Courtyard by Marriott Complaint - Hotel guest insulted by housekeeping staff

Posted by ript on 2011-05-19:

All's well that ends well.

Posted by trmn8r on 2011-05-19:

This sounds more like an informative to me.

Posted by momsey on 2011-05-19:

I don't see any insults. Sounds like it worked out.

Posted by Venice09 on 2011-05-20:

I guess it would be insulting if someone thought my personal stuff was garbage. I don't think housekeeping should remove anything from the room unless it is obviously garbage. Just because something is in a grocery bag does not mean it's garbage. I'm glad you got your stuff back.

Posted by ontario_girl on 2011-05-20:

As a former hotel housekeeper, I've been on the other end. Found a bag, thought it was full of personal belongings and left it in room and later got in deep doo-doo for leaving the bag there and not throwing it out. It's a no-win situation.

Posted by singsing on 2011-05-20:

I usually just put all my things in the drawers or closets before housekeeping comes in. I have actually never had this happen at any hotel, but I think it's wise to stash your stuff.

Posted by Venice09 on 2011-05-20:

I have never used the drawers in a hotel, even before the bedbug problem. The clothes I don't hang up stay in my suitcase. I also have a habit of leaving stuff in bags, but it is obviously not garbage. I don't understand how personal belongings could be perceived as garage. I have never had housekeeping throw out anything that was not meant to be thrown out. Garbage is usually placed in some sort of receptacle where you would never put personal items.

Posted by trmn8r on 2011-05-20:

The drawers are where you'll find the Bible, an extra blanket, and evidence of if housekeeping is doing its job.

Posted by jktshff1 on 2011-05-20:

If I stay over a couple of nights I use the drawers

Posted by olie on 2011-05-20:

One option we use, even on "long" stays: Put out the "Do Not Disturb" sign, and let the desk know too.

On a 9-night stay, Teen.olie and I walked right up to the Housekeeping staff, with a $10 in hand, and let them know that we were OK with keeping the same sheets. All we'd need was a few rolls of TP and a few extra towels.

Mid-week, we gave over another $10, with our thanks. We were not trying to get out of tipping, or even trying to "save the planet". When we are in a hotel, we tend to spread out and not "neaten up" enough for staff to come in.

To OP: I'd make sure I didn't keep important personal items or purchases in the original bag. At least, put the bag in the closet, your suitcase, or a drawer. Someplace that clearly says, "Off limits".

Posted by Guest at Marriott in Kelowna on 2012-08-14:

We had eight vacuum-sealed bags of beef jerky bought from a well-known store in Vancouver stored in the fridge. After checking out and having a late breakfast at a nearby restaurant, I remembered I left them in the room fridge. This was almost three hours later. The front desk called housekeeping and verified they had not cleaned/been in our room yet, then proceeded to go check it out. He came back and said there was nothing in the fridge. I was puzzled - how can only the fridge contents be missing without someone having gone into the room? Since the jerky were purchased for different people (and cost over $100), I asked to go check it out myself. Sure enough, nothing was touched or thrown out - except all the stuff I left in the fridge were gone. I tracked down a housekeeper I had seen earlier in the day. She showed me an apple that "someone put on her cart" and which was all she had. She assured me that no one has been in our room yet, but I was somewhat confused how only the refrigerator's contents would be removed and yet not thrown in the garbage, without anything else being touched in the room. Since she advised "someone" left the apple there I asked if I could ask the other housekeepers that were working on that floor. She pointed out there were two others and that she would be finished her shift in a half hour. When I proceeded to speak to a nearby housekeeper, she stopped me and asked me to wait. Mysteriously, she then seemed to have a light-bulb moment and bent down to the bottom of her covered cart. After removing several clean towels, there was my bag of jerky tucked between layers of clean towers. Does that not sound suspicious? My unopened bottled drink was also in that bag. My other brown bag with lunch leftovers from the day before was not there. As I was on my way out of town and only cared about the beef jerky, I simply said thank-you and left. However, it still makes me suspicious how she told me she didn't know anything, except the apple (which was ours as well from the fridge) that someone just left on her cart, and that people just leave things on her cart without her knowing. How then, did she find my beef jerky so fast - she went directly to between those towels!

Though I've never stayed at a Marriott before, it was my impression that they were a good, reliable hotel brand. Between this incident, the stinky shower curtains, unemptied coffee pot left in our room from the previous guest, and the uncivilized manner of a number of guests in the "Super 8" type continental breakfast lounge (that's why we had to go get our breakfast at a restaurant instead), I am quite certain I won't be staying here again.