Hotel Housekeepers Can't Stand When You Do These Common Things

We all want our hotel stays to feel relaxing and luxurious, but that doesn't mean basic manners should be left at the check-in desk. Behind every folded towel and beautifully made bed is a hardworking member of the housekeeping staff. Sure, there are still some gross spots in hotel rooms you shouldn't touch, but that's no fault of the staff. It's often a grueling job that doesn't pay very well, but demands a lot. Rooms must be turned over quickly and efficiently to ensure that guests are kept happy and that spaces are ready to go. Unfortunately, some guests make that job even harder by doing things that are either inconsiderate, plain gross, or just downright rude.

Even if you think you're a model guest at hotels, you might be surprised that the seemingly innocent things you do can make life all the more difficult for staff. We aren't just talking about leaving an awful mess behind (though that's certainly part of it). Simple matters like where you put the TV remote and even making the bed can become time-wasting, frown-inducing annoyances for those who are simply trying to do their jobs well. Thankfully, housekeeping staff have often made their grievances known on the internet, so if you want to brush up on your hotel etiquette, we've got you covered. You may want to read this list before you go ahead and book your next stay. 

It's no secret that tipping culture is just part of the American way. It helps workers in lower-paid service jobs make a living wage — and it's just plain courteous. Leaving a tip signals that you're happy with the hard work housekeepers are putting in, and while housekeepers (probably) won't judge you for not leaving one, they would definitely appreciate it if you do. Just remember to leave a note. 

This isn't like a dinner, where you can throw a few bucks on the table when you leave and know that the server will take it as a tip. If you leave money in a hotel room without making things clear, it likely won't get taken. A housekeeper named Brigida told Woman's Day, "If people leave money on the dresser or table without a note, we won't take it because it isn't clear that it's for us. But leaving money on or underneath the pillow usually means it's for housekeeping."

So, there are two things to be mindful of here. First, tipping isn't expected, but it's always gladly received. Second, be sure to leave a note so that housekeeping isn't missing out on a little extra cash. When it comes to how much you should leave, etiquette expert Lisa Grotts told Reader's Digest that it should be at least $2 to $5 for every day of your stay — however, it's worth noting that the amount you should tip isn't clear-cut, and the depth of service can also change from hotel to hotel.

We get it: deciding on an outfit on vacation for that special dinner can be a tricky business that involves a lot of rooting around and picking out options. However, there's messy, and then there's you-expect-me-to-clean-around-this? messy. It's one thing not to care about having a little bit of chaos yourself, but you should spare a thought for housekeepers. In fact, it's one of the most common annoyances of the trade, as housekeepers generally don't like walking into a room where personal items are scattered across every surface. Think clothes all over the bed, makeup strewn across the counter, charging cables snaking out from the plug sockets, and much more. It doesn't exactly sound like an easy clean, does it?

One Redditor vented on an r/housekeeping thread dedicated to the pet peeves of hotel housekeepers, "People who want their room serviced, but they leave all their own crap all over the floor and the bed, making it nigh impossible to do anything." At the time of this writing, that comment had received 77 upvotes and a slew of supportive statements from others in the industry. "Then complain because their room wasn't done!" chimed in another individual.

One guest also fought for their corner, claiming that they always taught their children regarding housekeepers: "They are NOT there to pick up.your garbage or clothing. Your trash goes in the can. Your clean clothing should be put away, and the dirty stuff ditto. It's a hard job; don't make it worse." We couldn't say it any better. 

We all know that a hotel room remote is one of the dirtiest surfaces in a hotel room, but that's not the start and end of its issues. A missing TV remote might only seem like a big deal to you if you need to change the channel, but it's one of the most time-wasting annoyances for hotel staff — and with good reason. Housekeepers are often on tight schedules, especially in larger hotels, and having to go on a wild goose chase around the room for items like the TV remote, telephone, or even hairdryer can slow everything down. These items are there for you to use and enjoy, but they need to be back in place for the next guest. 

Founder and CEO of MDA Hospitality Solutions Mary D'Argenis-Fernandez explained to HuffPost, "Inevitably, this tiny, elusive device is often lost between sheets, behind the bed, under the bed, or somewhere in the most obscure crevices of the room. Falling asleep with the television on may result in a scavenger hunt for the room attendant the following day. Placing the remote on the nightstand or where you found it when you checked in saves valuable room attendant time." 

It may seem like a little thing, but think about it. When you check out, are you more concerned with making sure you have everything you came with, with little thought for leaving things as they were when you came? If the answer is yes, it's time to change your ways!

If you're traveling to attend a fancy function but didn't have time to go to the salon to get your roots touched up beforehand, the hotel bathroom might seem as good of a place as any to dye your hair. There's usually good lighting, a big mirror, great counterspace, and plenty of water on tap. But let's face it — DIY dye jobs aren't exactly the cleanest of situations. Not only can it leave stains on skin, but it can also leave stains on the porcelain, splatter on the mirrors, and residue on the taps. You might be the one cleaning that up at home, but don't think you get a free pass just because you have housekeeping at the hotel. The staff won't thank you for it.

When asked what their biggest pet peeve was as a housekeeper, a Redditor on r/housekeeping responded, "People that dye their hair in the bathroom and figure they don't have to wipe up the splatter ... having to spend the better part of my time trying to get it off the grout or wallpaper makes me hope your hair falls out." Next time you're due to go on a trip, but your color is fading, it's best to take care of it before you travel. If you absolutely have to do it at the hotel, don't invoke the wrath of the housekeeping staff — keep it clean.

It should go without saying (but apparently it doesn't), so let's take a beat to reiterate: there is never a good excuse for being rude to hotel staff, especially those who are simply doing what is required of them. Housekeepers, in particular, are often on the front line when it comes to dealing with grumpy or entitled guests. Even when they politely knock to see if a room can be cleaned, they don't always know what they're going to get. When talking to Women's Day, a housekeeper named Brigida revealed, "When we knock on their door and they don't want us to come in, they sometimes yell and swear at us. I try not to take it personally, but it's the kind of thing that can stay with you all day." 

This is a stark reminder that it's not just a job that's physically demanding, but it can take its toll mentally, too. Yelling at a service worker who is likely earning minimum wage and who is trying to make your stay as comfortable as possible isn't just rude, but it's dehumanizing. If you're kind to staff, they'll remember that you were grateful, amiable, and appreciative. Sway the other way, and you'll be known forever as the terrible guest who made someone cry on their shift. We know which one we would rather be!

Whether you're planning on staying at a budget motel or one of these amazing over-the-top luxury resorts that are worth the splurge, there's one thing you should never do: leave an unholy mess in your room and just expect housekeeping to take care of it. Believe it or not, some guests treat hotel rooms like dirt, leaving trash on all the surfaces, food wrappers everywhere, and much more. It's not unusual for housekeepers to open the door of a room and find some incredibly disgusting things. Housekeeper Brigida revealed to Women's Day some of the sights she's seen that have brought fellow staff members to tears. 

"I've cleaned rooms where there's soda all over the walls and pizza on the ceiling," she explained. "And sometimes the messes guests leave in the bathroom are so bad, it's like, 'How could you do this to us?' It's made some of my coworkers cry." Not only are these messes unsightly, but they also make what should be a standard housekeeping task a major cleanup mission that takes a lot of time and effort, slowing down the rest of the day for the staff. It's not rocket science, but next time you stay at a hotel, try to remember how you'd feel having to clean up the mess. If you wouldn't be down to get elbow deep in it, then your housekeeper won't be thrilled either. 

Have you ever wondered why hotel housekeepers hate when you use the "do not disturb" sign? There are actually several reasons why, so let's break it down. Sure, for hotel guests, this handy sign is a perfect tool that allows them to get some uninterrupted rest. While you may be able to get some more shut-eye, don't think that you're doing the housekeeping staff a favor. Housekeeper Janessa Wolfe wrote on Quora, "I hate when guests keep putting their Do Not Disturb sign outside, then taking it down, then putting it up again. If you don't want the room cleaned, put the sign up and leave it." 

Wolfe's statement was backed up by another industry insider, Maria Mata from the W Hotel San Francisco. She told HuffPost that it makes it even worse if some guests leave the sign up the entire time. "Maybe the guests think that when we don't clean the room, it's easier for us, but when a room has two or three days without cleaning, it's very dirty. I have to rush to clean the room, and it hurts my body. It's very easy to get an injury. It's easier for me to clean and refresh the room every day." 

Another housekeeper, Antoinette Clerisier, said it's not just about cleaning, either, but about job security. If guests continue to leave their signs out, then management may eventually reduce the number of cleaners needed on schedule. "Last year we came together with our union where we fought and won back automatic daily housekeeping ― all housekeepers should have it," she revealed. 

It's true that horrifying details apply to almost all hotel rooms that guests would find unsavory, but sometimes it's the guests themselves making matters worse. It might seem obvious, but apparently not all travelers got the memo: the kettles provided in some rooms are there for boiling water and not cooking your next meal. Unfortunately, housekeepers have seen it all when it comes to kettle misuse — and yes, it's both disgusting and dangerous.

One housekeeper by the name of Sanka Lalinda shared her experience on Quora. "It's okay to use hot water to make some instant noodles which Chinese people usually do. But you cannot poach a fish in a kettle or make noodles in a kettle," she explained. Apparently, it's not just the kettle that gets turned into a gourmet kitchen, either.

"Also don't use clothing iron to make sausages & steaks," Lalinda continued. "I actually saw some videos on youtube too. I was like WTF. If you can pay 120 $ per night in a hotel, Im sure you can pay for room service too." We can't deny that there's some creativity being shown here, but guess who's left to deal with the sticky steak residue on the iron or the fish parts floating around in the kettle? Housekeeping.

It might feel like a thoughtful gesture to strip the hotel bed before you check out. After all, it's what the housekeeping staff would do anyway, right? Actually, you could be making the job harder. Innkeeper Yvonne Martin took to Quora to implore guests to leave the sheets on the bed after their stay is over. "DON'T make the bed before leaving or strip it for us – it's easier for us to see and treat stains while the sheets are still on the bed than to have to unfold the ones you wadded up." She also said it's best to tell staff if you've spilled something, as it gives them a chance to hop to it and treat the stain before it dries.

Apart from the strain that it puts on hotel staff, it's also worth noting that very stained items have to be thrown out, which can wreak havoc with the workflow. Michael Forrest Jones of Beechmont Hotels Corporation explained on Quora that each hotel should have enough linen to cover each bed three times. When sheet numbers drop below that limit, it can cause problems for housekeeping staff. "This kind of slowdown has housekeepers standing around with little or nothing to do, waiting for laundry to get done," he stated. "You don't want room attendants running out of sheets and towels and have to wait for them to become available from the laundry, and having to go back to place them in the rooms that they have otherwise made ready."

There are few things more uncomfortable for hotel housekeepers than walking into a room and being immediately greeted with a guest's dirty underwear strewn across the room. It doesn't matter whether it's on a bed, hung up across a chair, or in a heap in the bathroom corner. A housekeeper is still a person, and in general, strangers don't want to deal with your underwear. Sure, housekeepers have seen it all before, but that doesn't mean they want to. If they're cleaning your room, they may need to move it out of the way if they have to get to something.

Seasoned former housekeeper Anais Lucia told Reader's Digest: "I saw way too many items of underwear, bras, and bra inserts just out in the open—so if you leave it out, we will see it. I did not enjoy seeing guests' undergarments, so I wished people would not just leave that stuff just out in the open." Lucia's stance on the matter is totally fair. After all, housekeepers are paid to clean your room, not to move yesterday's tighty-whiteys to the laundry hamper. Even washed underwear can still have around 10,000 living bacteria on it, according to The Good Housekeeping Institute (via news.com.au). Let that sink in! 

If you're a seasoned traveler, the chances are that you've learned how to pack just one carry-on for a week-long vacation. But even then, it's not uncommon to run out of certain items while at the hotel, is it? Whether you need more toilet paper or an extra teeny bottle of shampoo, it can be tempting to take what you want from the housekeeping cart when it's left unattended in a hallway. After all, surely it's just taking what would've ended up in your room eventually, right — no harm, no foul? Unfortunately, it's not that simple.

One Redditor in r/housekeeping explained that it could cause a lot of problems. "When I worked at a hotel, it wasn't rude to me if it was one or two things that didn't mess up my cart," they stated. "However it was extremely irritating because I specifically stocked my cart for what I needed plus a few extras for rooms. I always appreciated when a guest would just ask me, then I updated my stock mentally." Another Redditor echoed that sentiment, stating that carts are often stocked up for just the right amount. When guests take things without permission, it means that housekeeping staff have to waste time going back and forth to the supply closet.