Page 17 - AT

LOCAL Monday 6 January 2020
A17

Hotel

Hustle

Column by: Shanella Pantophlet
Check out times

ORANJESTAD ― If there is one aspect I feel that nobody seems to respect in
the hospitality industry is the checkout times. This can be especially difficult
or troubling in a timeshare resort, where we can’t just reassign people. Over
the last few weeks we’ve found ourselves with lists of rooms who are still in
their rooms past check out time. Even the threat of a late check out fee tends
to not deter some people from breaking the rules.

Considering the size of our suites and other Getting rooms back in service by the time we tunity to cooperate, before extreme measures
similarly sized resorts who deal with timeshare guarantee is only made more difficult by those are taken. If the guest refuses to leave they’re
clientele, our check out times are not an ar- who refuse to leave because; they have a lat- made aware of the late check out charge
bitrary thing to make your life difficult. Usually er flight, had too many drinks the night before and informed that security will be sent to re-
these check in and check out times are just and can’t wake up or feel they should be al- move them. Removing someone is not a pleas-
enough for housekeepers to go in and give lowed to stay in until the housekeeper is at the ant experience either for the security staff or
the rooms a thorough clean and restock for door. Behind the scenes of all of this, there are the guest themselves, but we have work that
the next member. The weeks that fall in with various calls between departments to deter- needs to get done so someone else can start
holidays tend to be the most difficult as guests mine course of action. Usually the front office their vacation.
staying these weeks tend to be here for two and housekeeping managers will reach out to We aren’t trying to go to the nuclear option
week or more, so Saturdays become a heavi- the guest to ask for their cooperation. and we really don’t want things to escalate
er than usual cleaning day once those rooms that far. Whenever possible we try to be flex-
need to be turned around. Usually they get an answer that someone ap- ible, but at the end of the day while you’re
proved them a late check out, which we all refusing to leave and causing all this drama
We in reservations do our best to provide know is not true, because nobody wants that it pushes our schedule off track. Once the
housekeeping with as much information on kind of heat on them on a Saturday morning. schedule is off and that room gets delivered
arrival times and dates so they can schedule All the more evidence by the fact that usually late, then not only have we had to deal with
their check out day as effectively as possible. the guest won’t give up the name of the per- one issue, but now we have the guest check-
If one housekeeper has a section that only son who supposedly allowed this late check ing in that will be upset that they haven’t re-
needs the basic services because they’ll be out. ceived their room on time. It becomes a dom-
staying on, it frees them up to give others who ino effect of negativity. So please next time
may have five checkouts on that same Satur- After they’re informed that we checked with you ask for a late check out and are rejected,
day a hand in getting their rooms finished by all appropriate departments about this and know that we aren’t saying “no” just for the
the guaranteed check in time. have no records of them being approved a sake of it, but we are looking at the forecast
late check out, we give them another oppor- for the day.q

Aruban born and bred Shanella Pantophlet is passionate about tour-
ism. That is the world she studied and works in, so we might as well call
her a specialist. Luckily for Aruba Today Shanella also loves to write.
And together with the fact that the majority of our readers are tourists,
we found ourselves a perfect combination for a column: Hotel Hustle.