When guests arrive at the Kennebunkport Captains Collection, a quartet of historical mansions in Maine, the front desk staff will provide several details about the accommodations: on-site parking, the WiFi password and the breakfast hours. This summer, the property expanded the debriefing to include its housekeeping policy, a service that, during the pandemic, has moved from the background to the foreground.

Before the global health crisis, the 45-room Captains Collection offered daily housekeeping, a standard across the hospitality industry. These days, a staff member will tidy up every other day, a 30-minute routine that involves making the bed, wiping down the bathroom and swapping out the pillowcases. A full replacement of sheets and towels occurs on the fourth day instead of the third. The timing has also changed. Pre-pandemic, the housekeepers would perform these tasks during the day, while the guests were out exploring the seaside town. Now, they might clean in the evening, when the occupants are at dinner and they are free from their other responsibilities, such as school, child care or another part-time job.

"We explain this to the guests," said Kristen Caouette, the general manager, referring to the retooled cleaning schedule. "There is not too much grumbling. Nine out of 10 people are very understanding." For the folks partial to the old way, she said, "we do it if we can."

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