Something you do NOW and didn't used to do?

[JBloggs]

This is a twist on the other thread.
What do you DO NOW that you didn't used to do?
Example: I never used to have fresh flowers in the rooms, and now I do, at least seasonally.

 

[gillumhouse]

I now have a plate of homemade soft pretzels with a domed dish of mustard on the dressers.

 

[JBloggs]

Okay so the pretzels things is really making me hungry. I love chunky kosher salt...mmm

 

[wendydk]

I now actually leave the house for hours on end when we have guests, and I am experimenting with limiting Saturday arrivals during the high summer season, so I can get out every weekend and do something fun FOR ME.

 

[Samster]

Sleep in until around 7:30 or 8 AM.

 

[Morticia]

Get up at 7:30 AM. (I used to get up later.) But you don't mean between 'civilian life' and 'B&B life' do you?
I'm still working on introducing myself, so that's not completed. Still working on bringing the phone to the dinner table, so that's not working. Actually, what I do now that I didn't at the start is get out of the house before I melt down.

 

[Samster]

Get up at 7:30 AM. (I used to get up later.) But you don't mean between 'civilian life' and 'B&B life' do you?
I'm still working on introducing myself, so that's not completed. Still working on bringing the phone to the dinner table, so that's not working. Actually, what I do now that I didn't at the start is get out of the house before I melt down..

Yep, I'm teasing y'all....instead of getting up at 5:30-6 AM, I get to sleep in 2 more hours now that I'm a former innkeeper. It's heavenly.....

 

[Morticia]

Get up at 7:30 AM. (I used to get up later.) But you don't mean between 'civilian life' and 'B&B life' do you?
I'm still working on introducing myself, so that's not completed. Still working on bringing the phone to the dinner table, so that's not working. Actually, what I do now that I didn't at the start is get out of the house before I melt down..

Yep, I'm teasing y'all....instead of getting up at 5:30-6 AM, I get to sleep in 2 more hours now that I'm a former innkeeper. It's heavenly.....
.

No, I DO get up at 7:30!

 

[Samster]

Get up at 7:30 AM. (I used to get up later.) But you don't mean between 'civilian life' and 'B&B life' do you?
I'm still working on introducing myself, so that's not completed. Still working on bringing the phone to the dinner table, so that's not working. Actually, what I do now that I didn't at the start is get out of the house before I melt down..

Yep, I'm teasing y'all....instead of getting up at 5:30-6 AM, I get to sleep in 2 more hours now that I'm a former innkeeper. It's heavenly.....
.

No, I DO get up at 7:30!
.

Yeah, I know. If I had slept in until them when I had the B&B, none of the guests would have been fed.

 

[Proud Texan]

I now have a plate of homemade soft pretzels with a domed dish of mustard on the dressers..

I now have a plate of homemade soft pretzels with a domed dish of mustard on the dressers.

Mustard? In the rooms? You're brave.

 

[gillumhouse]

I now have a plate of homemade soft pretzels with a domed dish of mustard on the dressers..

I now have a plate of homemade soft pretzels with a domed dish of mustard on the dressers.

Mustard? In the rooms? You're brave.
.

If you had one of my pretzels you would know why it is not a problem. Those pretzels dipped in mustard are wonderful!! No one lets any of it get away from them.

 

[YellowSocks]

Now that dh is gone I make the coffee...
=)
Kk.

 

[JBloggs]

I will resurrect this thread.

Things we do that we didn't used to do is not allow people to drop in for tours whenever it fancies them. It is by appt only. First year or so you want to recoup $$ and bring in the bookings no matter what and allow people to walk over you. You learn...you set boundaries.
When we bought we had this notion as we were told, this B&B is central in the community. It was, and would still be if we did luncheons for $6 a person, when it costs $12-15 a person for food and help. This B&B is not for locals, we would be starving if it was! ON THE STREETS STARVING.

 

[Don Draper]

We lock every single door into our private quarters. There are some guests we say "I wouldn't be surprised if we go back and they are laying in our bed, waiting for us".
We do not answer the phone after 7 pm, or dinner time, whichever is sooner. Book it online, the answer to your question IS on our website, just read it.
We do not check anyone in after 6 pm, they get self check-in.
We now DO allow early check-in if they will give us a SPECIFIC time they will arrive...some days in works out and everyone's in by 2 pm and then you've got a few hours, yeah!

 

[Paradise]

Turn off the phone at 7pm...nothing good ever happens after seven.
Have "hours" when they can phone/ring the bell to reach us & outside of these hours are for "emergency only-like fire & flood. Running out of rum doesn't count!" (this DID happen).
Make & enforce the rule that the premises, etc. are for REGISTERED guests only (after friends staying on a boat, in a campground, in another place) came & used showers, filled canisters w/water, used all amenities).
Have fresh flowers in the rooms at checkin/room cleanings.
Make the towels into a "turtle" for special occasions/children (we are in the Caribbean & a huge attraction here is swimming w/the turtles).

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Something I can do now I was never able to do in the beginning....when things go wrong (unless major) is to laugh it off, but not in front of the guest. The world is not going to stop and the guests are not going to stop.

 

[Country Girl]

Schedule more time off when we don't take any guests.

 

[Proud Texan]

We dispensed with having wine and cheese in the afternoon. We would normally do it on the patio or deck, but in Texas we have such a narrow window of pleasant weather in the Spring and in the Fall, it made it impractical.
This summer I took to offering our guests a cold beer on arrival, but had few takers. Now we only provide a bottle of wine to guests who are here two nights or more AND only if they happen to mention it's an anniversary or other special occasion.

 

[JBloggs]

The self check-in thing is really helping. I waited up all hours for guests the first year or so then got wise. I can't live like that. Physically, I can't do it.
Last night the guests who said 6pm arrived at 9pm. Other rooms were already in at this point.
I had been up since 7am and waited til 8pm. I say I will put a note out at 7pm, but gave them an extra hour since I was in here reading. So that was...13 hours to that point when I said "Okay I will put a note out for them."
Meanwhile we need to be human, I needed a shower bad from cleaning all day, I needed to eat, needed to dash off to the store, to spend time with MY family.
So what do I do? Allow guests who are here day in and day out to steal my family time? When we leave this business will I be happy I spent less time with my husband and kids and gave it all to the guests who didn't know, nor care I gave it to them?
So I am working on this, again, each year I set my goals. Each year I try to stick to these boundaries. Just like all boundaries, in the end it makes us all happier.
What's the bet they don't check out at 11am? It is 10am now, we need to clean that room for check in, and I forgot something so need to go back to the store...
a typical weekend at a B&B.

 

[Morticia]

The self check-in thing is really helping. I waited up all hours for guests the first year or so then got wise. I can't live like that. Physically, I can't do it.
Last night the guests who said 6pm arrived at 9pm. Other rooms were already in at this point.
I had been up since 7am and waited til 8pm. I say I will put a note out at 7pm, but gave them an extra hour since I was in here reading. So that was...13 hours to that point when I said "Okay I will put a note out for them."
Meanwhile we need to be human, I needed a shower bad from cleaning all day, I needed to eat, needed to dash off to the store, to spend time with MY family.
So what do I do? Allow guests who are here day in and day out to steal my family time? When we leave this business will I be happy I spent less time with my husband and kids and gave it all to the guests who didn't know, nor care I gave it to them?
So I am working on this, again, each year I set my goals. Each year I try to stick to these boundaries. Just like all boundaries, in the end it makes us all happier.
What's the bet they don't check out at 11am? It is 10am now, we need to clean that room for check in, and I forgot something so need to go back to the store...
a typical weekend at a B&B..

After last night when there was no call at all from late arriver, I decided I'd be done with personalized check-ins at 7 PM as well. Now, if you've called and told me you are 10 minutes away or some such, sure I can wait to answer the door. But no calls and no idea where you are or when you plan to arrive? I want time to sit down where I'm not 'on guard' for the doorbell.
I STILL have not caught up with the stained laundry from earlier in the week. It has been 6-7 rooms every night and every morning they have all checked out. And it's been 'friends' or families and they use every bed. 11 sets of sheets every day plus the stuff that has been soiled that I wasn't expecting to wash.
As it gets darker earlier, I am less inclined to hang around waiting for arrivals. When it's still bright out at 9 PM, fine but it's not like that now.