this is a tough one.
i understand the 'have to work' comment ... but b&b's aren't coffee shops with areas that folks can linger in.
b&b's aren't hotels with lobbies and staff.
those i've stay in, maybe 50, are homes with private space and guest space intertwined ... staffed by the owners with maybe a chambermaid or two ... sometimes the owners fly solo ... depending on the size of the place and whether or not they could afford help.
in my case, that little window of time between check OUT by 11 and check IN at 3 was only 4 hours to get rooms flipped and fluffed - it was also the only 'down' time i got. if i only had a few guests and they left, i could lock all the doors and lie down or take a shower and wash my hair (a big luxury).
just one guest in the house changes that dynamic. i was up cooking at 6, serving breakfast from 8 to 10, and then doing dishes and cleanup, then cleaning rooms and checking guests out, then cleaning common areas (that includes sweeping the front porch and the front hall). groceries had to be purchased, banking done, laundry done ... phone calls were constant, you have bookkeeping to do, and what about marketing and website maintenance, and social media?? and what about that guest who keeps wanting to change their reservation or is lost on the road? guest check in started at 3 and sometimes they would come early. it was endless and this is seven days a week. seven. with eight rooms i felt chained to the place in a way i don't know how to explain.
i know it sounds harsh when someone complains that a guest wanted to check out and remain in the house, it seems like it's no big deal. but you don't want to leave an unregistered guest in the house and go out. sometimes your dining area is in a place that allows access to places you don't want unsupervised, no longer registered guests, to go. sometimes your insurance even prohibits it.
undersea and others in the planning stages - if you can design an area separate from the main b&b where this kind of overflow (should you choose to accommodate it) can happen, then do it..
The PO's made a lot of deals with guests to let them stay on after check out. The PO's had a full time housekeeper who could be left to mind the store while the innkeepers went out or just went to their apartment to relax.
Those same guests were affronted! that we expected them to take their suitcases to the car and give back the room keys.
Sure, sit in the dining room and have your business meeting. (What??? They never mentioned taking over the dining room for a business meeting for 2 hours AFTER check out.)
Of course they wanted coffee laid on and, oh a few muffins would be nice.
But if we had the keys what bathroom could they use???
You can see how these things snowball. Even tho they probably shared a bathroom at work, they did NOT want to share a bathroom here even just for a couple of hours.
We've been scolded for being 'rude' and 'inhospitable' for asking guests to uphold their end of the bargain.
One family stayed for 2 extra hours, hogged the living room, computer, printer and continued to make coffee the entire time.
Another several couples refused to vacate their rooms until 1pm. One of those wanted us to make him breakfast to go. At freakin' one pm!
BTW, these have always been late arrivals. They don't see you, they don't give a rip about you.
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