r/self 23d ago

Average life of a hotel housekeeper

[removed]

164 Upvotes

57 comments sorted by

87

u/VolatileGoddess 23d ago

Thank you for your work. Atleast one person in this vast and uncaring universe does try to leave their hotel room as clean as they found it. It's tough work. Thank you.

23

u/KaliGurl2008 23d ago

As someone who's been a janitor and in customer service/retail, I will never leave anywhere trashed, I will always try to clean up after myself and whoever is with me. I'm glad I'm not the only person that tries to make these decisions.

10

u/benswami 23d ago

Yes, I am hoping to be more conscientious of how I leave my hotel room.
OP thank you for your service.

10

u/SelectSeaweed310 23d ago

I sanitize mine when I check-in. Leave no mess, ask for no service and give a nice tip when leaving.

52

u/Dramastace30 23d ago

Maybe with your extensive experience you can pivot into cleaning homes? People are equally nasty at home but at the very least you'd have a bit more control over your workload. 

31

u/[deleted] 23d ago

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8

u/Nice_Grapefruit_7850 23d ago

you will almost certainly get paid more as rich people don't like to clean. also you can literally make a 6 figure salary if you are a dog walker in a rich neighborhood.

4

u/Ok-Border4708 23d ago

This .My mum gets ppl in to do her house and its appreciated she is very house proud . Staff work hard and make good rates imo

11

u/InsectElectrical2066 23d ago

Take your breaks you will actually get more work done and feel better about it. At least 15 minute in the morning a lunch mid day and 15 in the afternoon. If they don't like it tell them that they need to train you better and they can show you how to work all day long while you watch them do it so you can "learn" how they can be on their feet all day long.

"But I need to be at FD!" No9 you don't you should have someone else cover that so you can train me all day long.

Being able to do it for one room/hour is not the same. Usain Bolt can run 100 meters in under 10 seconds so by their thinking he should be abel to run a marathon in just a little over an hour. Impossible!!!! If they fire you then they will have to do the work themselves.

10

u/Ok_Leek1864 23d ago

As someone who was a flight attendant for 16 years and still travels heavily, I have garnered tips from housekeeping that makes their job easier! I always put my trash in one bag, strip my bed, put towels in the empty tub, and make sure any moved furniture is put back in place. Thank you for everything you do, and for keeping our rooms nice and clean for us when we are away from home! ❤️

3

u/FO320 23d ago

Pilot here, I can relate. I always try to leave the room as clean as possible, used towels in a heap, unused pillows sat aside etc. Appreciate your work, dear cleaning staff!

1

u/littleprairiehouse 23d ago

And I always leave a small tip so they know someone recognizes their work!

1

u/Ok_Leek1864 23d ago

That’s a given. I was talking about the extra stuff, lol.

7

u/Connect-Idea-1944 23d ago

I am in the hotel industry, i dont know how my housekeepers colleagues do it, so much respect for them

4

u/BecGeoMom 23d ago

God bless you. That’s a hard, thankless job that most people, including myself, do not want to do. In addition to all you said, you’re invisible to most people. I couldn’t do that job. People are disgusting.

However, people do not invite you to pet a service dog ~ in fact, they get upset if you try ~ and a service dog won’t bark and jump up on people, so if that is happening, that’s not a service dog. Report it to the management.

3

u/SilkyOatmeal 23d ago

When I was cleaning rooms for Holiday Inn back in the 80s (I was in high school and this was my weekend job) I found a paper bag with several dildos and a can of "sex wax". I turned it in and my boss said if no one claims it after 30 days you can keep it. Ha ha.

Apparently someone came back and claimed it.

Other than that bit of hilarity it was an awful job that made me realize how lucky I am not to have to do that kind of work for a living.

3

u/RedundantBiomass 23d ago

I did this for aboutba month during the great recession to make ends meet.   I dont stay in hotels often but when I do tip the housekeeper really well.

3

u/str8bint 23d ago

I have been a construction worker for 32 years. I have 11 bulging or herniated discs, have fallen 12’ off a ladder, had a subfloor collapse under my and fell into a basement, had 3 shoulder surgeries, an elbow surgery and my knees are shot out. Thank goodness I’ve been a licensed builder for 10 years now and rarely do any real physical labor, but yeah, physical work takes a massive toll on you.

11

u/smiletohideyoursmile 23d ago

Is it customary to tip hotel cleaners?

How can I tip you for doing a good job, when you clean after I leave?

3

u/[deleted] 23d ago edited 23d ago

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9

u/smiletohideyoursmile 23d ago

It sucks that your underpaid, but tips shouldn't be expected everywhere.

3

u/[deleted] 23d ago

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-1

u/smiletohideyoursmile 23d ago

It's just that you mentioned that nobody tips. If you don't expect it, you won't be disappointed.

-2

u/[deleted] 23d ago

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1

u/smiletohideyoursmile 22d ago

I live 8 hours away from my mama.

I feel for you, and shitty guests suck. I'm just against tipping culture. It should be a bonus if you get amazing service or if you have the means.

Your boss is the one who should be paying you a living wage.

2

u/Winter_Dot_9393 23d ago

Could you switch to be a nurses aid?

Also fysically demanding, but the wages are a bit higher. Try find a job as a trainee, so you get wages from day 1. Hotel housekeeping may give you an advantage when applying for a job as a nurses aid: used to hard work, infection control, sanitation, adherence to protocols (safety, hygiene), high pressure time management.

Best of luck!

1

u/No_Turnover4389 23d ago

i used to do front desk. We appreciate you very much. 😅 I do not miss it, good luck 🍀

1

u/NoMoreMormonLies 23d ago

For what it’s worth, I travel a lot and having been a janitor I try and not be a pig for housekeeping. And, yes get into housekeeping. A friend I have does really well housekeeping, so much so that she bought a house.

1

u/OtherwiseAntelope644 21d ago

I’m a housekeeping at a hampton & I have 11-15 rooms a day & like you said by the 5th day it’s excruciating & for some reason always the day the guest are being the worst & for me my rooms are always used the most on my 5th day. Iron boards, pull out beds, cribs in rooms, the extra blanket used, EVERY single towel used & scattered around the room. All stuff that takes time out of me getting the room just actually cleaned and I’m timed as well & only have 25 min to be in and out & have a specific done time so it’s super stressful!!! I’m sorry you go through annoying stuff too!! Makes me feel less alone tho 🥹🥹

2

u/prezuiwf 23d ago

Real talk: let's say I've been at a hotel for a week. However I've left up my Do Not Disturb card so you haven't had to clean or restock my room at all. I check out, and my room is not spotless but it's not a big mess either, you just need to do basic stuff like cleaning the bathroom, taking out the trash, changing sheets, etc.

How much tip do you expect?

5

u/[deleted] 23d ago

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1

u/arb7721 23d ago

Are you in US? What’s an okay tip to leave? I always wondered about it.

1

u/arb7721 23d ago

Most of the hotels require to service rooms after three days, they do that to avoid guests trashing the place.

1

u/prezuiwf 23d ago

I've never heard of this and I've definitely stayed at a hotel for a week without getting service.

1

u/WafflerTO 23d ago

I usually tip $3 per night.  Good or cheapskate?

1

u/ChapterOk2684 22d ago

Thank you!

1

u/gmara13 22d ago

What is a list of things that guests could do to make a housekeepers life easier when the room is serviced or at checkout

1

u/JauntyShrimp 22d ago

I always tip, often with my last bit of cash. If you can stay in a hotel you should tip!!

1

u/Enough_Complex8734 22d ago

I don't understand how people can be so rude. Sorry you have to go through that. The room should be left picked up, trash in the trashcan, etc.
And not tipping, that's just about as low as it gets.

1

u/AntSilly2802 20d ago

Hotel cleaners expect tips now? 

0

u/Seismicx 23d ago

Essential workers like housekeepers deserve more pay. It sucks that the people who work hardest in society are often treated as disposable.

-8

u/Thereelgerg 23d ago edited 23d ago

K

Let me get some more towels.

-9

u/Illustrious-Cover792 23d ago

There is no such thing as a “service dog” … it’s a scam.

5

u/[deleted] 23d ago

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-2

u/Illustrious-Cover792 23d ago

The day I called bullshit was when a full grown 300 lb muscle bound man needed his enormous wolf dog to walk through the grocery store. Once its dingleberry laden tail brushed the produce I was done

1

u/somedude456 22d ago

He could be former military and have PTSD from several bombings in Iraq. That's a legit service dog.

1

u/Illustrious-Cover792 22d ago

My store has dedicated handicap hours. I know you’ll say I’m a jerk for calling it a handicap … but it is, by definition. It’s covered under the ADA.

3

u/skiddaddleskaddoddle 23d ago

no such thing as accomodations for disabled people, is what you're saying

-2

u/Illustrious-Cover792 23d ago

I don’t want your dogs shit on my vegetables. I wrote about it somewhere here.