Ever been in a hotel when it seems that housekeeping, the minibar folks and other hotel staff just barge into your room right when you’re in the middle of having shower, various stages of being dressed or answering the call of nature? Sure, you can lock the door but that doesn’t stop them from still attempting to get in. To be fair, they don’t know the door is locked and you can hang out the “do not disturb” sign but even then that can be hit and miss.
Anyway, one thing that I have found in some Singapore hotels is that not only can you indicate if you want privacy but you can also signal if you’re ready to have your room tidied up. One of the things that frustrates me about some hotels is that the cleaning people come around and do each room one after the other. Maybe this is efficient for the staff but not always convenient for people in residence.
Just inside the front door of your room you should find a little control panel like the one below:
It is fairly self-explanatory with privacy being the same as the “do not disturb” sign whilst the make up room indicates to staff you’re ready to have your room tidied up. I am not sure if this goes back to a central place in the building where they deploy staff but could be rather neat if it did.
Of course, what about if you’re in the bathroom? Racing out to the door to hit the privacy button may not always be convenient so there is another button in there asking the person at the door to wait. This is good as it is a much better way to acknowledge to them that you’ve heard them but you are temporarily occupied. Plus, it beats trying to scream your lungs out so they can hear you from behind two doors (the front door and bathroom door).
Whilst these things may not be overly interesting it is a good use of technology to prevent potential embarrassing situations for all parties.
Follow Us!