HAIR, anyone???

[PWP-001]

The morning of Day 2 on my Freedom of the Seas weekend getaway I turn in the shower to see this clinging to the shower wall in my balcony cabin.  And for the record, I'm practically bald, so there's no way it's mine!

 

Welcome to RCI's REBOOT where cabins are cleaned once a day and rooms stewards on Freedom whose 3-day/4-day itineraries mean cabin stewards have TWO turn days weekly... now with a higher number of cabin assignments.

 

I'd suggest you pull back the sheets on your bed when you arrive to your room.  With cost cutting and squeezing more work out of the stewards, forgetting to change the sheets may be next.

 

 

Edited May 6, 2023 by PWP-001

[smokeybandit]

Did you mention it to your room steward?

[lenquixote66]

There is a good possibility of finding hair on the shower wall even if the cabin is cleaned three times a day.

[PWP-001]

7 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Did you mention it to your room steward?

Intentionally I did not.  I was curious as to whether it would remain there the whole cruise.

 

I can tell you that he removed it when he cleaned the room this morning.

 

 

[PWP-001]

1 minute ago, lenquixote66 said:

There is a good possibility of finding hair on the shower wall even if the cabin is cleaned three times a day.

Perhaps in a Motel 6 or No Tell Motel.

 

When it comes to housekeeping, employees are trained for an eye to eliminating hair anywhere in the bathroom; that's the one place where guests do not want to find someone else's hair.

 

The other is sheets on a bed, but clean sheets for a new guest eliminates that worry.  And that's why I suggested earlier to pull back the sheets to look for hair; that's an indication the sheets haven't been changed. 

[deja moo]

Look on the bright side...you did not find it in your food.

[lenquixote66]

6 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

Perhaps in a Motel 6 or No Tell Motel.

 

When it comes to housekeeping, employees are trained for an eye to eliminating hair anywhere in the bathroom; that's the one place where guests do not want to find someone else's hair.

 

The other is sheets on a bed, but clean sheets for a new guest eliminates that worry.  And that's why I suggested earlier to pull back the sheets to look for hair; that's an indication the sheets haven't been changed. 

I have been on cruises where there were dirty sheets on day one.

[Georgia_Peaches]

8 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

When it comes to housekeeping, employees are trained for an eye to eliminating hair anywhere in the bathroom; that's the one place where guests do not want to find someone else's hair.

Respectfully, if that’s the case, why didn’t they catch it with their trained eye before hand instead of after? 

[not-enough-cruising]

The horror 

[PWP-001]

6 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Respectfully, if that’s the case, why didn’t they catch it with their trained eye before hand instead of after? 

 

Perhaps their trained eye is tired, weary, and tearful at what they are now being pushed to do. 

 

They call it REBOOT:   the new policy where room stewards are assigned a much greater number of cabins to service since they only provide one a day service.

 

In the hotel industry we distinguish between "Check-outs" and "Stayovers".  A guest in a room for three nights is a "Stayover"  for two mornings and then a "Check-out" the morning they're leaving.

 

Less time and attention is needed for a "Stayover"  than for a "Checkout"

 

Pre-COVID in an upscale hotel chain, 16 rooms was the general assignment for a housekeeper's 8 hour shift.  Typically that would consist of some "check-outs" and some "stayovers".  To paint the full picture here, when a convention hotel has a group in for the week, let's say beginning Monday and concluding on Friday.  It could be that the housekeepers just have 16 "stayovers" to clean daily Tuesday through Thursday:  they're easier days and some housekeepers will finish early, clock out and go home while others may choose to clean "extra rooms" which they are compensated with an extra dollar amount in addition to their hourly wage.

 

But then there's Friday... the group leaves and housekeepers may be cleaning 16 "checkouts".  Depending on who the group was, whether the rooms were occupied by single business travelers --or perhaps they were double or quad occupancy-- and the condition the guests left the room in, it may be impossible to clean all 16 rooms up to standard in an 8 hour shift.  We knew this.  So if the occupancy forecast for the weekend was low, then rather then housekeepers going into overtime, it's possible to "carryover" the rooms, leaving them dirty and unavailable for sale Friday night. Housekeepers over the weekend normally scheduled and not in overtime can clean those.

 

 Okay, now let's apply those concepts to our floating hotels that APPEAR, according to their financial statements which are public information-- to be sinking into bankruptcy.  

 

Turn days on a cruise are a crush for the crew-- especially for room stewards.  In the 8 hours between 6am and 2pm they have always been responsible for cleaning X number of "checkouts."  [I don't know what the number behind X is and that's not the point of this.]  Today, to bring more money to the bottom line, room stewards must clean Y rooms where Y is defined as a number larger than X.  And since ships are sailing full, there's no way to "carryover" cabins.  They ALL must be cleaned and ready in that same short window.

 

This cruise the rooms weren't ready until 2pm whereas on the ten cruises I've taken over the past 9 months the announcement was always made between 1PM and 1:15PM

 

Don't be surprised if --as they cope with and tweak the new policy-- that cabins are not available until 3PM or 4PM.

 

Because I --and I have to believe that most guests who have paid thousands of dollars for their vacation--don't want to walk into a room that shows signs of being dirty and unclean.

 

 

 

[PWP-001]

9 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I have been on cruises where there were dirty sheets on day one.

Did you climb in that bed and just accept it?

[jean87510]

17 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

There is a good possibility of finding hair on the shower wall even if the cabin is cleaned three times a day.

??? There's no way this happens even if cabin is PROPERLY cleaned 1x a day.  

[BND]

I just rinse it off and continue my shower.  

[BND]

19 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

Intentionally I did not.  I was curious as to whether it would remain there the whole cruise.

 

I can tell you that he removed it when he cleaned the room this morning.

 

 

You mean he rinsed it down the drain, which you could have also done.

[topnole]

14 hours ago, lenquixote66 said:

I have been on cruises where there were dirty sheets on day one.

I’ve seen them turning down rooms on turn around day many times.  They strip every bed clean.  It isn’t the room attendant going room by room.  It is a team of workers striping everything down.  Honestly it is hard to imagine dirty sheets remaining for another cruise.   I personally wondered on our last cruise due to wrinkles in the sheets and even asked our attendant.  But he assured me they were clean and it was virtually impossible for any sheets not to be fresh on day one.  
 

Hair in the shower is not something anyone wants to see.  But it is gonna happen.  Just saw one in a really nice beach resort and countless other times at other nice hotels.  Just remember that hair surely came off while shampooing.  So it is nice and clean. 😂😂

[Ret MP]

My oldest daughter got married in Gatlinburg, TN many years ago.  We all stayed in the Sheridan Hotel (not sure if it is still a Sheridan) the round one on the side of the mountain.  My parents checked in, went to their room, and my mom (who is a clean freak and inspects all rooms like a "Drill Sergeant") pulled down the bed and there it was, a large pool of wet blood.  How the hotel handled it is a whole other story for another time and venue, but it wasn't acceptable at all.  Before that incident, I was very carefree and gullible enough to think people do what they are supposed to do, in the hotel/service industry. Needless to say, after that, I inspect my rooms/cabins/suites like a "drill Sergeant.  Yes, I've had problems on cruise ships.  But, the stewards, et al, are always apologetic and see to the matter, ASAP.   I do not hesitate to call someone, stewards/servers/whatever, to correct whatever is wrong (lipstick on a glass is a BIG issue for me).  I don't let it go as that's like giving permission to do it, whatever "it" is.  If corrected right away and a little humility is involved, it doesn't affect my tip, usually.  

[A&L_Ont]

22 hours ago, deja moo said:

Look on the bright side...you did not find it in your food.

And it’s long, not short and curly. 

[lenquixote66]

6 hours ago, PWP-001 said:

Did you climb in that bed and just accept it?

No,I told the Cabin Steward.

[topnole]

1 hour ago, Ret MP said:

My oldest daughter got married in Gatlinburg, TN many years ago.  We all stayed in the Sheridan Hotel (not sure if it is still a Sheridan) the round one on the side of the mountain.  My parents checked in, went to their room, and my mom (who is a clean freak and inspects all rooms like a "Drill Sergeant") pulled down the bed and there it was, a large pool of wet blood.  How the hotel handled it is a whole other story for another time and venue, but it wasn't acceptable at all.  Before that incident, I was very carefree and gullible enough to think people do what they are supposed to do, in the hotel/service industry. Needless to say, after that, I inspect my rooms/cabins/suites like a "drill Sergeant.  Yes, I've had problems on cruise ships.  But, the stewards, et al, are always apologetic and see to the matter, ASAP.   I do not hesitate to call someone, stewards/servers/whatever, to correct whatever is wrong (lipstick on a glass is a BIG issue for me).  I don't let it go as that's like giving permission to do it, whatever "it" is.  If corrected right away and a little humility is involved, it doesn't affect my tip, usually.  

I definitely check things too.  But some you can’t, so I pretty much assume they don’t do their job. I definitely sanitize the remote, phone, door handles, etc.   A few wipes and it’s done.  You have no way of knowing if those were sanitized.    

[Ret MP]

11 minutes ago, topnole said:

I definitely check things too.  But some you can’t, so I pretty much assume they don’t do their job. I definitely sanitize the remote, phone, door handles, etc.   A few wipes and it’s done.  You have no way of knowing if those were sanitized.    

Before COVID, I don't think "sanitizing" things was much of an issue.  For some?  Yes!  I never thought about sanitizing the remote, light switches, pull strings of the curtains, elevator buttons, stairwell handrails, bar tops, chair hand rests, or anything else that others may have touched before me.  I still don't!  There is no way we can 100% protect ourselves from other's germs.  AND, I don't think immunizing ourselves from a lot of germs is healthy, I don't even use germ-killing/anti-bacterial hand soap in the house.  But, as stated, I'm not risk averse.  

 

I do watch with great amusement folks, still, driving alone in a car with their masks on.  In public places with the mask below their nose, especially in Walmart and fast food places, and so on.

 

The above is not meant to change your minds or habits, they're yours and it is none of my business how you approach your sanitization.  

[topnole]

18 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Before COVID, I don't think "sanitizing" things was much of an issue.  For some?  Yes!  I never thought about sanitizing the remote, light switches, pull strings of the curtains, elevator buttons, stairwell handrails, bar tops, chair hand rests, or anything else that others may have touched before me.  I still don't!  There is no way we can 100% protect ourselves from other's germs.  AND, I don't think immunizing ourselves from a lot of germs is healthy, I don't even use germ-killing/anti-bacterial hand soap in the house.  But, as stated, I'm not risk averse.  

 

I do watch with great amusement folks, still, driving alone in a car with their masks on.  In public places with the mask below their nose, especially in Walmart and fast food places, and so on.

 

The above is not meant to change your minds or habits, they're yours and it is none of my business how you approach your sanitization.  

I just do high touch points in a cabin.  For a week long trip it is a very small cost to benefit.  I bring several wipes in a ziplock.  Takes just a minute or two max.    I also have kids who touch all of that stuff and immediately put their hands in their mouths.  Remotes are well know for being full of things you don’t want.  I’ll admit I didn’t do this before Covid.  But it isn’t Covid I do this for now.  It is flu or stomach bug type of viruses I really want to avoid.   When you have young kids you really can’t afford to get sick (who is else is going to take care of them).  Other than that, it’s same old same old for us.  

[PWP-001]

On 5/7/2023 at 11:45 AM, A&L_Ont said:

And it’s long, not short and curly. 

It was eye level and I stand 5'11"

[BecciBoo]

Are you familiar with the term "Pot Stirrer"?  Maybe not.

[PWP-001]

3 hours ago, BecciBoo said:

Are you familiar with the term "Pot Stirrer"?  Maybe not.

I am.  And what are you implying?

[HappyTexan44]

Sadly, I wouldn't even be shocked to find this in a hotel room.   Haven't done my first cruise yet.   In showers they told to look their eye level and down.   

I think a lot of us have slept on sheets that weren't changed since the last person.  A large % of the time, your hotel room sheets look the same at checkout as they did when you checked in.  They can just make the bed, and no one notices the difference.   Occasionally you'll find short hairs or ... items between the sheets.   Then you have proof.  

 

I assume they weren't changed and request new sheets.   If they push back I say I spilled something on the sheets.  I then make the bed myself.