Don't count on a response from the manager that you dealt with...as you said she is hoping that it all gets forgotten and I guarantee you that it has been forgotten by her. I'm not blaming her but understand that many of those managers are so over run with other things, especially that time of year, that it has been dropped or forgotten. Again...write to the General Manager and yuo will get a better response.
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Major Disney Security Issues (long post)
- Thread starter PhilharMagician
- Start date
I ran into a similar situation when I checked into the Chicago Hyatt last year. We had specifically requested a nonsmoking room, but were given a smoking room. I wnted to be changed immediately; good natured hubby said it could wait until morning when the manager was there. (We checked in late at night due to flight problems, so I wasn't exactly at my best to begin with. 
)
I had a terrible night, as the room reeked. I had a headache, nausea, and I was starting to have difficulty breathing from lying on a smoke infused pillowcase. The windows were sealed, so I couldn't get any fresh air.
First thing in the morning I went downstairs, waited for the manager to get there, and was told there were no other rooms available. I said, "If the President of the US, a member of royalty, or the CEO of Hyatt were to show up in the next few minutes, you would have a room for them. That isn't likely, so I want you to give me their room. I have not received the room I paid for. The room you gave me instead is making me ill, and if I get worse, I may need medical attention, and I will hold you responsible."
We had a nonsmoking room by the end of the day. Of course, someone else had to suffer because of it, but that was the hotel's problem for overbooking.
)I had a terrible night, as the room reeked. I had a headache, nausea, and I was starting to have difficulty breathing from lying on a smoke infused pillowcase. The windows were sealed, so I couldn't get any fresh air.
First thing in the morning I went downstairs, waited for the manager to get there, and was told there were no other rooms available. I said, "If the President of the US, a member of royalty, or the CEO of Hyatt were to show up in the next few minutes, you would have a room for them. That isn't likely, so I want you to give me their room. I have not received the room I paid for. The room you gave me instead is making me ill, and if I get worse, I may need medical attention, and I will hold you responsible."
We had a nonsmoking room by the end of the day. Of course, someone else had to suffer because of it, but that was the hotel's problem for overbooking.
Emerald Rose
Member
Sorry to hear about your experience. We had a similar situtation where we checked into SSR and the room had a smell I didn't like. It wasn't dirty but needed to be aired out badly. To me the room reeked of food, like the people who were in the room last night had a huge takeout session of onion pizza and the smell still remained. I couldn't take it, it was gross, and we asked for another room. We were switched immediately to a different room which was much better and all was fine. The difference here was that we did not leave our suitcases in the room. We left immediately with all our belongings until we had another room, thus avoiding any possibility of anyone having access to our items. Good luck to you and I hope this situation didn't completely ruin your vacation!!
Mistakes happen Sometimes they are due to a miscommunication and sometimes due to negligence.
Several years ago at a major chain hotel in Hawaii I returned to find the door to my room proped open and no one around. Turns out they were putting in new carpet. No excuse for leaving the door wide open and the room unattended. Cause negligence.
Again a few years ago I got the key to a rental locker at MK and found a video camera in the locker. That was in the day when they were the size of a small tank and cost about as much. Cause unknown.:lookaroun
In September they delivered the wrong people luggage to our room (POR). Hum, I could have a video camera and who knows what from the luggage if I were not as honest as the person who got your first room:lookaroun
Finally, they can move you if they want:animwink: We asked for a non-smoking room and when we arrived (Dec. 29th POR) and went to the room it was a smoking room I called the front desk and they assigned another room (room #2). When I checked the location it was about as far from anything as one could be and one of my party is a wheel chair user. I went to the front desk and they found a much closer room (third room). Hum, busiest time of the year and they found two rooms. Plus our luggage ended up in the correct room dispite two moves. It can be done if you do it right:sohappy: That said I may have reacted differently if I had gotten the run around that you did.:lookaroun
Sometimes they are due to a miscommunication and sometimes due to negligence.Several years ago at a major chain hotel in Hawaii I returned to find the door to my room proped open and no one around. Turns out they were putting in new carpet. No excuse for leaving the door wide open and the room unattended. Cause negligence.
Again a few years ago I got the key to a rental locker at MK and found a video camera in the locker. That was in the day when they were the size of a small tank and cost about as much. Cause unknown.:lookaroun
In September they delivered the wrong people luggage to our room (POR). Hum, I could have a video camera and who knows what from the luggage if I were not as honest as the person who got your first room:lookaroun
Finally, they can move you if they want:animwink: We asked for a non-smoking room and when we arrived (Dec. 29th POR) and went to the room it was a smoking room
I called the front desk and they assigned another room (room #2). When I checked the location it was about as far from anything as one could be and one of my party is a wheel chair user. I went to the front desk and they found a much closer room (third room). Hum, busiest time of the year and they found two rooms. Plus our luggage ended up in the correct room dispite two moves. It can be done if you do it right:sohappy: That said I may have reacted differently if I had gotten the run around that you did.:lookaroun
Pumbas Nakasak
Heading for the great escape.
WDWRLD
Active Member
I had a room problem a year or so ago, To make a long story short...I came back to my room and found a cell phone in my charger which wasnt mine. I called the front desk to report it and they said they would look into it. About 5 min later there was a knock at the door. It was someone in some sort of housekeeping uniform but it wasnt my housekeeper. I know this because as we were leaving earlier she was already starting cleaning my room and this was not the same person. I called the front desk and they transfered me to the person incharge of housekeeping. Basically I was told that if I wanted to make sure my room was secure was to use the brass swing lock on the door. How is this possible while no one is actually in the room. 2nd she said that if I didnt want anyone from housekeeping in my room I should use the Do Not Disturb sign. This also would keep them from cleaning my room, now this just isnt practicle for a 10 day stay. My question was why was this other person in my room for in the first place, out of all those rooms how did they find my charger that apparently fit their phone.
Another trip it was checkout day, we were packing the truck and the housekeeper had came by and asked if we were checking out today which we said yes. We made a few more trips to our truck and were pretty much done. We headed to the Food court for breakfast. When we returned out room was completely clean. All of our remaining stuff was gone. I went down and found the housekeeper and asked where our things were, she answered that she thought we were gone and threw out all the remaining stuff. There was toiltries, toys, candy that would have melted in the truck,clothes and souvineers and our refilleable mugs. Did she really think all this was trash? How do you think my son felt when he heard that, he had just got his prized toy of the whole trip the night before and I had assured him it would be safe in the room while we ate and now she just told him it was now in the trash. A few minutes later she returned with everything but our drink cups in big laundry bags and said that it had been set aside to be taken to lost and found. The manager at the front desk could only say he wasnt sure what had happened but would look into it. He also said to go on down to the food court and get replacement drink cups......we were leaving what good would they do.....we wanted "our" drink cups as souvineers.
Both of these problems have been atPOR.
My question about the OP was why did bell services remove all the origional persons stuff? Didnt they think something seemed wrong. Is there a big problen at disney world with people just checking out and leaving everything.
Another trip it was checkout day, we were packing the truck and the housekeeper had came by and asked if we were checking out today which we said yes. We made a few more trips to our truck and were pretty much done. We headed to the Food court for breakfast. When we returned out room was completely clean. All of our remaining stuff was gone. I went down and found the housekeeper and asked where our things were, she answered that she thought we were gone and threw out all the remaining stuff. There was toiltries, toys, candy that would have melted in the truck,clothes and souvineers and our refilleable mugs. Did she really think all this was trash? How do you think my son felt when he heard that, he had just got his prized toy of the whole trip the night before and I had assured him it would be safe in the room while we ate and now she just told him it was now in the trash. A few minutes later she returned with everything but our drink cups in big laundry bags and said that it had been set aside to be taken to lost and found. The manager at the front desk could only say he wasnt sure what had happened but would look into it. He also said to go on down to the food court and get replacement drink cups......we were leaving what good would they do.....we wanted "our" drink cups as souvineers.
Both of these problems have been atPOR.
My question about the OP was why did bell services remove all the origional persons stuff? Didnt they think something seemed wrong. Is there a big problen at disney world with people just checking out and leaving everything.
wannabeBelle
Well-Known Member
I agree Brian, The fact that a guest left all of their belongings and not just trash or stuff to be thrown out should have sent up a red flag and at least generated a phone call to confirm the check out! Belle
crazydaveh
Active Member
This morning a CM walked in on me at CBR. It was about 8. The CM was there to clean the rooms because we were to check out at 11.
We put the privacy sign out and I thought I bolted the room closed, but she came in and told us the computer had us as "checked out."
She left and the manager called us with some comps. We have AP's so I asked for a few FP's jokingly and received them!
I didn't complain, but I was 99% asleep when she walked in. The look on her face was priceless though.
Not as bad as the original experience, but I see where a CM can enter at anytime it seems.
We put the privacy sign out and I thought I bolted the room closed, but she came in and told us the computer had us as "checked out."
She left and the manager called us with some comps. We have AP's so I asked for a few FP's jokingly and received them!
I didn't complain, but I was 99% asleep when she walked in. The look on her face was priceless though.
Not as bad as the original experience, but I see where a CM can enter at anytime it seems.
dflye
New Member
Back to the OP's problem with a fridge at OKW that reeks to high heaven...
I can easily understand why the person from housekeeping would just spray some deodorizer in the area, as they likely can't get to the area where the problem really is without help from the maintenance staff!
In the smaller rooms, the fridge is usually wedged into such a tiny space that you'd either need a screwdriver or crowbar to move the silly thing. In the larger rooms with a full-size fridge, I can imagine that the housekeeping staff on the petite side either could not budge or were worried about being squished in the attempt to move the heavy appliance. So, if they couldn't move the fridge to get under/behind it, sounds like they went for the band-aid solution of attempting to cover up the noxious smell.
Having stayed at OKW more times in the last decade than I can count, any time we have issues with a room when first coming through the door, we immediately head back to the front desk for a new room.
After you have enough travel experience, you learn to head up to your assigned room with NO LUGGAGE, just you and the room key, for several reasons. First, to make sure the room key actually works (as often it won't in some hotel chains); second, to make sure someone else or their stuff isn't in the room; and finally, to make sure there isn't some other problem with the room that you cannot deal with.
Blowing up at some underpaid person who you would like to treat as a servant in the Middle Ages will usually gain you nothing more than that person and anyone they work with talking about you behind your back.
I can easily understand why the person from housekeeping would just spray some deodorizer in the area, as they likely can't get to the area where the problem really is without help from the maintenance staff!
In the smaller rooms, the fridge is usually wedged into such a tiny space that you'd either need a screwdriver or crowbar to move the silly thing. In the larger rooms with a full-size fridge, I can imagine that the housekeeping staff on the petite side either could not budge or were worried about being squished in the attempt to move the heavy appliance. So, if they couldn't move the fridge to get under/behind it, sounds like they went for the band-aid solution of attempting to cover up the noxious smell.
Having stayed at OKW more times in the last decade than I can count, any time we have issues with a room when first coming through the door, we immediately head back to the front desk for a new room.
After you have enough travel experience, you learn to head up to your assigned room with NO LUGGAGE, just you and the room key, for several reasons. First, to make sure the room key actually works (as often it won't in some hotel chains); second, to make sure someone else or their stuff isn't in the room; and finally, to make sure there isn't some other problem with the room that you cannot deal with.
Blowing up at some underpaid person who you would like to treat as a servant in the Middle Ages will usually gain you nothing more than that person and anyone they work with talking about you behind your back.
MainSt1993
New Member
I feel bad for the OP's poor experience - no one ever wants to go through somethng like that. With the number of smaller incidents/issues occuring so close to each other, no wonder it snowballed/ignited so rapidly.
Some things I've found helpful when traveling:
Management: Has no obligation to be nice to you or much obligation give you what you want (laws/regulations vary by state, of course). Before escalating, first determine what you want (within reason), then figure out what someone would have to say to you if you were the manager to grant that request.
Busy times of year: Hotels get oversold (as do flights). Basically, it's bean counters in the back who are hedging their bet that a certain percentage of travellers won't show up, and they want to keep the place at 100% capacity. Often, with little to no regard to what that means to the bill-paying guest OR the hard-working front line staff that will suffer all the abuse from their greed. The person behind that front desk when you're checking in may be looking at a screen that's telling him/her that the last xx number of people are going to have to be walked to another property against their will. Human nature dictates that we will naturally be more inclined to accomodate someone who is being friendly, polite, and respectful.
Getting bumped: It happens. It's unfortunate. It's unacceptable. It's unprofessional. But it's a part of life in the travel industry, for better or for worse. Remember that these situations quite often become negotiations. Do you want to dig your heels in and draw that line in the sand, or do you want to keep your options open?
Getting What You Want: That's the goal, right? Remember that decisions are made by people, and contrary to what us in Washington would have you believe during an election cycle, we're a lot more alike than dislike. To get what you want, particularly in a bigger situation like this, find yourself a decision maker (manager) and immediately build an amiable relationship. You both have the same goal - for *you* to walk away happy. Make that single person your point person - if it needs to change down the road it will happen - but keep going to them. By working this way, you demonstrate trust and respect and a relationship starts to build. It's amazing the doors that start to open when a manager is working with you instead of in defense mode. Branching out and escalating is not always the best option. So, keep the complaint at the organizational level. Unless you're the CEO, every manager in a company has a manager, so work your way up the chain when necessary. Upper management looks at overall numbers, but never at specific end-user complaints. When escalating your complaint, there's a better than average chance it will get forwarded back to the manager you bypassed, which seldom if ever will bode well for you.
And most importantly - Mishaps are part of the fun of travel! Think back at times when something "totally ruined your vacation." Is there a lot that you'd let slide in retrospect? Yeah, me too! And some of the best vacation memories spawned from something earlier going wrong. When it comes to mishaps, remember to mitigate and manage - don't get mad!
Some things I've found helpful when traveling:
Management: Has no obligation to be nice to you or much obligation give you what you want (laws/regulations vary by state, of course). Before escalating, first determine what you want (within reason), then figure out what someone would have to say to you if you were the manager to grant that request.
Busy times of year: Hotels get oversold (as do flights). Basically, it's bean counters in the back who are hedging their bet that a certain percentage of travellers won't show up, and they want to keep the place at 100% capacity. Often, with little to no regard to what that means to the bill-paying guest OR the hard-working front line staff that will suffer all the abuse from their greed. The person behind that front desk when you're checking in may be looking at a screen that's telling him/her that the last xx number of people are going to have to be walked to another property against their will. Human nature dictates that we will naturally be more inclined to accomodate someone who is being friendly, polite, and respectful.
Getting bumped: It happens. It's unfortunate. It's unacceptable. It's unprofessional. But it's a part of life in the travel industry, for better or for worse. Remember that these situations quite often become negotiations. Do you want to dig your heels in and draw that line in the sand, or do you want to keep your options open?
Getting What You Want: That's the goal, right? Remember that decisions are made by people, and contrary to what us in Washington would have you believe during an election cycle, we're a lot more alike than dislike. To get what you want, particularly in a bigger situation like this, find yourself a decision maker (manager) and immediately build an amiable relationship. You both have the same goal - for *you* to walk away happy. Make that single person your point person - if it needs to change down the road it will happen - but keep going to them. By working this way, you demonstrate trust and respect and a relationship starts to build. It's amazing the doors that start to open when a manager is working with you instead of in defense mode. Branching out and escalating is not always the best option. So, keep the complaint at the organizational level. Unless you're the CEO, every manager in a company has a manager, so work your way up the chain when necessary. Upper management looks at overall numbers, but never at specific end-user complaints. When escalating your complaint, there's a better than average chance it will get forwarded back to the manager you bypassed, which seldom if ever will bode well for you.
And most importantly - Mishaps are part of the fun of travel! Think back at times when something "totally ruined your vacation." Is there a lot that you'd let slide in retrospect? Yeah, me too! And some of the best vacation memories spawned from something earlier going wrong. When it comes to mishaps, remember to mitigate and manage - don't get mad!
WDWRLD
Active Member
I do agree with them over selling/booking the hotels. Last summer we were geven a room in Aligator Bayou at POR. I always ask for Partaree Place and generally get it but I know its not a guarentee. I asked about switching and they said that they were already overbooked by 3 roooms. Im glad I wasnt one of the last 3 who checked in. But then again they might have been sent to a Deluxe resort.
wedway71
Well-Known Member
Its is part of the biz.For a very short time after I got out of the USAF I was in Reservations at a very upscale Resort in SW florida.They would always over book-sometimes up to 120%.They hope that they have 100% room occupancy and have a formula that even though they over book they will have no shows and cancelations. It is right? Id say no but its part of the Hotel world and EVERYBODY does it.I remeber once we booked 120% and NOONE CANCELLED so when about 30 families showed up to no rooms the Front Desk MGR lied and said a water main broke and flooded the entire floor.
I didnt agree with this practice and didnt like the whole being open 24/7-365 days a year deal so I left afert 3 months.
maelstrom
Well-Known Member
So it's alright for management to be @$$holes to you? I think everyone in every kind of management has very much an obligation to be nice to their customers and clients, if they want to keep them.
dflye
New Member
Overbooking in the travel industry is similar to planning for the reception at a wedding. You assume that a certain percentage of folks aren't going to show.
For a wedding, that just means you send out 200 invites, and book a banquet hall that seats 125 before you have received a single response (your mileage may vary, as I'm certainly pulling this particular number out of the air!)
For a hotel, airline, train, etc, the bean-counters to use formulas to get as close as they can to 100% of their capacity used for every day of the year. Any day they go over, the folks on the front line have to weasel you out of the whatever you paid for, either by comping you for a later trip/stay, bumping you to a better location, etc.
For a wedding, that just means you send out 200 invites, and book a banquet hall that seats 125 before you have received a single response (your mileage may vary, as I'm certainly pulling this particular number out of the air!)
For a hotel, airline, train, etc, the bean-counters to use formulas to get as close as they can to 100% of their capacity used for every day of the year. Any day they go over, the folks on the front line have to weasel you out of the whatever you paid for, either by comping you for a later trip/stay, bumping you to a better location, etc.
Actually unless you have booked through Expedia, Hotels.com or a third party that requires a prepayment or a resort like Disney that requires the same then you are not charged until you physically checkout. A hotel holds a room for you in faith that you will show up and if not they have the right to charge you a no show fee....because this is a room that they could have sold and you, as the arriving guest, never informed them of your not arriving.
In oversold situations the hotel , by law regardless of state, must find another hotel for you and pay for 1 night room and tax plus a phone call to your alternate hotel. Most hotels, as in my Hilton's case, will provide transportation to the alternate hotel and make a reservation for you to return to them the following day.
MOre and more hotels overbook, especially in vacation destinations such as Orlando and the Disney area. For an example on busy nights I always have reservations overbook my hotel by 25-30 room knowing we will have cancellations and no shows........I guarantees me a higher occupancy and more chances of a sell out.
scottnj1966
Well-Known Member
Wilderness Lodge
Wilderness Lodge once gave us room keys to someone elses room while they were checking in.
They had some major explaining to do.
Wilderness Lodge once gave us room keys to someone elses room while they were checking in.
They had some major explaining to do.
Scar Junior
Active Member
I totally disagree.
I think it's crappy what happened, but my interpretation was that he overreacted several times. Scott is entitled to his opinion and he shouldn't HAVE to be compassionate. I found myself to be quite empathetic. I'm sorry he had a bad experience, but there were things he could have done to resolve it much easier and quicker. When I was reading his story I wasn't surprised when I got to the part that said they took his belongings out of his room. I can see how one would be worried that something was missing but nothing was. I wasn't surprised when there were no resort rooms available during a holiday period. People make mistakes. It sucks but it happens. IMO, Disney screwed some things up... but he was mad at them for things that weren't there problem. He came across as a generally angry person to me. I don't know him so I'm not saying he is an angry person, but that's how I read it.
These are just my thoughts after reading the story.