Is Daily Housekeeping in Hotel Rooms Truly Going Away for Good?

A couple of days ago, I read a New York Times article called "Say Goodbye to Daily Hotel Room Cleaning." That story discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic led to a shift in the frequency with which hotels offer this service to their guests. And, now, post-pandemic, many hotels have decided that cutting back on that service has proven cost-effective and many are choosing to let that daily service remain a perk of the past.

Now, here's the deal. I have friends who love being on vacation and having their rooms cleaned for them daily. I have other friends, like my good friend David Bristow, who doesn't like it at all.

A few years ago, David and I ended up at the Western and Southern Open together in Cincinnati.  In case you're not familiar, it's one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world for the ATP and WTA tours. David and I were going be there at the same time, so he offered up his hotel room for me to crash in a couple of nights. When I arrived to meet him there, the first thing I noticed was this!

He had immediately placed the DO NOT DISTURB placard on the outside of the door. I found this a little curious, so I asked him why.

He said, "I have this thing about people walking around the place I sleep." He then elaborated and explained that any time he stays in a hotel, he'll leave that sign on the door for the duration of his stay. He won't use housekeeping the entire time.

I have other friends (Jaclyn Graves) who is like a tornado with her own debris field when she travels. I'm not sure a housekeeper could even get in her room if they tried, so Jaclyn doesn't let them. Like Davis, she plops that DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door.

I must say, folks like Jaclyn would likely benefit from daily housekeeping. In that video, everything was packed neatly inside her travel bags. About five minutes after we wrapped that video, all of her belongings were thrown around the hotel room like a Category 5 hurricane blew through it.

Other people, like my husband Kevin, feel like the daily housekeeping is a perk of being on vacation. For instance, when he's traveling, Kevin will only use a towel once. Forget the "Protect the Planet" suggestion that you "recycle" your towel. His is going directly on the floor after he uses it and that PLEASE MAKE UP ROOM sign is going on the door right as we roll out for the day.  And, sometimes, he'll even place a call to housekeeping to let them know we're leaving and they can come in and work their magic.

Which one are you?