I hate rainy Sundays

Guests are still lounging in the dining room. Lounging in the lounge. Not a single indication that anyone is going to check out today. And they are ALL checking out today. So I'm paying wonder girl to sit and play on her phone. She can't mop or dust or vacuum around all the guests. Laundry is folded and put away. It's raining so no watering necessary outside.
Sigh.

at 11 start sweeping and cleaning...maybe then they will get the idea to MOVE!

I had that same thing a few days ago. Tried vacuuming talked loudly about things we had to do that day. The bottom line one left a 1130. When check out was 10. the other left after 12 noon. We just got both done in time for 330. Next guest arrived 415. Phew!!! we were a moving.. then checked them in and off to market. then home again and set up and did prep work .then supper then BED! long day

Quiet weekend here with only 2 rooms. One room pushed the 8:30 breakfast time as they always do (repeats), down at 8:15. They need to get back on the road. (we are their 1/2 pt to family)
Other room, only he comes down to breakfast. He said she wasn't eating. She was going to sleep til 10:30. (check out is 11 ) They are the weekend getaway type that don't want it to end.

10:45 they all left. Now it's hustle time. Beds are all stripped. Laundry is going.

Guest all left by 10 am and checkout is 12 noon. All rooms emptied out of laundry, dishes done ..... vacation till Tues and it all starts again. Meanwhile laundry, mowing, et. etc. But I can do as I please...... sort of ?

We have a backup list of things to do that don't impact the guest experience. Can't remember ever paying our employees to sit around.

What time is checkout? I didn't have housekeeping come in to help until 10 or 11. Checkout for me was 11. Then we'd rush. Happily for me, the ferry a lot of my guests were taking left the dock at 10:30, so they'd be checked out or out the door by then.
As a guest, I tended to be a lingerer. Take a walk after breakfast or sit and dawdle over coffee then clear out my stuff because it was my room until 11. They were probably hoping I'd get going.
ps ... when I stay at a hotel, I rush out of there way before checkout. Totally different experience.

Luckily for us, our British guests yesterday morning asked how to avoid the inevitable back up at the bridge for those leaving on Sunday. So everyone at the table heard that an early start...leave here by 9:00 am., is the best plan. Lo and behold the entire place emptied by 10:00 this morning! We are have only a couple of loads of laundry and some sheets on the line still to be dealt with. I think I'll have a cup of tea.
DH is sitting, waiting for the new arrivals as I check the weather radar to spy any unexpected thunderstorms heading our way. Then I'll set the table for tomorrow morning's breakfast, send thank you e-mails to our guests who just left and make the menu for the week ahead.

Just thinking - someone waiting to clean can work on the windows! Sweep the front porch and steps. Those places you think of fleetingly that need doing 'when you have a chance'. I bought one of those sprayer kits and had to use a big brush on a stick to get the salt sea air spray off the windows. Take inventory of something. Ah, I am thinking now of all the million jobs waiting to get done. But we know darn well what you need most is getting those guest rooms done.

seashanty said:

What time is checkout? I didn't have housekeeping come in to help until 10 or 11. Checkout for me was 11. Then we'd rush. Happily for me, the ferry a lot of my guests were taking left the dock at 10:30, so they'd be checked out or out the door by then.
As a guest, I tended to be a lingerer. Take a walk after breakfast or sit and dawdle over coffee then clear out my stuff because it was my room until 11. They were probably hoping I'd get going.
ps ... when I stay at a hotel, I rush out of there way before checkout. Totally different experience..

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This was not our usual crowd. Everyone was under 35. We almost sent the housekeeper home until 11.

seashanty said:

Just thinking - someone waiting to clean can work on the windows! Sweep the front porch and steps. Those places you think of fleetingly that need doing 'when you have a chance'. I bought one of those sprayer kits and had to use a big brush on a stick to get the salt sea air spray off the windows. Take inventory of something. Ah, I am thinking now of all the million jobs waiting to get done. But we know darn well what you need most is getting those guest rooms done..

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When she asked what was she supposed to do I told her to get 'the list'.
She tried to dust. Guests in common areas. She tried to do the porch. Guests outside. In the rain! Couldn't do anything in the dining room. All the cleaning supplies were stocked. Towels were put away.
There wasn't anything she could do that wouldn't impact guests using the space.
I should have had her clean my apartment!

wow - good idea -- into your apartment. Wouldn't that be lovely? though not what you want to pay her for. Sometimes chores have to be done around guests. Although, I can see the review 'Annoyed by staff who were cleaning around us while we tried to enjoy our coffee'

seashanty said:

wow - good idea -- into your apartment. Wouldn't that be lovely? though not what you want to pay her for. Sometimes chores have to be done around guests. Although, I can see the review 'Annoyed by staff who were cleaning around us while we tried to enjoy our coffee'.

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So true, but why do B&B's get dinged for things like this when we see hotel cleaning staff doing these things at all times and nothing is thought of that. Not fair.
And we are still dinged for not letting people in early when we are trying to get all this done without a fairy handling it all.

seashanty said:

wow - good idea -- into your apartment. Wouldn't that be lovely? though not what you want to pay her for. Sometimes chores have to be done around guests. Although, I can see the review 'Annoyed by staff who were cleaning around us while we tried to enjoy our coffee'.

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No way do I want her cleaning over here. I need someone who can clean without supervision. I'd never find anything!

seashanty said:

Just thinking - someone waiting to clean can work on the windows! Sweep the front porch and steps. Those places you think of fleetingly that need doing 'when you have a chance'. I bought one of those sprayer kits and had to use a big brush on a stick to get the salt sea air spray off the windows. Take inventory of something. Ah, I am thinking now of all the million jobs waiting to get done. But we know darn well what you need most is getting those guest rooms done..

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Do laundry, fold towels, prep a few items for bfast, etc

undersea said:

seashanty said:

Just thinking - someone waiting to clean can work on the windows! Sweep the front porch and steps. Those places you think of fleetingly that need doing 'when you have a chance'. I bought one of those sprayer kits and had to use a big brush on a stick to get the salt sea air spray off the windows. Take inventory of something. Ah, I am thinking now of all the million jobs waiting to get done. But we know darn well what you need most is getting those guest rooms done..

Click to expand...

Do laundry, fold towels, prep a few items for bfast, etc
.

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All good items to do if there is laundry, which there isn't if we can't get in the rooms. No breakfast prep until the next morning.
Of course that all depends on the individual inn. Lots of innkeepers prep for the next day's breakfast while the housekeeper cleans. We didn't even have the kitchen cleaned at that point. And the housekeeper does not touch the kitchen. That requires more training than I think this one can handle.
It's not like we don't have a list of things to do. I'll post it later when I'm at the office. Just when guests are spread all thru the inn lots of stuff can't get done.

Its raining here to - trouble is it means the stay guests, literally stay inside either in the lounge or their rooms.
Trouble is the only way out of our place without doing mission impossible stuff is through that lounge so every time they stop us and we have to chat which sounds petty but when you are trying to get round and back before the chamber maid is done for check in's every 10 minute stop and chat adds up. Plus don't want to be carrying out trash bags etc in front of guests either.

actually, I'd welcome some rain. it's just hot, humid and miserable here and guests keep walking out of the house and not closing the door all the way. I'm not cooling the neighborhood!