‘Do not disturb’ policies amended
Hilton is joining other hotels in rethinking the ubiquitous “Do Not Disturb” sign.
The McLean, Va.-based company is now suggesting that a team member alert a security or duty manager if a Do Not Disturb sign or light has been in place on a guestroom door for more than 24 consecutive hours.
In the past, the company might have allowed multiple days to pass before an employee entered a room.
The revision to the policy comes after the Las Vegas mass shooting in which a gunman used a room at the Mandalay Bay resort to fire on a crowd of concertgoers. But Hilton spokesman Nigel Glennie declined to link the change to that or any other specific event.
Other hotel companies also have changed the way they handle Do Not Disturb signs since the mass shooting in October.
Four Walt Disney World hotels in Orlando — the Polynesian Village Resort, the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, the Contemporary Resort and the adjoining Bay Lake Tower — have replaced the Do Not Disturb signs with “Room Occupied” signs.
Housekeeping and other staff still will be allowed to enter the room even if the sign is on the door, but must knock and identify themselves first. Disney is notifying guests of the new policy when they arrive so as not to surprise them.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association, which represents the industry, says that most hotels have Do Not Disturb policies in place ranging from 24- to 72-hour time frames in which hotel staff can go into a room.
“Hotels own the rooms and have the right to enter for reasons of security, safety of guests, maintenance or sanitation,” spokeswoman Rosanna Maietta says.