Hotels Are Ditching The Daily Turndown Service and Other Things People No Longer Want To Pay For

Traveling, hotel stays, and even going out to eat looks totally different now, in 2021, than it did just a year ago.

And, things are about to vere even further away from what we are used to.

Businesses are totally getting away from the customer-focused hospitality care that we had pre-COVID, and I’m not sure how I feel about it.

I’m not saying that customer service is going to go downhill, but many of the amenities that perhaps you are used to during your travels may now be a thing of the past.

If you have tried to go to a restaurant lately — especially the fast food industry — you have undoubtedly already experienced some of the changes.

In many cases, businesses simply can’t keep people in the customer service / hospitality areas like they used to — employees are quitting in record numbers.

Some blame this on the stimulus money that Americans have received, but who really knows why the employees are suddenly declaring a mass exodus from employment.

Some of the trouble stems from the fact that, for nearly a year, places of business were basically shut down.

Businesses like hotels didn’t need to keep a full staff — think housekeeping staff. There simply weren’t enough full rooms to accommodate a full staff of employees.

So, you may notice that when you spend multiple days in a hotel, daily housekeeping and turndown services are no longer being offered — you have to make your own bed everyday.

You probably also look forward to the free buffet breakfast that used to be such a big part of every hotel stay.

This service has been given the axe by many a hotel, as they are finding that they don’t need to spend the money on a pricey breakfast service to keep people in their hotels.

Both daily cleaning and breakfasts are things that apparently many travelers don’t really care about anyway. They want the experience to be as contactless as possible — and that’s what they are getting.

There is something else that you may have noticed has gone missing — menus at restaurants. Many places have opted for the QR code at the table, so patrons can pull up a virtual menu on their phones. Again, as contactless as possible.

There is a problem — possibly — with this system. More automated features mean that businesses need less employees to interface with customers.

For example — if you pay for something on your phone, the company doesn’t need cashiers to run cash transactions. Less employees may mean that you have to wait just a little bit longer to get the order you placed online.

One other thing that has gone missing at many locations is physical dressing rooms.

Especially since we all spent so much time at home during the pandemic, people got used to spending money online instead of at brick and mortar stores that often weren’t open anyway.

If people are going to buy online, they obviously don’t need dressing rooms as much as they used to.

Oh, sure, this may mean more returns, because we buy the wrong size clothing, but people are apparently okay with returning items via online stores.

Out of everything that is disappearing, I will miss the dressing rooms the MOST! I hate to return things, and I’d rather try something on, and get the size I need.

BUT, I will say that buying online means less contact with people, and therefore less spread of sickness.

So, maybe it’s a catch 22. Dressing rooms, menus, and daily hotel cleaning are nice, but it is probably safer and more effective to let those things go.