ORLANDO, FLA. (CelebrityAccess) Walt Disney World in Florida has removed “Do Not Disturb” Signs from the four hotels, and the reason could be chilling.
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower have all had the common placards removed from rooms, according to the Orlando Sentinel, and are replaced with “Room Occupied” signs. The new policy means maintenance or housekeeping can enter the room, even when occupied.
Or security.
Staff would need to knock and identify themselves before entering if the “Room Occupied” sign is displayed.
The change in policy could have its origins in the mass shooting that killed 58 people at the Harvest Route 91 country music festival in Las Vegas Oct. 1, as noted by the the Sentinel. The gunshots originated from the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, according to police, where lone gunman Steve Paddock fired upon the festival crowd using an arsenal of high-powered rifles.
Paddock apparently had a Do Not Disturb sign on his hotel door and was undisturbed for several days at MGM property Mandalay Bay as he allegedly prepared for the attack.
The Disney policy may have been motivated by Steve Wynn, chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts, who said in an October interview with Fox News that it was time for Las Vegas to have a talk about security.
“We certainly wouldn’t invade the privacy of a guest in a room,” Wynn said. “But let’s put it this way: The scenario that we’re aware of would have indicated that he didn’t let anyone in the room for two or three days. That would have triggered a whole bunch of alarms here and we would have, on behalf of the guest of course, investigated for safety and it would have been a provocative situation.”
Hotels typically require that a room with a Do Not Disturb sign on its door be entered after three days for routine cleaning, American Hotel & Lodging Association spokeswoman Rosanna Maietta told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, although some workers enter for a courtesy cleaning after 24 hours.
The four hotels with the new policy are along Walt Disney World’s Monorail loop that connects with the Magic Kingdom, according the New York Post.
Several hotels in Vegas have already revised their “do not disturb policies” including the Orleans Hotel and Casino, according to Fox affiliate KVVU. Guests are informed at check-in of the rule change.
