a woman called and left a message yesterday ... i called her back just to be nice. she is sensitive to all scents, asked if we use potpourri ... no, did we have scented candles ... no, asked about laundry ... i told her we use 7th generation free and clear but that our sheets are laundered elsewhere and i don't know what they use ... that we are not 'scent free' ... that other guests use perfumes and all sorts of things, that are cleaning products are not scent free ... that this is an old house, the basement is musty ... etc.
long story short, she went on our website, called back and insisted on coming here, wanted to book for a week (yes, we can use that kind of windfall ... no, i thought she might last one nite)
she arrived sniffing the air, told me she had come from a beautiful b&b that is too new so smells of chemicals
told me she would spend no time on the first floor and not much time in the building (old building, she smelled mold).
up on the third floor, to one of the few rooms with wood floors, she objected to the smell of air freshner used about 4 hours previous coming from the third floor bathroom and that she didn't have her own bathroom which she hadn't realized.
she said she would try it
about an hour later, she came to the innkeeper quarters door eating an ice cream saying she couldn't stay (i forgot to get her key from her)
wouldn't say where she was going that she would 'find a place' and she bolted.
okay, it was quarter of ten at nite, so on a hunch i called across the street and asked if she had checked in there because i needed her key back. the hotel owner sounded elated, that she was supposed to be checking in, so maybe she has booked with him for a week.
i am feeling a little bad this morning, having someone walk around sniffing the air and saying 'i smell talcum powder' which i don't use, 'i smell mold' or 'i smell cleaning products, or 'i smell this or that' etc., i don't notice these smells myself. not that they don't exist here.
beyond that, i had no idea where to recommend she stay that is 'scent free and chemical free' she said she couldn't stay over on monhegan island which is about as natural as you can get because of the kerosene lamps, the smell of those bothers her. camping under the stars would probably be best for her in a nice, open air tent.
and the big question i ask myself is: why did i return that phone call?
long story short, she went on our website, called back and insisted on coming here, wanted to book for a week (yes, we can use that kind of windfall ... no, i thought she might last one nite)
she arrived sniffing the air, told me she had come from a beautiful b&b that is too new so smells of chemicals
told me she would spend no time on the first floor and not much time in the building (old building, she smelled mold).
up on the third floor, to one of the few rooms with wood floors, she objected to the smell of air freshner used about 4 hours previous coming from the third floor bathroom and that she didn't have her own bathroom which she hadn't realized.
she said she would try it
about an hour later, she came to the innkeeper quarters door eating an ice cream saying she couldn't stay (i forgot to get her key from her)
wouldn't say where she was going that she would 'find a place' and she bolted.
okay, it was quarter of ten at nite, so on a hunch i called across the street and asked if she had checked in there because i needed her key back. the hotel owner sounded elated, that she was supposed to be checking in, so maybe she has booked with him for a week.
i am feeling a little bad this morning, having someone walk around sniffing the air and saying 'i smell talcum powder' which i don't use, 'i smell mold' or 'i smell cleaning products, or 'i smell this or that' etc., i don't notice these smells myself. not that they don't exist here.
beyond that, i had no idea where to recommend she stay that is 'scent free and chemical free' she said she couldn't stay over on monhegan island which is about as natural as you can get because of the kerosene lamps, the smell of those bothers her. camping under the stars would probably be best for her in a nice, open air tent.
and the big question i ask myself is: why did i return that phone call?