Aparthotel housekeeping: how cleaning and service work

What does housekeeping mean in an aparthotel?

Wikipedia's entry on serviced accommodation lists housekeeping alongside utilities and internet access as the residential-like services these properties provide. That frames the idea well: housekeeping is a service layered onto an apartment, not a feature of the apartment itself. In a hotel room it is part of the product every day; in an apartment it is one line in a list of services that each operator sets differently.

In practice an operator picks a model and publishes it, usually in its FAQ, terms or arrival information. The table shows the models that turn up most often. Any one property may combine them, for instance a stay-length schedule with extra service on request.

Which housekeeping model should you expect?

There is no single standard, and the direction in the hotel sector has been towards less routine cleaning. An American Hotel & Lodging Association survey, run by Morning Consult and reported on Hospitality Net, found that most guests did not want daily housekeeping. The Points Guy described the range its readers described, from a full daily clean to towels and rubbish only, cleaning only on request, or no service at all.

The Associated Press, in a piece carried by CBS News, reported that one major hotel chain offered housekeeping usually only on request, with all rooms cleaned automatically every sixth night. Another chain's default at most properties was no daily cleaning unless requested. Aparthotels sit in the same spectrum, but with more to clean: a kitchen, a living area and often more than one bedroom.

Operators publish their own versions. One brand, Quest, lists housekeeping as daily or weekly as required, excluding Sundays and public holidays. A Toronto serviced-apartment operator's page describes a fortnightly service with the cleaning day given in the arrival letter. Another apartment hotel ties cleans to the length of stay. That range is the reason to read the property's own terms.

What is and is not usually included in a clean?

A published example shows what a mid-stay clean can contain. One apartment hotel's service page lists bed linen, towels, floors, dusting and waste removal in its intermediate clean. That is one operator's list, not a rule, but it is a fair picture of the basics.

What stays with the guest is just as important. The Toronto operator's page says dishwashing is not part of the regular service, asks guests to dispose of waste regularly between visits and encourages them to keep up basic cleanliness between housekeeping visits. In an apartment with a kitchen, that pattern is common enough to plan around.

Practical advice: treat the table below as a prompt for questions, not a guarantee. The right-hand column is the item most often left unclear.

Can you request extra cleaning, fresh linen or towels?

Usually, but the process and the cost vary. CBS News reported that where housekeeping is on request, guests can generally ask at check-in, while some hotels require a request every day. The Points Guy suggests asking the front desk for extra towels and asking whether bags of rubbish can be left outside the door for collection.

Fees are the other variable. The Toronto operator's page states that where extra cleaning is needed beyond the standard service, additional fees may be incurred. The apartment hotel lists towel changes as available on request and charges for extra bed linen changes and for cleaning outside the schedule. Ask whether a request is free, who to contact and how much notice is needed.

Remember that a fee for an extra clean is separate from a cleaning fee added to the booking. Aparthotel extra charges and city taxes explains how those charges are listed.

• Ask at check-in how to request service and whether to use the desk, an app, a phone line or email.
• Ask whether extra cleaning, linen and towel changes are free, charged or limited in number.
• Say what you want: a light tidy, bins only, or a full clean with fresh linen.
• Ask for service to be scheduled when you are out, if you prefer not to be present.
• Keep written confirmation of anything agreed for a longer stay.

Privacy and do not disturb: when can staff enter?

Guests value being asked first. In the AHLA-commissioned survey, 58% said they would not be comfortable with housekeeping staff entering their room without advance permission. Operators, however, may reserve rights of their own: The Points Guy reported that one large resort operator's terms said the hotel and its staff reserve the right to enter a room for any purposes, and that another group's internal document allowed visual inspection of rooms every 24 hours.

Those are reports about large hotel groups, and policy at an aparthotel depends on the operator. Maintenance visits are a separate category, and some operators give notice before entering. Practical advice: find out before you arrive what a do-not-disturb sign does, how much notice is given for maintenance and whether service is skipped or the room still checked when you decline a clean.

What to ask before you book

The Points Guy advises calling the hotel in advance, since individual properties may differ from brand standards. For a longer stay, that advice matters more because the cleaning model shapes your week. The questions below fit most bookings; the wider list is in questions to ask before booking an aparthotel.

If you will stay a month or more, add a few extras from the long-stay accommodation checklist. For how housekeeping compares with a hotel's daily service, see aparthotel vs hotel. Washing clothes is covered in laundry in aparthotels, and the baseline of what a rate includes is in what is included in a serviced apartment. Cities such as London, New York and Sydney have many operators with different service models, so compare terms rather than assume.

• How often is the apartment cleaned, on which day, and do I need to be out?
• What does a clean include, and are dishes, bins and laundry my responsibility?
• Are linen and towel changes on the schedule or on request?
• Can I add an extra clean, and is there a fee?
• What does a do-not-disturb sign mean here, and how much notice is given for maintenance?