a room where a homeless woman's mentally challenged son peed on the carpets, walls, beds, and all over the bathroom. There are two guests in room 231 and 232 who wipe their butt with TP and toss it in the trash. Sooooo many stories of gross things I've found.

How do you know that the room guest left you a tip, and not just left a bunch of coins/notes on the table?? i.e. how do you differentiate tips from money being left around? have you ever brushed your teeth with a guest's toothbrush and put it back nice and neat like nothing ever happened?

Helpful hint: a rolled up dollar bill on the soap dish is NOT a tip!!! And no I've never brushed my teeth with a guest's toothbrush that's nasty. But I do take a peek at the labels on pill bottles just out of curiosity.

What happens if someone pisses the bed? I assume we wash the mattress pads and change all the linen, but that hasn't happened to me yet.

How often do you change the sheets and towels? What happens to them after you remove them ie who cleans them? Per checkout all linen on the bed is change, unless there are two queens and one has not been used, then we leave that, in checkouts we replace what has been used and leave towels that have not been used. In stayovers, we change the sheets and pillowcases but leave the duvet every three days, and I'm still figuring out the protocol for towels guest intend to reuse, I generally take everything and replace it as its easier for me. The dirty linen and towels are placed in my cart and is either picked up by the houseman and taken to the laundry room or I shove it down the chute where the laundry takes it. The laundry is then sorted by towels, sheets, and duvets and washed accordingly. Once dry the linen is then folded then placed on shelves in the laundry room as well as stocked in the housekeeping closets for easy access. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat.

Do you see a lot of prostitutes? Our hotel caters to business travelers. We do see some shady people though.

Do you like the movie Maid in Manhattan?
At my former hotel I worked for, a guest left me a tip with a note which said I clearly take pride in my job and that I reminded them of J Lo, so of course I had to watch it. I didn't care for the movie but I glowed with that kind of recognition and I kept the note.

Have you ever found anything valuable and decided to keep it for yourself? Nothing valuable but I have a tshirt I wear on a regular basis that I found in a room, wine glasses, pretty shoe boxes, cool rocks, books, and in 9 months I must have taken home $50+ worth of unopened beer and box wine.

When I stay at a hotel, what would be the best way to leave the room so the housekeepers have the least amount of work?

If you leave all the garbage in the trash I'd be your best friend. Bonus points include all the dirty towels in one pile and a tip. Don't bother with the beds, as kind as it is when guest try to make it easier with the bed, I have a set system of how I make the bed.

[Nammu]

The customary tip for an average hotel in America is 2-3 dollars per night where are you coming up with that 15% of room rate from?

Crud. I've never tipped in a hotel. My parents never tipped so I never learned that I was supposed to. (And I pride myself on tipping well....Whoops. Blonde moment!)

15% of the room rate would be a bit much I think?

And the TP in the trash is likely from foreign guests. Its customary to do that in central american countries where toilets can't handle TP.

[splitimage]

This may be a dumb question - but tipping in hotels has always confused me.

Where do I leave the tip for the housekeeper, so that it's obviously a tip meant for the housekeeper?

And if I'm staying multiple days, is it better to leave a smaller tip every day, or a larger tip on the last day?

Thanks.

splitimage

when someone checks out of the hotel, do you go to that room and clean it, or do you just leave it how it is for the next person?

have you ever found guests have stolen soap/ towels/ anything you might replace in the room

have you ever walked in to a room and found someone unconcious?

(I mean litirally, not just sleeping)

have you ever been threatened by a guest (drunk or otherwise)

[cakeladie]

We leave a tip usually with a note but it's usually 2-5 dollars

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by Nammu

The customary tip for an average hotel in America is 2-3 dollars per night where are you coming up with that 15% of room rate from?

It was a guess. I didn't actually know. But I would say $5 is a standard tip. We get quite a few tens and I leap for joy when they leave twenties.

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by GoldenWaves

Crud. I've never tipped in a hotel. My parents never tipped so I never learned that I was supposed to. (And I pride myself on tipping well....Whoops. Blonde moment!)

15% of the room rate would be a bit much I think?

And the TP in the trash is likely from foreign guests. Its customary to do that in central american countries where toilets can't handle TP.

Yes, the guests were from Mexico.

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by splitimage

This may be a dumb question - but tipping in hotels has always confused me.

Where do I leave the tip for the housekeeper, so that it's obviously a tip meant for the housekeeper?

And if I'm staying multiple days, is it better to leave a smaller tip every day, or a larger tip on the last day?

Thanks.

splitimage

Well I can tell you don't leave it under the sheets or under the pillows. I've almost tossed out tips that way. Guests can leave them on the top of the bed if it's in an obvious place, or on a desk or counter where it's visible.

I would leave smaller tips throughout the stay because in both hotels I've worked for we normally don't get the same room twice. A good portion of my tips have come from rooms I never cleaned.

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by shattered sanity

when someone checks out of the hotel, do you go to that room and clean it, or do you just leave it how it is for the next person?

have you ever found guests have stolen soap/ towels/ anything you might replace in the room

We clean every checkout and stayover we are assigned to. Your question is a bit vague so I'm not sure if I answered that correctly.

Yes, guests have stolen lots of things. The strangest thing they've stolen were duvets (comforter), pillows, and bibles, but guests have also stolen hangers, all the soaps and amenities, coffee bar, and quite often I've had guests rummage through my cart while I was cleaning. >

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by shattered sanity

have you ever walked in to a room and found someone unconcious?

(I mean litirally, not just sleeping)

No. (8 characters)

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by shattered sanity

have you ever been threatened by a guest (drunk or otherwise)

I was accused of being a liar because the woman didn't believe there was real sugar in the sugar packets. "NO! I ALREADY CHECKED THERE'S ONLY SWEET N LOW! I NEED REAL SUGAR! Oh. Well, you must think I'm a dumb***." (yes, yes you are)

[fishin fool]

I said it in the other thread also but I will always leave a good tip for hard
working people. It is hard to survive these days.
No one says you have to tip but I believe most of us have done some tough
jobs for very little money and it's not fun. A nice tip could make someone's
entire week. To me it is the same as a kind word it doesn't take much but it
goes very far.

[fishin fool]

Also I always leave a little note so the housekeeper know that the money is for them.

[metalchick]

Originally Posted by LiteraryLark

Another member here posted a link to a reddit thread under the same title. I will look through the reddit thread and answer the questions asked there, and welcome any questions here.

Yes, I've seen some crazy stuff! Ask away!

What is the strangest thing you have walked in on because the room occupant forgot to put up the Do Not Disturb sign?

I walked in on a man about to take a shower wearing only his underwear.

If towels that look unused are left on the towel shelf, do you still clean them, or do you leave them there for another guest? We keep them for the next guest unless it is being stripped for a deep clean.

Whats the weirdest thing you stumbled onto in a room?

I found about $60 worth of cocaine on day three, but the weirdest thing I've found in a stayover was that a guy had hooked up his XBOX and Playstation to the TV and there were used condoms everywhere. And during the Emerald Cup (marijuana festival) there were tons of dorito bags and tons of coins left everywhere. The first time I found a gold bible in the drawer was cool, I get excited when I come across it in the room because the red color is standard, so once in a while a guest will get to read from a fabulous gold bible. I've also found a box full of medical pee bags that the guest left behind for me to throw away.

does it really make your day better when you see a room is left perfectly clean?

Yes, but my first reaction is that it's either the wrong room or too good to be true.

If the beds are already made do you still change the sheets? Do you change the sheets between every guest?

No. If there are two queen beds and one has not been touched I do not change it, but we check to make sure it truly is clean.

Some people say its customary to leave a tip for the housekeeper, yet I had no idea. Is this true? And how much?

I would prefer if everyone tips 15% of what they paid for.

What are the dirtiest areas or items in my hotel room? What should I avoid touching directly or handle with a towel during my stay?

Headboards of the bed, toilet, garbage cans, door handles

Does the fact that you are always seconds away from an empty bed come in handy when your boy/girl friend visits you at work?

Hell no, I don't want to F up a perfectly clean bed and I would never sleep in a bed someone else slept in

In regards to tipping, I spend a lot of time in extended stay motels because my boyfriend's job involves moving around the country. We're in the room for months at a time, are we expected to be leaving tips every night? I left a five dollar tip in the last room because we had left a little bit of a mess, is that considered fair or do you think she complained about it to her friends?

I'd say only tip if you ask for the room to be cleaned, I'd say $5 are good for stayovers.

How clean are the glass glasses that are left in the room?

We use wrapped paper cups.

What has been your most disgusting find while cleaning someones room?

Needles give me the heebie-jeebies. Found two of them so far. And finding boogers have become a common thing in tubs, sinks, and toilets. In one of rooms my inspector found a dirty diaper stashed under the bed and the twist was that the guest did not have any children, so it had been left there under the bed before that guest arrived. And I had to clean a room where a homeless woman's mentally challenged son peed on the carpets, walls, beds, and all over the bathroom. There are two guests in room 231 and 232 who wipe their butt with TP and toss it in the trash. Sooooo many stories of gross things I've found.

How do you know that the room guest left you a tip, and not just left a bunch of coins/notes on the table?? i.e. how do you differentiate tips from money being left around? have you ever brushed your teeth with a guest's toothbrush and put it back nice and neat like nothing ever happened?

Helpful hint: a rolled up dollar bill on the soap dish is NOT a tip!!! And no I've never brushed my teeth with a guest's toothbrush that's nasty. But I do take a peek at the labels on pill bottles just out of curiosity.

What happens if someone pisses the bed? I assume we wash the mattress pads and change all the linen, but that hasn't happened to me yet.

How often do you change the sheets and towels? What happens to them after you remove them ie who cleans them? Per checkout all linen on the bed is change, unless there are two queens and one has not been used, then we leave that, in checkouts we replace what has been used and leave towels that have not been used. In stayovers, we change the sheets and pillowcases but leave the duvet every three days, and I'm still figuring out the protocol for towels guest intend to reuse, I generally take everything and replace it as its easier for me. The dirty linen and towels are placed in my cart and is either picked up by the houseman and taken to the laundry room or I shove it down the chute where the laundry takes it. The laundry is then sorted by towels, sheets, and duvets and washed accordingly. Once dry the linen is then folded then placed on shelves in the laundry room as well as stocked in the housekeeping closets for easy access. And repeat. And repeat. And repeat.

Do you see a lot of prostitutes? Our hotel caters to business travelers. We do see some shady people though.

Do you like the movie Maid in Manhattan?
At my former hotel I worked for, a guest left me a tip with a note which said I clearly take pride in my job and that I reminded them of J Lo, so of course I had to watch it. I didn't care for the movie but I glowed with that kind of recognition and I kept the note.

Have you ever found anything valuable and decided to keep it for yourself? Nothing valuable but I have a tshirt I wear on a regular basis that I found in a room, wine glasses, pretty shoe boxes, cool rocks, books, and in 9 months I must have taken home $50+ worth of unopened beer and box wine.

When I stay at a hotel, what would be the best way to leave the room so the housekeepers have the least amount of work?

If you leave all the garbage in the trash I'd be your best friend. Bonus points include all the dirty towels in one pile and a tip. Don't bother with the beds, as kind as it is when guest try to make it easier with the bed, I have a set system of how I make the bed.

Lol...I used to deliver room service and one time this guy answered in his tighty whities...he then instructed me to place the tray on the table in the room. As I walk closer, I realize that he has another pair of underwear laying across the table...they were quite large and covered the whole table....ewww so gross!!!

Originally Posted by fishin fool

I said it in the other thread also but I will always leave a good tip for hard
working people. It is hard to survive these days.
No one says you have to tip but I believe most of us have done some tough
jobs for very little money and it's not fun. A nice tip could make someone's
entire week. To me it is the same as a kind word it doesn't take much but it
goes very far.

Originally Posted by fishin fool

Also I always leave a little note so the housekeeper know that the money is for them.

[~Christina]

I never tip. Why ? because I do not want maid services while I'm staying, I can make my own bed and if I want new towels I just catch the maid as she's going room to room and switch out for new.

I'm too leery of having anyone coming in my room while I'm gone. I don't like people touching my stuff.

Plus we usually travel with our dogs.

That do not disturb sign is always on my door.

When I leave I strip the beds, all linen is tossed in the bathroom tub. I take out my own trash daily ( OCD)

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by ~Christina

I never tip. Why ? because I do not want maid services while I'm staying, I can make my own bed and if I want new towels I just catch the maid as she's going room to room and switch out for new.

I'm too leery of having anyone coming in my room while I'm gone. I don't like people touching my stuff.

Plus we usually travel with our dogs.

That do not disturb sign is always on my door.

When I leave I strip the beds, all linen is tossed in the bathroom tub. I take out my own trash daily ( OCD)

I find the DNDs are the most exciting of them all. Who are they, what are they like, what do they do, what are they hiding? It's a mystery!

[~Christina]

lol ! I'm literally the most boring person on the planet with a ridiculous makeup collection and would freak out if someone might " touch" it, I'm the type to leave a hair in a specific spot and if I come back and it's moved or gone I literally spazz out lol as in freak out on the hotel manager , we stay at the same place 3-4 weeks a year , they know me well. I clean the room before I go in and during and before I leave even though I know staff will of course clean. Call me OCD makeup addicted cleaning freak lol !

[IA_2809]

Have you ever had to call the police due to some odd guest?

these are great answers to my questions!

thanks

I worked at a beach resort during my final year of highschool. It wasn't just the disgusting state of the rooms and cottages left behind, but it was the intentional harm that people would actually take the time to perform. For example, on more than one occasion I found toilets that had been filled to the rim with sand. Poop smeared everywhere was not unusual; and neither was finding a bathtub full of urine.

The resort had a house on the beach that would be rented out for weeks at a time. There was one time we discovered the place ransacked and on another that the occumpants had beeen hoarding.

But the all time worse was when the city held a fire fighters international fastball tournament each summer. I was 17. Grown men sexually harrassing and grabbing me.

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by IA_2809

Have you ever had to call the police due to some odd guest?

I've heard stories, but not while I've worked. At my former hotel a housekeeper was tricked into being kissed when they asked for a hershey's kiss and then kissed her on the cheek. We blocked our doors but no police.

[fishin fool]

Originally Posted by justafriend306

I worked at a beach resort during my final year of highschool. It wasn't just the disgusting state of the rooms and cottages left behind, but it was the intentional harm that people would actually take the time to perform. For example, on more than one occasion I found toilets that had been filled to the rim with sand. Poop smeared everywhere was not unusual; and neither was finding a bathtub full of urine.

The resort had a house on the beach that would be rented out for weeks at a time. There was one time we discovered the place ransacked and on another that the occumpants had beeen hoarding.

But the all time worse was when the city held a fire fighters international fastball tournament each summer. I was 17. Grown men sexually harrassing and grabbing me.

In my job I had to deal with cops and fire fighters fairly often.
I found both of them could be real azzholes at times but the fire fighters
were the hardest to deal with, very full of themselves and didn't like
the fact that they had to answer to me. If they were nice I would always
be nice if they gave me a hard time I told them if you don't like it tough shite.