Do not disturb, housekeeping and a massage do not always sit comfortably together in a hotel's timetable. A knock at the door halfway through an evening booking is rarely dramatic, but it breaks the mood and is entirely avoidable. Hotel staff move through the building on predictable rounds, and a guest who knows the rounds can keep the room private without any conversation at the desk.
The rounds of a hotel day
Housekeeping usually cleans rooms between about nine in the morning and three in the afternoon. In larger hotels, a second, smaller team works the evening, delivering extra towels, collecting room service trays and, in many four and five-star properties, providing turndown service between about six and nine. Maintenance staff respond to faults at any hour, and security may walk the corridors at night.
The daytime clean rarely conflicts with an evening booking. Turndown is the most common interruption, particularly for guests who book early in the evening. Room service trays left in the corridor are collected on a separate round, often around ten.
Do not disturb, housekeeping and a massage: using the sign
The do-not-disturb sign, or the light panel that replaces it in many modern hotels, is respected by staff in almost every Amsterdam property. Put it on the door as soon as the therapist is inside. In hotels with an electronic panel, press the button by the door, which usually lights a small red indicator in the corridor.
If you expect turndown, ask reception earlier in the day to skip it for the evening. There is no need to explain; guests decline turndown all the time. Some hotels also have a card in the room to hang out for this purpose.
When the sign is not enough
A few situations still lead to a knock. A hotel may check a room that has shown the sign for more than twenty-four hours, for safety reasons. Room service will knock if you have ordered something. Maintenance will knock if a fault has been reported for the room, including by the guest in the room below if water has come through the ceiling.
If someone knocks, simply do not open the door, or answer through it that you are fine and do not need anything. Staff will leave. Never let hotel staff into the room during a booking.
Room service and minibar
If you want something to eat or drink during a longer booking, order it before the therapist arrives and have the tray collected before she comes. A second knock during the evening is more intrusive than planning ahead. For drinks during a booking, the minibar is the simplest choice; our note on offering the therapist a drink covers the courtesies.
The morning after an overnight
After an overnight booking, the sign stays on until you are ready. Housekeeping in most hotels will not knock before about ten, and if you want to sleep late, the sign will keep the room quiet. The therapist leaves at the end of the eight hours, and the room can be serviced once you remove the sign. For guests who need extra time before leaving the hotel, our late check-out guide explains how to arrange it.
Phones and the hotel line
A ringing room telephone interrupts as much as a knock. Hotels ring rooms to confirm wake-up calls, to announce a delivery or occasionally to check on a noise complaint. If the room phone has a do-not-disturb setting, use it, or ask reception to hold calls for the evening. Put your own phone on silent once the therapist has arrived; she keeps time, and any message from the desk can wait until the booking ends.
Aparthotels and small hotels
Aparthotels usually clean less often, sometimes only every few days, and rarely offer turndown. Interruptions there are rare. Small canal-house hotels and bed and breakfasts may have a single host who does all the cleaning; they generally work in the morning and leave guests alone in the evening.
A simple routine
Decline turndown at the desk earlier in the day. Collect or put out any room service tray before the booking. Hang the sign or press the button once the therapist is in. Ignore knocks politely. Guests must be twenty-one or over to book, and the front desk etiquette guide covers the rest of the hotel's side of the evening.