How much damage will you tolerate before you start charging for it?

We watched a movie not too long ago called "Sunshine Cleaning Company"   It was about crime scene cleanup.   They handle all the blood and guts after a bloody murderous rampage.  

I wonder if those people would do a B&B?

Is it possible it wasn't blood at all, but body paint, maybe?  Maybe he was doing some new art thing and she was the canvas?  Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm.....

well i'm glad most everything was salvageable.  could be anything that happened ... even a 'miss' or other medical issue. i doubt you're ever going to find out the cause.   i would not worry about people staying with you to do weird things ~ that's a worry you just can't afford. 

do you think the late departure was actually due to trying to clean up or was it pre-arranged?

I don't know about sports of that nature however if it was me I would have cleared things out of the line of fire so to speak if it was a high tide situation then I bet what happened was they did automatically what they would do at home and grabbed towels and tried to clean up which actually made the problem worce. People don't think when they are in a panic. Mind you I had an incident in a hotel where I used to work where the customer was on warfrin which is a blood thinning medicin and when you start bleeding it takes a long time to stop. The chap started with a nose bleed in the night and it went on for 3 hours when I came in in the morning and the night porter told me I straight away called an ambulance and they came and took him away straight away and he had to go to the big city hospital to get it stopped. In that case it looked like a crime scene but bless them as the paramedics were packing him into the ambulance she was telling me how she was going to wash all the sheets and stuff. I was like Just Get in the Ambulance!!! so there is benefit of the doubt to be had.

We were able to salvage everything but one towel. The more I think about it, the more things run through my head.

First off, he is well known in the art circles and when I recognized him, he asked me to not say anything because he was trying to getaway and relax. He did not want to be noticed.

Sencondly, his companion was a stunning Asian woman who arrived and departed separately in a Mercedes Coupe with a NY plate. She was expensively dressed. Her hair was meticulously put up with ivory & jade combs in elegant sweeping swags. My impression of her was someone who was dressed to play a part on stage.

She left before he did. Never said a word. Maybe I watch too much TV or something, but I can't help but wonder if he had some type of fetish and bought himself some blood sport or something? That would be really upsetting to me because we are not that kind of place. We are a family friendly mountain lodge.

this does not sound to me like a monthly ... not even a horrendous monthly.  this sounds to me like someone ill ... coughing up blood or losing blood in copious amounts ... especially with the clotting ... something.  i was just listening to a radio interview with a famous pianist describing his troubles ... sounded so similar

in any case, pictures to document and an email or call or letter that you must charge for additional cleaning, i sure hope you have that in your policies. many stains will come out ... some will only fade ... but so much staining?   as someone said ... a normal, respectful person would have spoken to you aside and said there'd been a problem. 

Yup.  charge it.    the cost of the stuff, labor etc is straight out of your profit.

I do understand the embarashing part, but also really don't like finding out after they left.

   Bo

Sheesh if this happened we would leave $100 on the bureau not just walk away.  Charge his 

Stuff does happen, spill a bottle of red wine, pay for it.  "You break it you pay for it"

To be honest this is a fact of nature and one that some have dificulty with during extreme times.  - Part of doing business which is why you have a matress pad on the bed (TG) to protect further damage. 

It sounds like they removed the comforter and blanket and they are not stained?  The vintage pillows must have been used and had gotten in the way.  (Side bar - why do people use these items - they know it is decorative???

Before you contact them, as Camberley stated, is there notice of the responsibiity of damges in their documents - where they would have agreed to be responsiblie?  I noticed that you stated they paid cash, but if you have a CC on file and try to use it for this purpose you need to be able to prove they agreed to this.  If you do not have this agreement, then you will need to contact them personally (or by mail) to ask for reimbersment.  Did you take photos before cleaning? 

 Take photos. Charge the cc on file and email the photos with statement/recpt to him.  If you have a damage statement he signed, or policies page or anything, make sure that is on there as well.

The photos might make him NOT debate it.

This is not the cost of doing business, jeepers creepers, this is disgusting, charge his 

I agree that, to a point, it's the cost of doing business.  With a lot of extra work, the towels and sheets might be okay.  I think I would have to consider charging for the comforter and the pillows.  How in the world do you get that much blood on a comforter, unless it was underneath you, and same question for the pillows?  I would phone them and say "Thank you again for your stay, however, I have done my very best to remove the stains from the linens and pillows and unfortunately, am going to have to replace them. This is not a normal cost of cleaning, and I'll need to charge your credit card for the replacement items."

I can't imagine someone leaving here and not telling me of such a significant problem.  Embarassing, yes.  But most guests will risk embarassment to avoid being rude. What they did is rude.

Cost of doing business. Yes, it is more cleaning and perhaps the towels, etc are not salvageable, but stuff happens.

And I say this as someone who went thru a 'period' in time where I was totally embarrassed to go anywhere, never knowing how bad it was going to get, afraid to go to sleep even at home, didn't want to use anyone else's linens, etc. That I was not charged for what looked like a crime scene has always remained with me as the graciousness and understanding of the innkeepers.

How on earth did he get that much blood on everything? I would charge wouldn't think twice as if someone for example spills something and comes straight to me so I can get something on it then I don't charge if they try and clean it and make it worce or leave it to get dry then they will get charged. Little things for example they miss the bin (trash can) with the tea bag and it gets on the carpet I will let slide as it is geunily an accident but more serious stuff I wouldn't think twice. I also make sure it is in your terms and conditions that if there is damage you will be charged and then they have agreed to it in advance if they try and challenge it you have it all set that they agreed to it.