Favorite guests this summer?

We have our Russians at the table this morning, a couple from Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.  I can’t help but want to call her Natasha, she has the typical short black hair with bangs.  Looks like every movie actress playing a Russian Spy I have ever seen.   They are very nice.  Good for them to enjoy a B&B and meet other Americans and see the real America.

I had to laugh (read his comment with a Boris accent) as he described coming from CA where he said it was very pretty scenery, but here they like to see all the “villages.”

I had another $5 in the room.  For the maid? That's me. So total was $45 for super easy guests.  Those who expect and take and take do not leave a gratuity or a thank you in the book or TA review.  

So never tipped for the anniv rose, see that is totally tipworthy.  This does require some more thought. I am rethinking it and other things as well.  

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY! OATMEAL AND DIAMONDS a GIRLS BEST FRIENDS.

You never know when it will happen.  Since I didn't know in advance I couldn't do anything special in the room.  Maybe I need to not do special in the room but special in the dining room more?  I remember an inn who had photos of the guest wearing a party hat or something and I was not going to go that far or embarrass a guest.

Oh and btw this was one of those booked under different names reservation.  

Two rooms, two male names and they arrived with their women, one woman booked the rooms and used her credit card.  So this is why I don't fuss that much over diff names on the booking/cc details.  It happens more often than not, unmarried couples or married couples with diff last names, newlyweds with changed names when they arrive...

As I blogged, the current guests are always the favorite until the new guests roll in.  

Not knowing in advance it was a birthday for one guest of the two couples traveling together here last night, I saw it written on the black board in the dining room with her name.  ONE CANDLE in caramel apple french toast earned me 2 x $20’s on the table.  $40.  

love those thank you's from the guests!

Gar field the Cat's creator lives here.  He is collaborating with several companies on a cartoon series, movies, etc. The animators are from Paris and have been here several times.  Yesterday I was the first "civilian" to see Gar field in 3-D.  He was on a laptop with a pair of glasses hooked to it with a USB cable in his full kitty splendor.  I was told that I had cooked the best American breakfast (scrambled eggs with mushrooms and cheese, ham, fresh peaches and french bread from the grocery....).  Today shortly after their departure I received a floral arrangement!!!

My favorite guests I mentioned from their midweek stay are still a legend in my mind.  They weren't over the top in any means, they weren't even very personal or anything, they just "were" and that seems to be something I really like.  I like laid back, just "are" guests.  It rained, they loved it, said they sat on the porch and listened to the rain on the metal roof with their glasses of wine and books.

Another couple here on a dinner cruise last night that someone else gave them as a gift, I asked her how it was and her reply was "Well you would want to do it twice."

Lord help us all from the negative people.

I inquired of course, as to why?

She told me the litany of reasons why.  "It is dark you can't see anything."  I asked her "It is a sunset dinner cruise...did you see the sunset?"

"Yeah I suppose so just as we left the dock for a while."

 Fortunately for me I didn't see them at check in, and the first morning they skipped breakfast and had only coffee, which he spilled all over our coffee area (which is a drop leaf table) btw and left it.  Then they were gone all day.  I believe he wanted in so bad to get to his bah ba. He had downed an entire bottle of Jim Beam the first night and had a second bottle waiting in his room.  So I had the advantage of seeing them for all of 15 seconds and of course their filthy room when I freshened it. 15 seconds was more than enough, let me assure you!

That chap is a really good example of people on that other thread that you wish you had asked to leave on check in!

I blogged it too.  It is just something small, but means a lot to this innkeeper.  

FYI not a gripe, just a background...I also had butt-head guests this week.  Dirty, lazy, rude, arrogant.  The reason DH was on the floor fixing the front door after lightning strike took down our 9-11 system so he was frantically fixing that for Public Safety. and then raced home at 7pm to fix the door after they told me they would KICK IT IN when I answered the door and pulled it open.  

After it was 100% fixed, the dufus still couldn't get the door open.  He would enter the code and then stand there.  Yeah righto that is what they do in hotels, you put the card in and the door auto-opens.  NOT!  He said YOU DO IT THEN! I walked outside, punched in the 4 digits pushed the door open and walked in.  As our NICE guests said when they saw this "I would have to sit on my lips around that guy!"  They stayed paid and went away...

Well here ya go everyone, they have checked out after 4 nights and I will miss them.  

They were the best guests ever.  

Many reasons combined and a few that stand on their own.  They loved the coffee, drank two pots every day, loved the breakfast, never left a bite on the plate, they made their bed every day, their room was immaculate.  They read on the porch.  They walked around town. They picnicked on the parkway, had a couples massage, they were ingrained in this B&B like the woodwork and decor.

So I went up to strip the room and found the room journal - you all say we are never positive, when we are it is personal, so here goes - read to the last line:

"Our main focus was more of a retreat than a "vacation."  We only cranked the car once during our entire stay.

It may sound boring and uneventful for most, but for us it was wonderful.

What JB did to make our stay memorable - is greatly appreciated.

There is also a spa not far away, we recommend the couples massage.

I do so hope you'll take the time to sit on the porch, and listen to the birds and crickets...notice the butterflies and lightning bugs...and if you're really attentive you may hear the laughter of a child."

I met David through an ad in the personals of our local newspaper.....18 years ago.

For a man who never says two words to us (As Samster will attest and we know his kids and grandkids), not even over the fence it is a bit much.  Typical of around here, not even mention that we send BUSINESS TO THEM.

THEY are the newbies, not us, we knew the orig family who lived in that house, she was born there and died there - this house was her aunts etc etc, and orig to these homes on this street.  They have the crappy two dogs who bark incessantly.  Someone bought that to flip it as there were no rel's left to take it, it was a pit.  The flippers worked hard on it (owned a nursery in Jersey and landscaped it etc) and then sold it finally two years ago.

Nope, not amused in the least, I took the diner off our list for guests, the cash only, get ignored and eat bad food - dirty dingy diner.  

BTW no viewing from the realtor we hired.  I had more when we had it listed for sale by owner.  Nothing, nada.  One inquiry and another who contacted us to lease the B&B.  I sent the inquiry over to the realtor.  Dh is ticked off as they did nothing to help really, but I am hoping some new DR will move into town and want this location here near the hospital or something...  

 Ready for this? They also told me something they thought I would like to know.  They told me they went to "the diner" and were told by the owner that our B&B is for sale.  he is also our next door neighbor and also a preacher in a very large church in the next town over.  I am not pleased and about to contact them. Samster ate at that DIVE and they will be removed from our dining list now, for certain.  She know which one I am speaking of, we took them there, hoping it had improved, it is rubbish.

I just spent an hour talking to these wonderful folks and they went over every little thing they love about their stay.  They said little things you didn't have to do, but did.  She said when she came down to the warm brownies she let out a little yelp.  She said "They were still warm!"

See how it is! Blessings...I can't count them. I need to one day try.  

Attitude is everything, me says.

Vying for favorites this summer are a couple from Baton Rouge here for 4 nights.  It POURED down last night, they are happy as can be on the porch reading their books while the rain pummeled the place, in fact loving every minute.  Where other guests complain about not being able to do this or that.  They say "When it stops...we will do this or that."  I LOVE THAT!

I bring out breakfast, comments galore wow this is amazing etc.  They have had their own pot of coffee on a tray each morning, flowers by the bed, wine glasses for their evening each night.

Asking me how the morning went getting the girls off to skool for the first of the new skool year.Just plain ol' nice people, and great guests!

Oh and yesterday I was not here, had the sign on the door for CHECK IN BEGINS AT... And they were inside and told me "We saw the sign on the door, and we also read the confirmation about no early check ins, so we didn't let them in.  They wanted us to.  We went out there and said we are only guests you will have to wait til check in time"  I thought this was so funny! I thanked them for that.  They said to me "Well you don't need to answer that door until check in time, people can just wait!"  

Do you remember the first day of school?  I love seeing the kids in their new school shoes, waiting eagerly to wear them on the first day...when you are little you want to sleep in them!  I took this pic and a couple others on the porch before school today.

 Greyswannie, wow, that is inspirational!