As far as online reservations, we have a canned response when they make their reservation: "Thank you for your reservation request. THIS IS NOT YOUR CONFIRMATION. After we have reviewed your request, we will send you your confirmation."
This allows us the opportunity to accept or reject the reservation. I they are on the DNB list, instead of a confirmation, they will receive a detailed letter telling them why their reservation is being rejected. That's why it's important to keep guest notes especially on PITAS..
Proud Texan said:
As far as online reservations, we have a canned response when they make their reservation: "Thank you for your reservation request. THIS IS NOT YOUR CONFIRMATION. After we have reviewed your request, we will send you your confirmation."
You know and I know and everyone on here knows to read that stuff. Guests don't. I can't count the number of walk-ins we have had over the years who went to 'their' B&B only to find out they didn't have a reservation there. They would show the 'confirmation' to the innkeepers and would be told, 'It says right here you have to wait to get a confirmation, this is only a request.'
Now why the innkeepers never sent them anything else saying they did not have a reservation, I don't know. Spam filter got it? The inn didn't send it? Not a clue. But it has been a measurable number of disappointed guests who have asked me if I thought they had a rez ('Look at this, do we have a rez or not???') and if I thought the places charged them and were scamming them (one place was doing this, now out of business)?
I don't know the way around that. With me, unless you're a returning jerk, you've got a reservation as soon as you hit 'submit' and you get your confirmation information on the screen. (I do send a confirmation email with the policies and all the date info as well.) Returning jerks get cancelled, get a cancellation email and a follow-up phone call just to be sure.
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