This last minute stuff is killing me

[Morticia]

We are going into every weekend basically empty. Yesterday I booked 4 rooms in 15 minutes. For last night! Today I had 4 phone calls in an hour for tonight and got one taker. Booked one room for tomorrow.
We can't plan. We had to change this morning's breakfast at the last minute because we had 7 extra people and the planned breakfast wouldn't work.
Ugh.

 

[GoodScout]

Imagine being an operation where you have to schedule staff to help.
Last-minute has been ridiculous this season. And I love the indignancy when we're full and someone calls at 7pm wondering why we don't have a room for them tonight.

 

[Northern Dreamer]

Same here with the last minute people...plus we've had more walk-ups than ever! Being out in the country it is almost a bit unnerving for someone to just show up at the door and expect to get a room on the spot...that usually doesn't fly with us - and sometimes we "currently have no availability". One person sat in the driveway and called instead of coming to the door...while we were sitting on the porch...!?!
I realize bookings are what we are in business for, but we can't always serve you the best way we want to if we don't know you are coming!!! My husband calls it the "hotel mentality" - where people think they can book anytime (last minute), show up anytime (tell you a time then show up hours later, or just Late!), and pretty much think they can do anything they want...(stop rearranging furniture in the commons area and stop turning off my safety lights in the hallway - it's not just you here!!!)
We're actually looking forward to a slow fall and a very quiet winter...

 

[gillumhouse]

I do get last minute calls. IF it is before10 PM, I will usually take them IF I have not been lazy and the rooms are guest ready. I usually have supplies in-house and keep cans of sliced peaches and sliced pears as an emergency fruit dish. Way ahead reservations are rare these days. So grateful to the kids for giving me a freezer 3 years ago.

 

[Morticia]

Imagine being an operation where you have to schedule staff to help.
Last-minute has been ridiculous this season. And I love the indignancy when we're full and someone calls at 7pm wondering why we don't have a room for them tonight..

I texted my housekeeper at 7 pm yesterday to see if it was possible they could work today!

 

[Arks]

Business has been HORRIBLE lately, but weekend reservations were coming in left and right late this week. I'm so lucky to have FOUR part-time housekeepers trained and available. None of them want full time work, and they text with each other to keep things covered.

I assign them a ResKey password with view-only rights, so they even check the online calendar and know when a room is booked for the night without me having to tell them. Don't know how long this paradise will last, but for the last year, life is good!

 

[Morticia]

Business has been HORRIBLE lately, but weekend reservations were coming in left and right late this week. I'm so lucky to have FOUR part-time housekeepers trained and available. None of them want full time work, and they text with each other to keep things covered.

I assign them a ResKey password with view-only rights, so they even check the online calendar and know when a room is booked for the night without me having to tell them. Don't know how long this paradise will last, but for the last year, life is good!.

I'm kinda of surprised my constantly online housekeeper doesn't just look at the availability calendar for that info! The last one did it all the time - and would call in sick saying she knew it wasn't busy!

 

[TheBeachHouse]

Here, too. Last minute, which also means, less money. DH lowers the rates for empty rooms to highlight them on the ota’s.

 

[Morticia]

Here, too. Last minute, which also means, less money. DH lowers the rates for empty rooms to highlight them on the ota’s..

Here, too. Last minute, which also means, less money. DH lowers the rates for empty rooms to highlight them on the ota’s.

You've said this several times and I have never once seen my rates 'highlighted' on booking when I lower them. I've dropped them $20 across the board for the remainder of the month and I haven't seen anything that indicates that.
Do you use a channel manager? Maybe if I lower them directly it doesn't count.

 

[GoodScout]

Some OTA's will highlight a rate drop if you lower the prices.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

Here, too. Last minute, which also means, less money. DH lowers the rates for empty rooms to highlight them on the ota’s..

Here, too. Last minute, which also means, less money. DH lowers the rates for empty rooms to highlight them on the ota’s.

You've said this several times and I have never once seen my rates 'highlighted' on booking when I lower them. I've dropped them $20 across the board for the remainder of the month and I haven't seen anything that indicates that.
Do you use a channel manager? Maybe if I lower them directly it doesn't count.
.

Here, too. Last minute, which also means, less money. DH lowers the rates for empty rooms to highlight them on the ota’s.

You've said this several times and I have never once seen my rates 'highlighted' on booking when I lower them. I've dropped them $20 across the board for the remainder of the month and I haven't seen anything that indicates that.
Do you use a channel manager? Maybe if I lower them directly it doesn't count.

we do use a channel manager. Little Hotelier through Siteminder.

 

[Generic]

Put up your online price... and then put it down... let the highlight the discount a few days early.

 

[Morticia]

Put up your online price... and then put it down... let the highlight the discount a few days early..

Put up your online price... and then put it down... let the highlight the discount a few days early.

I've done that. Nothing changes in re how it is presented. I had prices at $229. Lowered them to $199. All it showed on BDC was the new price. No 'reduction' or anything like that.
That's why I figured it had to be done thru a channel manager instead of directly on their calendar.

 

[Morticia]

Went out for a walk, left a cobbler in the oven. Came back from walk had to make a second cobbler, we got 3 walk ins! So far in the past 3 days we have gotten 10 walk ins.

 

[gillumhouse]

Went out for a walk, left a cobbler in the oven. Came back from walk had to make a second cobbler, we got 3 walk ins! So far in the past 3 days we have gotten 10 walk ins..

A walk-in is VERY rare here. I consider it a walk-in if they call from the road.

 

[Morticia]

You know what happened this morning, right? The one guest who bumped the total over the max I could get out of the cobbler left early. Another room 'snuck' out the front door without paying. (I did stop them.) All in a day's work.

 

[gillumhouse]

You know what happened this morning, right? The one guest who bumped the total over the max I could get out of the cobbler left early. Another room 'snuck' out the front door without paying. (I did stop them.) All in a day's work..

I took my guests over to the 1778 log house for a tour this morning. As I sat there while they toured, I realized I had forgotten to get the payment. (They came out before I went back to the dining room).They had to come back to get their car (Tessie was still on the charger) and we took care of the details. He has assumed I already ran the charge. Told him the difference in the fees was wrist or elbow. He understood and produced the card.

 

[NC Innkeeper]

You know what happened this morning, right? The one guest who bumped the total over the max I could get out of the cobbler left early. Another room 'snuck' out the front door without paying. (I did stop them.) All in a day's work..

Wait, a guest tried to leave without paying intentionally or just thought you had already charged their card?
I do have that awkward moment when guest are heading out and I have to say, hold up I still need to run your card. They assume I ran it when I took the reservation even though I tell them upon check out I will run your card manually. Only some hear that.

 

[GoodScout]

I can now either run a guest's card on file at checkout, or swipe a different card if they like.
Makes it a little less stressful if someone starts heading out of the driveway without checking in with me.

 

[Morticia]

You know what happened this morning, right? The one guest who bumped the total over the max I could get out of the cobbler left early. Another room 'snuck' out the front door without paying. (I did stop them.) All in a day's work..

Wait, a guest tried to leave without paying intentionally or just thought you had already charged their card?
I do have that awkward moment when guest are heading out and I have to say, hold up I still need to run your card. They assume I ran it when I took the reservation even though I tell them upon check out I will run your card manually. Only some hear that.
.

Wait, a guest tried to leave without paying intentionally or just thought you had already charged their card?
I do have that awkward moment when guest are heading out and I have to say, hold up I still need to run your card. They assume I ran it when I took the reservation even though I tell them upon check out I will run your card manually. Only some hear that.

I'm not sure which. I had run the card, but I require a signature on the reservation form in case they try a chargeback saying they were never here and have no idea how I got their cc info. Especially true with late arrivals. And these 2 were just odd. Like no one was home. No conversation at all so I basically let them alone. Took them 2 minutes to eat breakfast and they were gone again.