Tell me what to say

[Tim_Toad_HLB]

I'm sorry but this whole thread has me scratching my head. Is it real or is it all hypothetical?
I wasn't trying to challenge muirford or anybody else just trying to wrap my head around a really strange thread.

 

[gillumhouse]

I'm sorry but this whole thread has me scratching my head. Is it real or is it all hypothetical?
I wasn't trying to challenge muirford or anybody else just trying to wrap my head around a really strange thread..

Both

 

[Morticia]

I'm sorry but this whole thread has me scratching my head. Is it real or is it all hypothetical?
I wasn't trying to challenge muirford or anybody else just trying to wrap my head around a really strange thread..

 

[muirford]

I would have allowed the extension at no additional charge - just move the three nights to the end. That seems to fly in the face of everyone else's opinion, but given all the circumstances - nine room nights, repeat customers, availability on Saturday that probably wouldn't get booked, cancelled flights - I would think that decision would be best overall for my business. Honestly, I would have not had any discussion with them about it, in private or in front of other guests.
Here's a story about the previous owner of our place: there was a long-standing relationship with a national business that had a distribution center here. The CEO stayed here, they did company meetings here, the whole nine yards. One December they had two rooms booked for five weeknights for two international employees. A big snowstorm came through and their flights were cancelled. She charged them per the cancellation policy - last minute cancellation, entire reservation charged. That business stopped completely for the rest of the time she was the owner. Let me tell you, business travelers here are few and far between who are not already committed to one of the chains under a government contract.
They came back after they heard a new owner had bought the Inn. The CEO tried us out, liked us, and we offered to work out a business policy with them. We kept their business until the owner sold it a couple of years ago and the distribution center was closed down.
Sometimes making an exception to your policy is good business, and that's why we own our own business - so WE can make those decisions..

I would have allowed the extension at no additional charge - just move the three nights to the end. That seems to fly in the face of everyone else's opinion, but given all the circumstances - nine room nights, repeat customers, availability on Saturday that probably wouldn't get booked, cancelled flights - I would think that decision would be best overall for my business. Honestly, I would have not had any discussion with them about it, in private or in front of other guests.
Sometimes making an exception to your policy is good business, and that's why we own our own business - so WE can make those decisions.

I wouldn't put me in the "everyone else's opinion" camp too quickly.
My response was qualified by the information available and by what was described as an irate gang of guests not willing to budge and purposely wanting to conduct the discussion in fornt of other guests maybe to shame MT into caving in.
Now thanks to a whole new thread on the subject and bits and pieces here, do we really even know that other guests were around and there was a scene created?
It sounded like MT had the day off for that first cancelled day, but have we been told for sure that other guests would be present on the new arrival date? Did an argument occur or was it a hypothetical?
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I wouldn't put me in the "everyone else's opinion" camp too quickly.

You are right, I should have said 'majority opinion' - CH and GH both have similar responses to mine. I certainly wasn't singling you out for an adversarial position.

My response was qualified by the information available and by what was described as an irate gang of guests not willing to budge and purposely wanting to conduct the discussion in fornt of other guests maybe to shame MT into caving in.

Sorry, but I don't see anywhere that MT has described these guests as irate - she has said they are unwilling to pay for the cancelled nights. I would suspect that in 'guest think' they believe that extending for another night is a good faith offer so that the revenue is not lost. This is just like the guest who wants to 'reschedule' for another night after the cancellation period is past - they don't want to see our inventory as expirable and think that we should be happy that they want to reschedule. We're not but we have to tell them that. At least I do.
Just my thoughts on how I would handle it - question asked and answered. And an example from my own history of when sticking to the letter of the policies was bad for business. I've been known to cut off my nose to spite my face, but I try to avoid it when possible.

 

[happykeeper]

I'm sorry but this whole thread has me scratching my head. Is it real or is it all hypothetical?
I wasn't trying to challenge muirford or anybody else just trying to wrap my head around a really strange thread..

Both
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Join us on a dark and stormy night as we enter the...
"INNKEEPERS PARALLEL UNIVERSE"

 

[Samster]

I would have allowed the extension at no additional charge - just move the three nights to the end. That seems to fly in the face of everyone else's opinion, but given all the circumstances - nine room nights, repeat customers, availability on Saturday that probably wouldn't get booked, cancelled flights - I would think that decision would be best overall for my business. Honestly, I would have not had any discussion with them about it, in private or in front of other guests.
Here's a story about the previous owner of our place: there was a long-standing relationship with a national business that had a distribution center here. The CEO stayed here, they did company meetings here, the whole nine yards. One December they had two rooms booked for five weeknights for two international employees. A big snowstorm came through and their flights were cancelled. She charged them per the cancellation policy - last minute cancellation, entire reservation charged. That business stopped completely for the rest of the time she was the owner. Let me tell you, business travelers here are few and far between who are not already committed to one of the chains under a government contract.
They came back after they heard a new owner had bought the Inn. The CEO tried us out, liked us, and we offered to work out a business policy with them. We kept their business until the owner sold it a couple of years ago and the distribution center was closed down.
Sometimes making an exception to your policy is good business, and that's why we own our own business - so WE can make those decisions..

I would have done the same thing as Muirford. Given that I had the availability on the other end of the reservation, of course. Stuff happens....travel is difficult nowadays and it sounds like they notified you as soon as they could when they couldn't make the first night? In the long run, you win by keeping their business for the same total number of nights in a time frame where you are slower than you are used to. I could see them getting ticked off and walking away & looking for a better deal with the thought in mind that if you did charge them that they would contest it. AND, you're in a place where just about everyone takes walk-ins.
I may have missed it but don't remember if you were full on what should have been their first night with you? I don't think you can second guess if you were NOT full if you could have sold 3 more rooms for that same night. However, it never hurts to say something like, "We're so happy that we're able to offer this flexibility in your booking(s) with us so that you are here for one more night.

 

[Samster]

I think the word irate did come up somewhere. What if they are irate? How do you handle that in front of other guests? When they did arrive they were not irate because they thought staying the extra night on the other end would be good all around..

I think the word irate did come up somewhere.

I don't believe you ever called them irate; if someone else did, it's speculation. That's from perusing this thread and the other.
If what you want is a primer on how I would handle every iteration of every potential cancellation scenario, I don't really have that in my mind. Much of it depends on the particular circumstances, and I daresay, how I feel at that particular moment. Irate doesn't usually cut it with me - in the few cases where I've dealt with truly irate customers I tell them I am happy to have them leave. And believe me, I am.
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An irate customer would have to chill before I would have a chat with them. I think there's a tactful way to remove them from earshot of Nosy Parkers and allow them to calm down or find the exit sign.

 

[aieechihuahua]

I would have allowed the extension at no additional charge - just move the three nights to the end. That seems to fly in the face of everyone else's opinion, but given all the circumstances - nine room nights, repeat customers, availability on Saturday that probably wouldn't get booked, cancelled flights - I would think that decision would be best overall for my business. Honestly, I would have not had any discussion with them about it, in private or in front of other guests.
Here's a story about the previous owner of our place: there was a long-standing relationship with a national business that had a distribution center here. The CEO stayed here, they did company meetings here, the whole nine yards. One December they had two rooms booked for five weeknights for two international employees. A big snowstorm came through and their flights were cancelled. She charged them per the cancellation policy - last minute cancellation, entire reservation charged. That business stopped completely for the rest of the time she was the owner. Let me tell you, business travelers here are few and far between who are not already committed to one of the chains under a government contract.
They came back after they heard a new owner had bought the Inn. The CEO tried us out, liked us, and we offered to work out a business policy with them. We kept their business until the owner sold it a couple of years ago and the distribution center was closed down.
Sometimes making an exception to your policy is good business, and that's why we own our own business - so WE can make those decisions..

Ditto what Jeanne said.
9 nights is 9 nights. You have happy repeat guests who are demonstrably bringing you more guests. You have the same revenue you anticipated for the week. Why make it unpleasant if it doesn't have to be?
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Ditto - Ditto! I HAVE had similar scenario. I won't feed or create bad energy. I have gained more repeat guests with understanding than I ever could with holding the hard line just for the sake of being right.
When we had guests get snowed in, (incoming guests were snowed out), we didn't charge them for those three nights they were stuck here. And we fed them all meals until the roads cleared enough to go out to eat. Then they fed us. Two days after they left we found a large check under the coffee bean container. And they came back the next year - brought more family and stayed a week. And again the next year. Be Cool - What goes around....

 

[aieechihuahua]

I'm sorry but this whole thread has me scratching my head. Is it real or is it all hypothetical?
I wasn't trying to challenge muirford or anybody else just trying to wrap my head around a really strange thread..

LOL - I still don't know, Tim. I am/was so confused I stopped trying to get it and went to the top post, just read the first paragraph and answered that! Whew!

 

[birdwatcher]

Just finished reading this thread and I would have just given them the nights. but this is a very confusing thread....

 

[Somewhere in Paradise]

I am wondering what you decided to do? How did it turn out? What did you learn from this experience that you would like to pass on to the rest of us?

 

[gillumhouse]

I'm sorry but this whole thread has me scratching my head. Is it real or is it all hypothetical?
I wasn't trying to challenge muirford or anybody else just trying to wrap my head around a really strange thread..

The 3-night rez that had to cancel the first night and then added it on at the end so it was still a 3-night was an actual event. The rest was a what would you do if - so it was both real AND hypothetical. You cannot skim a Moosie post when a question is asked - concentration on the scenario is required.
Not saying that in a nasty way - it just seemed that so many were confused.