Disney hotel workers will come into your room unannounced every day, according to one fan and TikTok creator. The possible reason why is pretty eerie.
Depending on how you look at it, Disney can be a place filled with magic and childlike wonder or a huge security risk.
To prevent terrible things from happening, specifically in hotels at the company’s Walt Disney World and Disneyland resorts (since hotels have been known to be centers for sex or child trafficking and other illegal activities), user @themouselets claims that Disney has daily “room checks” or “safety checks.”
“I fully support room checks because they’re completely about safety. They make me feel more comfortable, and I think it is the correct decision from Disney,” @themouselets says in a viral clip. “But I do think it’s important that people know about it because you can get into some predicaments.”
The content creator (who runs a Disney-based media company with her siblings) shared that every day, a hotel staff member enters your room to ensure things are safe and that there’s nothing suspicious going on, even if you have a “Room Occupied” sign on the door.
“I personally have had two experiences with room checks that were kind of unfortunate,” the woman says.
The first time, she was taking a work meeting on her laptop from inside the hotel room. A person knocked, but when she didn’t initially open the door because she was in a meeting, the person started banging on the door until she muted herself in the meeting and went over to answer the door.
The second time she was taking a midday shower, she had to frantically grab a robe to let the worker in for the check.
The woman added that the checks aren’t usually disturbing since they tend to happen in the middle of the day when most people are out enjoying the park, but it can be a nuisance in situations like hers or if you have young children napping.
If you want more predictability with the check, the content creator suggested asking the front desk for an earlier check time.
The Daily Dot did not find anything on the Disney website disclosing these room checks.
Apparently, this has been standard practice in Disney hotels for several years, per online posts from articles, blogs, and forum discussions.
Why does Disney do hotel room checks?
Between 2017 and early 2018, hotels changed their security policies with practices like this. Disney hotels replaced the standard “Do Not Disturb” signs with “Room Occupied” signs that state, “The Disney Resort hotel and its staff reserve the right to enter your room, even when this sign is displayed, for maintenance, safety, security or any other purpose.”
Hilton hotels now require staff to alert a manager if a room has their “Do Not Disturb” sign on for more than 24 hours.
People have speculated that these changes were prompted after the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas in which a gunman shot into the crowd at a music festival from his hotel room, killing 60 people and injuring 867. It remains the deadliest mass shooting by one person in American history, according to the Northeastern University Mass Killing Database.
The gunman stored more than two dozen guns (which ultimately fired more than 1,000 rounds) between his two hotel rooms, KTNV Las Vegas reported.
He also had Do Not Disturb signs on his doors, though even when housekeeping did enter, they didn’t notice anything off about the room, the Independent reported.
Neither Disney nor the Hilton hotel chain will confirm that the shooting had anything to do with the policy changes, the Independent reported, though they happened after the shooting.
@themouselets room checks are so important to keep guests safe and in part came from the tragedy at an ariana grande concert several years back – but its also important to know that these happen! #disneyworld #disneyresorts #disneytips ♬ original sound – The Mouselets
The Disney content creator’s video had more than a million views and over 6,500 comments with mixed reactions.
“This is something that should be done while housekeeping is in the room, a separate check is intrusive,” a top comment with more than 18,500 likes, read.
“I’d be worried some random creeper would be knocking pretending they are doing official room checks,” a person said.
“Thanks for this, will never be staying in a disney hotel,” another wrote.
“As someone who works in a hotel, room checks are SO inappropriate and inhospitable and i’d never stay somewhere that does that,” a commenter chimed in.
The Daily Dot reached out to both @themouselets and Disney for comment via email.
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