When you visit Walt Disney World, there are plenty of hotels to choose from. And in late December, a few of them replaced “Do Not Disturb” signs with ones that read, “Room Occupied.”
This policy change took effect in four resorts accessible by the Resort Monorail: Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Contemporary Resort and Bay Lake Tower, reported Orlando Sentinel.
Under the change, maintenance or housekeeping workers can now enter rooms daily (even those marked as occupied), but hotel staff members must knock and identify themselves before doing so.
Disney told Orlando Sentinel that guests are being notified about these new guidelines upon check-in, and the company is still deciding if it will implement the policy change at other resort locations.
On Oct. 1, Stephen Paddock shot and killed 58 people and injured hundreds more from his 32nd-floor hotel room at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Prior to the shooting, no one went into his room — where he stored 23 guns — because of the “Do Not Disturb” sign he’d hung on the door.
In response, several hotels in the Vegas area changed their “Do Not Disturb” policies. This included 10 Las Vegas Valley properties, such as The Orleans Hotel and Casino on the Strip, owned by Boyd Gaming, reported The New York Daily News.
“Boyd Gaming updated our ‘Do Not Disturb’ policy in late October,” David Strow, the vice president of corporate communications at Boyd Gaming, told Metro. He confirmed that the change was in response to the Oct. 1 shooting and that room checks, which were originally required after a “Do Not Disturb” tag was in place for three consecutive days, are now required after two consective days.
“All guests are advised of this policy upon check-in,” Strow added. “The policy applies to all 24 Boyd Gaming properties nationwide.”
Disney declined to say whether the Vegas shooting influenced its own policy change, but told Orlando Sentinel that the decision was made for “a variety of factors, including safety, security and the guest experience.”
When asked for further comment, a Disney spokesperson directed Metro back to the Orlando Sentinel article, stating that the information disclosed by that publication is accurate.
