1st Time in 8 Years I've locked the linen closet

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Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
undersea said:
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
That's why it's very important to list these things on the website. Yes, we have cats. No, they do not roam freely. Yes, we have dogs. Yes, they roam freely.
Let guests self-sort. Best to put photos of the beasties in a prominent location on the site.
.
I believe letting animals roam reduces business. I am allergic to both, and would avoid. If two come, either could be allergic. And some people uncomfortable with dog presence (bites).
If dog friendly, that is diff matter.
 
This sheet issue reminded me of a guest we had who came down in a tizzy saying there was a stain on the sheets. o

I went up and looked. It was a shadow from the ceiling fan pull chain.

I showed her. She did not believe. I changed the sheets and left.

She came back down complaining about these too. I went back up, turned off the ceiling light and turned on all the lamps. Brought in a spot light. No 'stain'. Turned back on the ceiling light and left.

She was staying here as she went through some rehab - I think it was for stop smoking. She was going off about everything. She checked out the next morning. The rehab place called to apologize as they had heard all about her 'stay' and knew it was her and not us!
 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
undersea said:
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
That's why it's very important to list these things on the website. Yes, we have cats. No, they do not roam freely. Yes, we have dogs. Yes, they roam freely.
Let guests self-sort. Best to put photos of the beasties in a prominent location on the site.
.
I believe letting animals roam reduces business. I am allergic to both, and would avoid. If two come, either could be allergic. And some people uncomfortable with dog presence (bites).
If dog friendly, that is diff matter.
.
undersea said:
I believe letting animals roam reduces business. I am allergic to both, and would avoid. If two come, either could be allergic. And some people uncomfortable with dog presence (bites). If dog friendly, that is diff matter.
You can think of it that way. We did for a long time. Sure some people will not stay with us because we have a pet. Others though will choose us because we have a pet. We actually will get repeats because of the pet.

We have decided that pet lovers is one of our demographics.
We are happy to help those who can't stay here another place that is fur free!
 
This sheet issue reminded me of a guest we had who came down in a tizzy saying there was a stain on the sheets. o

I went up and looked. It was a shadow from the ceiling fan pull chain.

I showed her. She did not believe. I changed the sheets and left.

She came back down complaining about these too. I went back up, turned off the ceiling light and turned on all the lamps. Brought in a spot light. No 'stain'. Turned back on the ceiling light and left.

She was staying here as she went through some rehab - I think it was for stop smoking. She was going off about everything. She checked out the next morning. The rehab place called to apologize as they had heard all about her 'stay' and knew it was her and not us!.
I would avoid her the rest of the stay, I guess. And cancel the rest of her nights.
 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
undersea said:
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
That's why it's very important to list these things on the website. Yes, we have cats. No, they do not roam freely. Yes, we have dogs. Yes, they roam freely.
Let guests self-sort. Best to put photos of the beasties in a prominent location on the site.
.
thumbs_up.gif

 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
undersea said:
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
That's why it's very important to list these things on the website. Yes, we have cats. No, they do not roam freely. Yes, we have dogs. Yes, they roam freely.
Let guests self-sort. Best to put photos of the beasties in a prominent location on the site.
.
I believe letting animals roam reduces business. I am allergic to both, and would avoid. If two come, either could be allergic. And some people uncomfortable with dog presence (bites).
If dog friendly, that is diff matter.
.
When we had our dog we prominently displayed her on the website, FB, etc. It's only anecdotal but I believe we gained a fair amount more reservations than we lost because we had her!
 
I hope you don't let random situations like this one ruin it for everyone else, glad they are gone and you don't have to guard the linen cupboard anymore. You may get another 8 years linen crazy guest free.
 
I keep spare comforters, etc. in each room closet. It's interesting that one of the down comforters was out of it's plastic case and on the floor. This has been the longest stretch of hot muggy weather of the season, so I wondered what was up. (Makes me think maybe I should quit reading about strange guest behavior cause it might be contagious
regular_smile.gif
) . Then I looked at the window. They had used a robe to block the window. So, after 8 years, a guest is telling me they need a full curtain on a window that only has a (large) valance. I had to laugh. The comforter was neatly folded back in its case today. I'm putting a curtain for that window on my to do list.
 
I keep spare comforters, etc. in each room closet. It's interesting that one of the down comforters was out of it's plastic case and on the floor. This has been the longest stretch of hot muggy weather of the season, so I wondered what was up. (Makes me think maybe I should quit reading about strange guest behavior cause it might be contagious
regular_smile.gif
) . Then I looked at the window. They had used a robe to block the window. So, after 8 years, a guest is telling me they need a full curtain on a window that only has a (large) valance. I had to laugh. The comforter was neatly folded back in its case today. I'm putting a curtain for that window on my to do list..
We had guests hang blankets on the sprinkler head in front of the window to darken the room.
 
I keep spare comforters, etc. in each room closet. It's interesting that one of the down comforters was out of it's plastic case and on the floor. This has been the longest stretch of hot muggy weather of the season, so I wondered what was up. (Makes me think maybe I should quit reading about strange guest behavior cause it might be contagious
regular_smile.gif
) . Then I looked at the window. They had used a robe to block the window. So, after 8 years, a guest is telling me they need a full curtain on a window that only has a (large) valance. I had to laugh. The comforter was neatly folded back in its case today. I'm putting a curtain for that window on my to do list..
Definitely. I think all rooms should have room darkening shades at minimum
 
I keep spare comforters, etc. in each room closet. It's interesting that one of the down comforters was out of it's plastic case and on the floor. This has been the longest stretch of hot muggy weather of the season, so I wondered what was up. (Makes me think maybe I should quit reading about strange guest behavior cause it might be contagious
regular_smile.gif
) . Then I looked at the window. They had used a robe to block the window. So, after 8 years, a guest is telling me they need a full curtain on a window that only has a (large) valance. I had to laugh. The comforter was neatly folded back in its case today. I'm putting a curtain for that window on my to do list..
Definitely. I think all rooms should have room darkening shades at minimum
.
you would think so...but not the norm at least in ones i have stayed in.
 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
One room hypoallergenic? Undersea...we have 3 accommodations. Period. No way am I sacrificing the comfort of all of my guests for the few that have allergies. Feather allergy? I just remove the down comforter and pillows. If they are more sensitive than that they will have to stay someplace else. I'll cater to the 90% but we are too small to cater to 10%.
The cat never went into the guest side of the house. No one with a stated cat allergy ever had an issue with cat dander, but this gal had a fit if she even saw his scratching post on our side of the house through the dining room door. Anyway, moot issue...no more cat, he died. And moot issue, guest had too many other issues that I no longer want to deal with.
 
I keep spare comforters, etc. in each room closet. It's interesting that one of the down comforters was out of it's plastic case and on the floor. This has been the longest stretch of hot muggy weather of the season, so I wondered what was up. (Makes me think maybe I should quit reading about strange guest behavior cause it might be contagious
regular_smile.gif
) . Then I looked at the window. They had used a robe to block the window. So, after 8 years, a guest is telling me they need a full curtain on a window that only has a (large) valance. I had to laugh. The comforter was neatly folded back in its case today. I'm putting a curtain for that window on my to do list..
Definitely. I think all rooms should have room darkening shades at minimum
.
undersea said:
Definitely. I think all rooms should have room darkening shades at minimum
This is not in the sleeping room. It is a second small room in a mini-suite. Sleeping rooms have heavy curtains that block the light. The window in question overlooks the back yard, I believe it was a question of modesty, although only birds and squirrels are there to see anything.
 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
One room hypoallergenic? Undersea...we have 3 accommodations. Period. No way am I sacrificing the comfort of all of my guests for the few that have allergies. Feather allergy? I just remove the down comforter and pillows. If they are more sensitive than that they will have to stay someplace else. I'll cater to the 90% but we are too small to cater to 10%.
The cat never went into the guest side of the house. No one with a stated cat allergy ever had an issue with cat dander, but this gal had a fit if she even saw his scratching post on our side of the house through the dining room door. Anyway, moot issue...no more cat, he died. And moot issue, guest had too many other issues that I no longer want to deal with.
.
That made me remember the lady who stabled a pony out at the farm. She insisted that I put the barn kitten in the office are before she could bring her pony in to the stall. It took 45 minutes the next morning to lead her the 9.5 miles from the barn to the Interstate (she insisted I lead her out - the route is clearly marked and quite easy). THEN she wrote a nasty review to the horse web site saying her pony lost so much weight from the 1 night at our stable that it did not bring a decent price at the auction. The owner of the web site e-mailed me before posting it because it was so scathing - he did not believe it when he read it and called. When I told him about the barn kitten, he laughed - did not post the review either.
 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
One room hypoallergenic? Undersea...we have 3 accommodations. Period. No way am I sacrificing the comfort of all of my guests for the few that have allergies. Feather allergy? I just remove the down comforter and pillows. If they are more sensitive than that they will have to stay someplace else. I'll cater to the 90% but we are too small to cater to 10%.
The cat never went into the guest side of the house. No one with a stated cat allergy ever had an issue with cat dander, but this gal had a fit if she even saw his scratching post on our side of the house through the dining room door. Anyway, moot issue...no more cat, he died. And moot issue, guest had too many other issues that I no longer want to deal with.
.
Exactly, why would one ever cater to the minority? That makes no business sense what so ever. Statistically, there will always be folks to fill rooms without having to pre-filter out every possible allergen (which these days is potentially everything). The key is balance and the ability to adapt to situations as they arise, not automatically eliminate what pleases the majority.
 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
One room hypoallergenic? Undersea...we have 3 accommodations. Period. No way am I sacrificing the comfort of all of my guests for the few that have allergies. Feather allergy? I just remove the down comforter and pillows. If they are more sensitive than that they will have to stay someplace else. I'll cater to the 90% but we are too small to cater to 10%.
The cat never went into the guest side of the house. No one with a stated cat allergy ever had an issue with cat dander, but this gal had a fit if she even saw his scratching post on our side of the house through the dining room door. Anyway, moot issue...no more cat, he died. And moot issue, guest had too many other issues that I no longer want to deal with.
.
Exactly, why would one ever cater to the minority? That makes no business sense what so ever. Statistically, there will always be folks to fill rooms without having to pre-filter out every possible allergen (which these days is potentially everything). The key is balance and the ability to adapt to situations as they arise, not automatically eliminate what pleases the majority.
.
Because everyone is a minority. A vegan, a person who needs to bring their dog, a smoker, a disabled vet, arthritis, etc. etc.
Statistically, one can compete or one can go extinct.
I have visited several B&Bs here in the Poconos, with horrendously low revenue, which seemed to be much more prosperous in the past. Airbnb, hotel sites and others are eating the lunch of people.
The majority might be alluring, but people are getting more demanding, and they are rapidly going to the places that cater.
10% of people are allergic to cats. Double the % when either of a couple could be the allergic one. Some are allergic to dogs. Or feathers. Or dust mites. Or prior smokers. Some have tuberculosis or respiratory disorders. Some people have asthma. Some have allergies to all sorts of things.
 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
One room hypoallergenic? Undersea...we have 3 accommodations. Period. No way am I sacrificing the comfort of all of my guests for the few that have allergies. Feather allergy? I just remove the down comforter and pillows. If they are more sensitive than that they will have to stay someplace else. I'll cater to the 90% but we are too small to cater to 10%.
The cat never went into the guest side of the house. No one with a stated cat allergy ever had an issue with cat dander, but this gal had a fit if she even saw his scratching post on our side of the house through the dining room door. Anyway, moot issue...no more cat, he died. And moot issue, guest had too many other issues that I no longer want to deal with.
.
Exactly, why would one ever cater to the minority? That makes no business sense what so ever. Statistically, there will always be folks to fill rooms without having to pre-filter out every possible allergen (which these days is potentially everything). The key is balance and the ability to adapt to situations as they arise, not automatically eliminate what pleases the majority.
.
Because everyone is a minority. A vegan, a person who needs to bring their dog, a smoker, a disabled vet, arthritis, etc. etc.
Statistically, one can compete or one can go extinct.
I have visited several B&Bs here in the Poconos, with horrendously low revenue, which seemed to be much more prosperous in the past. Airbnb, hotel sites and others are eating the lunch of people.
The majority might be alluring, but people are getting more demanding, and they are rapidly going to the places that cater.
10% of people are allergic to cats. Double the % when either of a couple could be the allergic one. Some are allergic to dogs. Or feathers. Or dust mites. Or prior smokers. Some have tuberculosis or respiratory disorders. Some people have asthma. Some have allergies to all sorts of things.
.
In our experience, smokers are very polite and happy that we have a place for them to sit and smoke. (An old picnic table in the driveway.) People love to watch our cats and want to pet them. Some wish they could have the cats in their rooms, but I tell them we don't let the cats into the inn. Those with food issues generally take what they can eat and don't say much.
We have only had one person mention she doesn't do dairy and another mention she doesn't eat meat. Easy fixes.
I'm not discounting everyone's stories. I'm really shocked that people are that self centered as to imagine you can turn into a restaurant at a whim. I'm simply saying we haven't had any really difficult issues. <knocking wood vigorously>
 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
One room hypoallergenic? Undersea...we have 3 accommodations. Period. No way am I sacrificing the comfort of all of my guests for the few that have allergies. Feather allergy? I just remove the down comforter and pillows. If they are more sensitive than that they will have to stay someplace else. I'll cater to the 90% but we are too small to cater to 10%.
The cat never went into the guest side of the house. No one with a stated cat allergy ever had an issue with cat dander, but this gal had a fit if she even saw his scratching post on our side of the house through the dining room door. Anyway, moot issue...no more cat, he died. And moot issue, guest had too many other issues that I no longer want to deal with.
.
Exactly, why would one ever cater to the minority? That makes no business sense what so ever. Statistically, there will always be folks to fill rooms without having to pre-filter out every possible allergen (which these days is potentially everything). The key is balance and the ability to adapt to situations as they arise, not automatically eliminate what pleases the majority.
.
Because everyone is a minority. A vegan, a person who needs to bring their dog, a smoker, a disabled vet, arthritis, etc. etc.
Statistically, one can compete or one can go extinct.
I have visited several B&Bs here in the Poconos, with horrendously low revenue, which seemed to be much more prosperous in the past. Airbnb, hotel sites and others are eating the lunch of people.
The majority might be alluring, but people are getting more demanding, and they are rapidly going to the places that cater.
10% of people are allergic to cats. Double the % when either of a couple could be the allergic one. Some are allergic to dogs. Or feathers. Or dust mites. Or prior smokers. Some have tuberculosis or respiratory disorders. Some people have asthma. Some have allergies to all sorts of things.
.
Believe me, I understand allergies! I am an extremely sensitive person, perfumes, laundry detergents, petrol products, smoke, anything I sniff that is synthetic based, sends me into choking coughing fits, too long of an exposure results in extreme headaches, muscle twitches, nausea. I can't control my guests' fragrance though and there are oft days here that reek and I am utterly miserable. Mold, pets, dust, too. It's a fact of life for me and I don't expect the rest of the universe to cater to me. I've been dealing for over 50 years since this manifested when I was 10. We do however, use all natural cleaning products and fragrance free laundry detergent along with hypo-allergenic bath amenities.
Just had a woman call yesterday asking us to remove all the feathers from her bed because she's allergic. Told her we used hypercleaned Pacific Coast Down Company products. Quizzed her this morning and she was delighted to know that she could sleep on feathers without a reaction!
We will do our best to accommodate food allergies, but that does not mean that we change everyone else's dish or eliminate any item from our repetoire. Au contraire, we simply make a separate portion that excludes the offending food. Easy Peasy.
Am just saying, never swing to one pole. No need to over-react. This, our 10th year has been a new record breaker... breaking very little to sweat to keep everyone happy (except hypersensitive moi).
 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
One room hypoallergenic? Undersea...we have 3 accommodations. Period. No way am I sacrificing the comfort of all of my guests for the few that have allergies. Feather allergy? I just remove the down comforter and pillows. If they are more sensitive than that they will have to stay someplace else. I'll cater to the 90% but we are too small to cater to 10%.
The cat never went into the guest side of the house. No one with a stated cat allergy ever had an issue with cat dander, but this gal had a fit if she even saw his scratching post on our side of the house through the dining room door. Anyway, moot issue...no more cat, he died. And moot issue, guest had too many other issues that I no longer want to deal with.
.
Exactly, why would one ever cater to the minority? That makes no business sense what so ever. Statistically, there will always be folks to fill rooms without having to pre-filter out every possible allergen (which these days is potentially everything). The key is balance and the ability to adapt to situations as they arise, not automatically eliminate what pleases the majority.
.
Because everyone is a minority. A vegan, a person who needs to bring their dog, a smoker, a disabled vet, arthritis, etc. etc.
Statistically, one can compete or one can go extinct.
I have visited several B&Bs here in the Poconos, with horrendously low revenue, which seemed to be much more prosperous in the past. Airbnb, hotel sites and others are eating the lunch of people.
The majority might be alluring, but people are getting more demanding, and they are rapidly going to the places that cater.
10% of people are allergic to cats. Double the % when either of a couple could be the allergic one. Some are allergic to dogs. Or feathers. Or dust mites. Or prior smokers. Some have tuberculosis or respiratory disorders. Some people have asthma. Some have allergies to all sorts of things.
.
Believe me, I understand allergies! I am an extremely sensitive person, perfumes, laundry detergents, petrol products, smoke, anything I sniff that is synthetic based, sends me into choking coughing fits, too long of an exposure results in extreme headaches, muscle twitches, nausea. I can't control my guests' fragrance though and there are oft days here that reek and I am utterly miserable. Mold, pets, dust, too. It's a fact of life for me and I don't expect the rest of the universe to cater to me. I've been dealing for over 50 years since this manifested when I was 10. We do however, use all natural cleaning products and fragrance free laundry detergent along with hypo-allergenic bath amenities.
Just had a woman call yesterday asking us to remove all the feathers from her bed because she's allergic. Told her we used hypercleaned Pacific Coast Down Company products. Quizzed her this morning and she was delighted to know that she could sleep on feathers without a reaction!
We will do our best to accommodate food allergies, but that does not mean that we change everyone else's dish or eliminate any item from our repetoire. Au contraire, we simply make a separate portion that excludes the offending food. Easy Peasy.
Am just saying, never swing to one pole. No need to over-react. This, our 10th year has been a new record breaker... breaking very little to sweat to keep everyone happy (except hypersensitive moi).
.
You may have record breakers, but owners in a lot of areas are struggling and need to try to fish the whole pond. My understanding is that B&Bs are disappearing in NYC, and the last one closed in Raleigh (did not verify).
I have looked at several B&Bs up here. One had $6700 in revenue in 2012. Others here up for sale are getting like $20-$25K in REVENUE for the year with 3-5 guest rooms. All had really good revenue some years ago. Better to rent them out as rooms.
 
Well, the linen thieves finally checked out this morning. I stripped the room. Of course the king sheets were still on the queen bed, but I also found that they had taken off the mattress pad and turned it inside out!
Now, I suppose that the mattress pad could have possibly come off when they took off the sheets the first night. However, this is one of those pads that really wraps around the mattress, so I really doubt if that's what happened. Paranoid! But they gave us some very nice cheese and cookies when they left and said that they really enjoyed themselves.
DNR list!.
Glad they are gone. They remind me of a couple, returning guests actually, who bring their own sheets and basically strip the bed before making it up. We won't have them back and I don't miss them!
.
Funny - we have guests who have stayed with us more than any others over the 10 years and she brings her own bedspread and pillows with her every time. We have the room made up with just the sheets and blanket and then she "decorates" it like she's at home with her stuff. It seemed quirky the first time, but they are lovely people and I have no issues. I'd rather that than the weirdos who sleep on top of the bed instead of in it.
.
The sheet issue was just one of their many quirks. They also had severe feather allergies, which meant I had to strip the room, cat allergies, which meant that they could not even see the cat on our side of the house without freaking out, and a list as long as my arm for all things they did not eat.
As I said, otherwise nice folks but too high maintenance at this point in our inn keeping lives.
.
That is why it is good to have at least one hypoallergenic room available
Also, 10% are allergic to cats. And their dander gets into everything. Could never stay at place with cats
.
One room hypoallergenic? Undersea...we have 3 accommodations. Period. No way am I sacrificing the comfort of all of my guests for the few that have allergies. Feather allergy? I just remove the down comforter and pillows. If they are more sensitive than that they will have to stay someplace else. I'll cater to the 90% but we are too small to cater to 10%.
The cat never went into the guest side of the house. No one with a stated cat allergy ever had an issue with cat dander, but this gal had a fit if she even saw his scratching post on our side of the house through the dining room door. Anyway, moot issue...no more cat, he died. And moot issue, guest had too many other issues that I no longer want to deal with.
.
Exactly, why would one ever cater to the minority? That makes no business sense what so ever. Statistically, there will always be folks to fill rooms without having to pre-filter out every possible allergen (which these days is potentially everything). The key is balance and the ability to adapt to situations as they arise, not automatically eliminate what pleases the majority.
.
Because everyone is a minority. A vegan, a person who needs to bring their dog, a smoker, a disabled vet, arthritis, etc. etc.
Statistically, one can compete or one can go extinct.
I have visited several B&Bs here in the Poconos, with horrendously low revenue, which seemed to be much more prosperous in the past. Airbnb, hotel sites and others are eating the lunch of people.
The majority might be alluring, but people are getting more demanding, and they are rapidly going to the places that cater.
10% of people are allergic to cats. Double the % when either of a couple could be the allergic one. Some are allergic to dogs. Or feathers. Or dust mites. Or prior smokers. Some have tuberculosis or respiratory disorders. Some people have asthma. Some have allergies to all sorts of things.
.
Believe me, I understand allergies! I am an extremely sensitive person, perfumes, laundry detergents, petrol products, smoke, anything I sniff that is synthetic based, sends me into choking coughing fits, too long of an exposure results in extreme headaches, muscle twitches, nausea. I can't control my guests' fragrance though and there are oft days here that reek and I am utterly miserable. Mold, pets, dust, too. It's a fact of life for me and I don't expect the rest of the universe to cater to me. I've been dealing for over 50 years since this manifested when I was 10. We do however, use all natural cleaning products and fragrance free laundry detergent along with hypo-allergenic bath amenities.
Just had a woman call yesterday asking us to remove all the feathers from her bed because she's allergic. Told her we used hypercleaned Pacific Coast Down Company products. Quizzed her this morning and she was delighted to know that she could sleep on feathers without a reaction!
We will do our best to accommodate food allergies, but that does not mean that we change everyone else's dish or eliminate any item from our repetoire. Au contraire, we simply make a separate portion that excludes the offending food. Easy Peasy.
Am just saying, never swing to one pole. No need to over-react. This, our 10th year has been a new record breaker... breaking very little to sweat to keep everyone happy (except hypersensitive moi).
.
You may have record breakers, but owners in a lot of areas are struggling and need to try to fish the whole pond. My understanding is that B&Bs are disappearing in NYC, and the last one closed in Raleigh (did not verify).
I have looked at several B&Bs up here. One had $6700 in revenue in 2012. Others here up for sale are getting like $20-$25K in REVENUE for the year with 3-5 guest rooms. All had really good revenue some years ago. Better to rent them out as rooms.
.
undersea said:
You may have record breakers, but owners in a lot of areas are struggling and need to try to fish the whole pond. My understanding is that B&Bs are disappearing in NYC, and the last one closed in Raleigh (did not verify).
I have looked at several B&Bs up here. One had $6700 in revenue in 2012. Others here up for sale are getting like $20-$25K in REVENUE for the year with 3-5 guest rooms. All had really good revenue some years ago. Better to rent them out as rooms.
It looks like you have a few options in re a B&B: 1) stop looking at places with such low revenue. Good grief, my plague room (bath across the hall) makes more money than those places are making with 3-5 rooms. 2) Start looking at how you could make those places better or 3) look in a place where B&B's thrive.
It's pretty much a certainty that the folks who jumped on the airbnb wagon are going to get fed up with having strangers in their houses. They will find out it's not 'easy' money. It's not fun having strangers in your house all the time. And they don't want to deal with the silly stuff we talk about all the time.
 
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