Hosting a shower VENT VENT VENT

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verandasburnet

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Yall, this is long, im warning you now, but i am so mad and sressed im almost in tears. The part towards the end about the photo shoot is interesting, though. I brought this on myself, but I just have to rant or I will say it out loud to the guest and make a huge scene if I don't calm down.
Shower was scheduled about a month ago and hostess wanted a small 2 hour shower and an extra hour for set up and clean up (30 min before and 30 afrer) . Set the Rez for 4 hours just in case, but left the confirmation email at 3 hours. It has become what I can only imagine was the mom/ hostess trying to win a prize for most pinterest ideas crammed into a single event .
She called us at 10 am, they were at breakfast and wanted to go ahead and come to the house to "get the guest of honor ready. " I told her we still had overnight guests until 11 and we were not at the house to let them in. She said we are just around the corner so we will wait until you get here.
We whipped the car around and headed to the house. Sure enough, 10:30 they are already here. The girls come into parlor carrying makeup bsgs, curling irons, etc. And look around and ask "so Is this where we have to get ready?" I replied that there was a small bathroom available, but that their rental included the patio, garden, and parlor and they were welcome to use those spaces.
Their little faces were soooo cracked, but I was not going to let them use one of the suites for their private dressing room just because they showed up almost 2 hours early and wanted to play dress up
Spoke to hostess about time that we had agreed upon, and she said We'll the shower is from 2 to 4 and I knew we needed some time to set up. It's 10:30. 10:30, Yall I repeat, 10:30. I told her we would have to adjust her rate, since her original Rez was from 12-4.
So the girls are all doing hair and makeup and mom/hostess is dragging so many bags out of the back of her suv you would swear it was a clown car. Name a hobby or craft store, and she had apparently been there. There is no way this is grating cleaned up in 30 minutes.
As I passive aggressively stomped up and down the stairs twith laundry from the upstairs rooms, she begins to unpack the bags and to my horror, she has not unwrapped or preassembled any of her decorations :pink balloons, not blown up. Pink marbkes..which she ocd-edly was COUNTING into mason jars not filled, pink tulle bows not cut or tied. Sigh.
I was unloading the dishwasher and she cane in and told me "this is awkward, but would you mind asking your husband to avoid coming through here or going out back because we are going to take some photos and she is going to have on MINIMAL CLOTHING" So I just went back and told him it was time to get lunch since we were now hosting an R rated portrait shoot. In the back yard. I'm not kidding.
We got back from lunch and they are ASSEMBLING FOOD and DECORATING CUPCAKES in the kitchen. Clearly those little time lapse idea videos on the Internet do not work out in the same time frame in real life. Sigh.
I am now hiding out in the downstairs suite, bemoaning the fact that the liquor store is not open on Sundays.
 
I think we've all been here. This is where all the policies and contracts come from. It will soon be over.
 
I think we've all been here. This is where all the policies and contracts come from. It will soon be over..
My Pool boy says that crazy sounding rules are usually because someone did something crazy.
Just never thought of including Please keep yourself CLOTHED as a policy.
 
I am so sorry for you. This is why so many do not do weddings. I do elopements - max. 4 guests who leave after the cake unless they have also booked a room.
Unfortunately, for those who follow, you will have rules so tight they will not be able to fart without causing another charge. You have just entered the ENTITLEMENT XONE.
 
Oh my, that brought me back to a time I much want to forget.

Take notes now, for tomorrow you will need them to draft up your new rental contract.
And just to save you more time, make sure your policies for your overnight rooms state that your property is for registered guests only.

Back a few years ago I was listed on that OTA that starts with Book.... Had a couple book for 2 nights. What I was not told is that they were getting married locally and had arranged for ALL the bridesmaids and the bride to dress, have make up & hair done here. Nothing til they all started showing up. Of course the couple had booked our smallest (least expensive) room. And we had other guests.

It was a nightmare and a bad review from one of the bridal party made its way to one review site that does not allow mgt response.

Hind site is 20/20 but if we were to experience anything like this again, I believe it would involve the police. Sigh.
 
I might also mention that you absolutely NEVER leave a group alone on your property.
 
I think we've all been here. This is where all the policies and contracts come from. It will soon be over..
My Pool boy says that crazy sounding rules are usually because someone did something crazy.
Just never thought of including Please keep yourself CLOTHED as a policy.
.
we had this a bit for a bridal show - exhibitor had rented the lounge but no bedrooms as we were full - people came to see models in the dresses had to keep changing about every 2 hours ended up in the breakfast room which is the way to our flat so DH had to just stay in there (needless to say he was gutted to be forced to have a nap) LOL
 
Well I now take it you have learned your lesson...no more bridal showers...unless you want more grief. Live and learn.
cry_smile.gif
 
Oh my, that brought me back to a time I much want to forget.

Take notes now, for tomorrow you will need them to draft up your new rental contract.
And just to save you more time, make sure your policies for your overnight rooms state that your property is for registered guests only.

Back a few years ago I was listed on that OTA that starts with Book.... Had a couple book for 2 nights. What I was not told is that they were getting married locally and had arranged for ALL the bridesmaids and the bride to dress, have make up & hair done here. Nothing til they all started showing up. Of course the couple had booked our smallest (least expensive) room. And we had other guests.

It was a nightmare and a bad review from one of the bridal party made its way to one review site that does not allow mgt response.

Hind site is 20/20 but if we were to experience anything like this again, I believe it would involve the police. Sigh..
Yes, we have all lived and learned! We now have policy that says the property is for registered guests only. If registered guests would like to have a friend visit for a few minutes they need to check with us. And no group functions. Period.
 
yuck! Vent away! How awful.
I only occasionally rented out for bridal showers or pre-wedding ... they had to rent guest rooms, not just space because of exactly what happened to you. They take over the inn. Not in a mean way but in an excited, over the top, look at me, oh how fun, we are so early but have to get ready ... you don't mind, spreading out all over, using the kitchen, the grounds, the driveway, the deck, the you name it, kind of way. And of course they need at least one restroom, preferably two ... so I insisted on the rental of two guest suites with bathrooms on the same floor. If they wanted to rent the whole house, all the better. If they didn't want to rent rooms in addition to common area spaces for their exclusive use then 'I'm sorry we can't help you.' Because it was too much work and too much inconvenience for me, for staff, for other guests. I didn't have areas I could close off to other guests so it really had to be an exclusive rental.
 
yuck! Vent away! How awful.
I only occasionally rented out for bridal showers or pre-wedding ... they had to rent guest rooms, not just space because of exactly what happened to you. They take over the inn. Not in a mean way but in an excited, over the top, look at me, oh how fun, we are so early but have to get ready ... you don't mind, spreading out all over, using the kitchen, the grounds, the driveway, the deck, the you name it, kind of way. And of course they need at least one restroom, preferably two ... so I insisted on the rental of two guest suites with bathrooms on the same floor. If they wanted to rent the whole house, all the better. If they didn't want to rent rooms in addition to common area spaces for their exclusive use then 'I'm sorry we can't help you.' Because it was too much work and too much inconvenience for me, for staff, for other guests. I didn't have areas I could close off to other guests so it really had to be an exclusive rental..
I do not want them here even if (especially when) they rent all bedrooms. What is always turns out to - me staying by the door and not being able to do or go anywhere and policing. There are always extra people and they think they just can help themselves to my dishes, fridge, etc. No more parties, gatherings, showers, photo shoots, hairdressers/make up artists - just plain, regular guests please.
 
April, it's always good to know what you want or don't want, what you will take or won't take.
I sometimes had such light bookings on the horizon, I needed that income just to keep going and would make the best of my least favorite kind of booking. Some were delightful and I worried for nothing. Other times, ugh.
 
Ugggg!
We once had the groom and friends. He was to bring the bride back to our house after the wedding for their wedding night.
We gave him a bottle of champagne for his room.
The 'boys' had a catered lunch brought in and left all the food and dishes out. Didn't even pretend to stack or organize them. Had I not known about the bride coming back after the wedding, I would have left it out for them to see when they got back. But I felt for her, so I cleaned up.
When I went to straighten his room, I saw that he and his buddies had drunk the champagne!! That we gave him for his wedding night. Cad!!!!
THEN they stayed up laughing and talking so loud, it is - to this day, four years later - the ONLY time guests in the inn kept us awake. They were loud. I went out to tell them to go to bed and they ignored me. I was in my robe, it was after midnight. You'd think someone would notice and apologize, even if it is a fake apology, but they just kept talking.
So I interrupted and told them time for bed.
No class.
 
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