Pet peeve- innkeeper-wise

[Morticia]

Pet peeve in guest relations- for Pete's sake do NOT argue with the paying guest. If the guest says something does not work, do NOT say it does work, it has always worked and it is working right now and that no one else has ever complained about that. Say you will 'check into' whatever the problem is.
Even if it turns out the guest is an idiot, don't make the guest feel like you know the guest is an idiot and you are not going to be helpful.
(In this case, the guest was an idiot, but the guest also felt the innkeeper was adamant she was right and was not going to even offer to entertain the idea that something might really be broken.)
This also involves not saying, 'Yes, I knew it must be something you were doing wrong,' when the guests explains what the problem was!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

 

[RFSitters]

I'm finding this post very ironic at the moment. We have a full house tonight, and they all seem to be a little needy - last minute dinner reservations, changes to last-minute dinner reservations, church information twice, and a few who corner me for a little while every time I make an appearance.
Just a few minutes ago one room knocked on our door and wanted extra pillows. Did DH show you how to open the armoire in your room (sometimes he forgets) - that's where the extra pillows are, with the robes. No, no pillows in there, none in the drawer underneath the armoire. Huh - maybe they got taken down to the laundry and not replaced - I'll get some from our stash for you. Feather or fiber (that takes another five minutes to get through). I trot down to the basement for the 20th time today, find one feather and one fiber, pillow covers, and clean pillowcases and then up to their room (on the second floor), open the door and put the pillows on the bed. Just for kicks, I open the armoire. There are the extra pillows behind the clothes that have been hung up by the guests.
Now, it will take all my self-control not to point out tomorrow that the pillows were in the armoire all along, in hopes that the guests won't know that I think they are idiots. But you better believe I am calling them idiots back in my own private primal-scream-therapy padded room.

 

[Morticia]

I'm finding this post very ironic at the moment. We have a full house tonight, and they all seem to be a little needy - last minute dinner reservations, changes to last-minute dinner reservations, church information twice, and a few who corner me for a little while every time I make an appearance.
Just a few minutes ago one room knocked on our door and wanted extra pillows. Did DH show you how to open the armoire in your room (sometimes he forgets) - that's where the extra pillows are, with the robes. No, no pillows in there, none in the drawer underneath the armoire. Huh - maybe they got taken down to the laundry and not replaced - I'll get some from our stash for you. Feather or fiber (that takes another five minutes to get through). I trot down to the basement for the 20th time today, find one feather and one fiber, pillow covers, and clean pillowcases and then up to their room (on the second floor), open the door and put the pillows on the bed. Just for kicks, I open the armoire. There are the extra pillows behind the clothes that have been hung up by the guests.
Now, it will take all my self-control not to point out tomorrow that the pillows were in the armoire all along, in hopes that the guests won't know that I think they are idiots. But you better believe I am calling them idiots back in my own private primal-scream-therapy padded room.

.

And that's what this forum is for...so we can all let out that primal scream and not take it out on the idiot guest!
In your case, after ascertaining thru questioning that no, there are no pillows, I would have done what you did and gone off in search of pillows (wondering what the heck happened to the pillows) but I would not have said to the guests, 'Are you SURE there are no pillows in your room, I left pillows in your room, in the armoire. Did you maybe cover them over with your clothes, did you REALLY look? No one has ever said they didn't have enough pillows.'
However, I might just have moved the pillows out so when the armoire was opened, they would fall on the floor.

Altho at that point, the guests would just think you were being snarky and stuffing the pillows into the armoire, because they are absolutely sure they were NOT there earlier.

 

[RFSitters]

I'm finding this post very ironic at the moment. We have a full house tonight, and they all seem to be a little needy - last minute dinner reservations, changes to last-minute dinner reservations, church information twice, and a few who corner me for a little while every time I make an appearance.
Just a few minutes ago one room knocked on our door and wanted extra pillows. Did DH show you how to open the armoire in your room (sometimes he forgets) - that's where the extra pillows are, with the robes. No, no pillows in there, none in the drawer underneath the armoire. Huh - maybe they got taken down to the laundry and not replaced - I'll get some from our stash for you. Feather or fiber (that takes another five minutes to get through). I trot down to the basement for the 20th time today, find one feather and one fiber, pillow covers, and clean pillowcases and then up to their room (on the second floor), open the door and put the pillows on the bed. Just for kicks, I open the armoire. There are the extra pillows behind the clothes that have been hung up by the guests.
Now, it will take all my self-control not to point out tomorrow that the pillows were in the armoire all along, in hopes that the guests won't know that I think they are idiots. But you better believe I am calling them idiots back in my own private primal-scream-therapy padded room.

.

And that's what this forum is for...so we can all let out that primal scream and not take it out on the idiot guest!
In your case, after ascertaining thru questioning that no, there are no pillows, I would have done what you did and gone off in search of pillows (wondering what the heck happened to the pillows) but I would not have said to the guests, 'Are you SURE there are no pillows in your room, I left pillows in your room, in the armoire. Did you maybe cover them over with your clothes, did you REALLY look? No one has ever said they didn't have enough pillows.'
However, I might just have moved the pillows out so when the armoire was opened, they would fall on the floor.

Altho at that point, the guests would just think you were being snarky and stuffing the pillows into the armoire, because they are absolutely sure they were NOT there earlier.
.

I ALMOST said, are you sure - let me go take a look; I even took a step towards the stairs - then I thought well, that's stupid, they must not be in there, I surely don't remember seeing any in the basement but who knows, maybe the housekeeper put them in another room when we were moving things around to accommodate the feather-allergy guests. That was the running commentary in my head - none of it came out of my mouth.
I just took the pillows from the armoire and put them on the bed. I should have left them in the armoire and put extras on the bed, just to see if they ever found the originals, but that's too many pillows in one room!

 

[gillumhouse]

I'm finding this post very ironic at the moment. We have a full house tonight, and they all seem to be a little needy - last minute dinner reservations, changes to last-minute dinner reservations, church information twice, and a few who corner me for a little while every time I make an appearance.
Just a few minutes ago one room knocked on our door and wanted extra pillows. Did DH show you how to open the armoire in your room (sometimes he forgets) - that's where the extra pillows are, with the robes. No, no pillows in there, none in the drawer underneath the armoire. Huh - maybe they got taken down to the laundry and not replaced - I'll get some from our stash for you. Feather or fiber (that takes another five minutes to get through). I trot down to the basement for the 20th time today, find one feather and one fiber, pillow covers, and clean pillowcases and then up to their room (on the second floor), open the door and put the pillows on the bed. Just for kicks, I open the armoire. There are the extra pillows behind the clothes that have been hung up by the guests.
Now, it will take all my self-control not to point out tomorrow that the pillows were in the armoire all along, in hopes that the guests won't know that I think they are idiots. But you better believe I am calling them idiots back in my own private primal-scream-therapy padded room.

.

And that's what this forum is for...so we can all let out that primal scream and not take it out on the idiot guest!
In your case, after ascertaining thru questioning that no, there are no pillows, I would have done what you did and gone off in search of pillows (wondering what the heck happened to the pillows) but I would not have said to the guests, 'Are you SURE there are no pillows in your room, I left pillows in your room, in the armoire. Did you maybe cover them over with your clothes, did you REALLY look? No one has ever said they didn't have enough pillows.'
However, I might just have moved the pillows out so when the armoire was opened, they would fall on the floor.

Altho at that point, the guests would just think you were being snarky and stuffing the pillows into the armoire, because they are absolutely sure they were NOT there earlier.
.

I ALMOST said, are you sure - let me go take a look; I even took a step towards the stairs - then I thought well, that's stupid, they must not be in there, I surely don't remember seeing any in the basement but who knows, maybe the housekeeper put them in another room when we were moving things around to accommodate the feather-allergy guests. That was the running commentary in my head - none of it came out of my mouth.
I just took the pillows from the armoire and put them on the bed. I should have left them in the armoire and put extras on the bed, just to see if they ever found the originals, but that's too many pillows in one room!
.

You would have lost no matter what you did. If you left them so they showed in the armoire they would think you just put them there to make them look like idiots and if you said anything you would be insulting their intelligence because they KNOW the pillows were not there.
Remember the phrase that is the mantra of this Forum (thanks to JBJ) - They stay, They PAY, They GO AWAY!!

 

[Ethbay]

I'm glad you said this. SO and I stayed at a LOVELY B&B in S. Louisiana before Hurricane Gustav. We couldn't wait to return. When I called to make reservations a few months ago, I specified that we needed the Queen bed suite (SO was recovering from a hospital stay) and that we wanted the one with the Jacuzzi. Well, I couldn't get a price out of her (she said she was new) but eventually, we agreed on the rate (Gustav hurt the property significantly and many of the amenities were not available. This only made us want to visit more, if only to show our support). When we arrived, we had to self-check-in and our bill was DOUBLE the amount quoted. The next morning, I addressed this with the same lady who took my reservation and she just argued with me the entire time that I was wrong, that I had asked for a twin bed (??????), that the price she charged me was correct, etc. I gave her my credit card and said, "Charge me for last night and cancel the next two days. We're leaving." It was not a tactic--we sincerely could NOT afford $600 for a three day stay at the time. The owner called us in our room and gave us a negotiated price that we could afford (STILL not as good as the original deal) and "let" us stay in the same room. Honestly, I'm sure as Innkeepers you might understand the perspective of the employee, but all I wanted was some rest and relaxation for SO after hospital. Considering what the property had pre-hurricane and the current state, I was really disappointed. But we realized the owner cared that we stayed so we did. We had a nice, relaxing time, but I don't know if we'll return.

 

[EmptyNest]

I'm glad you said this. SO and I stayed at a LOVELY B&B in S. Louisiana before Hurricane Gustav. We couldn't wait to return. When I called to make reservations a few months ago, I specified that we needed the Queen bed suite (SO was recovering from a hospital stay) and that we wanted the one with the Jacuzzi. Well, I couldn't get a price out of her (she said she was new) but eventually, we agreed on the rate (Gustav hurt the property significantly and many of the amenities were not available. This only made us want to visit more, if only to show our support). When we arrived, we had to self-check-in and our bill was DOUBLE the amount quoted. The next morning, I addressed this with the same lady who took my reservation and she just argued with me the entire time that I was wrong, that I had asked for a twin bed (??????), that the price she charged me was correct, etc. I gave her my credit card and said, "Charge me for last night and cancel the next two days. We're leaving." It was not a tactic--we sincerely could NOT afford $600 for a three day stay at the time. The owner called us in our room and gave us a negotiated price that we could afford (STILL not as good as the original deal) and "let" us stay in the same room. Honestly, I'm sure as Innkeepers you might understand the perspective of the employee, but all I wanted was some rest and relaxation for SO after hospital. Considering what the property had pre-hurricane and the current state, I was really disappointed. But we realized the owner cared that we stayed so we did. We had a nice, relaxing time, but I don't know if we'll return.

.

That is awful! Didn't you have any sort of written confirmation that gave the stay details with room and quoted rate? IF not, that right there would have shown me they were not running a place I would stay in. Too bad...it is innkeepers like this that give the rest of us the negative image we want to dispel. :-(
These are the ones that deserve the bad TA reviews.

 

[Ethbay]

I'm glad you said this. SO and I stayed at a LOVELY B&B in S. Louisiana before Hurricane Gustav. We couldn't wait to return. When I called to make reservations a few months ago, I specified that we needed the Queen bed suite (SO was recovering from a hospital stay) and that we wanted the one with the Jacuzzi. Well, I couldn't get a price out of her (she said she was new) but eventually, we agreed on the rate (Gustav hurt the property significantly and many of the amenities were not available. This only made us want to visit more, if only to show our support). When we arrived, we had to self-check-in and our bill was DOUBLE the amount quoted. The next morning, I addressed this with the same lady who took my reservation and she just argued with me the entire time that I was wrong, that I had asked for a twin bed (??????), that the price she charged me was correct, etc. I gave her my credit card and said, "Charge me for last night and cancel the next two days. We're leaving." It was not a tactic--we sincerely could NOT afford $600 for a three day stay at the time. The owner called us in our room and gave us a negotiated price that we could afford (STILL not as good as the original deal) and "let" us stay in the same room. Honestly, I'm sure as Innkeepers you might understand the perspective of the employee, but all I wanted was some rest and relaxation for SO after hospital. Considering what the property had pre-hurricane and the current state, I was really disappointed. But we realized the owner cared that we stayed so we did. We had a nice, relaxing time, but I don't know if we'll return.

.

That is awful! Didn't you have any sort of written confirmation that gave the stay details with room and quoted rate? IF not, that right there would have shown me they were not running a place I would stay in. Too bad...it is innkeepers like this that give the rest of us the negative image we want to dispel. :-(
These are the ones that deserve the bad TA reviews.
.

The first time we stayed, we did. I honestly think it was the "new girl". And I hate to say it, but she WAS trying to be accommodating, but protecting her employer as well. I sincerely hope they bring the place back up to standard because the place is just gorgeous and can shine again with direction. Oh, I also happened to find the property for sale a couple of weeks later. Could be apathy; could be hurricane-weariness...

 

[Proud Texan]

I'm glad you said this. SO and I stayed at a LOVELY B&B in S. Louisiana before Hurricane Gustav. We couldn't wait to return. When I called to make reservations a few months ago, I specified that we needed the Queen bed suite (SO was recovering from a hospital stay) and that we wanted the one with the Jacuzzi. Well, I couldn't get a price out of her (she said she was new) but eventually, we agreed on the rate (Gustav hurt the property significantly and many of the amenities were not available. This only made us want to visit more, if only to show our support). When we arrived, we had to self-check-in and our bill was DOUBLE the amount quoted. The next morning, I addressed this with the same lady who took my reservation and she just argued with me the entire time that I was wrong, that I had asked for a twin bed (??????), that the price she charged me was correct, etc. I gave her my credit card and said, "Charge me for last night and cancel the next two days. We're leaving." It was not a tactic--we sincerely could NOT afford $600 for a three day stay at the time. The owner called us in our room and gave us a negotiated price that we could afford (STILL not as good as the original deal) and "let" us stay in the same room. Honestly, I'm sure as Innkeepers you might understand the perspective of the employee, but all I wanted was some rest and relaxation for SO after hospital. Considering what the property had pre-hurricane and the current state, I was really disappointed. But we realized the owner cared that we stayed so we did. We had a nice, relaxing time, but I don't know if we'll return.

.

That is awful! Didn't you have any sort of written confirmation that gave the stay details with room and quoted rate? IF not, that right there would have shown me they were not running a place I would stay in. Too bad...it is innkeepers like this that give the rest of us the negative image we want to dispel. :-(
These are the ones that deserve the bad TA reviews.
.

The first time we stayed, we did. I honestly think it was the "new girl". And I hate to say it, but she WAS trying to be accommodating, but protecting her employer as well. I sincerely hope they bring the place back up to standard because the place is just gorgeous and can shine again with direction. Oh, I also happened to find the property for sale a couple of weeks later. Could be apathy; could be hurricane-weariness...
.

I agree with Catlady. You should have had a written confirmation quoting the rates. Very unprofessional on their part.

 

[wendydk]

The old adage "the guest is always right" has been floating around for a long time, but that doesn't make it true!. I prefer this one: "The guest may not always be right, but the guest is ALWAYS the guest". The nice thing about running this business out of your home is that you can choose to have someone return or not.

 

[Copperhead]

It is these things that give B&B's a black eye, unprofessional with no attention to ethics..
I think I would have been leary of booking if the person could not tell you a price from the start - even if I had stayed there before, and would have called at a different time. It could have been the hired help that was the problem, but that is why you have read on threads here how some have gone to great lengths to find good help.

 

[user 26]

"The guest may not always be right, but the guest is ALWAYS the guest". now THIS is worth framing and hanging on the office wall!!

 

[Proud Texan]

"The guest may not always be right, but the guest is ALWAYS the guest". now THIS is worth framing and hanging on the office wall!!.

"The guest may not always be right, but the guest is ALWAYS the guest". now THIS is worth framing and hanging on the office wall!!

You could display it right by the various guest heads you shot and had mounted for your wall.

 

[Penelope]

"The guest may not always be right, but the guest is ALWAYS the guest". now THIS is worth framing and hanging on the office wall!!.

"The guest may not always be right, but the guest is ALWAYS the guest". now THIS is worth framing and hanging on the office wall!!

You could display it right by the various guest heads you shot and had mounted for your wall.

.

"The guest may not always be right, but the guest is ALWAYS the guest". now THIS is worth framing and hanging on the office wall!!

You could display it right by the various guest heads you shot and had mounted for your wall.

The more I read your posts, the more I chuckle. You are just a good ole boy, aren't you??

 

[egoodell]

"The guest may not always be right, but the guest is ALWAYS the guest". now THIS is worth framing and hanging on the office wall!!.

"The guest may not always be right, but the guest is ALWAYS the guest". now THIS is worth framing and hanging on the office wall!!

You could display it right by the various guest heads you shot and had mounted for your wall.

.

"The guest may not always be right, but the guest is ALWAYS the guest". now THIS is worth framing and hanging on the office wall!!

You could display it right by the various guest heads you shot and had mounted for your wall.

oooh you're giving DH some ideas....he is getting the shotgun out from under the bed....good thing our latest whiners have already checked out...!
RIki

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

My pet peeve as an Innkeeper with Jacuzzis is the spray on tan.
Recipe for Disaster:
2 - Guests with spray on tans
1 - 80 Gallon Jacuzzi
simmer for 1 hour
Yield - 1 big mess