Do you have a 'curfew'?

What time do you tell your guests that they basically have to shut things down? I had a couple here last night that were sitting in my dining room (with my permission of course), eating a take out meal that they brought with them. They had a few drinks and then went to their room about 10:30/11:00. Another traveller took offence that they were making too much noise. Yes, they were loud, but they weren't in their room. I heard them shut things down and go to bed but I didn't hear anything after that.
I guess when I give people the tour of the house, I'll ask them to watch the noise level when it gets late but I don't want to be the noise police. They were away for the weekend and enjoying themselves. He could just as easily been in a regular hotel with noise next door neighbours but these people were on the lower floor and he was on the second floor.
Thoughts? Words of wisdom? He decided to leave in the middle of the night (?) and drove an hour away to the big city. I didn't even know he was gone until he called me, five minutes before his prearranged early breakfast (an hour earlier than my usual service). I apologized, didn't charge him and said that I would love the opportunity to host him in the future. He seemed legit and even said to go ahead and charge him. I just couldn't. When I questioned the other guests, they just said that he asked them to be quieter and they said they stopped and went to bed.
They seemed fine in the morning and the third room didn't hear anything.

Arrrgh! I hate this stuff. Call the innkeeper and let her handle the noise. Then he would have seen you taking care of him. Instead, he had a hissy fit.
No, we don't have a curfew, but yes, if it's 11 or so and I can still hear the guests in the dining room/living room I may make a foray out there to ostensibly 'check the lights'. MOST guests ask if they woke me and I can say, you were a bit loud. And then they go to bed.
If no one is on that side of the house I let it go. I'd love to put in a few more doors...

I would charge him. Afterall they did quiet down...not like they ignored being asked. We used to just post a little sign in each room by the TV to be respectful of others with TV volume. We really never had a problem except with one hard of hearing lady and she lowered it when asked.

Sorry the the complaining guest was a putz in my opinion. Left in the middle of the night? Does not say anything to you and leaves you to get up earlier and fix a breakfast an hour before normal time? Boo-hiss. To call 5 minutes before serving time is not what I call nice.
I would have charged him - he left of his own volition. Look at him as the odd egg in the box, not the one you need to pander to. IF both rooms had said something (or had he spoken to you at the time), perhaps it would be considered valid by me. Under your description, you apologized for the disturbance (nothing you could do by then). You cannot please everyone and for some it is just a waste of time, an exercise in futility. (Put ear plugs in the rooms.)
And to answer your curfew question - no. I stopped giving curfew times to my kids as they graduated from high school so were now supposed to be adults. Guests are not my circus.

Some people like to get away to have fun. Imagine that. Sorry you had to deal with grumps.
PS We had a couple of them here for two nights, misery on wheels, everything was wrong, EVERY THING. I pictured them when I read what you wrote. They left notes everywhere even put one that said "We would like the air conditioning on from 7:30am to 8:30am"

JBloggs said:

Some people like to get away to have fun. Imagine that. Sorry you had to deal with grumps.
PS We had a couple of them here for two nights, misery on wheels, everything was wrong, EVERY THING. I pictured them when I read what you wrote. They left notes everywhere even put one that said "We would like the air conditioning on from 7:30am to 8:30am".

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JBloggs said:

Some people like to get away to have fun. Imagine that. Sorry you had to deal with grumps.
PS We had a couple of them here for two nights, misery on wheels, everything was wrong, EVERY THING. I pictured them when I read what you wrote. They left notes everywhere even put one that said "We would like the air conditioning on from 7:30am to 8:30am"

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You just want to leave the notes right there with your own responses, right? Or, knock them onto the floor and pretend you didn't see them.
A friend got a really crappy review from guests who started off - "We're not really B&B people. Do you have any idea how awful it is to stay in some stranger's house?" (Which is how I'm picturing your couple - not B&B people, thinking it's ok to leave notes around for you.)
They really need to stay in hotels.

This is unfortunate. Am I correct that the unhappy guest did not come to you about the loud guests but spoke to them himself ... and then left in the night?
Very unfair to call you five minutes ahead of serving an early breakfast to say ' ... I won't be there'. Really? I hope you sat down and enjoyed that breakfast!
Yes, it's a good idea to have an idea of quiet time and I guess when they sat down to enjoy themselves I would have reminded them especially if I noticed they were loud ... but 10:30/11 ... was this a weekend night? If so it doesn't seem so awfully late. I tend to rise early and go to bed early, but I use white noise and block out what would disturb me. And guests were always up later than I was!
Nice of you to offer not to charge him but ... I would likely not have been so nice. Apologetic but ... $$ You did what you felt was appropriate ... what I am hoping for you is a nice review by this person.

what a d!ck!
Honestly, leaving in the middle of the night only hurts him. Shaking my head.

Sorry about this... but I have to say it. Did he leave his Midol behind?

Generic said:

Sorry about this... but I have to say it. Did he leave his Midol behind?.

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Generic said:

Sorry about this... but I have to say it. Did he leave his Midol behind?

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and why we love you, so politically uncorrect.

JBloggs said:

Generic said:

Sorry about this... but I have to say it. Did he leave his Midol behind?.

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Generic said:

Sorry about this... but I have to say it. Did he leave his Midol behind?

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and why we love you, so politically uncorrect.
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I debated putting that comment up for 2 days!

Wow! DH was right on the ball with all your thoughts.
Sigh. I guess I will always be one of those people that can be a career door mat. I will live and learn

see its the early breakfast things that sticks in my craw - have a group who are normally fed accross the road at the conference center asked this year for 6.30 bacon buttes for all - i have said no and explained it would mean we would have to get up at 5.30 to have them ready - don't think they have any clue how long prep takes! plus would you want your food served by someone not washed and dressed? bleugh!

2cat_lady said:

Wow! DH was right on the ball with all your thoughts.
Sigh. I guess I will always be one of those people that can be a career door mat. I will live and learn

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2cat_lady said:

Wow! DH was right on the ball with all your thoughts.
Sigh. I guess I will always be one of those people that can be a career door mat. I will live and learn

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So, here's the deal then - you do not deal with guest problems, let hubby do that. That's why you're a team. The person who can handle the problems better gets that job.
Unfortunately, it's been my observation that people are more likely to argue with:
A) a woman
B) someone who sounds hesitant
No one has ever sworn at Gomez, but I've gotten an earful too many times. Which is not what happened to you, but it's an idea of what can happen.
You can always call the person back if you want to cut them some slack. After you've had a chance to think about it.

No curfew but I do ask for the volume to be turned down (voice/tv/music) after 10pm and that is the time our pool & hot tub close.
Of course if no one else is in house or on the side where someone is being a little louder than normal I refrain from speaking up, that is if I can hear them.
I would expect a guest would contact me if someone else's noise was bothering them If staying in a hotel that is what they do, right? I am sure they would never think to bang on the 'neighbor's' door or go to the lobby and tell others to quiet down.
If the couple enjoying themselves truly did call it a night after getting a scolding from the other guest, there was no real reason to get up in the middle of the night and drive home. Maybe it was more that he did not want to chance facing the other couple in the morning! And another reason why he should have called you!

I have seen Cat_Lady's hubby, I would love to see one of these punks mouth off to him!
Oh yeah Mort is right, let him handle them even if he just stands there and stares at them.

Haha. No. No one would say anything to him. And he's definitely not the diplomatic one. He is not allowed to answer the phone

Sorry this came up.
I have had a little of the same problem; we often get small get-away groups and they tend to party. If I think we have an unrelated, potentially noise sensitive guest, I'll come out around 9:30, and I'll tell the party animals to please try to wind down by 10:00.
That seems to work better than coming in at 10 and shutting everything down. Warned at 9:30; when I drift by at 10 they get the message.
For pretty much everybody, 10 is a good quite hour. Some people will be trying to sleep before that, but it is rare and they usually acknowledge that the rest of the world will go till 10.
And, I agree with the value of having the alpha male on the inn-keeping team handle potentially sensitive customer relations. DW is no shy flower, but people tend just not to elevate issues as much when dealing with me.

We're in New Orleans and do not have a curfew. If I hear someone being overly loud after 10 I just ask them to be mindful of other guests. For the most part though, our guests do not come in until after 10 and many well after midnight.

What about people staying out till " O Dark Thirty" as my hubby says (midnight - 3:30 am).
I'm talking to those who have guests 'inside' their homes' and not a cabin or something. Does everyone have key code pads on their doors now?