Changes Coming to Housekeeping Services at Walt Disney World

larryz

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
flyerjab said:
Thanks for correcting that typo on my part. The third party will be the group that is re-training the WDW cleaning staff across the site. I believe that this outside agency specializes in this type of work so hopefully this will be seen as a benefit.

I always read on here about a time when the 'Disney Difference' was touted as a selling point for spending your money and staying at resorts inside the bubble. Well, last summer we stayed at Portofino Bay at UNI for part of our trip. I was not impressed with the theming or decor of the resort, but the staff was excellent! We were treated very well when we stayed there.

And kicking it up a notch further, we also stayed at the Four Seasons Orlando last year. The one thing that stood our for me was the bellman that took our luggage to our room. He actually arranged all of our bags for us in the walk-in closet area (it is huge in a standard room). Each piece of luggage was put out flat so that they could be easily unzipped. Our drinks and food we had with us were taken out of the bags/containers they were in and placed in the fridge. He even took out shoes and placed them out on the floor of the walk-in area. All of this without us even asking! What was significant to me about this is that in the Disney deluxe hotels, we leave tips each night for the cleaning staff because it is standard to do so. In the Four Seasons, we left the tips for the staff because we really wanted to for the service that they provided.

I don't know enough about this industry to know if Disney deluxe hotels can ever reach the level that the Four Seasons staff does in terms of cleaning and customer service. I just know, though, that they can do better.
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I bet he was just fishing for a huge tip.


And I hope you gave him one.
 
C

COProgressFan

Well-Known Member
larryz said:
When a company outsources a core competency, it's a sure sign it's in a death spiral. Cleaning hotel rooms, when you run a hotel, is definitely a core competency.
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In this case, at this point, it does not sound like they are outsourcing. Still, I'm sure it's something they've considered and who knows what will happen in the future. Most of the hotel night cleaning crews are outsourced, and with mixed results.

So while this does sound great that they are addressing the cleaning issues they've had, I find it ironic that a company that has been operating hotels for 45 years and was once world renowned for service suddenly finds itself in a situation where it needs to hire consultants to show them how to clean hotel rooms better. How the mighty have fallen. It's mind boggling.
 
flyerjab

flyerjab

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
larryz said:
I bet he was just fishing for a huge tip.


And I hope you gave him one.
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Most definitely. He very much earned a nice tip.

I would tell anyone that routinely affords to stay in deluxe resorts at WDW to give the Four Seasons a try, even for part of the trip. It is worth it, and the grounds and water park island are pretty incredible. Definitely a larger and nicer area than any Disney deluxe resort. Even if you don't want to stay there, you can still book reservations at their on-property restaurants. They are excellent and worth the trip. It at least gives you a feeling of the resort in contrast to the WDW resorts.

My one negative though is that it isn't themed to anything, other than extreme wealth. There a people that say that they wouldn't stay at the GF because it makes them uncomfortable. Well, if they are bothered by the stuffiness or 'upper class' feel of the GF, then stay away from the Four Seasons. It beats the GF as far as that type of vibe is concerned.

However, if WDW is attempting to improve guest satisfaction in terms of service at their resorts, aspiring to the Four Seasons in terms of responsiveness, attention to detail, room cleanliness, etc. certainly won't hurt.
 
EOD K9

EOD K9

Well-Known Member
You know, I love DCL's hospitality. I got off my cruise and stayed at the DVC Poly for a night, and I immediately felt as if something was lacking. Things were clean, it just didn't feel the same though. I'm jesting in the following speculation though.....the outside company suggests against towel animals as those take time. This will increase efficiency as they can clean rooms quicker. They then will assign one mousekeeper to sit in a locked room and turn out nothing but towel animals. The mousekeepers will pick them up along with their carts and place them in the room.
 
peter11435

peter11435

Well-Known Member
EOD K9 said:
You know, I love DCL's hospitality. I got off my cruise and stayed at the DVC Poly for a night, and I immediately felt as if something was lacking. Things were clean, it just didn't feel the same though. I'm jesting in the following speculation though.....the outside company suggests against towel animals as those take time. This will increase efficiency as they can clean rooms quicker. They then will assign one mousekeeper to sit in a locked room and turn out nothing but towel animals. The mousekeepers will pick them up along with their carts and place them in the room.
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I'm pretty sure they stopped all towel animals last year
 
King Panda 77

King Panda 77

Thank you sir. You were an inspiration.
Premium Member
George said:
I can't believe you guys are complaining about this. If you all weren't so impoverished and could travel with your own maid like I do, there would be no issue. I also carry a butler, but I'm starting to wonder about the utility of having someone there to greet visitors when I'm a) not at home and b) the entirety of the shared space is one room.
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Egads sire . How do you cope staying in anything less than a suite. Your standards are obviously slipping.
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
I like how the problem of failing staff is being addressed with hiring more management and scheduling software.. smh...

Training.... training.... training.... appropriate staff levels.... and accountability. That is what is needed.

Maybe if Disney wasn't trying to squeeze blood from the stone so much they wouldn't have lost their own skills and staff.
 
C

COProgressFan

Well-Known Member
flynnibus said:
I like how the problem of failing staff is being addressed with hiring more management and scheduling software.. smh...

Training.... training.... training.... appropriate staff levels.... and accountability. That is what is needed.

Maybe if Disney wasn't trying to squeeze blood from the stone so much they wouldn't have lost their own skills and staff.
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Exactly. Cleaning hotel rooms better should be a no-brainer. They used to know how to do effectively, but now they don't? Train staff appropriately, encourage them to take their time to do things right, and reward them for reporting issues to maintenance and keeping the rooms pristine, rather than pushing them to clean more rooms in less time. And as you point out, accountability is critical. The culture of WDW employees used to be that everything should be pristine and show ready at all times. It comes from the top, and if the housekeeping managers don't care, then the housekeepers won't either.

Also, I might add, the revolving door of low-level managers is ongoing in housekeeping, much like the rest of the resort. People from various lines of business come and go, many not long after completing their college program, and I honestly don't know if they even know what a $400 a night room is supposed to look like (and by their salaries, it's not likely they're traveling the globe and staying at supposed "world class" resorts). Mold in bathrooms just shouldn't be there if it is being cleaned properly and there is adequate ventilation. Yet I've seen it in countless Disney resorts in recent years. (And before anyone tells me, "but it's Florida!", I've stayed in several non-Disney hotels where bathrooms were clean.)
 
C

COProgressFan

Well-Known Member
flyerjab said:
My one negative though is that it isn't themed to anything, other than extreme wealth. There a people that say that they wouldn't stay at the GF because it makes them uncomfortable. Well, if they are bothered by the stuffiness or 'upper class' feel of the GF, then stay away from the Four Seasons. It beats the GF as far as that type of vibe is concerned.
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The one thing that has traditionally set Disney resorts apart is that sense of place -- the substantial theming that brings all the little pieces of the environment together. I've stayed at some nice hotels over the years, and you're right, many of them are just themed to fancy (and sometimes gaudy) buildings and decor for people with money to enjoy. There's not much more depth that that. Absolutely pleasant environments, but they leave you feeling a bit cold. Contrast that with some of Disney's best themed resorts like WL or AKL -- if they could improve their service levels to what they once were and beyond, they might have a more convincing argument for their room rates.

That said, the Four Seasons sounds great -- I think we might make it a point to check it out on a future trip.
 
L.C. Clench

L.C. Clench

Well-Known Member
DisneyExpert said:
How sad that Disney's quality standards have fallen so far that they have to bring in a third party company to teach them how to do things correctly.

They used to be the standard-bearer that other companies tried to attain to, now other companies have to come in and show them how to do it.
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I'm actually curious what they have to be trained on? Is there some new techniques in vacuuming and dusting that the rest of us need to know?
 

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