Note: This article pertaining to Guests Rearranging Furniture in a Hotel Room? was originally published on Friday, August 28, 2020 at 9:07 in the evening and has been updated.
Whenever I stay in a room at a hotel or resort property, I like to try to ensure that I am as comfortable as possible: perhaps I will prop up a couple of pillows; fold over or remove the duvet on the bed; or adjust the television so that I can watch it from the desk at where I am sitting instead of from the bed itself…
Guests Rearranging Furniture in a Hotel Room?
…but I had a conversation with a person who worked at a hotel property; and that person could not believe how many guests had rearranged the furniture in the guest rooms over the years — especially during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus pandemic.
I did not exactly understand the comment; so I asked for clarification.
“For example, the bed was moved from being against the wall to being against the window,” I was told. “Or, a dresser was moved to a corner of the room. Or, the television was moved from the top of the dresser to the top of the desk. Sometimes all of the furniture in the room was rearranged. I have never seen so much furniture rearranged in so many rooms.”
Neither of us could figure out why guests would want to rearrange the furniture in the room — or even leave the furniture rearranged after they checked out of the hotel property — but that person was not happy about having members of the staff at the hotel property work on rearranging the furniture back to their respective places.
Final Boarding Call
Many hotel and resort properties which are part of a budget brand or a brand in the middle range have beds which are secured on fixed platforms, which solve several issues: the bed cannot be moved; members of the housekeeping staff do not need to clean under the bed and therefore can clean rooms faster; and guests do not have to be concerned with losing any of their belongings under the bed.
Furthermore, the television is either anchored to the surface on which it rests; or the cords attached to it are not lengthy enough and cannot be unplugged or removed — but in either case, moving the television itself rather than simply adjusting it can be difficult.
I have been in spacious suites which were fully furnished; and I can see rearranging the furniture in a suite to create more room if I was hosting a gathering of colleagues in it during a business trip. I can also see staying at an extended stay hotel property for a lengthy period of time to increase comfort…
…but I cannot recall a time in which I have been in a room at a hotel or resort property and I have rearranged the furniture in the room — and even if I did, I would ensure that the furniture was returned to their original locations prior to checking out of the hotel property.
I have been known to move a chair on occasion or some other small or movable piece of furniture; but I always returned it back to where I found it.
Have you ever needed to rearrange the furniture in a room of the hotel or resort property at which you were staying? If so, please impart your reason why in the Comments section below.
All photographs ©2015, ©2016, and ©2017 by Brian Cohen.
