Pet Peeve Bed and Breakfast

[Morticia]

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?.

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?

Our health dept would shut you down for the dog in the kitchen. Especially if it looked like that was the usual place the dog hung out.
If you're doing the tix I might include that info in the confirmation email. Be aware that some guests who do not want either may want a discount or may want you to include tix for something else instead. I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website.

 

[gillumhouse]

YES! We all operate on our pet peeves, I agree YS. Is this question just for breakfast and towels or everything? My list may be lengthy.
Don't serve me cold eggs, cold coffee either unless it is an iced coffee from starbucks. Don't make me come in there! to get the coffee, have it available before breakfast. DO NOT, I REPEAT! DO NOT SERVE POWDERED CREAMER or ONLY flavored creamers. Do not take my plate while I am still chewing. Do not come into the dining room and talk about the BnB the whole time I am eating with or without dining companions. Don't make a racket in the kitchen while I am dining.
Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?.

Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?
One of the things I did to add "luxury" when we were 3 with shared was to provide bath sheets. If it did not wrap around this fat body, I did not buy it. The new bathroom does have regular size towels again. Will have to go back to the bath sheets in there too. Thanks. The original bathroom does still have the bath sheets.
.

Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?
One of the things I did to add "luxury" when we were 3 with shared was to provide bath sheets. If it did not wrap around this fat body, I did not buy it. The new bathroom does have regular size towels again. Will have to go back to the bath sheets in there too. Thanks. The original bathroom does still have the bath sheets.

Having been penny pinchers most of our lives, and though we use thick fluffy towels we've never owned bath sheets. Do they really make that big of a difference in the luxury level? Anything that will up our game is worth considering. We could certainly phase these in.
.

I have always operated on the theory of if I would like it guests probably will. I like to wrap a towel around me when I get out of the shower or tub. Because the bath sheets cost more - and most people do know that - I think it does add to luxury. I bought good ones when they were on sale and am still using some of them. I think the secret to it is to buy enough of them that they are not getting "beaten into the ground". If you have enough to rotate them out they last a lot longer.
I actially got on to the bath sheet size when we lived in Illinois. There was a towel factory near us and thy had wharehouse sales in the outlet store - mostly overruns or oops of towel orders for corporations etc that were basically beach towels. The kids loved the size and so did I. That is about all we used for towels for years. I use a much better quality in the B & B but look for the biggest size I can get. Over-sized towels do not cut it. They are just a couple inches bigger.
PT, penny pinching does not describe me - I am CHEAP but not on things that count. Watch for sales. And a minimum size would be 34 x 68 (I like 70 better), do not be fooled that 66 is enough - that 2 inches is a big difference. You should be able to get them for about $20 per.
.

We just upsized our towels, but not to the bath sheet size. No can do when I'm buying 4 doz of everything at once. (Plus, hubs is the bathroom guy and if I doubled his laundry duty he'd kill me.) But I know what you mean...I was given a 'hand towel' at a retreat. The woman sharing the room with me wrapped it around herself and tucked in the sides. Egads! But seriously, it was not a big towel. I want the towel to go all the way around me and I will wrap them around me in the store before I buy them. If they go all the way around with all the clothes on...sold!
.

Exactly! Wht the towel industry calls a bath towel is a HAIR towel. I do understand the feelings of Hubs being a factor. They do not take that much extra time to dry, but folding and be interesting since I do a tri-fold lengthwise (ready for towel bar) and then do the half and half again. The extras for the shared bath get rolled - once I get them upstairs so I can hang them ofver the railing as I roll them for the basket.

 

[Morticia]

YES! We all operate on our pet peeves, I agree YS. Is this question just for breakfast and towels or everything? My list may be lengthy.
Don't serve me cold eggs, cold coffee either unless it is an iced coffee from starbucks. Don't make me come in there! to get the coffee, have it available before breakfast. DO NOT, I REPEAT! DO NOT SERVE POWDERED CREAMER or ONLY flavored creamers. Do not take my plate while I am still chewing. Do not come into the dining room and talk about the BnB the whole time I am eating with or without dining companions. Don't make a racket in the kitchen while I am dining.
Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?.

Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?
One of the things I did to add "luxury" when we were 3 with shared was to provide bath sheets. If it did not wrap around this fat body, I did not buy it. The new bathroom does have regular size towels again. Will have to go back to the bath sheets in there too. Thanks. The original bathroom does still have the bath sheets.
.

Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?
One of the things I did to add "luxury" when we were 3 with shared was to provide bath sheets. If it did not wrap around this fat body, I did not buy it. The new bathroom does have regular size towels again. Will have to go back to the bath sheets in there too. Thanks. The original bathroom does still have the bath sheets.

Having been penny pinchers most of our lives, and though we use thick fluffy towels we've never owned bath sheets. Do they really make that big of a difference in the luxury level? Anything that will up our game is worth considering. We could certainly phase these in.
.

I have always operated on the theory of if I would like it guests probably will. I like to wrap a towel around me when I get out of the shower or tub. Because the bath sheets cost more - and most people do know that - I think it does add to luxury. I bought good ones when they were on sale and am still using some of them. I think the secret to it is to buy enough of them that they are not getting "beaten into the ground". If you have enough to rotate them out they last a lot longer.
I actially got on to the bath sheet size when we lived in Illinois. There was a towel factory near us and thy had wharehouse sales in the outlet store - mostly overruns or oops of towel orders for corporations etc that were basically beach towels. The kids loved the size and so did I. That is about all we used for towels for years. I use a much better quality in the B & B but look for the biggest size I can get. Over-sized towels do not cut it. They are just a couple inches bigger.
PT, penny pinching does not describe me - I am CHEAP but not on things that count. Watch for sales. And a minimum size would be 34 x 68 (I like 70 better), do not be fooled that 66 is enough - that 2 inches is a big difference. You should be able to get them for about $20 per.
.

We just upsized our towels, but not to the bath sheet size. No can do when I'm buying 4 doz of everything at once. (Plus, hubs is the bathroom guy and if I doubled his laundry duty he'd kill me.) But I know what you mean...I was given a 'hand towel' at a retreat. The woman sharing the room with me wrapped it around herself and tucked in the sides. Egads! But seriously, it was not a big towel. I want the towel to go all the way around me and I will wrap them around me in the store before I buy them. If they go all the way around with all the clothes on...sold!
.

Exactly! Wht the towel industry calls a bath towel is a HAIR towel. I do understand the feelings of Hubs being a factor. They do not take that much extra time to dry, but folding and be interesting since I do a tri-fold lengthwise (ready for towel bar) and then do the half and half again. The extras for the shared bath get rolled - once I get them upstairs so I can hang them ofver the railing as I roll them for the basket.
.

Exactly! Wht the towel industry calls a bath towel is a HAIR towel. I do understand the feelings of Hubs being a factor. They do not take that much extra time to dry, but folding and be interesting since I do a tri-fold lengthwise (ready for towel bar) and then do the half and half again. The extras for the shared bath get rolled - once I get them upstairs so I can hang them ofver the railing as I roll them for the basket.

It's not just the drying...fewer of the bath sheets would go in one washer load. If I had all 19 sets in the wash and he had to do 2-3 extra loads my name would be mud. As it is, these new towels are longer and thicker than the ones we're getting rid of so I may be mud anyway.

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

YES! We all operate on our pet peeves, I agree YS. Is this question just for breakfast and towels or everything? My list may be lengthy.
Don't serve me cold eggs, cold coffee either unless it is an iced coffee from starbucks. Don't make me come in there! to get the coffee, have it available before breakfast. DO NOT, I REPEAT! DO NOT SERVE POWDERED CREAMER or ONLY flavored creamers. Do not take my plate while I am still chewing. Do not come into the dining room and talk about the BnB the whole time I am eating with or without dining companions. Don't make a racket in the kitchen while I am dining.
Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?.

Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?
One of the things I did to add "luxury" when we were 3 with shared was to provide bath sheets. If it did not wrap around this fat body, I did not buy it. The new bathroom does have regular size towels again. Will have to go back to the bath sheets in there too. Thanks. The original bathroom does still have the bath sheets.
.

Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?
One of the things I did to add "luxury" when we were 3 with shared was to provide bath sheets. If it did not wrap around this fat body, I did not buy it. The new bathroom does have regular size towels again. Will have to go back to the bath sheets in there too. Thanks. The original bathroom does still have the bath sheets.

Having been penny pinchers most of our lives, and though we use thick fluffy towels we've never owned bath sheets. Do they really make that big of a difference in the luxury level? Anything that will up our game is worth considering. We could certainly phase these in.
.

"Do they really make that big of a difference in the luxury level?"
We decided that by offering bath robes and separate towels for when using the hot tub, standard size bath towels worked best for us.
When towels get old or even the slightest bit stained from makeup, Pro-Active Solution, whatever, they turn into hot tub towels or for our use.
We keep joking about treating ourselves at Xmas to a fancy set of sheets and towels, but with a lifetime supply from the B&B for us already, its only a passing joke at best.

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?.

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?

Our health dept would shut you down for the dog in the kitchen. Especially if it looked like that was the usual place the dog hung out.
If you're doing the tix I might include that info in the confirmation email. Be aware that some guests who do not want either may want a discount or may want you to include tix for something else instead. I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website.
.

"I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website."
But you didn't pay for them. The B&B paid for them and is offering them as a complimentary gift.
For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering.

 

[gillumhouse]

YES! We all operate on our pet peeves, I agree YS. Is this question just for breakfast and towels or everything? My list may be lengthy.
Don't serve me cold eggs, cold coffee either unless it is an iced coffee from starbucks. Don't make me come in there! to get the coffee, have it available before breakfast. DO NOT, I REPEAT! DO NOT SERVE POWDERED CREAMER or ONLY flavored creamers. Do not take my plate while I am still chewing. Do not come into the dining room and talk about the BnB the whole time I am eating with or without dining companions. Don't make a racket in the kitchen while I am dining.
Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?.

Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?
One of the things I did to add "luxury" when we were 3 with shared was to provide bath sheets. If it did not wrap around this fat body, I did not buy it. The new bathroom does have regular size towels again. Will have to go back to the bath sheets in there too. Thanks. The original bathroom does still have the bath sheets.
.

Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?
One of the things I did to add "luxury" when we were 3 with shared was to provide bath sheets. If it did not wrap around this fat body, I did not buy it. The new bathroom does have regular size towels again. Will have to go back to the bath sheets in there too. Thanks. The original bathroom does still have the bath sheets.

Having been penny pinchers most of our lives, and though we use thick fluffy towels we've never owned bath sheets. Do they really make that big of a difference in the luxury level? Anything that will up our game is worth considering. We could certainly phase these in.
.

"Do they really make that big of a difference in the luxury level?"
We decided that by offering bath robes and separate towels for when using the hot tub, standard size bath towels worked best for us.
When towels get old or even the slightest bit stained from makeup, Pro-Active Solution, whatever, they turn into hot tub towels or for our use.
We keep joking about treating ourselves at Xmas to a fancy set of sheets and towels, but with a lifetime supply from the B&B for us already, its only a passing joke at best.
.

We have always also had robes for guests. One way I had to turn a call into a rez was to point out "we know it is a disappointment to many but no streakers are allowed so there are robes in the closets for guests to use..... And every room comes with emergency facilities - there is a chamber pot under every bed!" It worked more often than not..

 

[Copperhead]

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?.

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?

Our health dept would shut you down for the dog in the kitchen. Especially if it looked like that was the usual place the dog hung out.
If you're doing the tix I might include that info in the confirmation email. Be aware that some guests who do not want either may want a discount or may want you to include tix for something else instead. I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website.
.

"I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website."
But you didn't pay for them. The B&B paid for them and is offering them as a complimentary gift.
For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering.
.

Tim - "For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering."
Tim I agree. We are in our sloooow season now and are offering a 10 year anniversary special rate throughout the summer. IF the person ASKS for it specifically. We even state that on our site. If they ask for a discount, but not the special, they only get our basic 10% if they qualify. (for those of you that do not discount - that is fine..we find discounts work here and I have already calcuated it in my rates before discounting.)

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?.

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?

Our health dept would shut you down for the dog in the kitchen. Especially if it looked like that was the usual place the dog hung out.
If you're doing the tix I might include that info in the confirmation email. Be aware that some guests who do not want either may want a discount or may want you to include tix for something else instead. I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website.
.

"I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website."
But you didn't pay for them. The B&B paid for them and is offering them as a complimentary gift.
For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering.
.

Tim - "For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering."
Tim I agree. We are in our sloooow season now and are offering a 10 year anniversary special rate throughout the summer. IF the person ASKS for it specifically. We even state that on our site. If they ask for a discount, but not the special, they only get our basic 10% if they qualify. (for those of you that do not discount - that is fine..we find discounts work here and I have already calcuated it in my rates before discounting.)
.

We do lots of discounting for a variety of reasons, the main one being is that it has always been our belief that upfront advertising costs and the resultant or corresponding added revenue is hard to quantify unless you interrogate all of your callers about "how did you find us?"
For us discounts both reward longer stays, returning guests loyalty and don't cost anything out of pocket until they are taken advantage of.
We also offer rooms on several second party reservation systems and pay a commission to do so, so if we're willing to do that, then why not consider discounts or specials we generate oursleves?
We're not set in stone on being a little flexible on an after the fact discount or special if the guest really connect with us. Recent case in point. Got a multi-night reservation from someone from our hometown who didn't mention the "drive green" special we offer until after they got the confirmation.
She was a delight to speak with on the phone and emails and she expressed such excitement about staying here that we knew they were gonna be great. So, when she popped the follow up email with the news about renting a Prius, it made sense to retroactively offer the special and they indeed turned out ot be just as great as we expected.
These are folks that come to our area regularly, so we know that flexibility will pay off in the long run.
We don't offer any specials or discounts, we're not comfortable with and don't keep the fact that this guest is paying less color our service or approach to them in the slightest.

 

[Morticia]

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?.

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?

Our health dept would shut you down for the dog in the kitchen. Especially if it looked like that was the usual place the dog hung out.
If you're doing the tix I might include that info in the confirmation email. Be aware that some guests who do not want either may want a discount or may want you to include tix for something else instead. I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website.
.

"I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website."
But you didn't pay for them. The B&B paid for them and is offering them as a complimentary gift.
For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering.
.

Tim - "For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering."
Tim I agree. We are in our sloooow season now and are offering a 10 year anniversary special rate throughout the summer. IF the person ASKS for it specifically. We even state that on our site. If they ask for a discount, but not the special, they only get our basic 10% if they qualify. (for those of you that do not discount - that is fine..we find discounts work here and I have already calcuated it in my rates before discounting.)
.

Tim - "For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering."
Tim I agree. We are in our sloooow season now and are offering a 10 year anniversary special rate throughout the summer. IF the person ASKS for it specifically. We even state that on our site. If they ask for a discount, but not the special, they only get our basic 10% if they qualify. (for those of you that do not discount - that is fine..we find discounts work here and I have already calcuated it in my rates before discounting.)

Here's where I have trouble...we've done this, too where we had a special on the website that you had to ask for. I got tons of people booking for that time frame and none mentioned the special. Hmmm. Wonder why not? So, I just went and checked my stats. Here's what I got...in the last month 2100+ landings on the home page of which 44% went immediately to the rooms page. Only 6% went to the page with the specials. So, in just that small cohort, unless they did a lot of bouncing around, only 6% would have seen the special. If more people had seen it, maybe more would have booked. So, I need to go back to putting the special on the home page and on the rooms page and not just on the specials page.
If you are offering a discount make sure it is on a page guests would generally see. Which makes me think I should put my add-ons on my rooms page!

 

[Samster]

YES! We all operate on our pet peeves, I agree YS. Is this question just for breakfast and towels or everything? My list may be lengthy.
Don't serve me cold eggs, cold coffee either unless it is an iced coffee from starbucks. Don't make me come in there! to get the coffee, have it available before breakfast. DO NOT, I REPEAT! DO NOT SERVE POWDERED CREAMER or ONLY flavored creamers. Do not take my plate while I am still chewing. Do not come into the dining room and talk about the BnB the whole time I am eating with or without dining companions. Don't make a racket in the kitchen while I am dining.
Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?.

Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?
One of the things I did to add "luxury" when we were 3 with shared was to provide bath sheets. If it did not wrap around this fat body, I did not buy it. The new bathroom does have regular size towels again. Will have to go back to the bath sheets in there too. Thanks. The original bathroom does still have the bath sheets.
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Extra towels? How about towels of a decent size to begin with?
One of the things I did to add "luxury" when we were 3 with shared was to provide bath sheets. If it did not wrap around this fat body, I did not buy it. The new bathroom does have regular size towels again. Will have to go back to the bath sheets in there too. Thanks. The original bathroom does still have the bath sheets.

Having been penny pinchers most of our lives, and though we use thick fluffy towels we've never owned bath sheets. Do they really make that big of a difference in the luxury level? Anything that will up our game is worth considering. We could certainly phase these in.
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I have always operated on the theory of if I would like it guests probably will. I like to wrap a towel around me when I get out of the shower or tub. Because the bath sheets cost more - and most people do know that - I think it does add to luxury. I bought good ones when they were on sale and am still using some of them. I think the secret to it is to buy enough of them that they are not getting "beaten into the ground". If you have enough to rotate them out they last a lot longer.
I actially got on to the bath sheet size when we lived in Illinois. There was a towel factory near us and thy had wharehouse sales in the outlet store - mostly overruns or oops of towel orders for corporations etc that were basically beach towels. The kids loved the size and so did I. That is about all we used for towels for years. I use a much better quality in the B & B but look for the biggest size I can get. Over-sized towels do not cut it. They are just a couple inches bigger.
PT, penny pinching does not describe me - I am CHEAP but not on things that count. Watch for sales. And a minimum size would be 34 x 68 (I like 70 better), do not be fooled that 66 is enough - that 2 inches is a big difference. You should be able to get them for about $20 per.
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We just upsized our towels, but not to the bath sheet size. No can do when I'm buying 4 doz of everything at once. (Plus, hubs is the bathroom guy and if I doubled his laundry duty he'd kill me.) But I know what you mean...I was given a 'hand towel' at a retreat. The woman sharing the room with me wrapped it around herself and tucked in the sides. Egads! But seriously, it was not a big towel. I want the towel to go all the way around me and I will wrap them around me in the store before I buy them. If they go all the way around with all the clothes on...sold!
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I was just looking at towels and the "bath" size towels are very large! These were of the upscale variety. I guess my towels are all pretty large and fluffy.
Sam's Club here doesn't carry the variety that I bought.

What they have now is a much poorer quality. I bought some ribbed "spa" towels at TJ Maxx to try awhile back (it was a set with 2 bath, 2 hand, 2 wash) and they are thick but don't try worth anything. There is something about the texture. So, I won't be getting more of those.
Give me plenty of towels, puh-leeze! Another pet peeve of mine - skimpy, scratchy and not enough towels.

 

[Samster]

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?.

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?

Our health dept would shut you down for the dog in the kitchen. Especially if it looked like that was the usual place the dog hung out.
If you're doing the tix I might include that info in the confirmation email. Be aware that some guests who do not want either may want a discount or may want you to include tix for something else instead. I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website.
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"I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website."
But you didn't pay for them. The B&B paid for them and is offering them as a complimentary gift.
For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering.
.

Tim - "For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering."
Tim I agree. We are in our sloooow season now and are offering a 10 year anniversary special rate throughout the summer. IF the person ASKS for it specifically. We even state that on our site. If they ask for a discount, but not the special, they only get our basic 10% if they qualify. (for those of you that do not discount - that is fine..we find discounts work here and I have already calcuated it in my rates before discounting.)
.

You know, we are in quiet season here too and I'm not offering a Summer discount this year, just my regular discounts (online, military, local university, and biz). People just aren't here in our area. I'll see what happens but I really don't think it got anyone here, I just was getting paid less to run the A/C more!

 

[sandynn]

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?.

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?

Our health dept would shut you down for the dog in the kitchen. Especially if it looked like that was the usual place the dog hung out.
If you're doing the tix I might include that info in the confirmation email. Be aware that some guests who do not want either may want a discount or may want you to include tix for something else instead. I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website.
.

I was wondering the same thing. I would not think the health dept would ever allow dogs in the kitchen.

 

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?.

Yikes!!! I've learned a lot today!

I will definitely keep an emergency "spare" basket for guests who forget things. Even though I have them on hand now I will keep them visible.
My golden retriever is never allowed in the dining room (even though guests beg) but she does hang out with me in the kitchen. We have a very large kitchen/dining room/sitting area that is for my family only and she has a bed in one of the corners and just hangs there while I make breakfast. Is this a bad thing? I've never thought that it would bother any of the guests to see her in there. O.K. I admit, if I drop something she's on it in a flash, and if it falls, it's hers anyway.
Also, on our website we offer complimentary tickets to a local botanical garden or local live theatre if guests stay two night's or longer. I don't give them out to guests who stay unless they ask for them specifically. Some guests are just not into gardening or theatre and would not want the free tickets. But should I reword my offer to state that they must ask for the tickets in advance?

Our health dept would shut you down for the dog in the kitchen. Especially if it looked like that was the usual place the dog hung out.
If you're doing the tix I might include that info in the confirmation email. Be aware that some guests who do not want either may want a discount or may want you to include tix for something else instead. I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website.
.

"I wouldn't want to stay for a couple of days and find out after I paid for the tix myself that they were included but I missed that on the website."
But you didn't pay for them. The B&B paid for them and is offering them as a complimentary gift.
For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering.
.

Tim - "For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering."
Tim I agree. We are in our sloooow season now and are offering a 10 year anniversary special rate throughout the summer. IF the person ASKS for it specifically. We even state that on our site. If they ask for a discount, but not the special, they only get our basic 10% if they qualify. (for those of you that do not discount - that is fine..we find discounts work here and I have already calcuated it in my rates before discounting.)
.

Tim - "For all the research travelers can do and the dozens of directory sites most of us are on and those of us who post specials on them and on our own websites, the least we should expect is that guests will do their due diligence and ask for a discount, special or complimentary item we are offering."
Tim I agree. We are in our sloooow season now and are offering a 10 year anniversary special rate throughout the summer. IF the person ASKS for it specifically. We even state that on our site. If they ask for a discount, but not the special, they only get our basic 10% if they qualify. (for those of you that do not discount - that is fine..we find discounts work here and I have already calcuated it in my rates before discounting.)

Here's where I have trouble...we've done this, too where we had a special on the website that you had to ask for. I got tons of people booking for that time frame and none mentioned the special. Hmmm. Wonder why not? So, I just went and checked my stats. Here's what I got...in the last month 2100+ landings on the home page of which 44% went immediately to the rooms page. Only 6% went to the page with the specials. So, in just that small cohort, unless they did a lot of bouncing around, only 6% would have seen the special. If more people had seen it, maybe more would have booked. So, I need to go back to putting the special on the home page and on the rooms page and not just on the specials page.
If you are offering a discount make sure it is on a page guests would generally see. Which makes me think I should put my add-ons on my rooms page!
.

We have a separate "specials" page on our website, its no less visible than any other and can be navigated back to from any page. That seems like plenty to me and if folks want to save money they have to do a little work to do so. Thats the tradeoff.
Even our second party specials via B&B.com or wherever are only redeemable by booking directly through us.
But the idea for us isn't to encourage everybody to take advantage of a special, just the fence sitters, folks on a budget who would otherwise not consider a B&B bcause of the perception that they are too expensive or not a good value, and to pry away some of the folks in our area that think the ONLY satisfactory visit to our area is to stay a block from the Plaza.
It kind of negates all the years of research into just how much to charge to be both competitive and hopefully profitable if we all just turn around and knock 20-30% for nearly every guest. Unless you have a really big place that can absorb the lower revenue by higher volume, its would seem to be a recipe for eventual failure.
All guests as they are checking out are told that if they book directly with us next time and forever after that, get a 10% repeat guest discount.
As I might have explained on other threads, most of our second party specials we offer are for the sole purpose to expand name recgonition and if we get a few, great.
For example, if our name resonates with even a handful of the 1,500 or so B&B.com receivers of "HotDeals" emails for our area every week, the NEXT time or time after they come to our area, we've done our job and it doesn't cost anything until somebody actually takes advantage of the special.