What is the nicest thing a guest ever did or gave you out of gratitude?

[egoodell]

We are only on our 2nd year and to us the best thing we've been getting is Chris gets great tips. I think it's because they book the inn and wine tour and get a lot of great service from him which is so lacking these days.
The other great gift is repeat guests already!!
Oh and another guest sent us some home made jams which were excellent!
Riki

 

[Don Draper]

Ok, new favorite just came in the door!
Frequent repeat guests, they usually visit twice per year and have started to send friends to us in the interim. The wife and I always love to share recipes because we love baked goodies, and last year we found we have a shared passion for gummy bears. She just presented me with an ENORMOUS bag of her favorite gummies from her home state of Ohio...she made a special trip to get them for me.
SHE's the sweetie!.

She just presented me with an ENORMOUS bag of her favorite gummies from her home state of Ohio...she made a special trip to get them for me.

I love gummies, too. Where in Ohio would someone find special gummies??
P.S. I live in Ohio...always on the lookout for cool treats!
.

The bag says Dietsch's, in Findlay OH. Hope that helps...I will report on taste after I break 'em open!
Edited to add: WOW! They are awesome...very sweet with nice fruit flavors, very little "waxiness", and the bears are good and plump!

 

[EmptyNest]

I know that there are some innkeepers who think it is their duty to "get to know" the guests and treat them like family, but that was never the kind of place I wanted to run, nor is it the kind of place I want to stay in. I know someone who opened up..just so THEY could have someone to talk with...or should I say at

 

[Morticia]

We considered that our guests were there to get away and reconnect..not to get to know us.

That's the amazing part of this story. As innkeepers at our B&B, we typically have minimal interaction with out guests. We deliver breakfast to their door and stress privacy. Many times guests check in, we chat a little, then we don't even see them until they check out. An example of that is happening today...Checked them in 3 days ago, I haven't seen them since and they are checking out today.
We never anticipated, expected or even wanted social interaction with our guests, but there have been 3 couples over the years that we have socialized with. Believe me, most of them I can't wait to kick out of the door!!

This is the strangest part of this job...chatting with complete strangers in your own home! We'll wander out and if guests are in the living room and they acknowledge us, we'll stop and chat. Sometimes until midnight. But we're not stressing the 'privacy' aspect of being here. The place is too small for it to be truly 'private' so we go the other route and try to be available when wanted.
When guests are outside, they generally offer us a beer and tell us to pull up a chair. Again, the place is too small for everyone to have their own private space so you're going to see us or the other guests if you're outside.
We were told conflicting stories by the POs and their guests. The POs told us they had a code (HE had a code) for when SHE was too chatty. HE'D ring the inn phone and when she answered it, he'd tell her to shut up and 'come home'. OTOH, the guests told us they never saw the innkeepers after 7 PM. Most repeat guests had been trained to let themselves in, get their keys off the hook and go to their rooms and not bother the innkeepers. Personally, I think the POs had their favorites and that's who they chatted with. The guests they didn't like got to check themselves in and only saw the innkeepers when they had breakfast.
I'll admit to hiding from certain voluble guests, but most of the time I like to sit and talk to them.

 

[NW BB]

Of course we love the bottles of wine, the grits from South Carolina, we even got a Royal Doulton Old Country Rose dog bowl for our pooch (we serve breakfast on Old Country Rose china).
For me, the best gift we ever received is the close friendships. For several years we had a couple that would travel several times a year 6 hours to come stay with us. We developed such a great friendship with them that last year, the 4 of us traveled to Germany together for a vacation. We had a blast and now we're planning another trip together next year!
We've made other lasting friendships also, which we cherish..

we have a couple who keep asking us to go with them on their boat. luckilu, we can't go during the best sailing times. it would feel like being *trapped* with a the guests on their boat. sweet that they like us that much but being out on the ocean for a week woud not suite.
.

You definitely have to be careful when you cross that line between "guests" and "friends". We have had many guests invite us to go out to dinner or visit them/stay with them when we're in their area, but unless there is a really strong connection, we would just bow out gracefully.
.

Yes I agree. We had lots of guests we liked, but none I would consider friends, nor go out to dinner with. We never got that close to anyone we ever hosted... that is not what we ever wanted to do. We considered that our guests were there to get away and reconnect..not to get to know us.
.

We considered that our guests were there to get away and reconnect..not to get to know us.

That's the amazing part of this story. As innkeepers at our B&B, we typically have minimal interaction with our guests. We deliver breakfast to their door and stress privacy. Many times guests check in, we chat a little, then we don't even see them until they check out. An example of that is happening today...Checked them in 3 days ago, I haven't seen them since and they are checking out today.
We never anticipated, expected or even wanted social interaction with our guests, but there have been 3 couples over the years that we have socialized with. Believe me, most of them I can't wait to kick out of the door!!

 

[happyjacks]

We considered that our guests were there to get away and reconnect..not to get to know us.

That's the amazing part of this story. As innkeepers at our B&B, we typically have minimal interaction with out guests. We deliver breakfast to their door and stress privacy. Many times guests check in, we chat a little, then we don't even see them until they check out. An example of that is happening today...Checked them in 3 days ago, I haven't seen them since and they are checking out today.
We never anticipated, expected or even wanted social interaction with our guests, but there have been 3 couples over the years that we have socialized with. Believe me, most of them I can't wait to kick out of the door!!

This is the strangest part of this job...chatting with complete strangers in your own home! We'll wander out and if guests are in the living room and they acknowledge us, we'll stop and chat. Sometimes until midnight. But we're not stressing the 'privacy' aspect of being here. The place is too small for it to be truly 'private' so we go the other route and try to be available when wanted.
When guests are outside, they generally offer us a beer and tell us to pull up a chair. Again, the place is too small for everyone to have their own private space so you're going to see us or the other guests if you're outside.
We were told conflicting stories by the POs and their guests. The POs told us they had a code (HE had a code) for when SHE was too chatty. HE'D ring the inn phone and when she answered it, he'd tell her to shut up and 'come home'. OTOH, the guests told us they never saw the innkeepers after 7 PM. Most repeat guests had been trained to let themselves in, get their keys off the hook and go to their rooms and not bother the innkeepers. Personally, I think the POs had their favorites and that's who they chatted with. The guests they didn't like got to check themselves in and only saw the innkeepers when they had breakfast.
I'll admit to hiding from certain voluble guests, but most of the time I like to sit and talk to them..

I think it really depends on the guests. Some we see at check in and at breakfast(s) and that's it. Others invite us to join them for a glass of wine in the evening and we've heard some hilarious or amazing stories and had some great conversations. Sometimes we let the guests know we'll be having a bon fire in the evening and they're welcome to come roast a marshmallow if they like. Most do, some don't.
Often it's not me and hubby who are 'making friends' with the guests. It's different guests striking up conversations and friendships with each other. On busy weekends with the right mix of people, it can feel like all the best parts of a house party, just that we never met the guests before.
I think the key is we don't try to make anything happen. When people click (us and/or guests), it just happens naturally.

 

[Morticia]

We considered that our guests were there to get away and reconnect..not to get to know us.

That's the amazing part of this story. As innkeepers at our B&B, we typically have minimal interaction with out guests. We deliver breakfast to their door and stress privacy. Many times guests check in, we chat a little, then we don't even see them until they check out. An example of that is happening today...Checked them in 3 days ago, I haven't seen them since and they are checking out today.
We never anticipated, expected or even wanted social interaction with our guests, but there have been 3 couples over the years that we have socialized with. Believe me, most of them I can't wait to kick out of the door!!

This is the strangest part of this job...chatting with complete strangers in your own home! We'll wander out and if guests are in the living room and they acknowledge us, we'll stop and chat. Sometimes until midnight. But we're not stressing the 'privacy' aspect of being here. The place is too small for it to be truly 'private' so we go the other route and try to be available when wanted.
When guests are outside, they generally offer us a beer and tell us to pull up a chair. Again, the place is too small for everyone to have their own private space so you're going to see us or the other guests if you're outside.
We were told conflicting stories by the POs and their guests. The POs told us they had a code (HE had a code) for when SHE was too chatty. HE'D ring the inn phone and when she answered it, he'd tell her to shut up and 'come home'. OTOH, the guests told us they never saw the innkeepers after 7 PM. Most repeat guests had been trained to let themselves in, get their keys off the hook and go to their rooms and not bother the innkeepers. Personally, I think the POs had their favorites and that's who they chatted with. The guests they didn't like got to check themselves in and only saw the innkeepers when they had breakfast.
I'll admit to hiding from certain voluble guests, but most of the time I like to sit and talk to them..

I think it really depends on the guests. Some we see at check in and at breakfast(s) and that's it. Others invite us to join them for a glass of wine in the evening and we've heard some hilarious or amazing stories and had some great conversations. Sometimes we let the guests know we'll be having a bon fire in the evening and they're welcome to come roast a marshmallow if they like. Most do, some don't.
Often it's not me and hubby who are 'making friends' with the guests. It's different guests striking up conversations and friendships with each other. On busy weekends with the right mix of people, it can feel like all the best parts of a house party, just that we never met the guests before.
I think the key is we don't try to make anything happen. When people click (us and/or guests), it just happens naturally.
.

I think the key is we don't try to make anything happen. When people click (us and/or guests), it just happens naturally.

I love the 'idea' of afternoon tea or wine and cheese or some such 'group' thing. It'll never happen here. We're just not in the right location. If I had beachfront, maybe we could do a sundowner kind of thing. We always miss those afternoon things wherever we stay. Either our plane was late so we miss it the first night or we're just out doing stuff so we miss it every other night. Then I hear other guests laughing and talking about the wine & cheese 'last night' and I wish we had gotten there in time. Someday we'll go somewhere and 'do' all the inn stuff.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

We considered that our guests were there to get away and reconnect..not to get to know us.

That's the amazing part of this story. As innkeepers at our B&B, we typically have minimal interaction with out guests. We deliver breakfast to their door and stress privacy. Many times guests check in, we chat a little, then we don't even see them until they check out. An example of that is happening today...Checked them in 3 days ago, I haven't seen them since and they are checking out today.
We never anticipated, expected or even wanted social interaction with our guests, but there have been 3 couples over the years that we have socialized with. Believe me, most of them I can't wait to kick out of the door!!

This is the strangest part of this job...chatting with complete strangers in your own home! We'll wander out and if guests are in the living room and they acknowledge us, we'll stop and chat. Sometimes until midnight. But we're not stressing the 'privacy' aspect of being here. The place is too small for it to be truly 'private' so we go the other route and try to be available when wanted.
When guests are outside, they generally offer us a beer and tell us to pull up a chair. Again, the place is too small for everyone to have their own private space so you're going to see us or the other guests if you're outside.
We were told conflicting stories by the POs and their guests. The POs told us they had a code (HE had a code) for when SHE was too chatty. HE'D ring the inn phone and when she answered it, he'd tell her to shut up and 'come home'. OTOH, the guests told us they never saw the innkeepers after 7 PM. Most repeat guests had been trained to let themselves in, get their keys off the hook and go to their rooms and not bother the innkeepers. Personally, I think the POs had their favorites and that's who they chatted with. The guests they didn't like got to check themselves in and only saw the innkeepers when they had breakfast.
I'll admit to hiding from certain voluble guests, but most of the time I like to sit and talk to them..

I think it really depends on the guests. Some we see at check in and at breakfast(s) and that's it. Others invite us to join them for a glass of wine in the evening and we've heard some hilarious or amazing stories and had some great conversations. Sometimes we let the guests know we'll be having a bon fire in the evening and they're welcome to come roast a marshmallow if they like. Most do, some don't.
Often it's not me and hubby who are 'making friends' with the guests. It's different guests striking up conversations and friendships with each other. On busy weekends with the right mix of people, it can feel like all the best parts of a house party, just that we never met the guests before.
I think the key is we don't try to make anything happen. When people click (us and/or guests), it just happens naturally.
.

It is the same way here. When people click it all works naturally. The place is small with two private entrance rooms and the other two in the main house. The guests see me so much during the day working around the house they always seem to strike up a conversation. It is usually the guests that want to get to know me and ask me a lot of questions or have a lot of questions about the area. Sometimes though it can be too much. I just had a couple for two nights that talked a lot and had questions about everything including the doorknobs on the house and they were fascinated by how key system worked here. I'm always baking something like cookies so they always want to come down and see what I am up to. I don't mind. Otherwise I get kind of lonely if no one is around. I played a fun game of Yahtzee with a couple a few weeks ago. I didn't have any plans so it was nice to just sit down and have some fun for a while instead of doing more ironing or laundry. I usually don't seek out the guests but I am available if they need me or have a question. I just want them to know that I am here for them.

 

[happyjacks]

We considered that our guests were there to get away and reconnect..not to get to know us.

That's the amazing part of this story. As innkeepers at our B&B, we typically have minimal interaction with out guests. We deliver breakfast to their door and stress privacy. Many times guests check in, we chat a little, then we don't even see them until they check out. An example of that is happening today...Checked them in 3 days ago, I haven't seen them since and they are checking out today.
We never anticipated, expected or even wanted social interaction with our guests, but there have been 3 couples over the years that we have socialized with. Believe me, most of them I can't wait to kick out of the door!!

This is the strangest part of this job...chatting with complete strangers in your own home! We'll wander out and if guests are in the living room and they acknowledge us, we'll stop and chat. Sometimes until midnight. But we're not stressing the 'privacy' aspect of being here. The place is too small for it to be truly 'private' so we go the other route and try to be available when wanted.
When guests are outside, they generally offer us a beer and tell us to pull up a chair. Again, the place is too small for everyone to have their own private space so you're going to see us or the other guests if you're outside.
We were told conflicting stories by the POs and their guests. The POs told us they had a code (HE had a code) for when SHE was too chatty. HE'D ring the inn phone and when she answered it, he'd tell her to shut up and 'come home'. OTOH, the guests told us they never saw the innkeepers after 7 PM. Most repeat guests had been trained to let themselves in, get their keys off the hook and go to their rooms and not bother the innkeepers. Personally, I think the POs had their favorites and that's who they chatted with. The guests they didn't like got to check themselves in and only saw the innkeepers when they had breakfast.
I'll admit to hiding from certain voluble guests, but most of the time I like to sit and talk to them..

I think it really depends on the guests. Some we see at check in and at breakfast(s) and that's it. Others invite us to join them for a glass of wine in the evening and we've heard some hilarious or amazing stories and had some great conversations. Sometimes we let the guests know we'll be having a bon fire in the evening and they're welcome to come roast a marshmallow if they like. Most do, some don't.
Often it's not me and hubby who are 'making friends' with the guests. It's different guests striking up conversations and friendships with each other. On busy weekends with the right mix of people, it can feel like all the best parts of a house party, just that we never met the guests before.
I think the key is we don't try to make anything happen. When people click (us and/or guests), it just happens naturally.
.

I think the key is we don't try to make anything happen. When people click (us and/or guests), it just happens naturally.

I love the 'idea' of afternoon tea or wine and cheese or some such 'group' thing. It'll never happen here. We're just not in the right location. If I had beachfront, maybe we could do a sundowner kind of thing. We always miss those afternoon things wherever we stay. Either our plane was late so we miss it the first night or we're just out doing stuff so we miss it every other night. Then I hear other guests laughing and talking about the wine & cheese 'last night' and I wish we had gotten there in time. Someday we'll go somewhere and 'do' all the inn stuff.
.

I love the 'idea' of afternoon tea or wine and cheese or some such 'group' thing. It'll never happen here. We're just not in the right location. If I had beachfront, maybe we could do a sundowner kind of thing. We always miss those afternoon things wherever we stay. Either our plane was late so we miss it the first night or we're just out doing stuff so we miss it every other night. Then I hear other guests laughing and talking about the wine & cheese 'last night' and I wish we had gotten there in time. Someday we'll go somewhere and 'do' all the inn stuff.

An afternoon or pre-dinner thing would never work here either. Not for us (too busy working) nor for the guests (often out all day). But an evening bonfire tends to catch more people since it's usually just starting around 9:30 or so. Most guests have already wandered back by then.

 

[happykeeper]

Today a big box of kitchen gadgets showed up and a big jug of maple syrup. It was a great mail day! Both came with wonderful cards of thanks.

To reiterate - it says so much to us about our guests and how they see us going beyond the reaches of normal care to make their stay memorable in some way.

 

[gillumhouse]

One night very early on, we had 2 rooms that went to a WVU football game and a third room for somethng else and no one knew anyone. However, they all arrived "home" at the same time. I asked if anyone would like a cup of coffee or a cup of tea. That sounds nice. Well we all sat around my dining room table talking, all needing toothpicks to keep our eyes open, and no one wanting the conversation to end. I have never seen any of those 3 couples again, but one of them always sends me an e-mail with the new address when they move and/or change e-mail addresses. We just exchange e-mails occasionally.

 

[happykeeper]

One night very early on, we had 2 rooms that went to a WVU football game and a third room for somethng else and no one knew anyone. However, they all arrived "home" at the same time. I asked if anyone would like a cup of coffee or a cup of tea. That sounds nice. Well we all sat around my dining room table talking, all needing toothpicks to keep our eyes open, and no one wanting the conversation to end. I have never seen any of those 3 couples again, but one of them always sends me an e-mail with the new address when they move and/or change e-mail addresses. We just exchange e-mails occasionally..

Isn't it a glorious thing how little nothings can be so big

 

[hiddencove]

Hi! Welcome! I am new too! I also got off to a rocky start with this group, but all is well on the Oregon coast!
My very first guest was a single gal from Portland, Oregon. She came to celebrate Mother's Day on her own. I was nervous becasue she was my first guest. I just told her she was #1. She was gluten intolerant, so the challenge for breakfast was interesting. She said..."Just fruit and eggs!" So that was easy. We got to talking about her family and kids, her sobriety, and her church. She was a lovely young lady. When she got ready to leave on Sunday...Mother's Day......she had this beautifully wrapped sack with orange tissue inside... wrapping something in it. She handed it to me and said..."Happy Mother's Day!" It caught me so off guard....I burst into tears! Thank God I didn't cry like a baby! I was so very touched. She had gone to the local Goodwill Store and picked out the most beautiful, handpainted, Mexican, pottery vase with exactly the colors of my dining room! I immediately took the other vase off the antique dining table and placed her gift right smack dap in the middle! After she left, I e-mailed her and told her since she was my first guest....her rate will never change for the rest of her life as long as I own this property and operate it as a bed and breakfast!
She is re-scheduling for later in the summer and bringing her girl friends!
Good luck in your new venture. Just give love and you will succeed!

 

[Willowpondgj]

A Royal Daulton China tea set, tea pots from England, a scarf that belonged to the guest's deceased mother- who I reminded her of, and today, a bottle of my favorite Honey Sheri Mead...

 

[Penelope]

A Royal Daulton China tea set, tea pots from England, a scarf that belonged to the guest's deceased mother- who I reminded her of, and today, a bottle of my favorite Honey Sheri Mead....

a bottle of my favorite Honey Sheri Mead...

That sounds interesting.

 

[gillumhouse]

I forgot - the compote that matched the dishes I bought on eBay for the compote that arrived broken as it was packed UNDER dishes leading me to believe it was shipped broken. It was insured but I was given some gobboldy-goop about Canadian rules that $50 was the max..... My guest was here when it arrived and saw the dishes that were from the glass house where my grandparents met and made in their era. When she got home, she sent me hers.

 

[Don Draper]

Oh, and the frequent guests who stopped at a yard sale on the way up here last month and found two plates that match our china pattern and picked them up for us...I would never remember such a detail no matter how often I'd stayed at a place! That was sweet.

 

[Morticia]

Oh, and the frequent guests who stopped at a yard sale on the way up here last month and found two plates that match our china pattern and picked them up for us...I would never remember such a detail no matter how often I'd stayed at a place! That was sweet..

Oh, and the frequent guests who stopped at a yard sale on the way up here last month and found two plates that match our china pattern and picked them up for us...I would never remember such a detail no matter how often I'd stayed at a place! That was sweet.

That reminded me...last year we had guests from Italy and we were explaining the 'state quarters' to them and told them that one of the places the visited here was on the quarter (if they wanted to save one as a souvenir). They came back, out of their way, to give me one of the quarters I said I was missing! That they remembered which ones I said and that they drove out of their way to stop by was really nice.

 

[Don Draper]

Oh, and the frequent guests who stopped at a yard sale on the way up here last month and found two plates that match our china pattern and picked them up for us...I would never remember such a detail no matter how often I'd stayed at a place! That was sweet..

Oh, and the frequent guests who stopped at a yard sale on the way up here last month and found two plates that match our china pattern and picked them up for us...I would never remember such a detail no matter how often I'd stayed at a place! That was sweet.

That reminded me...last year we had guests from Italy and we were explaining the 'state quarters' to them and told them that one of the places the visited here was on the quarter (if they wanted to save one as a souvenir). They came back, out of their way, to give me one of the quarters I said I was missing! That they remembered which ones I said and that they drove out of their way to stop by was really nice.
.

I just had a very sweet gentleman from Alabama who held out the Delaware state quarter to me and said, "Do you see that horse on there" Yes, I replied..."What kind of horse do you think that is?" I don't know. "It's a quarter horse!"

 

[Morticia]

Oh, and the frequent guests who stopped at a yard sale on the way up here last month and found two plates that match our china pattern and picked them up for us...I would never remember such a detail no matter how often I'd stayed at a place! That was sweet..

Oh, and the frequent guests who stopped at a yard sale on the way up here last month and found two plates that match our china pattern and picked them up for us...I would never remember such a detail no matter how often I'd stayed at a place! That was sweet.

That reminded me...last year we had guests from Italy and we were explaining the 'state quarters' to them and told them that one of the places the visited here was on the quarter (if they wanted to save one as a souvenir). They came back, out of their way, to give me one of the quarters I said I was missing! That they remembered which ones I said and that they drove out of their way to stop by was really nice.
.

I just had a very sweet gentleman from Alabama who held out the Delaware state quarter to me and said, "Do you see that horse on there" Yes, I replied..."What kind of horse do you think that is?" I don't know. "It's a quarter horse!"

.

I have to remember that for the grandkids!