What I want to say vs what I will say.

shop deals on amazon
Shop deals on ebay
Advertise with us
Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
TheBeachHouse

TheBeachHouse

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 24, 2013
Messages
4,452
Reaction score
373
Reviewer took a point off because the mattress was too firm and the ac was noisy.
Can't win.
Fantasy response: I wish you'd said something so we could have given you a substitute mattress in your choice of firmness. And I must ask, have you ever stayed at any hotel where the air conditioning or heat did not make noise? I haven't.
Hubby's fantasy response: Did you find the pea under the mattress?
(The ac unit is less than a year old and very efficient. And unnecessary because we had a nice sea breeze the night she was here.)
 
You can always say the A/C unit was noisy because it was too cold outside for it to run properly. ;-)
 
Oh! This is a great thread!

What I want to say: "It would have been nice if you had enlightened me to your gluten free, diabetic, vegan, organic, tree bark eating self PRIOR to breakfast time, since you were asked at least two times before this point. Let me just ignore everyone else at the table and get you something special, because obviously the world revolves around YOU."

What I will say: "Oh, I'm so sorry, I must have missed you telling me about your special needs prior to this. What do you usually eat for breakfast and I'll see if I have it in the kitchen."
 
Wish I could say "sorry you are stupid but unfortunately there is no resolution for this"
 
We know we have "Innkeeper's Stress Syndrome" when we feel like saying, "Go away and leave me alone" when we hear someone in the front hall instead of our usual greeting of "Hello! Come on in."
 
One guest says a mattress is too soft, next guest finds the same exact mattress too firm, some personal choices shouldn't really be part of a review, but for me reading that a mattress was too firm would be seen as a positive feature (for me anyway).
Like you I find nearly all hotel/motel heat/ac units on the noisy side, it is a trade off for having a unit in the room I can control individually rather than a central unit with less noise, but maybe not as cool or warm as I desire, most guests wouldn't want to pay the rate required to have type of unit that would be quiet.
Never happen, but it would be really nice if folks would write reviews based on price range, don't make a choice based on a good value and then complain that we lack the features of the highest priced place in town.
I expect we are limited in what can be said in a response on TA, but I've often thought I'd like to put a review page on my own website and expand on a few responses.
 
JimBoone said:
One guest says a mattress is too soft, next guest finds the same exact mattress too firm, some personal choices shouldn't really be part of a review, but for me reading that a mattress was too firm would be seen as a positive feature (for me anyway).
Like you I find nearly all hotel/motel heat/ac units on the noisy side, it is a trade off for having a unit in the room I can control individually rather than a central unit with less noise, but maybe not as cool or warm as I desire, most guests wouldn't want to pay the rate required to have type of unit that would be quiet.
Never happen, but it would be really nice if folks would write reviews based on price range, don't make a choice based on a good value and then complain that we lack the features of the highest priced place in town.
I expect we are limited in what can be said in a response on TA, but I've often thought I'd like to put a review page on my own website and expand on a few responses..
Click to expand...
JimBoone said:
I expect we are limited in what can be said in a response on TA, but I've often thought I'd like to put a review page on my own website and expand on a few responses.
Click to expand...
Might make for a good blog post.
 
BananaE29 said:
JimBoone said:
One guest says a mattress is too soft, next guest finds the same exact mattress too firm, some personal choices shouldn't really be part of a review, but for me reading that a mattress was too firm would be seen as a positive feature (for me anyway).
Like you I find nearly all hotel/motel heat/ac units on the noisy side, it is a trade off for having a unit in the room I can control individually rather than a central unit with less noise, but maybe not as cool or warm as I desire, most guests wouldn't want to pay the rate required to have type of unit that would be quiet.
Never happen, but it would be really nice if folks would write reviews based on price range, don't make a choice based on a good value and then complain that we lack the features of the highest priced place in town.
I expect we are limited in what can be said in a response on TA, but I've often thought I'd like to put a review page on my own website and expand on a few responses..
Click to expand...
JimBoone said:
I expect we are limited in what can be said in a response on TA, but I've often thought I'd like to put a review page on my own website and expand on a few responses.
Click to expand...
Might make for a good blog post.
.
Click to expand...
Not sure how to say it or if the average fellow would even care, but my goal is to be the best little place in my price range, can't compete in price with the place that is a dump or compete in extras with the property that charges three times as much, unfortunately I think we all get some of those folks that expected the "dump" price and complain that they were missing the quality and excellence of the highest priced property.
 
We were lucky never to have had the same AC noise complaint posted on TA. But now we never worry about it because the split ductless systems are so quiet, efficient and effective that our guests are happy, happy, happy. If you are upgrading an old house and can afford to install a few of these systems in your rooms you won't be disappointed.
 
An Old Tavernkeeper said:
Sleep Number beds in every room, pea not included?.
Click to expand...
An Old Tavernkeeper said:
Sleep Number beds in every room, pea not included?
Click to expand...
We have a Sleep Number in one of our rooms. Ironically it's the least expensive because it doesn't have other amenities like the others do (one has a jetted tub for two, one has a hot tub and one has a king bed). I'm wondering, though, if the amenity that is the Sleep Number bed equates to the others and I should price the room the same.
 
I might have told this story on here before, but friends of ours had someone complain at breakfast about the mattress, as they were staying for a couple of days friends said they'd see if they could swap it with another room. In the end they didn't have time.
Next morning at breakfast, same guest is crowing about how much better the "new" mattress is.
omg_smile.gif
 
Highlands John said:
I might have told this story on here before, but friends of ours had someone complain at breakfast about the mattress, as they were staying for a couple of days friends said they'd see if they could swap it with another room. In the end they didn't have time.
Next morning at breakfast, same guest is crowing about how much better the "new" mattress is.
omg_smile.gif
.
Click to expand...
In the words of a very wise squirrel, "What????"
 
TheBeachHouse said:
Highlands John said:
I might have told this story on here before, but friends of ours had someone complain at breakfast about the mattress, as they were staying for a couple of days friends said they'd see if they could swap it with another room. In the end they didn't have time.
Next morning at breakfast, same guest is crowing about how much better the "new" mattress is.
omg_smile.gif
.
Click to expand...
In the words of a very wise squirrel, "What????"
.
Click to expand...
TheBeachHouse said:
In the words of a very wise squirrel, "What????"
Click to expand...
thumbs_up.gif

 
Morticia said:
You can always say the A/C unit was noisy because it was too cold outside for it to run properly. ;-).
Click to expand...
Morticia said:
You can always say the A/C unit was noisy because it was too cold outside for it to run properly. ;-)
Click to expand...
I'm only quoting this because I must say Innspiring has the best wink emoticon I've ever seen ;-)
 
DH said we got a zero star review on Ex ped. Can't find it. I wonder if they deleted it for their own benefit. We are 4/5 stars on Exp. They make money off us. They don't want scathing, horrible reviews on their client pages.
I didn't see it, but DH said the woman wrote that the room smelled bad and the house was dirty. He also told me she was booked for two days and left after the first night. He did not charge her (even though our policy says he would.) She didn't complain to him, only to Exp.
We had fun with fantasy responses last night over dinner such as: Perhaps the 'smell' was coming from the beach across the street!"
DH's favorite, "There's always one every year!"
He also said he spotted her right away. Knew she was in the wrong type place for her.
 
TheBeachHouse said:
DH said we got a zero star review on Ex ped. Can't find it. I wonder if they deleted it for their own benefit. We are 4/5 stars on Exp. They make money off us. They don't want scathing, horrible reviews on their client pages.
I didn't see it, but DH said the woman wrote that the room smelled bad and the house was dirty. He also told me she was booked for two days and left after the first night. He did not charge her (even though our policy says he would.) She didn't complain to him, only to Exp.
We had fun with fantasy responses last night over dinner such as: Perhaps the 'smell' was coming from the beach across the street!"
DH's favorite, "There's always one every year!"
He also said he spotted her right away. Knew she was in the wrong type place for her..
Click to expand...
Naturally, we ran to the room to 'smell' it. It smelled just fine. I truly think she smelled seaweed on the beach right across the damned street!!!
As to dirty, the hall carpet has stains and the floor in her room is a painted wood floor so, after a very busy summer, it has scuff marks. (Most of the floor is covered in a very good quality, clean room size rug.) I imagine that's what she was seeing. Not dirt, but yes, wear and tear from a very busy summer.
We had the carpet steam cleaned in June. Can't do it during high season.
I look at the other reviews we get and can't imagine what an unhappy person she must be finding fault in all good things.
 
Silverspoon said:
We were lucky never to have had the same AC noise complaint posted on TA. But now we never worry about it because the split ductless systems are so quiet, efficient and effective that our guests are happy, happy, happy. If you are upgrading an old house and can afford to install a few of these systems in your rooms you won't be disappointed..
Click to expand...
For my personal information, how effective are these systems with heating and in what sort of climate are you located? Our wall units are ac and resistance heat, I have the same unit in my own bedroom, not unusually noisy, buy not perfectly quiet either. Summer power bills are not bad, but pricy during the heating season, if the split ductless units heat well and efficiently in a cold climate it could warrant the expense in the long haul and I'm probably reaching the life of my present units. Thanks for any comments you'd share on the heating side of things.
 
JimBoone said:
Silverspoon said:
We were lucky never to have had the same AC noise complaint posted on TA. But now we never worry about it because the split ductless systems are so quiet, efficient and effective that our guests are happy, happy, happy. If you are upgrading an old house and can afford to install a few of these systems in your rooms you won't be disappointed..
Click to expand...
For my personal information, how effective are these systems with heating and in what sort of climate are you located? Our wall units are ac and resistance heat, I have the same unit in my own bedroom, not unusually noisy, buy not perfectly quiet either. Summer power bills are not bad, but pricy during the heating season, if the split ductless units heat well and efficiently in a cold climate it could warrant the expense in the long haul and I'm probably reaching the life of my present units. Thanks for any comments you'd share on the heating side of things.
.
Click to expand...
JimBoone said:
For my personal information, how effective are these systems with heating and in what sort of climate are you located?
Click to expand...
We are in the Mid-Atlantic region, about an hour inland from Washington DC. We installed mini-splits in our new house. They are better for cooling than for heating, and we have floor radiant heat in the bathrooms and a pellet stove in the living room for help when the temp drops below freezing. They are more efficient but like earlier versions of heat pumps they struggle to heat well when the outside air is so cold. I prefer the house cold, at least now, so for me the really great AC which we use many more months makes them worthwhile. We used maybe a ton of wood pellets last year (about $250) - I also used a small electric space heater in our master bath.
If you have many guests in the winter, or are in a cold climate, I might suggest a baseboard heater as backup or supplemental heat for the mini-splits.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top