What’s Up with Housekeeping at Disney World Resorts?
Whenever Walt Disney World resorts or cutbacks come up, readers complain or ask about scaled back or nonexistent hotel housekeeping. Specifically, whether it’s returned to normal, if there’s daily cleaning, and what can be expected of “Modified Mousekeeping.” This post attempts to answer all of that with official policies, our experiences, what readers have shared, and speculation about the future. (Updated January 16, 2023.)
As you might recall, Walt Disney World instituted a range of health safety protocol back when the resorts started to reopen. Disney released operational changes and policies for its resorts, reflecting all of this. One thing that covered was resort cleaning, which would be both enhanced and modified or scaled back, depending upon the circumstances.
A lot of attention was paid to surfaces throughout the parks, resorts, and even guest rooms. Obviously, a lot has changed since then–both in terms of what we’ve learned since and the nature of Walt Disney World’s operations, which are largely back to normal.
With that said, here are the current housekeeping policies via Walt Disney World’s official website:
Prior to Your Arrival – Your room will undergo comprehensive cleaning, with added attention to:
- High-touch areas, like TV remotes and door handles
- Floors, which will be steam cleaned and vacuumed between guests
During Your Stay – Your room will receive light housekeeping service every other day (unless you choose to decline the service). This service will include:
- Removal of trash and used towels
- Replenishment of towels and amenities throughout room and bathroom
- Wiping and cleaning of the vanity and counter surfaces
- Vacuuming, if needed
January 16, 2023 Update: Housekeeping continues to get back to normal. Walt Disney World has announced that, effective immediately, full housekeeping service has been reinstated at ALL Deluxe Resorts. Note that this is not a change for many Deluxe Resorts, many of which have been receiving full housekeeping since the middle of last year.
With that said, here’s Walt Disney World’s official, updated housekeeping schedule that is in place as of January 16, 2023:
- Deluxe Resorts – Daily full housekeeping service.
- Deluxe Villas – Guests paying cash rates to stay at Deluxe Villas (DVC Resorts) will receive daily full housekeeping service.
- Moderate Resorts – Full housekeeping service every other day.
- Value Resorts – Full housekeeping service every other day.
- Disney Vacation Club Resorts – Guests staying at DVC resorts on points will continue to receive housekeeping service based on their length of stay. Disney Vacation Club Members and their guests may purchase additional housekeeping service by visiting the front desk or contacting housekeeping via their in-room phone.
Full housekeeping service includes: making the bed, replacing towels and amenities, cleaning the bathroom, emptying the trash and recycling, and tidying the room by dusting, wiping counters, and vacuuming.
You might notice that this update contradicts the official page on DisneyWorld.com. For whatever reason, that has not been updated in a while–and is no longer accurate. The above schedule is accurate and is directly from Disney.
This comes as Walt Disney World continues to deal with housekeeper shortages, which are likely to be a problem for a while. More on that in a bit-let’s start with some on the ground accounts. We’ve now done about a half-dozen multi-night stays in the last ~6 months at Walt Disney World.
Accordingly, we now have a good amount recent firsthand experience with Mousekeeping during our stays at Walt Disney World. The biggest thing we’ve noticed is that there has been a significant shift since around the end of the summer last year. Prior to that, I would’ve described housekeeping as hit or miss at Walt Disney World. (In fact, that’s exactly how this article used to describe our experience with housekeeping early last year.)
Even though this just became the official policy as of early 2023, it’s what we’ve experienced on several occasions. We’ve done stays during that time at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Grand Floridian, and Yacht Club–all provided daily housekeeping. (Note that these stays were on the hotel side of each resort–totally different ballgame on the DVC sides, where applicable.)
Shortly after the original publication of this post, we also shared Housekeeping “Hassles” at Walt Disney World. Ironically, we have not experienced any of this issues in our stays since. That could simply be luck on our part–that does play a big role (just read the comments to that post with some regulars never having experienced the problems, and others having them with regularity).
To the contrary, the guest experience during our more recent hotel stays has been exceptional. Not only have we received daily housekeeping at the aforementioned Deluxe Resorts, but we’ve also had the same at both Value and Moderate Resorts. This includes two of the All Stars and Coronado Springs, both the outlying buildings and Gran Destino Tower. (The last one is no surprise–although not official, Disney aims to exceed expectations at Gran Destino.)
Based on anecdotal reports we’ve heard from readers, many have had similar experiences. With that said, this is not the official policy, so do not count on daily housekeeping at these hotels. Whether you’ll receive it is likely a result of resort occupancy, staffing, Cast Member workloads, and other variables. Consider yourself lucky if it occurs, but absolutely do not bank on it. If you “need” daily housekeeping, stay elsewhere.
Nevertheless, I want to draw specific attention to All Star Sports, where both housekeeping and the guest experience were especially good. During that stay, a manager of the resort stopped me to inquire about the newly remodeled room and how things were going, generally.
She indicated that feedback on the new rooms at All Star Sports has been universally positive. Guest satisfaction is up and Cast Members prefer the new rooms, too. This manager also offered interesting insights about resort occupancy and building closures, which confirmed what I suspected based on the low number of people out and about at the hotel. (Relevant because it likely explains the superior service–and why you shouldn’t expect the same if staying here when there’s one of the many winter cheerleading events!)
A lot of readers have shared their experiences with housekeeping during their stays at Walt Disney World, and those anecdotes are mixed. Some have reported that things are essentially back to normal–despite Disney’s official policy, they had their room cleaned daily (or close to it).
Others indicated that housekeeping barely set foot in their room, except for the infamous safety/security checks. These people stated that not even the every other day services were occurring. Many also have shared that they didn’t receive any Mousekeeping at all without calling the front desk.
The middle ground of reader feedback more or less reflects the official policy–that housekeeping took out the trash and towels, but not much else. (If you have experience with Walt Disney World Mousekeeping in the last year, please share it in the comments.)
One thing I do want to note is my perception that these reader reports skewed more negative towards the beginning of last year and have become more positive since about July or August. So if you do have a report to share, please include the approximate date of your stay, as that’s a key detail–things continue to change.
We’ve only done a few third-party hotel stays in Anaheim and only one in Orlando since last summer. Our perception is that things are likewise improving at real world hotels, but that’s hardly enough data points to draw a definitive conclusion.
Prior to that, we did spend a decent amount of time in Anaheim at a dozen different hotels, all for multi-night stays between 2021 and mid-2022. With the exception of two stays at the Grand Californian, our stays there were all at third party hotels, at every price point.
Across the board, our experiences in Anaheim were entirely consistent with Walt Disney World resorts. However, Anaheim is also a unique market–with a lot of parallels to Central Florida–so I’d stop short of generalizing our experiences in Southern California to the whole industry as a whole. (Las Vegas is probably also a similar story, but I’m not sure about other domestic destinations.)
In Anaheim, we were offered regular housekeeping at one hotel. At many of these hotels, we noticed garbage outside other guest rooms in the hallways, so clearly it was an across the board policy–not just housekeeping snubbing us. Even the new JW Marriott and Westin luxury hotels only provided daily housekeeping upon request (an increasingly common policy in the hotel industry).
We do a lot of Marriott stays, and this was a first for us–as were a number of other changes. Notably, Marriott eliminated its “Make A Green Choice” program, which gave Bonvoy members the option to receive 500 points for each day they declined housekeeping.
We were big fans of this, and always took advantage. We’re not trying to single out that brand as some sort of anti-Marriott agenda; they’re not the only chained brand hotel to quietly do away with its incentives for declining housekeeping. My guess is that hoteliers realized they could get away with cutting that bonus under the guise of health safety.
Similarly, Walt Disney World had been offering gift cards as part of the “Service Your Way” program for those who declined housekeeping at select resorts. This did not return when the resorts reopened, presumably removed with the same underlying motivations as other hotel operators.
Disney’s “Service Your Way” offer started a few years ago. It was one of the rare perks that got better as time went on, as Disney increased the dollar amount to entice more guests to decline housekeeping. We also always took advantage of this, and there were some occasions–like when booked in tandem with Free Dining–where it felt like one of those “there’s gotta be a catch?!” things. Disney was practically paying us to stay there.
Of course, there was a catch and none of these hoteliers were offering points or cashback for their purported reasons of environmentality or customizable service. Its motivations were purely economic, just like a lot of recent changes that offer coincidental environmental or other benefits.
While I cannot speak to Marriott or chains in other markets around the country, Walt Disney World’s motivation was staffing shortages. Even from 2017 through early 2020, the company was having tremendous difficulties hiring and retaining housekeepers. College Program participants were offered incentives to change roles, there were multiple job fairs, hiring bonuses, and wage increases–but the shortages persisted.
As you’re undoubtedly aware if you’re read this blog at all, staffing shortages for many roles have only gotten worse in the last year, and housekeepers are one specific role that is always advertised for job fairs and hiring bonuses. Right now, there are open positions on Disney Careers with a starting rate of $17 per hour and a $1,000 new hire bonus.
I won’t pretend to understand all of the nuances of the labor market for housekeepers in Central Florida, but I’d hazard a guess that there are a couple key factors at play.
The reasons for the current labor shortages are multifaceted. They have been further exacerbated by the United States having an aging population, and many baby boomers have left the labor force entirely in the last 2 years. All of this makes the housekeeper shortage one that higher wages alone cannot resolve. However, there are a couple of significant issues that often get overlooked.
First, legal immigration to the United States has slowed down in the last 5 years, plummeting in the last two. This alone leaves the country with a shortfall of over 2 million workers. This is of particular relevance for housekeeping roles, as they were disproportionately filled by immigrants. This could soon improve, as the backlog of immigrant visas is finally starting to be processed. Immigration returning to pre-2017 levels would likely have the biggest impact on addressing the housekeeper shortage.
Second, development around Central Florida has exploded during that same span of time. I’m not going to crunch the numbers on how many hotel rooms have been added to the Orlando market during that time, but it’s easily tens of thousands.
Hotels aren’t the only thing that has been built. Residential construction has also exploded, with huge swaths of undeveloped land now filled by seas of subdivisions. With more homes comes more demand for maids and residential home cleaners. In my cursory research, it appears those positions pay more than Disney. I’m also going to go out on a limb and guess they’re lower stress.
Ultimately, all of this is why I’m skeptical that housekeeping will ever return to its pre-closure normal. Not just at Walt Disney World, but for the U.S. hotel industry as a whole. While I don’t necessarily think Walt Disney World’s current “modified” Mousekeeping service will become permanent, I do think it’ll necessarily be scaled back in some way in light of all of the above.
One expectation is that the degree of service will vary with occupancy and load levels. Guests who travel during the off-season or stay at unpopular hotels are probably more likely to encounter full and regular housekeeping. It’s also possible that housekeeping upon request becomes the industry standard going forward. However, the days of consistent and unsolicited housekeeping–or an economic incentive for declining it–are probably gone for good.
Finally, it’s possible that Walt Disney World will institute more changes, and Mousekeeping service becomes a way of segmenting among the various tiers of resorts. Which is to say that it won’t be offered on a daily basis at Value or Moderate Resorts, but perhaps will be the standard at Deluxe Resorts and other luxury hotels. This would be a way of addressing housekeeper shortages and also guest demand for daily room cleaning. Probably not a popular way, but one that could make sense to the company if these shortages persist.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you expect full normal housekeeping to return? Think this is another cost-cutting measure by Walt Disney World, or agree that there are externalities that’ll make it difficult to restore housekeeping? What have been your recent experiences with housekeeping at Walt Disney World–and beyond? Would the reinstatement of regular Mousekeeping make you more likely to book an on-site Walt Disney World resort stay? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We just stayed at Caribbean Beach Resort for Marathon Weekend. We were offered to decline housekeeping at check in with no concession offered. We refused to decline and were told housekeeping would be every other day. They came to our room once during our 5 night stay, they emptied trash and replaced the towels. My husband was running Dopey so we spent a lot of time napping in the room so this wasn’t bad but I took our trash multiple times and emptied it in the resort cans (which there needs to be more of those if their going to reduce in room housekeeping). On the last morning, they were knocking on our door at 8am asking when we were planning on leaving so they could get in there to turn over the room. They were “hovering” in our area waiting for people to leave, almost pushing you out. Our group had 3 rooms and everyone else reported the same thing, one of group complained to the front desk. We had a great stay but I definitely expect better service considering that room rates are only increasing.
Oof. That sounds precisely like what was happening last spring. Thanks for the report, but disappointing to hear it’s still occurring. Hopefully it was just because that was a high-occupancy time at CBR.
I’m not sure if this was mentioned but at Club level at Beach resort in September we had full cleaning, plus turndown every day. It was great! I also want to echo leaving a tip and a nice note each day. It goes a long way I think. Kindness always wins!
@Beth…. We stayed at club level in the Tower at Coronado Springs in September. We received full housekeeping that was fantastic every day. We always make sure to have our little mousekeeping envelopes prepared for the tips. It’s a lot of fun doing something cute and nice.
We had full housekeeping – beds made, floors swept, etc. – every day during our 7 night stay at the Polynesian over Thanksgiving week. The resort was booked solid that week so we were pleasantly surprised at the attentiveness.
Gosh reading all this is so sad and frustrating! Really Disney needs to stop building resorts! Disney has way too many rooms, more than their Parks can handle. The Disney Parks are way to crowded all the time to truly have a fun experience. Also since the pandemic, it appears to me that a lot of people just stopped caring and it shows everywhere. Hopefully Disney can figure things out and start valuing it customers. Also hopefully all of us can just step back try to be a little more patient and be sure to take some pride in the everyday things we do.
Disney does not need more hotels bringing in more people to already crowded parks over flowing with people. Adding more hotels is just adding to the problem. Disney blames everything on staffing shortages. I think Disney needs to put the magic back in the parks then think about hotels.
We stayed at the Caribbean Beach (preferred room) from Dec. 17-24. We didn’t request anything in particular and had housekeeping service — towels replenished, trash emptied — every other day. I didn’t notice that anything else was done, but I didn’t expect anything else to be. Maybe my standards are lower? We had our stuff all over the room, so I’m not sure how much vacuuming could have been done if they tried. I also don’t need anyone else to flip my duvet up to the top of the bed. Anyway, it was entirely satisfactory, and no complaints here.
On an additional note, we had a fantastic time. These ‘the magic is gone’ comments made me fairly anxious in the days leading up to our trip (we hadn’t been in five years; this was a big splurge for us). But we had an absolute blast, did everything we wanted to thanks to Genie+ and Tom’s tips, and it just couldn’t have been better. I’m sorry to hear it hasn’t been that way for everyone, but I just wanted to say that the ‘magic is gone’ experience isn’t everyone’s, either.
I just got back from a five-night stay at POP Century where we had an odd experience with housekeeping. I’d declined service so we weren’t expecting any cleaning, but we did run out of toilet paper so I called to get some delivered (seriously why do they only put out one extra roll?). The rep was super nice, and sure enough there was toilet paper in our room when we returned at 9:30pm that night. However, there was also a housekeeper in our room doing a full turndown service. I know they come in every four days regardless, but at 9:30pm right before we leave the next morning was extremely strange!
Currently staying at French Quarter, on day 9 and though the resort itself is clean, our trash can is consistently overflowing. I’m sick of the sight of it, along with dirty towels. Had to call guest services to come empty the bin after 4 days and again it is now overflowing. It’s disgusting and really disappointing. Considering the cost to stay here, I’ve had much better service at much lower budget offsite hotels. Considering all the cut backs and lack of service, I feel that it’s no longer worth the money. We’ll be staying at Universal next year instead. I won’t be staying at a Disney resort again until they get their s*** together
Just back from 11-days in a Fort Wilderness cabin, and I can confirm that “trash and towels” is subjective phrase. We had a 6-person reservation and found 4 towels in the bathroom upon check-in. There was absolutely no service, unless we called for it, and all that we did receive was a drop off of new trash bags and new towels. We couldn’t get any of these delivery folks to take away our bagged trash or used towels. The cabin loops do have metal trash enclosures that you can bring your own trash out to, but these were often full and we were having to push down on other peoples’ trash in order to smash our bags in – sometimes without being able to close the latched lids. There are no towels or towel collections bins at the pools, so we ended up having a massive collection of towels we were trying to keep dry and clean in the cabin. (It rained frequently and heavily, ruling out the deck railing as a drying option). I received my survey link from Disney this morning and they actually have a question that seems to indicate that I intentionally opted out of housekeeping. I am certain that I did not. My January trip to the Swan came with comprehensive housekeeping on a daily basis, and we had over the top great housekeeping service at the Portofino Bay in February. Covid is no longer a viable excuse for a lack of any kind of service. Overall, we had a fun stay at the Fort, but this was one of many instances that had me thinking, “Do better, Disney!!!!”
At the front desk they told me: Trash and towels, that’s all. I just could respond: WOW! In my opinion, if they can’t hire the employees needed, and can’t provide a minimum service, prices shouldn’t go up as they do. It feels like they found a good excuse with Covid to do change anything they need in order to squeze guests pockets. The problem is that it’s so evident now that magic is gone. A WDW vacation is not what it used to be anymore. So sad…
There is inconsistency. Our mousekeeper also cleaned the bathroom and made our beds every other day at wilderness lodge. We also weren’t very messy?
We did leave a tip out not sure if that helped? Also might vary based on resort level?
Reading the comments above you would think some of these people either lived in a vacuum or off planet, like the one throwing out her self importance of her Diamond status. Having worked in hospitality the realities are that many workers who would take the low paying jobs without much benefits to provide for there families have left the industry. Why clean others filth for $17/ hr when you can make the same wage at the amazon warehouse or driving for Uber and have a flexible schedule that works for you and your family. Trying to hire cleaners even with signing bonus does not help. For the above to state that they are no longer going to Disney because they are not waited on hand and foot is a little elitist. Maybe have a little humility and understand that Disney does not want to ruin your vacation or your magical time but that we are in a new reality
Right I have humility. I understand low paid wages. But clean others filth. What planet are you on. I stay in any hotel. Not just disney I expect the service I pay for. I don’t want my room cleaning everyday but after a week. Yes i do. Sorry if that upsets you. I know what it’s like to take a low paid job. I have done plenty myself. I love Disney and pay a lot to visit from the UK. The housekeepers were soon Knockin on check out day. Shame they could not do the same for 14 nights when I had to go chasing toilet paper. It’s basic essentials iasked for like towels. Clean bedding. Not anything major.
I don’t think it’s entitled to want a clean hotel room. If they don’t have enough workers, the hotel should be upfront. Your room will be cleaned every other day, or whatever. That some rooms are cleaned every day and others are never cleaned is ridiculous.
I’m that Diamond member you mentioned and I’m not elitist in the least. I travel a ton and stay in hotels for 45-60 nights a year, so yah, I know just a tad about what excellent customer service in the hospitality industry looks like. I also spent 7 years in the Army, so I definitely know what it is like to be cleaning bathrooms full of other people’s yuck. You’ve never seen disgusting until you’ve been on porta-John dumping and cleaning duty after 5 days in the field with 10 porta potties for 200 soldiers in 100 degree heat. Lol—now that is hell.
I, along with many others that have posted, expect a certain level of service when we dish out $700 a night for a hotel room, heck even $200 a night. Disney gets $700 a night for a standard room at a deluxe resort, yet wasn’t servicing rooms? Insanity. The bigger question is how are you ok with the paying the same or higher price for being your own house cleaner in an expensive hotel?! Just stay at a Vrbo or Airbnb instead that never include daily house keeping. Hotels provide a very different level of service. I’m not ok with full trash cans (full of diapers bc of I have a two year old) dirty towels or unmade beds at $700 a night. No one should be. No one should be ok with full trash cans at $100 a night! I certainly don’t keep my home that way, so why on earth would I want to spend a week on a tiny room like that?!? I’m also not an idiot when it comes to what’s happening in the job market (I am in the recruiting business) and I totally understand that lots of workers have left hospitality bc of terrible wages and work environments. Disney needs to figure out how to fix their labor issue and it sure as hell sounds like they need to raise wages big time (everyone who works should have a living wage anyways) and actually start giving a crap about their employees.
If Disney or another other hotel operator doesn’t want to provide house keeping service anymore, cool, but their rates should reflect it and then make it easy for guests to dispose of trash, get fresh towels, etc. Or if they can’t fulfill the services they are advertising, then they shouldn’t have reopened in the first place.
Exactly!! If the problem were only the lack of staff, Disney would offer its customers the card with credits for the lack of tidy room, by choice, which does not happen, in my opinion, Disney is taking advantage to charge higher rates in hotels and parks, without full compensation. The CEO doesn’t hide from anyone that what matters now is revenue. I’m already campaigning with my family for Universal, because on my vacation I want a vacation, without having to sleep after midnight and wake up before seven in the morning to buy and schedule a “benefit”.
…And besides, tidying up the room
Just stayed at the All Star Music Resort for 14 days from the UK. We saw a housekeeper once the whole time and then I had to complain after 7 days. They came to the room. Remade the bed. Put some towels in and left. The floor was filthy. Sorry Disney. Not good enough
We stayed at the contemporary last 4 days and our room was never cleaned once.
We stayed at the Gran Destino Tower May 2 to May 5. We had trash removed , fresh towels , and the beds made every day of our stay. We thought the service was superior. As a result of a minor glitch on the part of the hotel , they tried extremely hard to make up for the mistake. Guest experience manager Aaron went out of his way to make our stay magical. It is easy to see why Aaron is a Legacy.
We stayed at Dolphin Feb 12-16 & received no service to room the whole visit. Room was very clean on arrival but we sure could of used clean towels, more coffee cups & soap. Saw a mouse keeper cart 1 morning in hall but no person. Very disappointed.
Plus understaffed at guest services, waited 40 minutes for a few questions & magic band update.
I stayed at the Grand Floridian last week for Spring break. Our room was cleaned daily, replenished with fresh towels and toiletries, trash emptied and beds made. I never once requested it. They automatically did it every day. It is happening, but maybe just not at every resort. I was pleasantly surprised based on things I have read from other guests recently.
We stayed at POFQ last week, and didn’t receive any housekeeping until I called for it. When I spoke to the resort’s housekeeping manager, he told me housekeeping only comes every 4th day. When I mentioned that my check-in info and the WDW website both state light service every other day, he replied that that was strange, he’d never heard of that, and that he would have to look in to it. I was annoyed, to say the least. I’m hoping it returns to normal soon.
I will also go with my family on our last Disney vacation so that everyone can witness with me the sad end of WDW…and then I hope I don’t step on rat soil again until guests are respected again. We will go to Universal, as we are already guests for a few days, but we will stay fully at Universal on the next vacation to enjoy the 3 parks, as well as Epic Universe.
We stayed at the All Star Music Resort in January from the 7th through the 15th. This is our 8th trip to Walt Disney World. Obviously, we love the place. I became very sick the last 3 days of the trip and had to stay in the hotel room. During the three days, I was accosted daily by the staff. I told them I was very sick and wanted privacy. The staff ignored my request and continually tried to enter my room. If I had not blocked the door with the safety bar, they would have walked in the room anyway. I had a fever and was so weak. I was scared to open the door because I feared it was some type of scam just to rob me or assault me. The staff were relentless and demanded to do a security check. I asked, “what kind of security check? ” All 3 days, the same answer “to check the wires.” WHAT WIRES? Each day they walk across the room to the sink and turn around and leave. It took maybe 15 seconds. What were they really doing?
They were checking for stockpile of weapons or signs of human traffic trafficking
We stayed at the Rivera for a week at the beginning of February. We had two other rooms linked to our reservation. We had someone come collect our trash and give us towels. That’s it. No one in our group got any sort of other housekeeping. After paying full rack rate for the hotel, I expect full housekeeping. Traveling with young kids it is just awful to not have housekeeping tidy things up and vacuum the room. We have to jump on our phones at 7, run out of the room ten minutes later to get to the park early to get on rides so it’s just not possible to tidy the room. It’s also so expensive SOMETHING should come with the price. Housekeeping doesn’t seem like it needs to be a perk but with Disney’s constant game of take away I’ll take anything. I simply won’t spend the money to stay at a deluxe resort again if housekeeping isn’t returned- it’s truly a last straw for our family
I’m a Hilton Diamond Member and we travel about 2 months a year. During 2020, we experienced crappy house keeping, but not since 2021. From Hampton Inns to Hiltons to Waldorf Astorias, we’ve had regular house keeping without requesting it for over 45 nights last year. We tend to stay in higher end places—in Mexico right now at a brand new Hilton all inclusive and housekeeping is fantastic. We stayed at the Hilton in Anaheim in Oct of 2021 to go to Disneyland and we had regular house keeping there too.
We booked the Waldorf Astoria at Bonnet Creek this August to go to Disney World specifically because Disney hotels suck at luxury and I’m not going to spend $700+ a night and not come back to a freshly made bed. Half the point of vacation is to get away from daily chores.
We’ve visited 32 states during the pandemic staying at inexpensive to moderate hotels across many chains. The story is the same everywhere so it’s not just Disney. In fact, if Disney is taking out trash and leaving fresh towels, they are better than most. Generally, we had to request even that and sometimes we’d need to go to the front desk to get the towels and set the trash out in the hall. Want another coffee for the maker in the room? Ok, just stop by the front desk. The ONLY exception we found was staying at Treasure Island in Las Vegas (January 2022). The housekeeping staff was fabulous. Not only did they take care of the room, they were gracious and added to the pleasure of the trip. For the most part all we want is trash out and towels changed anyway, assuming there’s plenty of TP. 🙂
Really not sure why there’s “debate” over this one, as the CEOs of both Marriott and Hilton have publicly stated this is happening, and their *intent* is to make it permanent. It’s also been covered in countless news stories–here’s one, and another. A quick search of Google will bring up dozens more results.
If you have not experienced this in the real world, consider yourself lucky. It’s not happening everywhere (as some commenters point out, Loews is doing a much better job at Universal), but it’s incredibly widespread.