

The Art of Making People Go Away - drjohnson
http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/the-art-of-making-people-go-away

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pavel_lishin
> _I also have hundreds of toilet seat bands from hotels. Some of them are
> quite interesting, but these, too, are not a formal collection._

What's a toilet seat band?

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joezydeco
When travel on the US interstate highways picked up after WWII, motor hotels
("motels") sprang up on these routes to accommodate tourists. Many tried to
promote themselves on their cleanliness by offering amenities that weren't
typical for cheap motels in that era (disposable wrapped drinking cups,
individually wrapped bars of soap, etc).

When housekeeping cleaned the toilet in these places, they would put a paper
band over the seat indicating the toilet had been cleaned (and, by visual
glance, nobody else had used it yet).

Example:
[https://images.jmcatalog.com/prdimgs/nP94Ser5/NEW/NEW1A-SEAT...](https://images.jmcatalog.com/prdimgs/nP94Ser5/NEW/NEW1A-SEATBANDS.JPG)

~~~
pavel_lishin
Ah, thanks.

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ChuckMcM
People will collect anything I guess. The nicest do-not-disturb sign I recall
was at Kona Village Resort where you put a coconut on the lanai (porch) to
indicate that you did not want to be disturbed.

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beachstartup
when travelling i just leave the DND sign up, as i prefer to sleep late, tidy
my own room up, and not have someone going through my stuff.

i've never once had the hotel staff honor the sign. they ALWAYS try to come in
around noon at least once during my stay. it's crazy.

maybe i should make my own sign that says "NO BUT SERIOUSLY." in whatever
language and hang it under the real one.

~~~
SyneRyder
I used to do this, but ran into a few catches. They usually honored it for a
day, but beyond that they need to check that you're not trashing the room &
that they don't have a deceased guest on their hands.

At one hotel, cleaning staff explained to me they were getting in trouble for
not cleaning my room, and that they had a daily random check around mid-
afternoon by their higher-ups. It also prevents them leaving early if they
finish all the rooms, because they still have to wait for your room to become
available. (Hence the midday "sorry to disturb do you need any towels"
enquiry... they want to at least cross your room off their to-do list.)

Nowadays I still put up the DND sign, but take it down anytime I'm leaving the
room for a while to give them a chance to clean it.

