Collection of Do Not Disturb Signs -- November 07, 2019
One of the many things I collect are hotel "Do not disturb" signs. A requirement for a sign to be added to the collection is that it must state the name of the specific hotel. In other words, not a general sign that could be used on any hotel door or one that indicates the large brand but without the specific hotel. Another requirement is I must have stayed at the hotel.
Here are pictures of most of my collection.
China/Hong Kong
Latin America. From left to right -- Mexico City, Costa Rica (2), Argentina (2), Uruguay
Europe. From left to right -- Monaco, Iceland, Germany
Las Vegas
Miscellaneous. From left to right -- Toronto, Dominican Republic, Reno, New York City, San Diego County
Finally, here is my favorite, from the Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood, Oregon. If it looks familiar, it was used for the exterior shots of the Overlook in The Shining movie.
What brings this up is somebody started a thread in my Wizard of Vegas forum titled Stealing from Hotel Rooms. There, I confessed to appropriating "do not disturb" signs. In my defense, the one at the Overlook was too nice to steal. I asked at the front desk to buy one and they sold me one for a nominal price. I asked for opinions on the ethics of it and I think everybody deemed taking them a minor act of theft.
Now I feel guilty. I confessed on the forum and asked about an appropriate penance to make things right. It seems ridiculous to track down all these hotels and mail them a few cents, in U.S. currency, to cover the replacement cost. What I thought was the best idea on the forum was to leave a generous tip to the maid the next time I stay in a hotel. I'm thinking 19 signs (not counting the Overlook) at $2 per sign is much more than fair. One might argue that I'm not make reparations to the correct party. I'd like to think that a $38 tip to a maid somewhere will help her moral and thus indirectly benefit the hotel she works for.
If anyone reading this newsletter represents any of the hotels above, please reach out to me and suggest what I can do to make restitution. I also welcome all comments on a fair and reasonable way to pay my debt to said hotels.