It’s said the Inuit have a multitude of words for snow. In English, we have as many ways to tell people to keep out.
Lately, hotels have gotten creative with how they let guests convey the sentiment with a rash of unique Do Not Disturb signs.
Click through the gallery above for some of our favorites.
The Liberty Hotel
The Liberty enjoys poking fun at its notorious past – the building was formerly the site of the Charles Street Jail.
In keeping with the jailhouse theme, the hotel uses tags that read “solitary” (complete with jailers’ keys) in place of traditional Do Not Disturb signs.
Candlewood Suites
Candlewood Suites, the Intercontinental Hotel Group’s chain of extensive-stay lodgings, has a quirky Do Not Disturb sign that interprets “catching Zs” literally – with a net.
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21c Museum Hotel Durham
Part art museum, part boutique hotel, it should come as no surprise that the 21c Museum Hotel in Durham borrows from its personal collection to add personality to standard hotel features.
The door hanger, for instance, features a reproduction of a painting called “Sock Garter,” by American artist Timothy Cummings.
21c Museum Hotel Bentonville
The 21c Museum Hotel chain is also pet-friendly (score!). The chain has created a special sign for guests traveling with small mammals.
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Great Wolf Lodge
Great Wolf Lodge, a chain of water park resorts throughout North America, pays homage to its “rustic” aesthetic and family fun with wooden Do Not Disturb signs.
Hotel Indigo Lower East Side
Located in Manhattan’s artistic epicenter, Hotel Indigo draws on the Lower East Side’s street-art past with its graffiti-themed Do Not Disturb sign.
The street-art theme doesn’t end there; rooms are decorated with customized paintings by graffiti legend Lee Quinones.
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Hotel Union Square
Touting itself as San Francisco’s first boutique hotel, Hotel Union Square opts for humorously frank Do Not Disturb signs.
Le Parker Meridien
Yes, New York is populated by tough guys (need proof? Netflix any Martin Scorsese movie). Midtown hotel Le Parker Meridien gives guests a bit of New York flavor with door hangers emblazoned with the declaration, “Fuhgettaboudit.”
The Library Hotel
The Library Hotel is a bibliophile’s dream come true. Not only can guests browse 6,000 titles, but each floor is themed around a literary genre.
Unsurprisingly, the hotel’s Do Not Disturb signs farther the venue’s bookish vibe, with a whispered exhortation to “Shhh … Please let me read.”
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Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort
The Antigua-based Jumby Bay, A Rosewood Resort (that’s the full name) has opted for a more subtle Do Not Disturb sign.
The door hangers are made exclusively for the resort by a local Antigua artist from local shells and raffia palm.
Guests can special-order the artwork to bring home.
Las Ventanas al Paraiso, A Rosewood Resort
Similarly, Las Ventanas al Paraiso, A Rosewood Resort in Mexico also employs local women to make its door hangers.
The hangers are made from necklaces that are traditional in the region.
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Stanford Court
A Do Not Disturb sign with hashtags? Only in Silicon Valley.
The Bay Area-based Stanford Court’s door hangers also depict “on” and “off” switches (how else will their techy guests understand what they’re for?).
Jane Hotel
The ever-quirky Jane Hotel, located in Manhattan’s West Village, started out as a place for sailors to cast anchor – it even housed survivors of the Titanic.
The marine theme remains (rooms are decked out to look like cabins), and the Victorian-style door hangers are an homage to the hotel’s naval past.