The Starwood Preferred Guest credit card, issued by American Express, has long been the darling of the miles-and-points set. But with the pending merger of Starwood with Marriott, the card’s future is in doubt.
27.07.2023 - 18:22 / smartertravel.com / Tim Winship
The “Do Not Disturb” sign is a ubiquitous part of the hotel-stay experience. And many would argue that it’s essential to a restful stay. After all, who wants to come out of the shower to find a housekeeper tidying up your room?
But beginning with three properties on the monorail line to Disney’s Magic Kingdom—the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and Contemporary resorts—the Disney company has begun replacing “Do Not Disturb” signs with “Room Occupied” signs.
The big change, however, isn’t the wording on the hang tags; it’s the policy change that the new verbiage reflects. According to Walt Disney World News Today, “it will now be required that a Disney employee enter their hotel room at least once a day to ensure guest safety.” To that end, the hotels’ revised terms of service now include the following:
Related:It’s Not Just You – Air Travel Really Has Gotten WorseDisney hasn’t explained the reasons for the new policy, but the prevailing theory is that it’s linked to the October mass shooting in Las Vegas, where a lone gunman opened fire from his room at the Mandalay Bay hotel, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more. Daily room checks will presumably reduce the chances of such massacres’ recurring.
I’ve so far not received a response to my query to Disney’s P.R. team for clarification on the company’s rationale for the change, and how Disney customers have responded to the change. Regarding the latter, however, there’s already a decidedly mixed response in Disney-related chat rooms, such as MouseOwners.com. A sampling:
Notwithstanding the negative feedback from customers, Walt Disney World News Today expects the new policy to be rolled out to other Disney World Resort Hotels “in the coming weeks.” Thereafter, it might well be adopted by other hotel chains, eventually becoming the new industry standard.
Reader Reality Check
Is Disney going too far in sacrificing privacy for security?
More from SmarterTravel: EU Court Calls Uber a Taxi Company. Will Rates Rise? These Are the 10 Busiest North American Air Routes How to Minimize the Stress of Holiday TravelAfter 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.
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The Starwood Preferred Guest credit card, issued by American Express, has long been the darling of the miles-and-points set. But with the pending merger of Starwood with Marriott, the card’s future is in doubt.
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