A couple just left after two nights. I just knew from the minute I answered the phone that they were going to be a pain. A million questions and very particular about what they wanted/needed. They ended up booking the smallest/cheapest room, even though I pushed for the largest because it had all the amenities they asked for (kitchenette, bathtub, more square footage), and it was only $20 more per night. Well, things happen for a reason, and luck should have it that the larger room was available during the time they booked. So when they arrived on Saturday, I offered to show them the one that they didn't book in case they wanted to change. Of course, they did, so that was an easy enough fix. But on and on and on they went about how small that other room was. Sigh...it seemed they were going to be "those" type of guests.
They ordered breakfast delivery on Sunday morning, which is an additional charge. I must have made three additional trips up and down the stairs for things I would not normally deliver. When I picked up their dishes, they had taken maybe 3-4 bites. Sigh.....what did I do wrong now?
He ordered a surprise birthday package for her. Very particular about the wording on the cake - it's an 1/8 sheet cake - you can't fit much on there! But I thought it looked good and with the balloons and banner, the room was very festive looking for her when they returned from the day's outings. Sigh....I wondered what else I could do to please them, since nothing else since their arrival seemed to meet their expectations.
The weekday breakfast menu was left in their room for them to fill out and drop off on the check in desk for me. The menu has about ten different items, based on what I normally keep in the house. You simply check off what you want by using a dry erase pen. I'm open to substitutions, deletions, whatever...I'm pretty easy. But I get their menu back and there are hand written notes inside, specifying exactly what they want - not even close to the things I normally offer. And it's dropped off at 9 PM. I am NOT going to the store this late. I am NOT going to the store this late!!! (extra exclamation marks here just for JB) Well, off to the store I go, to get what they wanted because, well...I wanted something to impress them.
I carried all their luggage up and down the stairs and out to their car. I put more feeling and love into their stay than I normally would because..well...I wanted them to like something...anything I did! All these thoughts I had for two days of how miserable they must be and how they would never come back and how I would get a bad review from them....only to have him hand me $100 bill as they left and tell me what a wonderful time they had and they couldn't wait to tell their friends all about it. Tears just popped to my eyes and I gave them a huge hug and a heartfelt "thank you".
All this to say.....it's so easy to pre-judge people and assume the worst, just because they don't fit in a certain category. Because they want a little more than the next guest, or because they don't seem like normal "B&B" people. I know I'm going to work even harder with the next "challenge" because it makes me a better person.
They ordered breakfast delivery on Sunday morning, which is an additional charge. I must have made three additional trips up and down the stairs for things I would not normally deliver. When I picked up their dishes, they had taken maybe 3-4 bites. Sigh.....what did I do wrong now?
He ordered a surprise birthday package for her. Very particular about the wording on the cake - it's an 1/8 sheet cake - you can't fit much on there! But I thought it looked good and with the balloons and banner, the room was very festive looking for her when they returned from the day's outings. Sigh....I wondered what else I could do to please them, since nothing else since their arrival seemed to meet their expectations.
The weekday breakfast menu was left in their room for them to fill out and drop off on the check in desk for me. The menu has about ten different items, based on what I normally keep in the house. You simply check off what you want by using a dry erase pen. I'm open to substitutions, deletions, whatever...I'm pretty easy. But I get their menu back and there are hand written notes inside, specifying exactly what they want - not even close to the things I normally offer. And it's dropped off at 9 PM. I am NOT going to the store this late. I am NOT going to the store this late!!! (extra exclamation marks here just for JB) Well, off to the store I go, to get what they wanted because, well...I wanted something to impress them.
I carried all their luggage up and down the stairs and out to their car. I put more feeling and love into their stay than I normally would because..well...I wanted them to like something...anything I did! All these thoughts I had for two days of how miserable they must be and how they would never come back and how I would get a bad review from them....only to have him hand me $100 bill as they left and tell me what a wonderful time they had and they couldn't wait to tell their friends all about it. Tears just popped to my eyes and I gave them a huge hug and a heartfelt "thank you".
All this to say.....it's so easy to pre-judge people and assume the worst, just because they don't fit in a certain category. Because they want a little more than the next guest, or because they don't seem like normal "B&B" people. I know I'm going to work even harder with the next "challenge" because it makes me a better person.
