What else can we do for you?

[Morticia]

These calls drive me nuts. First it’s the discount request. Then it’s the misread of what we offer and telling me we are not allowed to do that any longer so how have we fixed this problem. Think buffet breakfast, which we’ve never done. Then it’s the not wanting to climb stairs so no rooms on the third floor. We don’t have a third floor. Then it’s telling me how cold it is here so they need wood for the fireplace. We don’t have wood-burning fireplaces. Then the list of foods they don’t eat. Then letting me know they’re staying at another place for a week and only need one night with us and because the cottage they’re at is only 45 minutes away they’ll be checking in at noon.

I’ve mentioned this year has been awful business-wise, but not awful enough to have this kind of guest.

 

[JimBoone]

These calls drive me nuts. First it’s the discount request. Then it’s the misread of what we offer and telling me we are not allowed to do that any longer so how have we fixed this problem. Think buffet breakfast, which we’ve never done. Then it’s the not wanting to climb stairs so no rooms on the third floor. We don’t have a third floor. Then it’s telling me how cold it is here so they need wood for the fireplace. We don’t have wood-burning fireplaces. Then the list of foods they don’t eat. Then letting me know they’re staying at another place for a week and only need one night with us and because the cottage they’re at is only 45 minutes away they’ll be checking in at noon.

I’ve mentioned this year has been awful business-wise, but not awful enough to have this kind of guest.

Morticia your comments make me feel blessed, now true, others may starve with our volume of guests and it has not been the greatest years, but lucky to usually have happy guests. Yeah, I suppose we do get a few calls of that nature where one can only assume they never looked at the website and have no clue about what you offer.

 

[gillumhouse]

So sorry you are getting this kind of calls. One of the great things of not being in a tourist area is most of those who call really DO want to be here and are happy to have a room. The difficult to please/"special"people seem to drift to tourist areas. Just sorry they are finding you.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

We get a lot of one nighters on their way to either Maine or Cape Cod for their ‘real’ vacation. The best part is when they say, ‘we should have stayed here longer.’ Of course it may make me feel like I’ve done a good job, it sure don’t fill the pockets, eh?

My favorite phone moment is, “I’ll check with my husband on those dates and call you right back.” Translation: “I’m going to go find a less expensive room, thanks but no thanks.”

 

[Generic]

I don't flex like that. They would have lost me at the discount request. Sorry, we all know that you will regret every discount request... they are always a nightmare. That's why Air exists, to cater to these bad apples.

 

[Morticia]

We get a lot of one nighters on their way to either Maine or Cape Cod for their ‘real’ vacation. The best part is when they say, ‘we should have stayed here longer.’ Of course it may make me feel like I’ve done a good job, it sure don’t fill the pockets, eh?

My favorite phone moment is, “I’ll check with my husband on those dates and call you right back.” Translation: “I’m going to go find a less expensive room, thanks but no thanks.”

We’ve had very few multiple night stays. Every single night stay is one night of pay and two nights of lost income. Everything on the bed has to be stripped and sanitized. The sanitizer cycle on my washer is 95 minutes. I can do one room at a time. Obviously, this is no concern of the guest, but asking for another dime out of my pocket is ridiculous in this environment. The hotels are charging less than I am because of their pricing algorithms, so please stay there for your single night on your way home from your Airbnb cottage.

 

[JimBoone]

I don't flex like that. They would have lost me at the discount request. Sorry, we all know that you will regret every discount request... they are always a nightmare. That's why Air exists, to cater to these bad apples.

I get tickled at those that call and say, you have the best price in town, and then ask about discount. I’m too old and tired to play the game, the posted price is the price, if you get cheaper, you probably won’t enjoy your room

 

[Morticia]

Then there were the guests today who told me at least three times it was their ‘birthday month.’ Sorry, I’m all out of ideas of things I can do that don’t require me to go to the store for anything.

First morning they sat at a table that was not sanitized. I asked them to please let me finish the cleaning process. Ok. They waited. Then sat at that table for five seconds and got up and switched tables! So I have to go back and sanitize that table again so someone else can sit there. Next day they grabbed coffee and went outside. Sorry. I don’t know you’re outThere unless you tell me. Had to sanitize the table again as they sat at it before deciding to go outside to eat.

Holy crap! For not being busy I’m exhausted.

 

[Northern Dreamer]

Prices and policies stayed the same this year, and just a bit more work with folks wanting to eat outside. In light of it all, we definitely have had a very busy summer - right up through yesterday! Most bookings were on average a night or two longer than the typical Fri/Sat....so a lot of Thurs-Sun or Fri-Mon....and plenty of rooms filled 2-5 nights through weekdays as well! Does make it nice to not have to flip every room, everyday. And luckily only one big catastrophe with us having to buy an area rug to cover a carpet that will need professionally treated this winter!
It's like the people who traveled here really wanted to be here - and believe me our area has been swamped! Most phone calls were people we had to turn down because they were looking for last minute lodging. Seems like most weekends we could have booked 2-3 times over! Only gave a super discount to one person - a long distance cousin!
Was nice to be full and busy for this abbreviated season, with lots of new folks, some repeats, and still be on the low end with the PITAs!
It's actually been a pretty nice summer for such uncertain times, but we are looking forward to the Fall slow down!

 

[GoodScout]

Only real good advice I got from PO's: Never, never, never apologize for your prices.
In this year of chaos, I've been even less tolerant of bottom-feeders.
You don't like my prices? Hang up the phone so I can answer the call from one who does. Go somewhere cheaper, and savor your disappointment.

 

[Iris]

Prices and policies stayed the same this year, and just a bit more work with folks wanting to eat outside. In light of it all, we definitely have had a very busy summer - right up through yesterday! Most bookings were on average a night or two longer than the typical Fri/Sat....so a lot of Thurs-Sun or Fri-Mon....and plenty of rooms filled 2-5 nights through weekdays as well! Does make it nice to not have to flip every room, everyday. And luckily only one big catastrophe with us having to buy an area rug to cover a carpet that will need professionally treated this winter!
It's like the people who traveled here really wanted to be here - and believe me our area has been swamped! Most phone calls were people we had to turn down because they were looking for last minute lodging. Seems like most weekends we could have booked 2-3 times over! Only gave a super discount to one person - a long distance cousin!
Was nice to be full and busy for this abbreviated season, with lots of new folks, some repeats, and still be on the low end with the PITAs!
It's actually been a pretty nice summer for such uncertain times, but we are looking forward to the Fall slow down!

This sounds exactly like our story. We have never been busier, and raised our prices by $10 across the board. I have not had an opening since we started the season on June 12th - 6 weeks late. I still don’t have an opening until the 20th.
very nice guests, not one stinker in the bunch. Many have already booked for October and for next summer.

 

[Roxanne Trees]

Food costs and cleaning supplies have gone up. We raised our prices a bit and decided to accept one-nighters, on weeknights only, for the first time.
I do charge more for one-night stays.
I guess I am getting old and crotchety.

 

[Roxanne Trees]

These calls drive me nuts. First it’s the discount request. Then it’s the misread of what we offer and telling me we are not allowed to do that any longer so how have we fixed this problem. Think buffet breakfast, which we’ve never done. Then it’s the not wanting to climb stairs so no rooms on the third floor. We don’t have a third floor. Then it’s telling me how cold it is here so they need wood for the fireplace. We don’t have wood-burning fireplaces. Then the list of foods they don’t eat. Then letting me know they’re staying at another place for a week and only need one night with us and because the cottage they’re at is only 45 minutes away they’ll be checking in at noon.

I’ve mentioned this year has been awful business-wise, but not awful enough to have this kind of guest.

I had a call yesterday wanting one night on Friday night. A. We have a two night minimum on weekends. Q. Okay, how much for two nights in the cheapest room? and what if I pay today and then change my mind before this Friday? A. No refund. He then tells me he will call me back...I almost fell over when he did call back, book and pay in full.
Then when I emailed him his driving directions the email came back undeliverable even though I repeated the address back to him three times. Oh, and no dairy, fruit or bread.

 

[Silverspoon]

We’ve had very few multiple night stays. Every single night stay is one night of pay and two nights of lost income. Everything on the bed has to be stripped and sanitized. The sanitizer cycle on my washer is 95 minutes. I can do one room at a time. Obviously, this is no concern of the guest, but asking for another dime out of my pocket is ridiculous in this environment. The hotels are charging less than I am because of their pricing algorithms, so please stay there for your single night on your way home from your Airbnb cottage.

We have opted to turn away any potential guests who have not stayed with us before as long as they had no red flags on our own Guest-review notes. We have had mostly cancelations from "high risk" areas or foreigners (UK, VA, CA, NY etc) but the guests who have not canceled have stayed 5-7 nights with a Continental Breakfast and no daily housekeeping. It's been a lean year but at this point it's OK. Sometimes, like yesterday, it is difficult to turn away a great couple, who we very much like and who were married while here 10 years ago. But they only want 3 nights. It's just not worth it and, honestly, I don't want to do all that shopping and laundry and cleaning for a 3-night reservation. I don't know how you do it, Mort and BeachHouse! 2021 will hopefully return to something more "normal" if we can get this virus under control.

 

[Morticia]

We have opted to turn away any potential guests who have not stayed with us before as long as they had no red flags on our own Guest-review notes. We have had mostly cancelations from "high risk" areas or foreigners (UK, VA, CA, NY etc) but the guests who have not canceled have stayed 5-7 nights with a Continental Breakfast and no daily housekeeping. It's been a lean year but at this point it's OK. Sometimes, like yesterday, it is difficult to turn away a great couple, who we very much like and who were married while here 10 years ago. But they only want 3 nights. It's just not worth it and, honestly, I don't want to do all that shopping and laundry and cleaning for a 3-night reservation. I don't know how you do it, Mort and BeachHouse! 2021 will hopefully return to something more "normal" if we can get this virus under control.

It’s made me exceedingly grumpy. And when I come back from a walk and find out Gomez booked a family for one night, on a weekend, and didn’t charge for the kids I have a melt down. I’m going to have him do all of the laundry this weekend so he finally gets how much work this is. His part of the business model hasn’t changed. My workload is thru the roof. And that’s even with extremely limited bookings.

 

[alias annie]

We provide lodging for military and State Dept travellers at per diem rates. We have just implemented charging extra for meals as they do have a separate allowance for meals. One night stays are more work, but I am grateful to have this business and their repeat business. They are also great at referring to us, too. Since the guests are going to the restaruants in town, they are providing $ to our town, too.

 

[ramonalea]

We provide lodging for military and State Dept travellers at per diem rates. We have just implemented charging extra for meals as they do have a separate allowance for meals. One night stays are more work, but I am grateful to have this business and their repeat business. They are also great at referring to us, too. Since the guests are going to the restaruants in town, they are providing $ to our town, too.

I could not afford to have per diem rates, I figured if they didn't want to stay in the slums down the road and fork out $20+ out of their pocket they can head down the road...One guy tried arguing that they should get a discount and I so wanted to ask him if he did the same arguing with the restaurants when he ordered a meal.

 

[Morticia]

I have friends who are doing only per diem rentals this year. But, they are charging way, way under standard per diem rates while including use of the kitchen and laundry. I haven’t asked how it’s working out but I know it was hard back in June when some of them were complaining they weren’t getting enough for the $40/day they were being charged. I think they thought all their meals should be included.

 

[alias annie]

the local per diem rate here per OPM is $96 plus tax. The rates vary on locality, for example DC area per diem rates vary from $160-$256 depending on the month. $12 for a full breakfast, $8 for light or to-go breakfast. We are not a destination location, so this business model is working for us.

 

[MRA]

We provide lodging for military and State Dept travellers at per diem rates. We have just implemented charging extra for meals as they do have a separate allowance for meals. One night stays are more work, but I am grateful to have this business and their repeat business. They are also great at referring to us, too. Since the guests are going to the restaruants in town, they are providing $ to our town, too.

How / where do you go to get on these lists for military and State Dept travelers?