Awkward?

Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Alibi Ike

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 8, 2010
Messages
2,928
Reaction score
0
So, you're sitting in a restaurant and look over at another table and there are your frequent summer guests. You know for sure they're not staying with you.
Oddly, at first I didn't know who they were, but they kept staring at us and then I remembered them. We waved. They waved. They don't speak English so that's about all we did.
I guess it was easier because they couldn't make excuses!
 
Several possibilities come to mind. If they come frequently in Summer, perhaps a relative or friend gave them a GC for another place not knowing that they stay with you. OR they could have been on a day trip or a "hit & split" travel or passing through. There are many times we get within a few miles (and I mean very few) of friends but do not stop because of time constraints. We made reservations at a hotel the night we were going to help our friends for her Dad's funeral but we will never tell her that - she would feel badly that we spent money to come help her. We have favorite restaurants (or used to) where we we stop for a meal if there was any possible way to do it or route through there (time being the main factor).
Not knowing any more than what you posted, I would consider one of the other scenarios - especially since they come frequently (that means they must like you). A one time rez - I might think differently.
 
I have run into guests that have stayed with us before. Some just want to stay at different places, some staying with family and others on business that we do not make the $ cut at that time of year. It can be awkward that is for sure. It is funny that we will run into those people and can go for years not seeing friends out and about.
 
I think Gillum has a point with this situation...many things could have brought them to your town. It seems that they did not feel awkward since they are the ones that kept staring at you and making eye contact. If I were in their situation I would have been so embarassed, I would have tried to put my back to you and pretended I didn't see you.
Awkward - yes, but we can't really take these things personally.
One of my most awkward times happened about 6 months ago. There has been 1 couple I banned from ever staying with us again and these guests used to come a few times a year. I won't go into the details of why they were banned since it's a long horrid story, but these folks are "locals". The last time they tried to make an online reservation I sent them an e-mail saying why we could no longer accept their reservations. They live in the town about 1/2 hour from us. My friend and I walked into a tiny pizza joint and standing right there was the husband who turned around and watched me walk in and stand right behind him. We both gave a cordial "hello, how are things", etc, then I went and sat down at a table. I had a knot in my stomach about the size of a basketball until he left. It was awful.
 
You mean like a very prominent owner of a local business who lives in another state who was here and had a VERY ACTIVE LITTLE BLUE PILL MORNING and the entire INN got an earful (including a close friend of ours who was here seeing what this crazy B&B thing was all about). That day DH and I said "The last room WILL NOW GET CABLE TV!! NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO PUT UP WITH THAT?!" And what do we do, go and knock on the door? Hope it is all over soon is all we could do. Of course then..they ambled on down to the breakfast table.
Then the business here in town (part of this much larger national business) called to make him a booking the following year and I was just not sure what to do. Will he be on his own this time? I could not go through hearing that again, it was THE ONLY TIME IN 7 YEARS that I have heard what I heard at this B&B.
Rest of the story...I ended up taking the booking, if I didn't, then the whole town would wonder or worse. He ended up cancelling due to weather or something and has never been back.
I will never forget his parting words "This was my first time at a B&B and I really like them now!"
wow.gif
 
Ike, I wouldn't read too much into it. They're probably just trying out a different lodging choice if you have quite a few where you're located.
 
How about.......customer calls to cancel their service cause they are moving.
Still working for their neighbors and for 3 years now. Every time I see the folks that were "moving"......I ask if they moved to the basement or upstairs.
Some folks are just to dumb for words to explain
 
Back
Top