I worked as a "Turn-Down Attendant" for the Casa Monica hotel. This meant that we would come in the rooms in the evening and tidy up, throw away garbage, change sheets, soaps and shampoos, fold the bed a certain way and leave a newsletter and chocolate on the bed. Everynight the routine was the same, each room a little different. Each employee was given about 2 floors to complete each night. One thing was for sure though. None of the Turn-Down Attendants (as well as House Keepers from what I was told) liked doing one particular floor...the 4th. One night I was talked in to switching floors with another employee who absolutely did not wish to do the 4th floor this particular night. I looked at my checklist after turning down several rooms and noticed the St. Francis suite was next. This is a beautiful 2-story suite with beds downstairs and a Master bedroom upstairs, as well as a sun room in the back. Immediately when you walk in you see a bathroom to your right and then 2 beds on the left. Directly in front of you is a staircase that leads straight up to the Master Bedroom area. As a Turn-Down Attendant you are required to first knock on the door several times waiting for a response before you can enter. Once you enter the room you must still call out, "Turn Down Service!", so that anyone who may have not heard you knocking will hear that you have entered the room. So I did this normal routine entering the St. Francis Suite and heard no reply. I started to clean the first bathroom downstairs and stopped for a moment because I thought I heard something. Silence. I went back to cleaning and heard something again. This time it sounded like footsteps walking on the floor coming from upstairs. From the bottom of the stairs I called out, "Turn-Down Service!" Silence. "Hello!? Is anyone upstairs?" Footsteps again. "Would you like Turn-Down Service?" Silence. I started walking up the stairs slowly. "Hello? Is someone here?". Now, you may be asking yourself at this point why I would continue going upstairs if someone were in fact there. It would seem logical to leave the suite allowing the guests their personal space, as they clearly were not hearing me or just not responding. Well for 1.) The Casa Monica Hotel is very strict about cleanliness and upholding the services they offer. Therefore, I could NOT leave a room without providing the service unless specifically asked not to by the hotel guest. The hotel will even do checks or send in their own type of "secret shoppers" to make sure you are doing your job and now 2.) My curiosity, logic and frustration compelled me to find out what was at the top of the stairs that was not responding after my many attempts. So I started walking slowly up the stairs waiting and waiting for someone to answer my calling. I finally reached the top, expecting to see someone. Anyone. It was dark and empty. How can this be?! I checked the room thoroughly and the bathroom as well. Nothing! Was I imagining these distinct footstep sounds?! I even stepped back and fourth on the floor to recreate the sound I heard. It definitely came from this room! I went ahead and turned down the room and bathroom upstairs, until I heard noises from downstairs. I peered down the stairs from the top and called out, "Hello? Is someone here?" This time I heard footsteps and then a loud THUMP! I raced down the stairs. No one was there! Now I truly understood why most of the employees were uncomfortable with the 4th floor. With my heart pounding, my mind racing and the hairs on the back of my neck standing on their end, I quickly finished up the suite so I could get out of there. Before I left I remember blurting out something like, "It's all yours now!" After that incident in the St. Francis suite I found myself trying to trade the 4th floor with other employees so that I did not have to face what was in that room again.
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