Hilton, Disney Revise 'Do Not Disturb' Policies to Require Employees to Enter Rooms Daily

In the wake of the shooting in Las Vegas from a room at the Mandalay Bay hotel, hotel chains are reconsidering their "Do Not Disturb" policies. Hilton and Walt Disney World Resorts are the first to act, with updates to their "DND" policies specifying that employees will enter guest hotel rooms at least once each day, regardless of any requests for privacy.

According to LoyaltyLobby, Hilton's new policy states that if a guest does not have the room serviced for 24 hours, hotel management will check on the room. In accordance with this revised policy, the chain has instructed all properties to update their guest directories with the following language:

“We understand and respect your need for privacy. The hotel reserves the right to visually inspect all guest rooms every 24 hours to ensure the well-being of our guests and confirm the condition of the room.”

Hilton's "Unable to Service" room cards will carry the same language and an additional note:

"If service is refused for this length of time, a member of hotel management will check on the guest room.”

Disney has gone a step further, not only requiring that a Disney employee enter every hotel room at least once a day in its three main hotels that lie along the monorail at the Walt Disney World resort in Orlando, but also removing all "DND" signage from those properties. Instead, a “Room Occupied” sign will be provided to indicate to the company's cast members that guests are in the room.

Disney's revised terms of service state:

"The hotel and its staff reserve the right to enter your room for any purposes including, but not limited to, performing maintenance and repairs or checking on the safety and security of guests and property.”

While Disney did not directly mention the Vegas shooting as the reason for the changes, LoyaltyLobby reports that Hilton cites the 2017 incident multiple times in the internal document updating its policies. Hilton is also encouraging its hotel employees to report any illegal or suspicious activity to authorities, which includes "guests overly concerned about privacy, "using cash for payment, "those taking photos and notes about hotel" and "switching rooms number of times," as well as several other activities the hotel considers suspicious. The internal document also notes that it's the responsibility of housekeeping to report if a guest has left the "DND" sign on its door continuously for 24 hours and refused service more than twice.

Thus far, Hilton's changes are only outlined in an internal document, so it will likely be a while before the new rules are implemented at all the chain's properties. However, guests staying at the three Disney resorts undergoing changes will find a paper noting the revised policy in their rooms this week. According to Walt Disney World News Today, Disney's new "DND" rules are expected to roll out at all Walt Disney World properties in the coming weeks.