Asked to Do More at Check Out Lately?

[Dean]

At a resort where you have face to face contact with housekeeping, it seems appropriate to tip.

At Newport Coast, we never saw a housecleaner. If we request additional supplies, we tip at time of delivery.

We tip when we have added services and good interactions but since there are no timeshares in the US that I am aware of that have housekeeping in a tipped position, that's the only time I'll tip unless I am in a position where I can't do the appropriate end prep that I normally do. Even for hotels it's the minority from what I understand so I often ask there whether the housekeeping is in a tipped position or not and take the same approach if not.

 

[claraj]

Update from Westin Lagunamar - the letter contains the same language of "since many of our owners have asked..." listing suggestions such as running the dishwasher, taking out the trash and putting bath towels in the tub but no mention of stripping the beds.

 

[hajjah]

I've been out of the country and certainly missed this newbie. We're heading back to Grand Vista next Saturday and under no circumstances are we complying with any of this. My maintenance fees have greatly increased in the last few years. I'm not doing anyone else's job. I go on vacation to relax and not concern myself with stripping beds or anything of this nature. I recall very vividly of timesharing in the Poconos and elsewhere back in 1980's onward when it was mandatory to strip beds, count silverware, dishes, pots and pans, etc. Nope, this is a no for us.

 

[pedro47]

Are the other major timeshare developers like Hilton, Wyndham, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, and Shell asking their owners and exchangers to strip the bed linen?

 

[Eric B]

Are the other major timeshare developers like Hilton, Wyndham, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, and Shell asking their owners and exchangers to strip the bed linen?

Hilton does not ask in the by Hilton Club properties. We own at The Quin in NYC and receive daily housekeeping service, a breakfast buffet, and evening hors d'oeuvres with beer and wine when we stay there. The housekeeping staff probably wouldn't know what to do and would complain if we were to strip the beds every day before they showed up - even stripping the beds at the end of the stay would likely violate their union rules.

It's been a bit since we were at a Wyndham but they weren't asking for that sort of thing any more than as a suggestion at some rather than as a campaign like this.

I find myself wondering if the "many owners" asking this sort of question are all Marriott employees. Nothing on the list sounds like something a departing guest couldn't figure out on their own if they wanted to help out housekeeping - the items provided include a number of things long-time TS owners have been doing all along. The other possibility is that someone in the management chain just attended a conference or read an article in the trade press about reducing housekeeping costs.

 

[jp10558]

Are the other major timeshare developers like Hilton, Wyndham, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, and Shell asking their owners and exchangers to strip the bed linen?

HGVC doesn't either. I don't think Wyndham does - we haven't gotten a checkin packet with info in a year or so now. There's nothing obviously posted in the unit either, not even a QR code. I have to say I didn't like the move to QR codes - if you want me to do stuff, and you can't afford to photocopy something and hand it to me on check-in, then at least do what Diamond did in the UK and have it in a holder conspicuously in the unit so I can refer to it. I'm not going to try reading their minds.

I've only been to one HIVC location - Oak n Spruce, and I don't think they asked you to strip the beds - but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[jont]

used towels in tub
take out trash and recyclables
run dishwasher
move furniture back
empty the fridge
strip beds......hell no!

why just not provide clean linens upon checkout and ask us to make the beds ourselves?
should we vacuum the floors?
clean the windows?
clean the bathroom?
where does it end?

We are generally neat/clean people and treat our timeshare stays as if we were in our own home. If we make a big mess or have an accident we typically deal with it ourselves.

We are happy to assist housekeeping and leave a tip but we also pay for housekeeping as part of our maintenance fees. We also usually check out on time or earlier if possible and never expect to be in the unit before check in time. We often check in much later.
Im sorry but I fee its the resorts responsibilty to get the unit clean in the time window between check out and check. I dont think that too much to ask for.

 

[PaulaC]

used towels in tub
take out trash and recyclables
run dishwasher
move furniture back
empty the fridge
strip beds......hell no!

why just not provide clean linens upon checkout and ask us to make the beds ourselves?
should we vacuum the floors?
clean the windows?
clean the bathroom?
where does it end?

We are generally neat/clean people and treat our timeshare stays as if we were in our own home. If we make a big mess or have an accident we typically deal with it ourselves.

We are happy to assist housekeeping and leave a tip but we also pay for housekeeping as part of our maintenance fees. We also usually check out on time or earlier if possible and never expect to be in the unit before check in time. We often check in much later.
Im sorry but I fee its the resorts responsibilty to get the unit clean in the time window between check out and check. I dont think that too much to ask for.

I agree 100%! We have been owners for 25 years and from the first stay we did all of the above, with the exception of stripping the bed. At least 9 times out of 10, we travel just as a couple, and probably leave our villa cleaner than when we arrived. Since these are vacations, we seldom cook in our villas and never make a mess.

Prior to 2020, our villas were nearly always ready for 4pm check-in and we always left by 10am, so housekeeping had time to clean for the next guest. After the pandemic, there were less housekeepers and they couldn't keep up the work to turn over the units, so often times we waited past 4pm to check-in. However, our maintenance fees didn’t decrease. We take care of the properties as if they are own homes, and I never ask or encourage a guest to strip their bed upon leaving.

 

[GrayFal]

We had a similar letter at Grand Chateau 3/28/25

Edit: Letter is from Kaua’i Beach Club.
We will be getting a mid week tidy and they said if we wanted fresh towels or any kitchen supplies to just call or text and they will deliver.

 

[dioxide45]

We had a similar letter at Grand Chateau 3/28/25

View attachment 109442

I was confused for a second as I wasn't aware of an Owner Lounge or Hospitality Room at Grand Chateau. Then I saw the letter was for KBC.

I always wonder about when you check out if the front desk notifies housekeeping in any way. Our experience seems to be that housekeepers just have a list of rooms they need to clean. It is just a list of rooms checking out that day. Nothing more. If you check out early it doesn't mean they hit your room first or even next. I am sure there are people that depart early yet they are still standing outside my door at 9:30 stalking me.

 

[clifffaith]

We had a housekeeper start knocking every few minutes starting at 9am when checkout was 10am. So obnoxious. If I tipped, it would have gone back in my pocket on the third knock.

 

[CKMason]

We learned early on (with the old Fairfield properties which are now Wyndham) to load the dishwasher, place the dirty towels someplace (varied by location), take out the trash and strip the beds before leaving, so we continue to do this. HOWEVER, I refuse to run the dishwasher if not enough dishwasher detergent is provided for our stay. I am not having my vacation interrupted by having to request more detergent and having it delivered. If the management can't even figure out that 6 place settings for 4 people only lasts one day, then that is their problem. not mine. Frankly if they want to save water and detergent, they should just provide more place settings. As for the icemaker, I do dump it into the disposal and then run the disposal with cold water. This cleans the disposal, and you would be surprised at the amount of gunk which comes out (mostly from coffee). And I do not tip if the maid has not either inventoried the place (last resort we stayed out, we were missing at least 10 items which I reported) and/or if there are significant, visible maintenance issues (like a broken icemaker). It used to be that the MVC staff was trained (per resort manager) to do the inventory and report missing items and maintenance issues. No more, I guess.

 

[tschwa2]

At Hyatt Windward Pointe this week we were asked to put used towels on the bathroom vanity and to strip the bed sheets and leave them on the bed. It took an extra 4 minutes, per bed so no biggie.

 

[davidvel]

We had a housekeeper start knocking every few minutes starting at 9am when checkout was 10am. So obnoxious. If I tipped, it would have gone back in my pocket on the third knock.

That's a good one. Someone who doesn't tip says they would have withdrawn their tip, if they were a tipper. Classic.

 

[Dean]

It's been quite a while but early on we stayed at a number of resorts where you had to do an inventory and were at risk for missing items not accounted for in the inventory. I'm not certain but seem to recall that was the case at HP & Monarch early on as well. I never recall anyone saying they were charged but the language certainly suggested it could happen.

 

[pedro47]

You can add the Marriott’s Manor Club to this list.

 

[pedro47]

We had a similar letter at Grand Chateau 3/28/25

Edit: Letter is from Kaua’i Beach Club.
We will be getting a mid week tidy and they said if we wanted fresh towels or any kitchen supplies to just call or text and they will deliver.


View attachment 109442

This is the exact same correspondence at the Manor Club.
Looks liked something from corporate.

 

[winger]

I'm not stripping beds!
Years ago we were asked to do that, then the resort realized it made more work because some people also removed the mattress cover that was difficult to put back on.

Soon enough - Timeshare stay requires watching a video on how to properly prepare your unit for housekeeping to ensure a smooth transition to the next guest.

 

[winger]

We always run the dishwasher and put the used towels by the tub. I’m not stripping the bed.

I'm not doing anything that could further agrivate a physical ailment I've been experiencing ... (aging sucks)

 

[zentraveler]

We just arrived at Harbor Ridge resort in Southwest Harbor Maine near Acadia NP. They have such a hard time getting help here that check out is at 9 am and there is a page long list of what we are supposed to do at check out. (The resort is lovely and our unit is a huge 3 story townhouse with 3 BR and 2.5 baths)

 

[jp10558]

We just arrived at Harbor Ridge resort in Southwest Harbor Maine near Acadia NP. They have such a hard time getting help here that check out is at 9 am and there is a page long list of what we are supposed to do at check out. (The resort is lovely and our unit is a huge 3 story townhouse with 3 BR and 2.5 baths)

Ok, if I have to leave an 9AM, I doubt they'd get laundry bagged up in a complicated way. And take down shower curtains? ???!!! Maybe if they gave rather than took an extra hour - i.e. I leave at 11. 10AM is already painfully early to get going for us - we're not morning people.

I don't know - that's pretty extreme IMO.

 

[zentraveler]

In decades of traveling all over the world this is the only time I have encountered a 9 am check out. And it is $25/hour if you are not out in time.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

just arrived at Harbor Ridge resort in Southwest Harbor Maine near Acadia

Enjoy. I have often said that if I could be guaranteed 70% good weather days, I'd spend the 13 wks of summer around Acadia. No problem.
Anyone who knows Maine is now laughing at the idea of it getting 13 wks of summer.

 

[pedro47]

Are hotels, and timeshare resorts projecting a housekeeping shortage in next nine months?

 

[dioxide45]

Are hotels, and timeshare resorts projecting a housekeeping shortage in next nine months?

I suspect there are certain US political policies that could play into a shortage of housekeeping staff.