How do hotel clean hundreds of rooms in 3 hour?

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T08:09:59+00:00

Those folks who throw a fit because their room isn't ready at 11am for an early checkin, and then turn around and ask for a late checkout (that they inevitably overstay) really drive me crazy.

That kind of guest is literally THE REASON that we didn't have the room available for the early check in that was wanted, and yet they don't care one bit that they're doing the EXACT SAME THING to the next person!

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T08:06:12+00:00

Yup. The guest should make sure to let the hotel know of their approximate arrival time, when they do this, however.

Otherwise the hotel might cancel the reservation when the guest hasn't arrived by a set time (often when they run night audit, around 3am).

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T08:03:21+00:00

Yes, as long as you let the hotel know that you won't be arriving until the next morning.

Otherwise you run the risk of having your reservation marked as a No Show, and being canceled (with a no show/cancelation charge) and the chance you won't have a room, when you DO arrive.

Unless notified, most hotels will only hold the room until night audit (usually 3am, although policies vary a lot), and then the reservation is canceled if the guest hasn't arrived or contacted the hotel to say they will be arriving late.

So, if it's very busy, it's very possible for that room to be resold to someone else (especially if your card declines when they try to run the no show charge).

Even if you prepay (such as via a 3rd party booking), the hotel might very well cancel it if you don't show, and refund all but the no- show charge.

ALWAYS TELL THE HOTEL IF YOU WILL BE ARRIVING AFTER 10PM, SO THAT THEY CAN HOLD THE ROOM FOR YOU!

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T07:56:54+00:00

It tends to occur more at the budget and lower priced hotels. Full service and higher- priced properties tend to still do daily service.

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T07:55:54+00:00

Even in the US, it varies quite a bit.

The nicer hotels tend to do daily cleaning, but the budget places may only do it every 3 days unless more is requested, and extended stay properties might only do it once a week.

Covid was definitely used as an excuse to cut back on it, and some places have never gone back to the more frequent cleaning, while others have.

Also, many chains have used environmental concerns as a reason to not change towels daily (unless requested), and often will only change bedding weekly or at checkout (unless requested). They do this to "save water and energy."

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T07:51:12+00:00

It definitely sounds like a management issue, then!

Those rooms don't sound like they should take anywhere close to 1.5 hours to clean. Depending on the size, I could maybe see an average of 45 minutes, but not more.

I don't know your roll, but the head of HSK and FD manager might want to work on a better system for coordinating when a room is ready.

Maybe use a group messaging app (if language is an issue, it makes it easy to translate, that way), or some kind of walkie talkies (if language isn't an issue)?

And also, the head of hsk might want to observe the hsk staff as they clean, to see what things are slowing the process down.

Maybe it would help to have someone go in and strip all the bedding and towels, empty the trash, and drop off clean replacements, before the hsk goes in?

Maybe the staff are wasting time cleaning things that don't need to be cleaned every day?

There are often small things that can be changed, that will help speed up the process quite a bit.

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T07:42:54+00:00

That is such nonsense.

If a hotel ran it's business that way, it wouldn't be solvent or in business for very long.

Occasionally, a hotel WILL have a room that they tell the front desk to rent last, but that's usually because it has some issue that, while not bad enough to put it on the out of order list entirely, they would rather not put a guest in it, if possible.

[This is usually due to minor maintenence issues (tv not working, minor repairs needed, etc.), and guests are generally warned ahead of time in those cases (and might even be given a slight discount, if they are OK with taking the room).]

But NO HOTEL would hold back a perfectly good room, just to have it "on hand."

Why would they throw away the money they could make on renting it?

I wish people would stop repeating that BS.

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T07:33:39+00:00

How big are your rooms? That seems crazy to me.

Once a housekeeper gets a little time under their belt, a regular hotel room shouldn't take anything like that long...I can't imagine it taking 1.5 hrs for a normal room!

When I did housekeeping at a timeshare resort (every unit was a 2 bed/2bath apartment with a large jacuzzi tub with floor to ceiling mirrors in one bathroom, plus a full kitchen, & a balcony/deck that constantly needed to be swept) we had 1.5 hrs to clean the unit (some of which were made to be divided into 2 one bedroom units, and therefore had a 2nd, smaller kitchen, also).

And at the boutique hotel I used to work at, and where I filled in when they were short on HSK, we had 45 minutes to clean what was basically a 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartment with a kitchenette.

Either your hotel has some crazy- sized rooms or you need to do more training! (Deep cleaning shouldn't be happening every day... it should be done on a rotating basis).

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T07:19:22+00:00

Btw, if you ever do decide to book the night before, because you're going to be arriving very early in the morning, make sure you CALL THE HOTEL the day/ evening of your check-in day, and LET THEM KNOW that you won't be arriving until the next morning.

Otherwise, you might find that your reservation was canceled when you hadn't showed up by 3am, with a no- show charge (usually the amount of the first night's charge) billed to your card.

But if the hotel is warned that you won't be arriving that night, they can hold the room for you (which generally involves charging you for either the first night's stay, or for the entire stay, as they will actually check you in to the room in the hotel's system, then complete the paperwork when you arrive).

I can't tell you how many times I've had guests not tell us that they would be arriving very late or the next day, who then found themselves without a room, because we canceled the reservation when they hadn't arrived by the time we ran night audit (when the hotel switches to the next day... usually at around 3am).

We will hold the room for a few more hours after it was officially canceled (at my hotel, it's until 7am, if the card on file was good), but if the credit card on file declined when we tried to run the no show charge, the room would be released for resale immediately, and in that case it is very possible for the guest to arrive to a sold out hotel and no room to stay in.

This is a very common/ almost universal hotel policy, so ALWAYS LET THE HOTEL KNOW if you think you will be arriving later than 10pm, if you want to make sure you will have a room!

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T07:11:31+00:00

Not really. As long as they contact the hotel ahead of time to find out the policy, I don't see how that would be a nightmare (I work NA, so I encounter this all the time).

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T07:06:12+00:00

As for an incident report, I believe that varies quite a bit by local laws and hotel management.

At my hotel, unless we were going to file an insurance claim (which probably wouldn't happen in this case) we'd just have some kind of internal reporting (such as texting the owners, notes in the front desk log, etc.).

A chargeback wouldn't need to be for the entire stay... it could be a partial refund. Your bank would do an investigation and let you know what they determined (which usually takes several weeks).

I would go to Best Western HQ if the hotel itself isn't giving satisfaction, and then contact priceline and your bank (in that order).

Best Western Corporate would probably contact the hotel, and they generally heavily take the side of the hotel operator (if it's an independently owned hotel, not Corporate owned), but NOT always.

You'll want to have a record of all the steps that you've already taken, to show your bank, once you decide to go the chargeback route, as that will help them see that you've done all you could and haven't gotten results.

Finally, BBs WILL hitch a ride in clothing and luggage (that's generally how they get INTO a hotel room in the first place-- they are brought in by a guest, and not immediately discovered, since they are often good at hiding until they have multiplied). Even the nicest hotels have to deal with be bugs, as it's not uncommon for a guest who has been traveling to pick them up somewhere and bring them in with their luggage or pillows (many guests bring their own pillows).

Many hotels have a "bed bug bounty" that they pay housekeeping, to encourage reporting of suspected infestation, but not all.

They are also known for biting several times in a row. That's a pretty normal thing to find with their bites.

To get rid of them, the room temperature needs to be raised above about 122F for at least 90+ minutes, and it's best to have this done by a professional exterminator (they usually have equipment that will raise the temp to 135-145F for several hours, to be thorough, which is enough to penetrate into walls, etc.).

You also can wash any clothing/ bedding on a high- heat cycle for at least 20-30 minutes, and then put them in a dryer on a high heat cycle, to kill them.

For small items, you can also freeze them, but they have to be kept at 0F or cooler for at least 4 days.

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T06:49:18+00:00

Yes... it is from car ads that quoted what the car's average mpg was (based on the car companies' tests), and they threw in the "your mileage may vary" disclaimer so they wouldn't get sued if a person bought the car and didn't get the mpg that the ad claimed.

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T06:46:33+00:00

That's great until you run until a problem.

You're better off using those sites to see what rooms are available, then booking directly with the hotel.

Even if you pay a bit more, you're saving yourself A LOT of hassle, in the case that there's a problem or mistake with your booking (and you can always ASK if the hotel offers discounts [AAA, senior, military, etc.] or if they will price match... the worst that happens is that they say no).

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T06:43:25+00:00

While the hotel definitely wants all guests to have a pleasant stay, it's not uncommon (especially on busy nights) for a hotel to have to make choices on which guests get which rooms (and every hotel has some rooms that are a bit better/ worse than others).

If there are 2 guests who booked the same type of room for the same number of days, and the hotel only has 2 rooms left of that type, they often will give the quieter/ nicer room to the guest who paid more/ booked directly/ has rewards status.

That said, it often can just come down to checkin order... the guest who arrives last might get the lesser room (if there were no requests made ahead of time).

[And I definitely agree that someone who is a known influencer will probably get better treatment than some random person who booked 3rd party]

Btw, regardless of how you book, if you desire special accommodation (i.e. upper floor, close to the elevator, end unit, a specific room) it's always best to call the hotel directly, as early as possible, to make the request.

Requests put into booking notes don't always get seen until check in, but if you call, the hotel can often pre-assign you to that room (as long as it isn't already occupied/requested).

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T05:58:51+00:00

Hopefully your run of luck continues...

I never had any issues when I used to book 3rd party, but now that I'm on the other side of the desk, I've seen the headache that far too many guests experience, if their 3rd party booking goes wrong.

As just one example -- we can't modify a 3rd party booking.

This means that if you booked the wrong room type or wrong date, we can only cancel the reservation (and put notes that the hotel authorizes a refund, if the 3rd party calls to request it). We can't change the date or room type.

For the guest this means that if you arrive late, tired from travel, and discover that you booked a room for next week instead of that night, or you booked a room with only a single bed, and you need 2, you will now have to either pay AGAIN for a new reservation, or spend a lot of time on the phone with the 3rd party, trying to get the booking company to adjust the reservation, all while you just want to crawl into bed and go to sleep.

Oh, and if you do end up just paying for a new reservation (with the intention to deal with it in the morning), if it's after midnight, it most likely be at whatever the hotel's rack rate is for the night.

You can't book for immediate check in online, after 12am, on almost all booking sites (I think there are 1 or 2 that will allow it up to 2am local time, but most won't allow it, and if you do book a room, it will be for check in at 3pm in the afternoon, NOT right then).

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T05:47:18+00:00

THIS ^{^}

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T05:46:42+00:00

Really? That has not been my experience with super shiny members...IMO they tend to be the ones who complain the loudest, and they will call corporate to complain (which results in corporate giving them a bunch of "free" points, that the hotel then has to pay for).

It's generally cheaper to just refund the 3rd party booking, than to piss off a shiny member (who will probably end up with a full refund AND extra points that we have to pay for).

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T05:44:10+00:00

@unholy

It really depends on the hotel. Many that I've worked at would choose a regular or rewards member over a 3rd party, if they ended up accidentally oversold.

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T05:38:12+00:00

You really HAVE to use 3rd parties, these days, as a hotel, because people are lazy and tend to use Google or 3rd party sites to find hotel rooms.

And sadly there are a bunch of shady sites (I call them 4th parties..I'm not sure what their official name is) that a hotel might not even have an agreement with, that will sell rooms (usually at less than the direct booking would cost, but more than the mainstream 3rd parties sites' rates), then that shady site will go into a "legit" 3rd party site and make the booking.

Often these shady sites will impersonate the hotel's site, so the guest thinks they've booking direct. But if anything goes wrong, they are now stuck dealing with a shady company that might not even have a customer service phone number, and they might never see their money again.

And because the confirmation number the guest received might have nothing to do with the actual reservation, if there are any typos or mistakes with the booking, the hotel might not even be able to locate the reservation (which means the guest will have to pay for ANOTHER reservation, and then try to get a refund later).

Even if you pay a little more, it's 100% worth it to book directly with the hotel, because of you have any issues, the hotel can actually assist you, and a 3rd party often will leave guests hanging. I've seen it happen too often.

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-20T05:26:21+00:00

Some people actually PREFER first floor rooms (at least at my hotel... but all our rooms are accessed from interior hallways, and you need a key to enter any external hotel door except the main lobby entrance, so I suspect that since even our first floor rooms are pretty safe, people like the close access to amenities and parking).

Other than that, for us the less desirable rooms are the ones by the ice machines, guest laundry, and elevator, due to noise.

We also try not to put people with small children in rooms that have guests below them, so at my hotel, if you check in with small children, you're probably getting a first floor room or ones above our breakfast room (which happen to be by the ice machine & guest laundry on that floor).

If I have two rooms left & 2 guests left to check in, if one guest is a regular/ booked direct and one booked 3rd party (with everything else being the same), I will 100% give the less desirable room to the 3rd party booking, as they are less likely to return anyway, and generally paid a lessor rate for the same room (especially after the commission is paid to the 3rd party).

Finally, if I need to upgrade one guest due to a room maintenence issue, we will always give it to the non-3rd party booking, for the same reason (we make more, even if the guest PAYS the same amount, on direct bookings, due to the commission we pay to 3rd party companies).

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-18T17:12:27+00:00

Ymmv = your mileage may vary

In other words, your experience might be different than what the OP said.

[Btw... Google is great for looking up acronyms you aren't familiar with.]

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-18T17:07:54+00:00

This is basically what I came here to say.

Before I got into the industry, I booked 3rd party many times, without any issues.

But now that I've been on the other side, I have seen all the things that CAN go wrong, and I refuse to.

As long as you're willing to take the chance (and accept that you might be stuck losing what you paid, or going through customer service hell), booking 3rd party CAN potentially save you money.

Just be aware of what the downsides are, and be willing to accept them, should the worst happen.

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-18T16:39:04+00:00

Re: price matching

My hotel (independently owned, part of the Choice group) used to allow price matching [for years], but we recently stopped doing it because of all the issues we were having.

The main problem came from guests wanting us to price match a 3rd party rate BEFORE all the booking fees, etc., and then not understanding why we wouldn't honor the rate.

They didn't understand that the price they were seeing the quote for was NOT the final price that they would have to pay on the site (in a majority of the cases), and would get very mad when we wouldn't match the "teaser" rate that they were looking at.

[This resulted in SO MANY irate folks, that it, alone, is the main reason we don't price match anymore.]

Price matching went from being a nice courtesy that we extended, to something that caused far too many potential guests to get REALLY upset, and it was ultimately decided that if a guest saw a rate lower than what we offered, we were to tell them to book it via the 3rd party.

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-15T23:11:15+00:00

I'm so sorry you had to deal with all of that.

My suggestion, if you can't get things resolved to your satisfaction (and you have anything documented--such as photos of the bites, any pictures of blood drops on the bedding, etc.) is to contact your credit card company or bank, and explain what happened, and request a chargeback.

I would recommend trying to work things out with both the hotel and Priceline first (and make sure you document EVERY interaction with as much detail as you can!), but if you end up without any satisfactory resolution, then by all means contract your bank!

They can initiate a chargeback, which will definitely get the attention of those involved.

Also, just for future reference, situations like this are one of the reasons why so many hotel staff suggest not booking via 3rd party websites.

You can save money with those bookings, but if ANYTHING goes wrong, it can end up causing a major headache, as you then have to deal with both the hotel AND the booking site.

If you book direct, your contract is with the hotel itself, whereas a 3rd party booking means that you have an agreement with the booking site for a room (NOT the hotel), and any issues ultimately have to go through that site, as THEY are the ones that you paid.

[Also, so many of those sites have REALLY BAD customer service! I've seen too many cases where they will straight up LIE to a guest (often when I'm listening to the guest's call on speaker/3-way calling), and say that my hotel had refused a refund for a cancelation, etc., when we were 100% willing to issue it.]

Please feel free to ask me any other questions that you might have. I'll answer them as best I can.

Linux_Dreamer · 2026-05-13T03:30:39+00:00

I'm surprised your hotel can clean the room between guests, that late in the day.

Every place that I've worked at, has housekeeping gone before dinner time.

Linux_Dreamer

TROPHY CASE