OKW - Room Already Occupied

[CarolMN]

I........(snip).....A few years ago I flew into Steamboat, Colorado to join my wife who was already there attending a conference. The bell desk gave me a room key. I moved in, saw what looked like my wife's suitcases, unpacked myself into drawers and closet, then stripped and climbed into shower. I'll let you imagine the rest...

OK. I am imagining that you have been posting from the Colorado State Prison system. When do you get out?

Best wishes -

 

[DVC-Don]

A couple of years ago we were in our 2 bedroom at OKW when someone arriving tried to open our door one evening. Their key card worked, but we had the bar thing on. So there they are outside the door with all their bags. I called the front desk and they said "No way that could happen". We sent the other family back to the front desk.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

I can't believe that Housekeeping didn't pester the daylights out of the family that was still in the room.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I can't believe that Housekeeping didn't pester the daylights out of the family that was still in the room.

That's for sure! We've learned to put the "Privacy Please" sign on the door until we're ready to leave.

Check out is still 11 AM at DVC. I know at HGVC it's 10AM, and I like 11 AM much better!

Bobbi

 

[Simba's Mom]

I guess I'm the only one outraged....why wasn't that trespassing family not read the riot act and charged a late check-out fee???? AS IF they had no idea they were supposed to check out that day, and that check out time is 10:00 am. If anyone is to blame for this problem, they are the guilty party in my mind....

I totally agree (except I think check-out is 11:00). The excuse of "I didn't know it was check-out day" is so lame! I'll bet whoever said that was the same kid who, years ago, told his teacher "The dog ate my homework". They definitely need to be held accountable!

 

[DVCconvert]

I thought that housekeeping had to been in the room being emptied....and using the in room phone punch in a code that let the housekeeping mgt and front desk know that a room was ready to be occupied by new guests before that room would show ready on the front desk screens!!????

 

[Sammie]

Any chance that the trespassing family left, room was cleaned and somehow slipped back in just as housekeeping was leaving.

Not sure as someone stated who resets the locks and at what time are the previous guests' keys not workable.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I do know that housekeepers often keep the doors ajar by flipping the security bar open to keep the door from locking. Perhaps she forgot to close the door, and they siezed the oportunity. In the case where it happened to us, the front desk knew the person still had luggage in the room, but they did not know it had not been removed by noon. Obviously, that previous occupant had also decided to use at least one towel too. Not sure about the locks and when and how they are rekeyed, but it might not be until new keys are issued. That wouldn't explain why both old and new key cards would work at the same time though. BTW, this is NOT just a Disney/DVC/or OKW problem. We once were given the key to a room we were checking into at a Holiday Inn, and when we opened the door, someone was sleeping in the bed with his luggage strewn about. We quickly closed the door (he never even woke up) and went back to the desk. They were VERY appologetic, but it DOES happen all over. That's why I always use the security bar at night.

 

[goofy4tink]

Last Thanksgiving we checked into BWV in a one bedroom unit. When we were given our room key at about 4:20, we hiked up to our room, opened the door and lo and behold, it was full of toys and other stuff. Back to the front desk, the manager then went back to the room with my dh...seems he didn't believe us. He found out the the occupants had 'decided' to stay another night!!! Yeah, but why did it show up as cleaned and ready for the next guest?? No one was able to give us an answer to that one.
However, when it was our last day, the housekeeper kept at us about when we were leaving!!! She started at 9:00 and knocked on our door every 30 minutes...about 3 more times. No tip for her that day. We told her we would be out of the room at 11:00, and no sooner. She was more than a little miffed.
I will say that the manager was very apologetic about our room being occupied though. He told us he was putting a credit on our room account. I told him that really wasn't necessary, but it still showed up. My big concern was that we had Thanksgiving dinner at Chef Mickeys' at 6:00 and it was now 5!!! The manager found us a different room (very nice one in fact) and told us to freshen up and then come downstairs to the valet area and he would have a CM drive us to Chef Mickeys'. Very nice of him and we just made it on-time!!

 

[mrsdon]

This is an old, old story but it happend about 8 or 9 years ago,
We checked into the boardwalk and were assigned a room.
When we got up there we found that it was occupied.
Luckily noone was in the room.
Went back dowm to the front desk.
They sent us to dinner,
Came back, sent to antoher room,
It too had personal belogings all over the place.
Back down to the front desk.
This time ask for a manager, as we have been sent to 2 rooms that all ready belomg to someone.
She assigns us our 3rd room.
It too ended up being occupied.
At this time I am bdyond angry,
Its almost 9pm and we have been trying to check-in simce 4pm.
She finally finds a room and decides to walk up with us,
I flatly refused to go unless she went to,
Im not usually ugly, but this was ridiculous.
I asked what she was going to do for all my time and trouble.
She said we sent you to dinner and that would have been fine if, we had only been sent to the one room.
I told it wasnt good enough.
We had been trying to check-in for 5 hours and we lucky that the occupied rooms the family members were all out.
When we got home I posted here on the DIS and my DH wrote a lettr to DVC>
Even years ago, they reed here, because she mentioned my post.
We agreed on adequate compensation.
I have stayed there a couple of times since then, but my DH refuses to sleep under that roof again.

 

[Simba's Girl]

Disneydiane...RE:buses to HH-

Sure we could've taken a bus to the HH, we realize that now. However, the interenal bus system wasn't explained to us either at check in. I had to confirm that with the manager during our "visit" with him. Being unfamiliar with the bus system, I was only imagining what would've happened had we hopped on a bus and it was the last stop. I was *not* about to do that. Not to mention the fact that we had no idea how long we would've waited for the busses and it takes around 5-10 minutes for the busses to complete all the internal stops from TP, we had our grocery delivery comming as well. We were a large group and things tend to move slow with large groups and they tend to be chaotic at times.

Heather

 

[LoveWDW]

It is disturbing about finding another family occupying the room and about more than one key working at the same time, and about the room being on record as being ready.

The closest I can come to the same experience was the HK who entered the room several times during our 3 day stay, NOT at WDW though. I complained to the head housekeeper who assured us it wouldn't happen again. I was nice about it, maybe if I'd have been nasty it would have made a difference. The HK continued to enter the room without knocking first. The final time was as we were checking out. My husband took a load of luggage to the car and I waited in the room. The HK rapidly walked into the room and saw me standing there and left. She did not have cleaning supplies with her or in the hallway. Now she might have been just checking that we hadn't stolen anything- maybe they do a check?- but it was suspicious to me, and annoying since I had already complained. I was just glad to be leaving and let it go.

We enjoy mystery weekends at a resort in Pennsylvania. Sunday morning at 8 a continental breakfast is brought to the foyer, you pick up your quizzes where you answer questions and try to solve the mystery. Most people sit in their rooms and munch their sweet rolls and work on the quizzes. Then at 10 or so they go for full breakfast and solution. Starting at 8 o"clock the HK knocked on our door- despite our having the privacy please card on the doorknob, and wanted to clean. We were nonplussed- still in robes. There was no way that any of the participants in the weekend would be ready at that time. She seemed surprised to see us???? (With the card on the door? With the nature of the weekend which was people eat their continental breakfast and leave at 10 for the full breakfast? With checkout not being until after the the full breakfast?) We told her no, and she tried again at 9. Some of the others told us that they had let the HK in to clean and were going to use the public bathrooms after breakfast to get ready for the trip home. The next year when this happened we told the HK she could change the beds while we were gone, but we would use the bathroom after we got back from breakfast. Both times I complained to management that this rushing of the guests was very poor PR. Last year we were not rushed, so maybe they got the message.

 

[Beca]

If someone would've said, "We didn't realize it was our checkout day." I think my next response woud've been, "Really, well you do realize this is Walt Disney World?

I hate stupid, lying people...if you're gonna lie to me, you'd better be pretty good at it!!



Beca

 

[Caskbill]

For 20 years I did a lot of traveling on company business, and can say this type of thing happens more often than you might think. I've checked into about every major chain of hotel you can think of, and getting keys that don't work, walking into rooms that weren't cleaned, or rooms that are still occupied, does happen.

Worse I ever had was after a very late, delayed flight, I got to my hotel at about 2:00 am, unlocked the door and walked in, and there was someone already sleeping in the bed.

On another occassion, while staying several days at a major chain, I came back to the room after a long day only to find the door not completely shut. Housekeeping had turned the deadbolt with the door open so they could go in and out (that holds the door about 1" open), and never closed it when done. My room door stayed that way all day. I checked and nothing was missing, but that did get a large complaint to management.

For DVC, after 12 years, I can only recall one time we got a room that had not been cleaned yet. It did make me appreciate housekeeping though. There were cookie crumbs all over the floor, and crayon marks on the walls.

All I can say is Que Sera (sp?), people are human and mistakes will be made.

 

[jarestel]

Worse I ever had was after a very late, delayed flight, I got to my hotel at about 2:00 am, unlocked the door and walked in, and there was someone already sleeping in the bed.
All I can say is Que Sera (sp?), people are human and mistakes will be made.

Had you not been an honest person when you entered the room, I bet the sleeping person would not be singing Que Sera when they woke up the next morning.

 

[dianeschlicht]

For 20 years I did a lot of traveling on company business, and can say this type of thing happens more often than you might think. I've checked into about every major chain of hotel you can think of, and getting keys that don't work, walking into rooms that weren't cleaned, or rooms that are still occupied, does happen.

Worse I ever had was after a very late, delayed flight, I got to my hotel at about 2:00 am, unlocked the door and walked in, and there was someone already sleeping in the bed.

On another occassion, while staying several days at a major chain, I came back to the room after a long day only to find the door not completely shut. Housekeeping had turned the deadbolt with the door open so they could go in and out (that holds the door about 1" open), and never closed it when done. My room door stayed that way all day. I checked and nothing was missing, but that did get a large complaint to management.

For DVC, after 12 years, I can only recall one time we got a room that had not been cleaned yet. It did make me appreciate housekeeping though. There were cookie crumbs all over the floor, and crayon marks on the walls.

All I can say is Que Sera (sp?), people are human and mistakes will be made.

Very well said, Bill.

 

[jarestel]

Very well said, Bill.

It was very well said, I agree, but excuses are not reasons that justify less than desireable performance. When my children were small they always tried to validate poor behavior with the "everyone else does it too" theory and I wasn't buying it then either. It's one thing to say mistakes happen, but the logical follow on to that, at least at every place I've ever worked, is a plan of action to avoid making those mistakes again ( and in this case, again and again ) in the future.

But I suppose as long as we ( members ) are willing to overlook any poor performance issues by Disney and instead focus our collective energies on pool hoppers and mug refillers, we will only be getting what we asked for. And that's the pity of it.

 

[allie&mattsmom]

The family didn't know it was their check-out day? Oh c'mon! I definitely think they should be charged for late checkout. I won't go into details, but we had major trouble in May at check-in at OKW. We were very disappointed to say the least. When we got home I emailed guest services and finally got a phone call with an apology.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

As a front desk person, I can testify it's *really* easy to do that! Even people who have been doing it for decades slip up once in a while.

 

[jarestel]

As a front desk person, I can testify it's *really* easy to do that! Even people who have been doing it for decades slip up once in a while.

Poly Princess, help us to understand how this happens. Please explain how your reservations computers can allow 2 different parties to be booked into the same room at the same time. I'm seriously trying to understand where the system breaks down when these things happen.

Thanks!