Telling somebody at a hotel to leave you alone used to be pretty simple. But not anymore. As hotels look to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace, they have revamped the traditional "Do-Not-Disturb" sign to be creative, funny and -- in some cases -- in your face. Here are some of our favorite picks. <p> The <a href="http://ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Cleveland/Default.htm" target="external">Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland</a> offers special signs to make sure that "four-legged, furry family member is recognized." Dog signs say "Woof!" and cat signs say "Meow."

<a href="http://www.parkermeridien.com/index1.php" target="external">Le Parker Meridien</a> in its quest to deliver the quintessential New York experience, has developed a new way for guests to be left alone, tell others to beat it, scram! The hotel has created bold, white-on-black doorknob hangers that read: Fuhgettaboudit!

<a href="http://www.dreamsouthbeach.com/" target="external">Dream South Beach</a> in Miami is a hotel driven by design. Room signs are either a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down and tell the staff to either "SERVICE ME" or advise them to come back "MAYBE LATER."

At New York's <a href="http://www.fairmont.com/theplaza" target="external">Plaza Hotel</a>, there are whimsical sign's portraying the hotel's most-famous guest, Eloise.

While the Plaza might be a grand old hotel, these signs show it hasn't grown stuff in its old age.

This sign is just further evidence that the <a href="http://www.hardrockhotelsd.com/" target="external">Hard Rock Hotel San Diego</a> is truly fit for a rock star.

At Atlantic City's <a href="http://www.theborgata.com/" target="external">Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa</a>, guests are either "tied up" at night and don't want to be disturbed or need somebody to "tidy up" their room. Maybe one led to the other?

At <a href="http://www.hoteldiva.com/" target="external">Hotel Diva</a> all guests are stars. The only question is if they are in their room or not.

The theme carries over to the <a href="http://www.hotelunionsquare.com/" target="external">Hotel Union Square</a> in San Francisco.

The sign at the spa at <a href="http://www.aubergedusoleil.com/" target="external">Auberge du Soleil</a> in California's Napa Valley says it all.

The velvet "Z" at the Dylan, a 44-room boutique hotel in Dublin, Ireland, is a clear sign for people to stay away from a room. No two rooms are alike in the hotel, which also has a "Styling Your Room" sign for housekeeping.

The Liberty Hotel in Boston is set in a historic 1851 prison transformed into a hotel on the banks of the Charles River near Beacon Hill, Having fun with the prison-turned-hotel theme, the hotel's "Do Not Disturb" signs read "Solitary."

At Hotel Helix in Washington, D.C., guests either need someone or just want to be alone. Either way this swanky hotel wants its guests to have fun and pushes that image through its door signs.

Now that you've seen a few signs, want to design your own? Embassy Suites -- which uses the sign to the left -- has a contest as it looks for a new sign to be used in 190 hotels. On its Web site, Embassy Suites allows people to design their own door hanger using the images and templates provided. Five winners will get a trip to a select hotel and have their signs hung on doorknobs around the world.

The Hollywood-style Hotel Helix also features "check-in pods" and simply describes its rooms as "oh-so-chic." Guests are asked to "take a moment to catch your breath and put on your dancing shoes."

Across town, New York's <a href="http://www.thejanenyc.com/" target="external">Jane</a> hotel also takes a creative path with its signs, although not quite as childlike.

Candlewood Suites, InterContinental Hotels' extended-stay chain, takes a less risqué approach but still has fun with this sign telling people to leave the guests alone.

What else would you expect from a beachfront hotel? This surfboard tells people that guests need a little rest at the Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach, Calif.

The Shoreham in Midtown Manhattan has its own art gallery and guestrooms with massage chairs and customizable minibars. The housekeeping signs are straight to the point, but still provide lots of fun.

These signs at Hotel Helix say it all and add a little extra style to the hallways. Why not?

Pet in your hotel room? Kimpton Hotels has a special "Do Not Disturb" sign giving the housekeeping staff notice that a dog is inside.

The Topaz Hotel in Washington, D.C., "is a world filled with positive energy and good karma." So of course when sleeping, guests don't want anybody to mess with the "calm little center of my universe."

Loews says it loves pets and also has special signs giving others a heads up that one is inside the room.

The "Do Not Disturb" sign goes high tech at the Hotel@MIT, a Hilton property near the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus in Cambridge, Mass. The sign is designed to look like a circuit board, whichof course fits with the hotel's design.

The Sky Hotel in Aspen, Colo., calls itself "a high-style chill pad where beautiful people let loose." But when they are tired, they need to tell people to "let me chill."

Ah, to have servants cleaning the royal chambers.

Guests at the <a href="http://www.theclub.com.sg/" target="external">Club Hotel</a> in Singapore can choose their own do not disturb message. Signs can be toggled on a rotating wheel. Messages include: "I need nothing, I feel content" and "I need solitude, please do not disturb."