Holidaymakers Caught In Embarrassing Situations By Housekeeping Walking In

Posted by Sue Anderson, 29th Mar 2016

Do Not Disturb - Half of Holidaymakers Have Been Caught In Embarrassing Situations By Housekeeping Walking In On Them

The do not disturb sign hanging on your hotel room door is there for a reason; to let housekeeping staff know not to barge in at times when you really wouldn't want them to. But do you always remember to use yours? Have you ever been interrupted unexpectedly by hotel employees whilst in the supposed privacy of your own room?



We polled 1,573 people aged 18 and over from around the UK, each of whom had been on a holiday abroad in the last 12 months. Our research was anonymous and there were an equal number of men and women taking part.

Housekeeping Staff Most Likely To Walk In On People In The Shower, Making Love and In The Nude



We asked all respondents, 'Have you ever been caught in an embarrassing scenario by housekeeping staff walking into your room unexpectedly during a holiday?' to which 54% of the people taking part said yes. We than asked these people to elaborate and state what they had been doing when the member of hotel staff had walked in, which revealed the following top five:

1. In the bath/shower - 35%

2. Having sex - 23%

3. Naked in my room - 21%

4. On the toilet - 14%

5. Watching an adult film - 5%

Respondents who'd been the victim of an unexpected visit from housekeeping were also able to give details of what had happened if they selected 'other'. We then picked the most embarrassing tales, for your entertainment...

1. A man in his 40s from Birmingham was caught by housekeeping staff dancing around in his wife's bikini and heels (something he'd allegedly been doing to make his lady laugh)

2. A woman in her 20s from Liverpool was caught with her legs akimbo shaving her bikini line in the open plan bathroom of her hotel suite

3. A woman in her 30s from Cardiff was walked in on by hotel staff whilst she was in the midst of the 'worst hangover' she'd ever experienced and being violently sick on the hotel bed

4. A man in his 30s was interrupted whilst giving himself a leg, chest and intimate area wax

5. A man in his 60s from London was caught by housekeeping staff belting out Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You'. He said he'd been very out of tune and had been singing so loudly that he didn't hear them come in.

Half of Holidaymakers Feel That Housekeeping Staff 'Invade Privacy'



47% of the respondents taking part told us that they felt that housekeeping staff abroad 'often invade privacy' of hotel guests, whilst 33% of those who'd been caught in an embarrassing situation said that they'd actually had the 'do not disturb' sign on their door at the time (which had been ignored). Oh dear!

Just over a fifth, 22%, of the respondents taking part in the poll told us that they'd previously complained about housekeeping staff at a hotel abroad that they'd been staying in on holiday and, when asked why, 43% said it was because they were 'disappointed by the cleanliness of the room' and 28% felt that they were 'too intrusive'.

The 'do not disturb' sign is there for a reason and it seems like most people weren't using it when they were caught in an embarrassing act by housekeeping staff. There's always a worry that staff could barge in unannounced at the wrong moment, and it seems like a lot of people have experienced this.

If there's a chain on the room of your hotel door, we'd recommend using it. Bear in mind that the housekeeping staff are likely to be just as embarrassed as you if they accidentally walk in whilst you're on the loo, in a state of undress or getting up to something that you wouldn't want an audience for!
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