Microwave for guest use?

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Morticia

Morticia

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We have one now. It gets used infrequently but it keeps those guests out of the kitchen.
In order to add another table to the dining room we have to move the check in desk to where the guest micro is now. I thought about a shelf for the micro over the desk but a can see many people whacking their heads on it. Ouchie!
Do you have a guest micro, does it get used, are you thinking of getting one?
 
We have had one for as far back as I can remember. It doesn't get used much, but it is there.
 
Biggest waste of money ever.
No one uses it, if they do they pour a half cup of cream into their coffee and walk over to microwave it.
Leftovers rarely are reheated in it, and we were told by those in the know to have business guests you need to have a microwave.
What does happen is that guests bring leftovers back as they see we have one (as we show them at check in) as an amenity and then they leave the stinky leftovers (like fajitas) in guest fridge and check out. Sometimes we don't know which guest - we have a pen there to use - sharpie to add their names) but it can sit in there for days before everyone is out of the house and we finally toss it.
Since business travel is nearly non existent now, when they call to reserve they always want to know if there is a microwave and fridge in the room, and I explain there is a guest micro and fridge, and plates, cutlery, wine glasses, ice maker, coffee and tea station etc.
All that to say, if I had to do over again, would I? No.
 
2 of our 4 rooms have a micro in the room. Plenty of room for them. That left 2 rooms in the main house without any. I fought having one in the common area for years in fear that our new guests when they checked in would be smelling burnt popcorn & leftover seafood smells. I got tired of guests asking about a microwave, so I caved in a put one in the common area. Well, all my fears were for nothing. It doesn't get used often, but it's there for those who need it.
 
Breakfast Diva said:
2 of our 4 rooms have a micro in the room. Plenty of room for them. That left 2 rooms in the main house without any. I fought having one in the common area for years in fear that our new guests when they checked in would be smelling burnt popcorn & leftover seafood smells. I got tired of guests asking about a microwave, so I caved in a put one in the common area. Well, all my fears were for nothing. It doesn't get used often, but it's there for those who need it..
Click to expand...
Breakfast Diva said:
2 of our 4 rooms have a micro in the room. Plenty of room for them. That left 2 rooms in the main house without any. I fought having one in the common area for years in fear that our new guests when they checked in would be smelling burnt popcorn & leftover seafood smells. I got tired of guests asking about a microwave, so I caved in a put one in the common area. Well, all my fears were for nothing. It doesn't get used often, but it's there for those who need it.
Click to expand...
Same here.
Had never had anyone make popcorn in the guest microwave.
 
JoeyBloggs said:
Breakfast Diva said:
2 of our 4 rooms have a micro in the room. Plenty of room for them. That left 2 rooms in the main house without any. I fought having one in the common area for years in fear that our new guests when they checked in would be smelling burnt popcorn & leftover seafood smells. I got tired of guests asking about a microwave, so I caved in a put one in the common area. Well, all my fears were for nothing. It doesn't get used often, but it's there for those who need it..
Click to expand...
Breakfast Diva said:
2 of our 4 rooms have a micro in the room. Plenty of room for them. That left 2 rooms in the main house without any. I fought having one in the common area for years in fear that our new guests when they checked in would be smelling burnt popcorn & leftover seafood smells. I got tired of guests asking about a microwave, so I caved in a put one in the common area. Well, all my fears were for nothing. It doesn't get used often, but it's there for those who need it.
Click to expand...
Same here.
Had never had anyone make popcorn in the guest microwave.
.
Click to expand...
Since we're a place where people check in and hang in their rooms a lot, it's appreciated by those that bring their own food. Our rooms each have fridges and the rooms are set up for guests to eat in their rooms.
 
Breakfast Diva said:
JoeyBloggs said:
Breakfast Diva said:
2 of our 4 rooms have a micro in the room. Plenty of room for them. That left 2 rooms in the main house without any. I fought having one in the common area for years in fear that our new guests when they checked in would be smelling burnt popcorn & leftover seafood smells. I got tired of guests asking about a microwave, so I caved in a put one in the common area. Well, all my fears were for nothing. It doesn't get used often, but it's there for those who need it..
Click to expand...
Breakfast Diva said:
2 of our 4 rooms have a micro in the room. Plenty of room for them. That left 2 rooms in the main house without any. I fought having one in the common area for years in fear that our new guests when they checked in would be smelling burnt popcorn & leftover seafood smells. I got tired of guests asking about a microwave, so I caved in a put one in the common area. Well, all my fears were for nothing. It doesn't get used often, but it's there for those who need it.
Click to expand...
Same here.
Had never had anyone make popcorn in the guest microwave.
.
Click to expand...
Since we're a place where people check in and hang in their rooms a lot, it's appreciated by those that bring their own food. Our rooms each have fridges and the rooms are set up for guests to eat in their rooms.
.
Click to expand...
Breakfast Diva said:
Since we're a place where people check in and hang in their rooms a lot, it's appreciated by those that bring their own food. Our rooms each have fridges and the rooms are set up for guests to eat in their rooms.
Click to expand...
Oh yes, with all of us being different I needed to add that. If you are not near restaurants and more of a destination, I would certainly have them for guest use. Absolutely. And if you have tables in the rooms, again, absolutely!
 
Had one in the dining area and no one ever used it. I wanted the space so I took it out and only 1 person in several years has asked for it.
 
In the library we have a section of it that has a full size fridge, glassware, plasticware, paper plates, napkins and microwave. They all get used often. The fridge was to keep guests from asking to put their left overs in our fridge. Works like a charm.
 
To each his own. I would say it gets used about 10% of the time. I put out the popcorn that pops in its own bowl shaped bag. Small investment. Maybe you can figure out another place for it.
 
Innkeep said:
To each his own. I would say it gets used about 10% of the time. I put out the popcorn that pops in its own bowl shaped bag. Small investment. Maybe you can figure out another place for it..
Click to expand...
We're looking! Thinking of putting it where the coffee maker is but that gets crowded.
It's like a set of dominoes around here! Move one thing and you move a dozen other things.
In adding the table we also have to move a rug that needs to be there for winter's wet boots and summer sand. That rug has been there for 7 years. It's stuck to the floor to keep it from moving around. Plus, the floor has yellowed around it.
Will replace it with a smaller rug but that will look odd until the floor yellows around the smaller outline!
And. I made all the tablecloths. That fabric is long out of print. So I need to make new, different tablecloths, that somehow 'go' with the other ones.
At least we have extra chairs.
 
Morticia said:
Innkeep said:
To each his own. I would say it gets used about 10% of the time. I put out the popcorn that pops in its own bowl shaped bag. Small investment. Maybe you can figure out another place for it..
Click to expand...
We're looking! Thinking of putting it where the coffee maker is but that gets crowded.
It's like a set of dominoes around here! Move one thing and you move a dozen other things.
In adding the table we also have to move a rug that needs to be there for winter's wet boots and summer sand. That rug has been there for 7 years. It's stuck to the floor to keep it from moving around. Plus, the floor has yellowed around it.
Will replace it with a smaller rug but that will look odd until the floor yellows around the smaller outline!
And. I made all the tablecloths. That fabric is long out of print. So I need to make new, different tablecloths, that somehow 'go' with the other ones.
At least we have extra chairs.
.
Click to expand...
Morticia said:
We're looking! Thinking of putting it where the coffee maker is but that gets crowded.
Click to expand...
If you're worried about people crowding, don't worry about it. Most folks will use the microwave other times of the day, not breakfast.
 
Breakfast Diva said:
Morticia said:
Innkeep said:
To each his own. I would say it gets used about 10% of the time. I put out the popcorn that pops in its own bowl shaped bag. Small investment. Maybe you can figure out another place for it..
Click to expand...
We're looking! Thinking of putting it where the coffee maker is but that gets crowded.
It's like a set of dominoes around here! Move one thing and you move a dozen other things.
In adding the table we also have to move a rug that needs to be there for winter's wet boots and summer sand. That rug has been there for 7 years. It's stuck to the floor to keep it from moving around. Plus, the floor has yellowed around it.
Will replace it with a smaller rug but that will look odd until the floor yellows around the smaller outline!
And. I made all the tablecloths. That fabric is long out of print. So I need to make new, different tablecloths, that somehow 'go' with the other ones.
At least we have extra chairs.
.
Click to expand...
Morticia said:
We're looking! Thinking of putting it where the coffee maker is but that gets crowded.
Click to expand...
If you're worried about people crowding, don't worry about it. Most folks will use the microwave other times of the day, not breakfast.
.
Click to expand...
Counter crowding. It's very tight now. But I've got a month to shift stuff around.
You know who uses the micro in the morning? Guests who say the coffee or tea isn't hot enough. They want the coffee boiling.
 
No microwave for guests in the house, but the cottage has one. No one complains about not having a microwave probably because there are so many restaurants in the area and every one eats out. Occasionally I am asked if I can reheat someone's leftovers. We are not allowed to take guest's food into the kitchen.
devil_smile.gif

The cottage is equipped with flatware, dishes, glasses etc. so guests with a desire to heat their food usually choose to stay there instead of in the main house.
We do have an electric kettle for tea water in both the house and cottage. That item is used almost daily during high season. Tea drinkers love their tea in the late afternoon!
 
Thanks to a wonderful long-term guest (she bought for her room and left it behind as she said she was going to), I have both a guest fridge and a nuker. The nuker sits on top of the fridge in the upstairs hall. We have had guests make popcorn (brought their own) - rare. It does get used when we have more than a one-nighter.
 
Don't have one. We get requests from time to time to warm something, though it is VERY rare. We have a few hundred restaurants in a 10 minute walk from us.
 
I had one - it was needed because we were so far from anything - . It was either that or reheat in my kitchen and that was not a good option for me. People did heat and eat their leftovers. I had to get a big stainless trash bin for beside it because the cute little wastebasket would be overflowing. I saw a combo unit (fridge and micro) that was not tiny in another b&b. I don't know if you have room for that. Can it go out on your sun porch?
As for tablecloths, you just need a complimentary pattern and put out half and half or so. Or totally mix it up with varied colors.
 
seashanty said:
I had one - it was needed because we were so far from anything - . It was either that or reheat in my kitchen and that was not a good option for me. People did heat and eat their leftovers. I had to get a big stainless trash bin for beside it because the cute little wastebasket would be overflowing. I saw a combo unit (fridge and micro) that was not tiny in another b&b. I don't know if you have room for that. Can it go out on your sun porch?
As for tablecloths, you just need a complimentary pattern and put out half and half or so. Or totally mix it up with varied colors..
Click to expand...
Sun porch is the dining room. That's where the new table is going that's starting this whole domino thing falling. If people could wait for breakfast I wouldn't have to do anything. But too many complaints about not enough seating and not wanting to share a table and not wanting to eat in another room...
 
Having not seen the layout I don't know what other alternative you have besides an addition!
 
seashanty said:
Having not seen the layout I don't know what other alternative you have besides an addition!.
Click to expand...
Go to the blog and click on renovations. Pix of the dining room and the present location of the micro.
 

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