You return from dinner to find the bed prepared for the night and a bedside light switched on. At some hotels, that evening visit is part of turndown service. It is useful to understand it before arrival, particularly if you prefer an undisturbed room in the evening.
Hotel descriptions may list daily housekeeping and evening turndown separately. For example, this Marriott room description lists both services. It illustrates the distinction; it does not establish what every hotel or room rate includes.
Ask about the visit rather than assuming a standard package
Confirm whether turndown is included, available on request or not offered for your booking. Ask about the usual time window and what staff do during the visit. Preparing bedding, refreshing particular items and a full daytime clean are not necessarily the same service.
If a child sleeps early or someone in the room needs uninterrupted rest, explain that preference to the hotel. A precise request—such as no evening housekeeping visit—is easier to act on than a general comment that you like privacy.
Use the property’s own communication method
Ask how its privacy sign, housekeeping app or reception requests work. Do not assume a sign creates the same arrangement at every property or overrides all safety procedures. If you decline an evening visit but need towels or another item, request that separately and agree how it will be delivered.
Keep valuables and private documents appropriately secured as you would throughout the stay. Turndown is not a luggage-storage or personal-item management service, and staff should not have to guess which objects can be moved.
At check-in, a short question can settle the whole matter: “Is there an evening room visit, and how do I opt in or decline it?” You can then arrange the stay around your own routine instead of discovering the service through an unexpected knock after bedtime.