Yes, I'd like to receive a $5 cash credit and go without daily housekeeping. When I travel and stay in a hotel I always keep my room clean, so what if I re-use the towels.

Posted By Lynnette Jackson on February 4, 2010, 2:11 PM

Let's split the difference. If it costs them $22 a day to clean the room, give me $11. If not, I will gladly accept the $5...that's usually equivalent to 2 or 3 beers in the local money. Substituting beer suds for laundry suds is as green as it gets!

Posted By Tom B. on February 4, 2010, 2:37 PM

I'd happily skip the housekeeping for a few days, but I'd want more than $5. It would take at least $10.

Posted By MBrandes on February 4, 2010, 3:51 PM

If we're staying in a luxury hotel I expect the room to look the same every day -- freshly laundered sheets/towels, new amenities, etc. Vacuuming the floor probably isn't necessary every day. Part of the perks of staying in a hotel is having clean linens/towels every day. I can change the sheet/towels, etc. every day at home. Why not expect at least that much at a luxury hotel? It would take much more than $5-10 for me to say otherwise.

Posted By Jojo on February 4, 2010, 7:33 PM

I can be a frugal traveler but heck no. Part of traveling is leaving the mundane behind--and making my bed qualifies as just that.

Posted By Zach Everson on February 4, 2010, 8:29 PM

No. when I go on vacation, I want to come back to a clean room. I do keep our hotels rooms neat, but I still want a nice clean room when I get back after a long day. I dont want to put anyone out of a job either, so, please clean my room and let me give you a tip for doing so. Maybe all the rest of you have maids are home and are just cheap when you go on vacation. My vacations are a treat and I want it to feel that way,

Posted By joy b on February 4, 2010, 8:46 PM

Wouldn't this just be another way to get by with fewer cleaners and also have a smaller payroll? I don't mind not changing the sheets daily - but, please, make my bed, empty the trash and run the vacuum - give me a clean towel if needed.

Please, let's keep the maids employed and yes, let's give him/her a decent tip, too. There is far too much skimping going on in the name of 'green.'

Posted By CMM on February 4, 2010, 9:21 PM

$5 no. Depending on the lenght of my stay, 500 points, yes. 500 points is the equivilent of 500 starwood dollars!

Posted By Beth on February 5, 2010, 9:55 AM

Part of traveling is coming to a clean and made up room each day. It is one of the comforts of being on the road and away from home. You pay for and choose a luxury hotel for this reason. If you don't need service, stay at a 2-3 star. This is another way corporate is trying to jipe housekeeping. Keeping a room clean each day also keeps the room in good shape for future guests. Hotels already are heavily worn and keeping the room clean only keeps the furnishings in shape. Could you imagine a family using a room for several days with no service and how filthy it would be when they check out?

Posted By KLK on February 5, 2010, 10:35 AM

Looks like Joy B and I are on the SAME PAGE, HA!

Posted By CMM on February 5, 2010, 10:57 AM

I don't have a problem with this at all. I never allow housekeeping in my room anyway because I don't trust people around my stuff. Now with this, at least I get an extra perk for doing so.

Posted By Black Brad on February 8, 2010, 9:40 AM

I would love the extra SPG Points! I rarely allow housekeeping into my room. I can keep the room tidy. If I need anything, I walk down the hall, ask housekeeping for a bar of soap. Bring on the points! Plus we are helping the earth. ( Yes, I still leave a tip for housekeeping.)

Posted By Tricia W. on February 8, 2010, 10:07 AM

No, one of the nice things about staying in a hotel is having a clean room when I come back in the evening. I think this is just another way for hotels to cut back on jobs. Furthermore, I don't like the idea that guests are reusing their towels and hanging them on the same rack that later my clean towels are hung on. I often wonder if the racks are wiped down between use. This idea along with the "green" ideas that hotels use are just ways to make more money for the hotel. I go green at home. I want service when I travel. And yes, I tip the maid. The only thing that worries me about tipping is whether the person doing the work actually gets the money.

Posted By Grandmaj on February 8, 2010, 10:12 AM

Several years ago I had an assignment with weekly stays and started to use a Candlewood Suites near my client's office (initially for the kitchen). They only have twice weekly housekeeping although they provide fresh towels and linens when requested (along with free washers/dryers for clothes). I usually bring other work with me on business trips and spread it out on the desk. Not having to work around a cleaning schedule was almost easier and I often skip housekeeping at other hotels even without the rebate. Getting something back for this would be a bonus for me.

Posted By SAY on February 8, 2010, 10:13 AM

clean linen and towels every day is ridiculous. it is just another example of how our GORGING consumption is ruining the planet for the next generations! (oh well, they might not be ABLE or ALLOWED to travel like us... let alone chose daily room care/not.

WE skip it already, because it is the RIGHT thing to do, we don't need incentives!! But being thrifty, we would chose a hotel that offered that incentive.

tom

Posted By tom Goodwin on February 8, 2010, 10:32 AM

$5 no. It would have to be no less than $15. The hotel would still be saving. I keep my room very clean and orderly and certainly could skip daily housekeeping for a few days.

Posted By Ade on February 8, 2010, 11:25 AM

I just stayed at the Sheraton in San Juan and was offered $5, but did not have the option of Starwood Points, or I would have taken the points. I used the $5 to offset the cost of my $18.50 cheeseburg!

Posted By Cathy on February 8, 2010, 11:40 AM

I love the idea of points or $$ credit. I only wish that the hotels had more REAL towel rods so that at least 2 bath towels can be thoroughly dried. In humid weather (we love vacationing at the ocean) I don't like to drape my towels over the tub or curtain rod (that often hangs a moldy curtain) or bathroom door---draping my bath towel over a solid piece of wood and who knows what's settled on top of the door--UCK. Unfortunately those over-the-toilet, chrome multi-rod/shelves that they place the stacked clean towels do not give enough air circulation for hanging more than one bath towel. At home, we do reuse our bath towels.

Posted By Musser on February 8, 2010, 1:19 PM

NASTY...NASTY...NASTY

Posted By J R on February 8, 2010, 2:17 PM

I do this all the time & have never gotten a discount, but have received other benefits instead. When I have been on a quick business trip (only 2 or 3 nights), I have asked the front desk clerk to leave my room off of the maid's cleaning list. This serves 2 purposes. One: I hate people accessing my room with all of my things laid out when I'm not there. Two: The maid will love you and get you any extra thing you may need, with a smile on their face (this includes towels, coffee, pillow, etc...)!

It doesn't bother me to have an unmade bed, as I easily deal with that at home, but it does make me feel a bit more secure, knowing that my things have not been accessed by unknown persons while out and about in the city.

Posted By Jennifer Saurenman on February 8, 2010, 2:35 PM

I usually stay at Marriott hotels and they give you clean towels every day, but they certainly don't change the sheets every day or vacuum. When staying at any hotel, I rarely hear a vacuum cleaner. I think there should be higher standards for cleaning rooms.

I don't know if Sheraton actually wants to go green or if they want to cut their costs by cutting staff. I am against them cutting staff.

Posted By Vickie on February 8, 2010, 2:48 PM

I am getting tired of companies' cost cutting measures attempting to be made more appetizing to the public under the guise of being "green". I wonder how long it's going to be until people are so tired of being preached to about how to be more environmentally friendly that they just tune it out all together?

I totally agree that having your sheets and towels changed daily is excessive. And I think that most of us agreed with that and have become more conscious of reusing those items. But I can see on the horizon that hotels may eventually not give you an option of having new towels and sheets daily (or will charge extra for those things) and even the possibility that hotels will no longer offer daily housekeeping (except again for an extra fee).

In my mind, this is a much broader topic than that of just the option to go without housekeeping, which I think is viable for those who wish to use that option. I guess this is more of a rant about the slippery slope of "options" eventually becoming "mandates" and that I don't believe that any of this is truly for the environment, but instead for the hotels' bottom line.

Also, thanks to the poster above for giving this germaphobe a new fear relating to hotel room towel bars :)

Posted By Jessica on February 8, 2010, 2:55 PM

Kudos to Joy B for seeing this for what it really is - an attempt to cut staffing costs under the guise of going green.

A daily change of sheets and towels are not only unnecessary, but completely wasteful. However, the room should be vacuumed, dusted, beds made and room tidied up on a daily basis. Opting out for a few frequent guest points is a cynical attempt at reducing costs.

Starwood should be ashamed of themselves.

Posted By alan on February 8, 2010, 3:42 PM

I only use housekeeping every other day, or once in three days, depending on circumstances. I rarely get so dirty, or so messy as to require fresh linens every day. I do not need any kickbacks for allowing hotels to follow 'greener' practices and saving an extra $ while travelling is down. But I would expect 'housekeeping on demand.'

Posted By SueSho on February 8, 2010, 3:44 PM

I would be fine with choosing how many days during a stay to have housekeeping come. A few years ago, we went to a property and were there for an entire week and our room was never dusted. With 4 people staying in a tiny space, I dusted it myself! That was the only complaint of our stay. If I could have chosen to have them come twice during the week that would have been awesome!

Posted By CAS on February 8, 2010, 3:53 PM

I think this is a great idea. I always refuse housekeeping service anyway because I find it unnecessary and because I don't want people going through my things. But if the hotels want to give me a credit for it, sure! It also saves the cost of the housekeeping tip.

To each his own, but I find it puzzling that so many people see housekeeping service as an amenity essential to the vacation experience. When I stay in a hotel, I'm there to sleep and take a shower. I'm not there much, and the only thing I want a good view of is the inside of my eyelids.

Posted By FMWarner on February 8, 2010, 4:55 PM

We have found Starwood hotels to be impeccably clean, and prefer more privacy over daily cleaning. The Starwood points seem the more valuable option over $5 credit in the hotel restaurant. I agree with all those who said it is still important to leave a (generous) tip for the housekeeping staff. I did that job years ago--it is far harder than most folks realize, and generally very underpaid.

Posted By Mim on February 8, 2010, 5:34 PM

Gross, just plain gross! I get the skeevies just thinking about who sat on the bed or walked across the carpet barefoot in the room. I want fresh and clean every day and $5 is a ripoff to the customer and the maids. I usually try to find a hotel with a no-smoking anywhere policy along with duvets in lieu of bedspreads (because I hope the duvet cover is washed between guests) and I would pay MORE for those services. With the national epidemic of bedbugs I also don't want to bring home uninvited guests with me.

Posted By HAW on February 8, 2010, 7:23 PM

Let's see- no room cleaning- save 5 bucks
At least one employee laid off
Unemployed employee gets unemployment check or goes on welfare.
Tax payers pick up the check.
Starwood makes money. Who needs it more - Starwood or the maid who probably makes $9 or less per hour. Also you big tippers- what do you really leave? The equivalent of half a drink at the bar?
Wake up people! This is not at all about saving the GREEN. It is business as usual.

Posted By Dick Hux on February 8, 2010, 7:24 PM

We usually request no maid service when we stay in hotels, because we don't like the idea of other people in our room while we are out. I wouldn't mind getting a credit or loyalty points for something that we already do.

Posted By Robin on February 9, 2010, 11:27 AM

5$ is not a lot... I would want more, but it all depends on how much we paid for the room. On a 5 star hotel it's a ridiculous amount. But it's nice to have choice...

Posted By normi on February 9, 2010, 5:01 PM

After traveling around the world a lot - and becoming a bit of a security nut - I usually put out the "do not disturb" sign for most of my stay in hotels. The less traffic in my room the less of a chance of things going missing. And to save water and resources I reuse towels for a couple or more days. When I need fresh linens I remove the "do not disturb". So I tidy up my own room anyway. If they want to give me a credit to my account I would be very happy to accept!

Posted By L. Booyse on February 9, 2010, 7:34 PM

I don't need much... just my trash emptied. But, for as little as housekeepers make- let them keep their jobs.

Posted By Julie on February 9, 2010, 8:50 PM

I would much prefer an immediate discount on the room say $15/day and thus stay longer or more often. I would also be happy to spread the word as FREE Marketing to my associates and customers if this was done.
If I only provide a lower quality service or product from one of my several wholesale distribution companies and service companies, we are expected to provide a significant discount immediately. Why shouldn't Starwood provide an immediate discount and a significant one also?

Posted By James H Baker, Sr. on February 10, 2010, 8:19 AM

If I wanted to make my own bed I would stay home.

Posted By L. Dobson on February 10, 2010, 8:35 PM

I too use the 'do not disturb' sign for most of my stays. I would gladly take the $5/day credit to my account. Rather that than $5 off in the restaurant because I rarely dine in the restaurants mainly because of $18 cheeseburgers (see Cathy's reply).

Posted By Vicki on February 11, 2010, 3:42 PM

Great idea, I don't use the daily service anyway. For all you people who think this is gross - do you change your sheets at home daily? I would prefer the Starwoods Points but would take five dollars, that offsets the tip I will leave housekeeping for coming in only occasionally.

Posted By Alexis on February 11, 2010, 5:08 PM

I'm for it if the discount is greater than $5. I'm with other readers who price it around $10 or $11 (maybe more for bigger rooms?).

Posted By Jake Redman on February 12, 2010, 1:49 AM

I don't know anyone who changes their sheets daily...I'd absolutely take the credit!

Posted By snkywfe on February 13, 2010, 1:27 PM

Has anyone considered that if a discount is offered, perhaps more people would choose to stay in that particular hotel? The room ALWAYs has to be cleaned upon check out. More business would insure that the housekeepers would keep their jobs. In this economy, less people are choosing to vacation. A more affordable room might encourage travel.

Posted By anna hyles on February 14, 2010, 8:24 AM

I think if people forgo getting the hotel rooms cleaned daily for any type of compensation the real concern for me is how well will that room be cleaned after they leave. Let's face it many hotel rooms are not clean to begin with, they look clean but at a very close inspection they truly are not. I'd be afraid of the dangerous germs they would miss and the higher potential of you getting sick on your stay there. The impression of a clean room is highly preferred than getting $5 or any amount for that matter. I also want to point out that most hotels luxury or not swap your top sheet to your bottom sheet the next day and so on till you leave. Get my drift. Hotels keep you money and clean the room as much as your employee will for that day, highly preferred.

Posted By Jacqueline E on February 14, 2010, 6:57 PM

The nice thing about staying at a hotel is not having to clean up the bathroom after your shower and finding it in order when you come back. It is just not worth $5 towards food in the restaurant (where all the prices have been increased the $5 to compensate! Linens & towels don't need to be changed on a daily basis but on request.

Posted By Ann M on February 16, 2010, 1:21 PM

NO. I am on vacation and do not want to spend my precious vaca time cleaning. I want to come back to a neat, clean room and bath each day. Few hotels change sheets daily anymore. I never reuse towels at home and will not do so at a hotel.

Posted By Jem on February 16, 2010, 2:44 PM

We ALWAYS travel on a budget and leave our Do NOT Disturb sign out most days so as not to have to put out a tip for that day's housekeeping so ABSOLUTELY we would love to get a credit for not using housekeeping. (We do not tip in the end because we know staff rotates and we want to tip the actual person cleaning our room) But we would think perhaps a credit of 8.00 or 10.00 would be nicer. If we stay a long time in one location we get housekeeping about every 4 days and would request the same even if we were to get a credit.

Posted By Kelly M. on February 16, 2010, 2:59 PM

Give me the discount, but if the hotel is saving $22 they need to be a bit more generous... I think it is fairly obvious that the hotel is not going to share this largesse with the staff.
I've always been a bit leery of the "green" movement in hotels. If I'm paying over $100 per night, I want clean towels and clean sheets every day.
Studies and investigations have previously shown that "cleaning" isn't performed as well as it should be. I've found lip prints on glasses, pubic hairs on supposedly clean sheets and make-up smudges on pillow cases....and there is no differentiation between "budget" rooms and higher priced inns.

Posted By Jack on February 18, 2010, 12:42 PM

No, I would not agree to save $5 day and have no housekeeping. Everything others have said is too true: the hotel is saving much more than $5; vacations are the time for being pamperedwhich means beds are made (although not the way we like!); dry towels are provided, a very little cleaning is done, etc.

Posted By r.l. on February 18, 2010, 4:51 PM

Heck no - the nice thing about a hotel stay is when you return to your room, it's cleaned up with beds made. Whether personal or business travel, saving the $5 bucks to me is meaningless.

Posted By Daniel Herrold on February 20, 2010, 7:23 PM

Okay with me...I don't like anyone in my room while I am there. I usually put out the
Do Not Disturb sign. They still like to knock on the door to see if anyone is there. ugh

Posted By Beth on February 20, 2010, 10:03 PM

I agree 100 percent with Kelly M.and do the same thing !! Who needs a clean towel every day? Who does this at home ?

Posted By Frank J. Barnett on February 21, 2010, 2:41 PM

It looks to me like we have a pretty decent split on those who would take the credit and those who still want the added luxury of daily cleaning. Economically it looks like hotels could up the credit to about $10/day and still be coming out ahead for those who want it.
I myself would take the credit...who wants to pull back that nasty comforter nightly. You know that doesn't get washed daily-Yuck :)

Posted By bonnie on February 23, 2010, 1:54 AM

NO NO NO
No dollars, no points.
I'm on vacation (or on business and it is my employer's dime).
I can make a bed, empty the trash, wash the glasses at home...not away!

Posted By lawthomas on February 25, 2010, 3:41 PM

We stay in a time share on vacation, and there is no maid service, but I do wash the towels in the free washer almost every day.
However,if I'm paying over $100/night for a hotel room, and if there is no "free" breakfast, then the least they could do is wash the towels and change the sheets. We've stayed before at a very pricey Sheraton and asked for the sheets to be changed, and still had the same sheet w/ a stain on it for the entire week.

My other gripe is about the glasses in the room or bathroom....they don't wash them or replace with clean glasses, they just swipe them with the same rag that they cleaned the bathroom, the floor, and dusted with. I prefer the plastic wrapped plastic cups, and I think all hotels need to get rid of glasses that aren't run through a dishwasher every day. If you don't see clean glasses on the maid's cart, you can bet that they've just been wiped, not cleaned with soap and water. If that's the case, remember that the shampoo is similar to dish soap, and wash them yourself!

I usually take my own Lysol wipes or Clorox wipes on every trip and re-wash the bathtub, and re-wash any glasses, especially before my child uses them. I leave up the "Do Not Disturb" sign when we are out of the room, and then take it down when I am in the room for the maid to clean, so nothing gets taken.

We've been on trips with a large group before, and were suprised at how unconcerned most people were...leaving laptops out, wallets out (and gone when they returned). The only thing we've had stolen so far is non-perishable food we had sitting out.
We've also returned to our room, and it was clean, but the door left open. Be careful what you leave sitting out!

Finally, if I want to leave a tip, I give it directly to the maid that was the most helpful. Some places, they're required to share anything that's left in the room, but if they get the tip given specifically to them, they're allowed to keep it. Some maids go out of their way to help you, others don't!

Posted By GA Mom of 5 on February 25, 2010, 8:57 PM

yes, i don't like people coming in my room, and seeing my stuff. nor do i like to think that they may be sick and cough all over my things and my pillows. also, less chance of theft if they aren't tempted in the first place. i think that i would gladly PAY $ 5, if i had a special key to keep everyone out, until i checked out of the hotel.

Posted By kay on February 26, 2010, 3:18 AM

Yes I would take a room credit as I do not want someone in my room every day. I would want to make sure that I have enough coffee to last me though and clean towels every other day. It is nice to have clean sheets every few days.

Posted By Jo Ann Miller on February 26, 2010, 11:58 AM

I would love the $5 credit, but I am afraid after awhile they will say if you want room service there will be a $5 charge on top of room which will stay the same price.

Posted By alarmist on March 1, 2010, 7:14 PM

Give me the discount but it needs to be at least $10 day and include trash pickup each day.

Posted By Genie on March 2, 2010, 1:57 AM

YES! Spare me the interruption and worry when I have three kids and I know where everything is in the room. I feel the need to "clean up" before housekeeping comes so things are tidy and don't get lost, so it's kind of a pain. I'll reuse towels and ask for fresh ones as needed. Please pay me to skip this daily "convenience".

Posted By Claire W. on April 12, 2010, 12:57 PM

Stayed at Chicago Hilton in June '09. Nice place, but very maddening. They charged about 18.00/day to use the internet(I don't remember the exact amount, but that is close). Most local smaller, hotels(Budget, Days Inn, etc.), internet comes with the room; no extra charge. We went across the street to the Caribou Coffee cafe bought coffee and used the inet for FREE. When we wanted somewhere to store our baggage after checkout and before heading to airport, they charged us about 3.xx per bag. Paying the amount we paid to stay at THE HILTON, I didn't expect all the extra charges. Never thought to ask if those things would cost. They wanted 43.00 per night to park. Went across the street for 18.00. I didn't feel terribly safe, but took the chance. I wouldn't have my wife do that.

Posted By Unhappy Hotel customer on April 12, 2010, 6:35 PM

Stayed at Chicago Hilton in June '09. Nice place, but very maddening. They charged about 18.00/day to use the internet(I don't remember the exact amount, but that is close). Most local smaller, hotels(Budget, Days Inn, etc.), internet comes with the room; no extra charge. We went across the street to the Caribou Coffee cafe bought coffee and used the inet for FREE. When we wanted somewhere to store our baggage after checkout and before heading to airport, they charged us about 3.xx per bag. Paying the amount we paid to stay at THE HILTON, I didn't expect all the extra charges. Never thought to ask if those things would cost. They wanted 43.00 per night to park. Went across the street for 18.00. I didn't feel terribly safe, but took the chance. I wouldn't have my wife do that.

Posted By Unhappy Hotel customer on April 12, 2010, 6:37 PM

We don't like maids in our room when we travel and if I want the bed made, it takes us about 15 seconds to make. Clean sheets daily? Maybe if I was having an orgy or sweated like a pig, but frankly, who needs to waste the water, soap and energy to replace sheets that we slept in for 8 hours? We do ask for extra towels, amenities, coffee, etc as needed, and if staying over 3 days, might ask the maid in to clean up. Sure we'd take a discount, since we rarely use maid service anyway - oh, and we STILL tip the maid when we leave.

Posted By Jan on April 12, 2010, 7:22 PM

When on vacation give me clean towels and sheets AND a clean bedspread. As an EMT I can tell you that the bed cover is possibly the dirtiest, germiest thing in the room.

Posted By Marilyn on April 12, 2010, 11:55 PM

Well, how long before bed bugs become a real issue in all hotels??? I wouldn't want to stay in a room after it has been left unkept for days on end by the individual before me!!!!

Posted By Annetta M on April 13, 2010, 8:49 PM

For every 15 rooms that "go green" at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto (Starwood) one member of the housekeeping staff is cllaed at 3 in the morning and told not to report to work. Other posters are correct - this is about saving money by cutting labour costs out of the wages of people who are already paid minimum wages.

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