Disney Removing “Do Not Disturb” Signs From Walt Disney World Resorts
Disney are removing “Do Not Disturb” signs from some of their Walt Disney World resorts and replacing them with “Room Occupied” signs, which will now result in maintenance or housekeeping cast members to enter rooms daily.
Staff must knock and identify before entering rooms and guests arriving at resorts will be informed of the new “right-to-entry” guidelines.
Disney have already made the change to hotels connected to the Monorail including Polynesian Village Resort, Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and the Contemporary Resort. With Disney evaluating the new guidelines before making the changes site wide.
These changes have happened due to many issues such as safety, security and the guest experience. With many suggesting that these changes are due to the incident in Las Vegas in October, which saw a gunman shoot hundreds of people, killing 58, at the Mandalay Bay hotel.
The gunman had a “Do Not Disturb” sign outside his room for 2 to 3 days and with many of the rooms in the Walt Disney World resorts connected with the Monorail offering overhead vantage points, this change would allow Disney more access to check on rooms regularly. Hotels in Las Vegas also adjusted their rules for staff monitoring rooms following the shooting.
As someone who values his privacy and not having people coming into my room (yes, even in hotels where it is expected), I am not fond of this policy change. To the point where I’ll probably forgo the benefits of staying on property and finding a local hotel outside the chain instead more frequently in the future.