"We're checking in tomorrow and I want to let you know..."

[Morticia]

..."I don't want eggs and I don't want pancakes and I don't want any of those things you show on your website. And, we're arriving at 10 AM."
Sigh.
I explained they were welcome to leave the cars here and come back at 3 pm for check in. And that we had cereals available if they did not like any of the meals we make.
Showed up at 10:30 doing a dance on the doorstep because they guzzled 3 coffees on the way here. Tried to push in asking where the bathroom was. I explained we don't have public restrooms. (Horrified looks and absolute incredulity.) Demanding to know what time they can come back for check in. Well, what did it say in your confirmation? And what did I actually TELL you yesterday on the phone?

 

[Highlands John]

We used to do the nice thing and our confirmation said "if you'd like to check in early please let us know in advance...". People just took that to mean they could turn up when they like.
Now it says "Check in is from 4pm to give us time to clean rooms and have some time off duty, please respect that".
For the most part that works but for when it doesn't there's a note on the door saying "check in is from 4pm as per your confirmation" and we don't answer the door or the phone (unless we know who it is) before four.

 

[user 26]

Oh dear ... bowing to public pressure (and pressure from my competitor across the road who told my guests he was outraged that i wouldn't let them use the bathroom) I let people come in and use my bathroom on the first floor. It just wasn't worth the hassle, the policing of other guests letting new arrivals in hours before checkin (signs and instructions and phone calls meant nothing), the complaints, the shade they threw on me all over the little village. It quickly morphed into we didn't even have usable bathrooms.

 

[Silverspoon]

Oh, how I hate to start a reservation with conflict because the guests feel entitled to do whatever they want. We are FIRM about arrival time...3:00 but no earlier. Part of our welcome letter, which goes out automatically in advance, mentions things for guests to do if they arrive in the area before 3:00. It includes the location of public bathrooms. So far this year it has worked well.
But even nice people will try to push the envelope. We offered an upgrade from a suite to the ocean-view cottage with breakfast delivered to the cottage to the guests who are with us now. The upgrade normally goes for almost $100/night more than the suite but it worked for us because cleaning the cottage is less work than cleaning the suite and serving breakfast in the main house. These folks were happy to get the upgrade to the cottage but wanted breakfast in the main house. THAT was not the offer and, although DH thinks I'm being mean, I told these folks NO...either keep your original reservation of suite in the house with breakfast in the dining room or take the upgrade to the cottage with breakfast delivered. They took the upgrade with breakfast in the cottage....and I get to stay in my PJ's with no one in the house. And it's OK...they just had to try.

 

[Generic]

My noon check-in shows up at 1:30PM, I ask about allergies... well, I don't drink milk... okay, is milk okay in food... well... c'mon, I can't cook for "well" and then she started on eggs, no cheese, no high fat (how skim milk is high fat... I don't know) etc. I just finally said, okay, we have you marked down as vegan. No milk, no eggs, no flavour.

How do you not know that you are a problem eater and that you should have told us ahead of time... no high fat? I'm not your damn mother... I need to know what you eat and if not, enjoy the damn oatmeal. I can't cook for... well... I don't eat this and that.

 

[GoodScout]

"Most guests you look forward to their arrival."
"A few you look forward to their departure."

 

[Morticia]

"I need a receipt." Gomez asks if the confirmation email with the statement of payment, dates, etc and our name on it is not enough?
"No. I need a receipt from the credit card machine."
We no longer print receipts. I email it to her. No, she wants it printed.
Nice enough people but definitely stuck in their ways.

 

[Morticia]

Oh, how I hate to start a reservation with conflict because the guests feel entitled to do whatever they want. We are FIRM about arrival time...3:00 but no earlier. Part of our welcome letter, which goes out automatically in advance, mentions things for guests to do if they arrive in the area before 3:00. It includes the location of public bathrooms. So far this year it has worked well.
But even nice people will try to push the envelope. We offered an upgrade from a suite to the ocean-view cottage with breakfast delivered to the cottage to the guests who are with us now. The upgrade normally goes for almost $100/night more than the suite but it worked for us because cleaning the cottage is less work than cleaning the suite and serving breakfast in the main house. These folks were happy to get the upgrade to the cottage but wanted breakfast in the main house. THAT was not the offer and, although DH thinks I'm being mean, I told these folks NO...either keep your original reservation of suite in the house with breakfast in the dining room or take the upgrade to the cottage with breakfast delivered. They took the upgrade with breakfast in the cottage....and I get to stay in my PJ's with no one in the house. And it's OK...they just had to try..

Yes. I can't stand that initial intro being no. No, we can't do that. No, you can't do that.
I try to be positive by telling them everything they can do. But. Why do I have to have this conversation in the first place?

 

[Generic]

"I need a receipt." Gomez asks if the confirmation email with the statement of payment, dates, etc and our name on it is not enough?
"No. I need a receipt from the credit card machine."
We no longer print receipts. I email it to her. No, she wants it printed.
Nice enough people but definitely stuck in their ways..

Do you have a machine anymore? Can you have Square email one? What if you didn't have a printer?

 

[Morticia]

"I need a receipt." Gomez asks if the confirmation email with the statement of payment, dates, etc and our name on it is not enough?
"No. I need a receipt from the credit card machine."
We no longer print receipts. I email it to her. No, she wants it printed.
Nice enough people but definitely stuck in their ways..

Do you have a machine anymore? Can you have Square email one? What if you didn't have a printer?
.

Do you have a machine anymore? Can you have Square email one? What if you didn't have a printer?

The deposit was thru Square. Her confirmation showed the payment and the date paid.
I did email the receipt from Square. She wanted me to print it out for her.
It was obvious we have a printer, she signed the reservation form we printed.

 

[Tom]

LOL
Tomorrow I have a trio of ladies, all related. Many times repeat customers so I know the drill: 1 is GF, 1 is vegetarian, 1 is low carb. And three dogs.
DW thinks I'm nuts to go along with all the special requirements, but I like these people and make this their home for a few days.

 

[Generic]

LOL
Tomorrow I have a trio of ladies, all related. Many times repeat customers so I know the drill: 1 is GF, 1 is vegetarian, 1 is low carb. And three dogs.
DW thinks I'm nuts to go along with all the special requirements, but I like these people and make this their home for a few days..

Soy fritatta... for all three. No gluten, no meat, no carbs. Season with black salt, if you have it, or TVP. Otherwise, onion powder, garlic powder and turmeric for colour.

 

[cloudbedsna]

All I can say is you are all Saints! Innkeeping is hard enough without all the special requests. I know because I've been there - 20+ years of guest service myself. Keep up the amazing work, All of You!

 

[Copperhead]

Some must have paper but thankfully only a few.

 

[ChrisandShelley]

"Most guests you look forward to their arrival."
"A few you look forward to their departure.".

Amen!

 

[ChrisandShelley]

One of our wonderful guests asked me if we have problems guests. I told him that 90% of the people we meet her are absolutely wonderful. About 9% are quirky, slightly annoying, a little needy, high maintenance, or something that makes me roll my eyes but ends up being a good story.
Then there is the 1%. Very rare, but they do show up occasionally.
Had one yesterday. Interrupted breakfast to tell me his bed is too hard, there's no lamp in the living room, and the bedroom was too hot, that they are leaving. Offer apologies and full refund. Walk over to the cottage, he has the temperature set on 72. Seriously?!

 

[JimBoone]

One of our wonderful guests asked me if we have problems guests. I told him that 90% of the people we meet her are absolutely wonderful. About 9% are quirky, slightly annoying, a little needy, high maintenance, or something that makes me roll my eyes but ends up being a good story.
Then there is the 1%. Very rare, but they do show up occasionally.
Had one yesterday. Interrupted breakfast to tell me his bed is too hard, there's no lamp in the living room, and the bedroom was too hot, that they are leaving. Offer apologies and full refund. Walk over to the cottage, he has the temperature set on 72. Seriously?!.

One of our wonderful guests asked me if we have problems guests.

Sounds about the same percentages as our experiences, wouldn't run out of fingers and toes to count the ones I hope never return, your example sounds like one of the 9%, can't change a room for every individual taste, of course me, I melt in summer, I'd have the air cranked down to a lower temperature.

 

[cloudbedsna]

When I was in your business, we could - though rarely did - blacklist guests. Is this something you (all) do, or would even consider?

 

[Morticia]

When I was in your business, we could - though rarely did - blacklist guests. Is this something you (all) do, or would even consider?.

When I was in your business, we could - though rarely did - blacklist guests. Is this something you (all) do, or would even consider?

I have that function on my rez software. Have to say the only times I've used it were guests who smoked in the room and laughed about it and guests who wrote reviews calling me names. Those folks are not welcome back, not that they would come back!

 

[GoodScout]

I could do this on my old res software (ResNexus) but not my current one (ThinkReservations).
I think after 5 years I only had 6 names on it. Four of them were destructive. Two just were the kind of people who were always miserable and made me miserable during their stay.