Mandatory “Room Check” - Take the poll...

[bpadair32]

It's not in the slightest a necessary precaution. It's a ridiculous byproduct of the human brain's failure to understand and assess risk. I won't stay at any resort that does this.

Thanks for freeing up a room!

 

[King Panda 77]

Thanks for freeing up a room!

At a lot of resort nationwide.

 

[networkpro]

You get this because of customers... customers that want to trash the place, cook meth, leer at other guests, etc.

 

[Lord Fantasius]

I travel frequently for work and, if you based your decision on whether to stay at a resort or hotel because of "room checks," you would have to avoid pretty much all of the major hotel chains (Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, etc.) and budget chains, most, if not all resort areas, and even whole states that require it of "temporary lodging facilities." However, most hotels I've stayed at do it on 48-hrs basis starting the 2nd day after checking-in, so the daily check can be a little annoying.

While it is proposed as a security measure, part of it is for a "wellness check," to make sure an individual (especially someone traveling/registering alone) isn't in any trouble...physically or mentally...or as a precautionary measure to make sure the property's room isn't being trashed. It's amazing that when left alone, people (including whole families/tour groups) "forget" they don't own the room and, after a few days, literally don't care about anyone else and end up causing a lot of damage; yes, to both the room and themselves.

Truthfully, you're staying at one of the busiest and most visited places in the world, all it takes is one or two instances...

 

[Chi84]

Too often people are bravely willing to assume risks until something happens. Then they look for someone to sue.

 

[Patcheslee]

As complicated as it would be, why have they not tied room check times to FP and TS reservation times option. No this wouldn't work for 100% of guests but in theory the resort would know that during those times the room would be empty.

 

[networkpro]

As complicated as it would be, why have they not tied room check times to FP and TS reservation times option. No this wouldn't work for 100% of guests but in theory the resort would know that during those times the room would be empty.

Because not every occupant of a room has to be in the same FP+ or ADR group. The numbers for all the possible permutations would be astronomic.

 

[Janir]

Hello all,

I spent marathon weekend at All Star Movies last weekend. Checked in solo on Wednesday, my wife came over on Friday. Got up at 2:30 to run the 5k on Thursday. Returned to the room after the race to shower and take a nap. During my nap I got a tap at the door. At first I ignored it but it happened again so I got out of bed and went to the door. Looking through the peep hole I saw a woman. I asked, “can I help you?” She said “room check”. I opened the door and she just walked in, walked into the bathroom and flushed the toilet and ran the faucet. She then walked out without saying anything. I asked her if this would happen everyday and she smiled and said “yes”. The next day, Friday, I got up early again and ran the 10k. I returned to the room to shower and left for home to pick up my bride. As I was leaving the room I decided to place my shoes close to the door so I would know that Disney was in my room. When we returned the shoes were pushed over by the door, so they were in my room again. On Saturday we both got up at 2:30, I to run the half and my bride to cheer me on. After the race we returned to the room and showered and hoped into bed for a nap. At this point it was very difficult to relax in bed since we were both expecting a knock at the door for the inspection. Sure enough about an hour into our nap someone was tapping on the door. My wife jumped up to answer the door in only her pajama shirt, she opened the door and the man standing there looked shocked, through up his arms and said “I’m sorry” and walked away. The last day, Sunday, we left for home after the marathon and a quick shower.

First, a question to the group. Does anyone have the official policy from Disney on this? I can not find it online. I’m finding that most people don’t know they do this and some people flat out tell me I’m wrong about this.

Second, my opinion on this policy. It sucks. Like I said above, we did not feel comfortable relaxing in the room we paid for. This policy is not explained at the time you book the room or when you check in. Disney should tell their “guests” that they have no privacy within their rooms. I have heard stories from people saying that if you don’t open the door they will open it and walk in. Even if you use the latch, they have a tool that can open it. One couple told me that they were there on their honeymoon and were having private time in the shower when they heard someone open the door, it was for the room inspection. They screamed at the man and he ran out. Crazy.

I understand that this started after the Vegas shooting so I emailed a buddy that works at The Wynn Resort and he said that they do room inspection on the guests third full day. Seems a little more reasonable. There should be a sign in the rooms explaining that even though the guest has the “Room Occupied” sign up and has opted out of house keeping (offer me a $30 gift card) there will be a mandatory room inspection every 24 hours. This way guests can at least put private items away and make sure there’s no money or jewelry laying around.

I know there will be a lot of opinions on this, both ways. What do you guys think? What are some of your experiences with this new policy?

I've never dealt with a room check before and if there isn't a obviously policy handed to me stating it, I'm not expecting it period, nor am I going to tolerate anyone just walking in. If I'm in the bathroom showering or napping, you barge in , you've just entered my legal domicile uninvited and that's bad news in general and I will treat it as such with my loved ones around. If I don't have a policy statement in hand before and someone forces their way in with a key while I'm there that's gonna be a problem that I'm going to solve with bad outcomes for all. They better have ID on them and it better be easily verifiable who they are when I call the front desk as I have the person restrained. Unannounced entry policies are a BAD IDEA for safety! Especially if room service isn't expected. If Disney is doing this, they better get out in front and make it WELL known to everyone when and how people will show up in their room outside of housekeeping, or somen Florida resident staying in one of their rooms is gonna have their legal firearm and is gonna shoot someone.

 

[King Panda 77]

 

[Tuvalu]

I've never dealt with a room check before and if there isn't a obviously policy handed to me stating it, I'm not expecting it period, nor am I going to tolerate anyone just walking in. If I'm in the bathroom showering or napping, you barge in , you've just entered my legal domicile uninvited and that's bad news in general and I will treat it as such with my loved ones around. If I don't have a policy statement in hand before and someone forces their way in with a key while I'm there that's gonna be a problem that I'm going to solve with bad outcomes for all. They better have ID on them and it better be easily verifiable who they are when I call the front desk as I have the person restrained. Unannounced entry policies are a BAD IDEA for safety! Especially if room service isn't expected. If Disney is doing this, they better get out in front and make it WELL known to everyone when and how people will show up in their room outside of housekeeping, or somen Florida resident staying in one of their rooms is gonna have their legal firearm and is gonna shoot someone.

No one barges in unannounced. They loudly knock and identify themselves. However if you choose to ignore the knock someone will enter under the assumption the room is empty.

 

[Miami Blues]

I love Disney resorts, like a lot of people do here on this forum. But a daily room check is an invasion of privacy--and privacy is essential in a hotel room that the guest is paying for. I don't understand a lot of the fans here who are defending Disney simply because it's Disney. The company can certainly make mistakes. This policy is one of them. Why defend something like this?

 

[jaklgreen]

I travel frequently for work and, if you based your decision on whether to stay at a resort or hotel because of "room checks," you would have to avoid pretty much all of the major hotel chains (Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, etc.) and budget chains, most, if not all resort areas, and even whole states that require it of "temporary lodging facilities." However, most hotels I've stayed at do it on 48-hrs basis starting the 2nd day after checking-in, so the daily check can be a little annoying.

While it is proposed as a security measure, part of it is for a "wellness check," to make sure an individual (especially someone traveling/registering alone) isn't in any trouble...physically or mentally...or as a precautionary measure to make sure the property's room isn't being trashed. It's amazing that when left alone, people (including whole families/tour groups) "forget" they don't own the room and, after a few days, literally don't care about anyone else and end up causing a lot of damage; yes, to both the room and themselves.

Truthfully, you're staying at one of the busiest and most visited places in the world, all it takes is one or two instances...

People keep saying that this is common for all of these top hotels, yet I have not experienced it. I have stayed at several hotels in the last 2 years and none of them had daily room checks. I even spoke to staff members at some of these hotels to specifically ask them about it and they all said that if you have your DND sign up that they will NOT disturb you on a daily basis. As for the "wellness check", now all of a sudden these hotels care about your well being? I don't buy it. The ONLY reason hotels are doing this is because their lawyers told them to as some sort of release of liability crap. If anyone believes otherwise then they are drinking the cool aid, as they say.

 

[Lord Fantasius]

People keep saying that this is common for all of these top hotels, yet I have not experienced it. I have stayed at several hotels in the last 2 years and none of them had daily room checks. I even spoke to staff members at some of these hotels to specifically ask them about it and they all said that if you have your DND sign up that they will NOT disturb you on a daily basis. As for the "wellness check", now all of a sudden these hotels care about your well being? I don't buy it. The ONLY reason hotels are doing this is because their lawyers told them to as some sort of release of liability crap. If anyone believes otherwise then they are drinking the cool aid, as they say.

I don't think anyone has said anything about daily room checks for these hotels, but most of them are every other day. If you hole up in your room for more than a couple of days, someone will either call or knock on the door to make sure "everything is alright with the room" or to ask if you need any supplies, etc., Yes, it's partly a ruse, but even if you have the "Do Not Disturb" sign up after 2 days they will check on you. If you are not in the room, I can guarantee you they will more than likely open up the door, even if they are not going to be doing any housekeeping, if they do not hear a response from the other side.

All it takes is one person to expire in a room, and not be discovered for more than a week, before their family's lawyers sue the hotel for not checking-up on their guests; plus the effect of having that expired person in the room for however long has on the room and other guests.

Yes, I agree, most of these "checks" are more for a hotel's CYA than actual security, but it gives a hotel a fundamental routine to start from.

 

[jaklgreen]

I don't think anyone has said anything about daily room checks for these hotels, but most of them are every other day. If you hole up in your room for more than a couple of days, someone will either call or knock on the door to make sure "everything is alright with the room" or to ask if you need any supplies, etc., Yes, it's partly a ruse, but even if you have the "Do Not Disturb" sign up after 2 days they will check on you. If you are not in the room, I can guarantee you they will more than likely open up the door, even if they are not going to be doing any housekeeping, if they do not hear a response from the other side.

All it takes is one person to expire in a room, and not be discovered for more than a week, before their family's lawyers sue the hotel for not checking-up on their guests; plus the effect of having that expired person in the room for however long has on the room and other guests.

Yes, I agree, most of these "checks" are more for a hotel's CYA than actual security, but it gives a hotel a fundamental routine to start from.

I have kept the DND sign on my door for almost a week since we do not like having housekeeping coming in. We are clean people and would rather not have anyone in our room. Never have had an issue with the hotel wanting to come in. We have stayed in Chicago, Denver, Honolulu, Minneapolis, All different brands of hotels. Maybe we don't look like the type of people to cause trouble, IDK.

 

[Chi84]

I've never dealt with a room check before and if there isn't a obviously policy handed to me stating it, I'm not expecting it period, nor am I going to tolerate anyone just walking in. If I'm in the bathroom showering or napping, you barge in , you've just entered my legal domicile uninvited and that's bad news in general and I will treat it as such with my loved ones around. If I don't have a policy statement in hand before and someone forces their way in with a key while I'm there that's gonna be a problem that I'm going to solve with bad outcomes for all. They better have ID on them and it better be easily verifiable who they are when I call the front desk as I have the person restrained. Unannounced entry policies are a BAD IDEA for safety! Especially if room service isn't expected. If Disney is doing this, they better get out in front and make it WELL known to everyone when and how people will show up in their room outside of housekeeping, or somen Florida resident staying in one of their rooms is gonna have their legal firearm and is gonna shoot someone.

Whatever you mean by legal domicile, your hotel room at Disney is not it. Also there is no unannounced entry policy.

 

[righttrack]

Vacation is vacation. WDW is an escape. It's supposed to be free of the cares of the outside world. There has to be a better way.

 

[dgauthier]

as long as they are not going into my backpack or computer bag I really see no harm. Also as long as they tie it into the daily housekeeping none of us would ever know they did a check

 

[LAKid53]

I've never dealt with a room check before and if there isn't a obviously policy handed to me stating it, I'm not expecting it period, nor am I going to tolerate anyone just walking in. If I'm in the bathroom showering or napping, you barge in , you've just entered my legal domicile uninvited and that's bad news in general and I will treat it as such with my loved ones around. If I don't have a policy statement in hand before and someone forces their way in with a key while I'm there that's gonna be a problem that I'm going to solve with bad outcomes for all. They better have ID on them and it better be easily verifiable who they are when I call the front desk as I have the person restrained. Unannounced entry policies are a BAD IDEA for safety! Especially if room service isn't expected. If Disney is doing this, they better get out in front and make it WELL known to everyone when and how people will show up in their room outside of housekeeping, or somen Florida resident staying in one of their rooms is gonna have their legal firearm and is gonna shoot someone.

1. It's not YOUR legal domain
2. You've agreed to the policy when you've rented the room. Read the fine print.
3. This policy is over a year old.
4. It's Housekeeping who does the check. Disney security would only get involved if it was determined to be a problem, like you refused to allow staff to enter or barricaded the room. (see #1)

I visit WDW 5-7 times a year. I have never found the policy obtrusive. The Housekeeping CM knocks on my door, identifying him/herself. I let them in, they do a check while emptying trash, ask if everything's okay and if I need anything. And leave, 5 minutes max. And 4 of those visits are for rundisney race weekends, so I'm up early several mornings in a row. When I leave my room at 2:30 AM, I take the sign off the door. When I return, I put it back on.

And yes, part of Disney's rational is to check to make sure guests aren't trashing the room. I've seen Do Not Disturb signs on the doors of the rooms near me from the day I checked in until I departed. So 24/7 for days. Can't imagine the state of that room.

I'd be very careful on a public forum such as this to threaten "problem that I'm going to solve with bad outcomes for all." You don't think Disney doesn't monitor public discussion forums?

 

[LAKid53]

as long as they are not going into my backpack or computer bag I really see no harm. Also as long as they tie it into the daily housekeeping none of us would ever know they did a check

They only do the check if you don't get daily housekeeping. Otherwise, it would be silly and redundant and a waste of staff time.

 

[bpadair32]

I love Disney resorts, like a lot of people do here on this forum. But a daily room check is an invasion of privacy--and privacy is essential in a hotel room that the guest is paying for. I don't understand a lot of the fans here who are defending Disney simply because it's Disney. The company can certainly make mistakes. This policy is one of them. Why defend something like this?

Because we do not consider it to be a mistake. I could care less if they come in the room every day and I think that it is irrational to get as worked up about it as some people here do.