B&B vs. Hotel Stay

[Breakfast Diva]

Sometimes it's difficult for us innkeepers to see things through the eyes of travelers. We're always wondering why folks would stay at a hotel instead of a b&b.
Here is a review of a lovely b&b that I know. Innkeepers are wonderful, property well kept, but I think this reviewer has a point. Do we really need to write down a 'rule' after someone 'done us wrong'?
Just some food for thought...

 

[EmptyNest]

Like they said..they aren't B & B people so that's why they wrote the review they did. And they do make good points. We had as few rules as possible. Mostly NO SMOKING.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Like they said..they aren't B & B people so that's why they wrote the review they did. And they do make good points. We had as few rules as possible. Mostly NO SMOKING..

But it's interesting to read why they're not b&b people. They stated they need more privacy, tv, no rules in their face, etc. Once again, they've lumped all b&bs together with a stereotype and will probably never stay at a b&b.

 

[Copperhead]

This reviewer was clear about her misconceived feelings about B&B's in the beginning "Although we're not into B&B's because we prefer privacy and modern accommodations".
But she does make a point. While their may not be 3 pages of rules, given the great length of some of the mgr responses I read, I would side with the reviewer over the innkeeper. As I have been told many times - make responses brief & to the point. Don't be defensive. Even the reviewer mentioned his previous responses. NO one (except me) is going to read all that.
NOW back to Hotel vs B&B - this reviewer really feels hotels are more private? I don't get it... (me not seeing this through the eyes of the traveler) It is not that hotels are more private, given there are always people around. It is that you just are not expected to communicate - like on the subway in NYC, keep your eyes to the ground, don't make eye contact. You can have privacy here if you want, with only 5 rooms and plenty of cozy places to sit & enjoy, you don't have to make conversation with anyone unless you wish. I am sure each of our places are the same.

 

[Madeleine]

Like they said..they aren't B & B people so that's why they wrote the review they did. And they do make good points. We had as few rules as possible. Mostly NO SMOKING..

But it's interesting to read why they're not b&b people. They stated they need more privacy, tv, no rules in their face, etc. Once again, they've lumped all b&bs together with a stereotype and will probably never stay at a b&b.
.

But it's interesting to read why they're not b&b people. They stated they need more privacy, tv, no rules in their face, etc. Once again, they've lumped all b&bs together with a stereotype and will probably never stay at a b&b.

We've had a lot of guests ask what the rules are. Today a guest asked if he could come back to his room during the day or if he had to wait until a certain time.

 

[Madeleine]

This reviewer was clear about her misconceived feelings about B&B's in the beginning "Although we're not into B&B's because we prefer privacy and modern accommodations".
But she does make a point. While their may not be 3 pages of rules, given the great length of some of the mgr responses I read, I would side with the reviewer over the innkeeper. As I have been told many times - make responses brief & to the point. Don't be defensive. Even the reviewer mentioned his previous responses. NO one (except me) is going to read all that.
NOW back to Hotel vs B&B - this reviewer really feels hotels are more private? I don't get it... (me not seeing this through the eyes of the traveler) It is not that hotels are more private, given there are always people around. It is that you just are not expected to communicate - like on the subway in NYC, keep your eyes to the ground, don't make eye contact. You can have privacy here if you want, with only 5 rooms and plenty of cozy places to sit & enjoy, you don't have to make conversation with anyone unless you wish. I am sure each of our places are the same..

Oddly, a lot of 'hotel' people convert once they've actually stayed at a B&B. We try to help guests understand that every B&B is different and it's based on the people who own it. We tell them to look at the websites and try to get an idea of what the place might be like and if they think it will suit them.
But lumping them all into one bucket is exactly the wrong way to look at it. It's like saying every small pizza joint is bad because you had one crummy pizza. In that case, be like my parents and only stay at corporate lodging and only eat at corporate restaurants.

 

[JBloggs]

I don't know what to think on this one. I may have had a diff viewpoint if the owner did NOT respond.
I understand where he is coming from, but as we say "The guests think they are the only" and they don't think about 2500 other guests who came before them, and possibly broke the rules. So I have to side with the guests on this one. Three pages vs half a page is a stretch.
I am always looking at that fine line...Do I need a rule or note stating "No jumping rope in your upstairs guest room that rattles the whole bloody house?" because one person was that absurd to do it? No.
What about "No eating in the rooms?" There are many B&B's who have this (some on this forum), and it may be the ONE RULE that makes you feel like you are being overrun with rules, imo.
Is if the way it is worded that makes it appear to be the RULES OF THE HOUSE?
I had to be a bit firm about the no smoking on the porch. I haven't even had a smoker all year so far, but when WE DO they stand by the flippin' front door and light up. Then new guests check in and this is their welcome...
Good food for thought. I have to ask you BD since you know the inn and innkeepers, ARE THERE ARE LIST OF HOUSE RULES? Are they like the reviews said, or are they people who just feel they are a little too constrained in a B&B?
Every time I feel this, I lax up on the guest interaction, and then someone acts like we are hiding or something. We have the polar opposites the same night at the same table in the same place (this B&B). One needs us to do the song dance and hat tricks, the other wants to be left alone!

 

[Arks]

...there are a LOT of rules. Like 3 pages of rules. I only learned about the rule book after we left...
I hate it when they give something as fact then admit it's hearsay.
I've always wonder how many rules I'm agreeing to, in fine print I don't read, when I sign the registration at a hotel.

 

[JBloggs]

...there are a LOT of rules. Like 3 pages of rules. I only learned about the rule book after we left...
I hate it when they give something as fact then admit it's hearsay.
I've always wonder how many rules I'm agreeing to, in fine print I don't read, when I sign the registration at a hotel..

...there are a LOT of rules. Like 3 pages of rules. I only learned about the rule book after we left...
I hate it when they give something as fact then admit it's hearsay.
I've always wonder how many rules I'm agreeing to, in fine print I don't read, when I sign the registration at a hotel.

Yes we can all fall into that trap.
I had the guests here who told me horror stories about an inn an hour or two from here in NC.
I inquired, I think I mentioned it to CL/EN at the time on the old forum, and she said "Wo, she is the president of the state association! This can't be true" and when I followed up on it, the guests were indeed psycho-pitas, and none of it was true. The one thing that WAS true was the owner was bending over backwards to accommodate them, and for that reason it backfired.
But they went on to TA and blasted it all over the place. And to every B&B to they went after that, which I think is where they got the TA idea.

 

[Highlands John]

Like they said..they aren't B & B people so that's why they wrote the review they did. And they do make good points. We had as few rules as possible. Mostly NO SMOKING..

But it's interesting to read why they're not b&b people. They stated they need more privacy, tv, no rules in their face, etc. Once again, they've lumped all b&bs together with a stereotype and will probably never stay at a b&b.
.

They also said they don't stay in B&Bs because they like somewhere modern, eh? This house is less than 10 years old, and the B&B down the road, the house is less than 6 months old.

 

[IronGate]

Like they said..they aren't B & B people so that's why they wrote the review they did. And they do make good points. We had as few rules as possible. Mostly NO SMOKING..

But it's interesting to read why they're not b&b people. They stated they need more privacy, tv, no rules in their face, etc. Once again, they've lumped all b&bs together with a stereotype and will probably never stay at a b&b.
.

They also said they don't stay in B&Bs because they like somewhere modern, eh? This house is less than 10 years old, and the B&B down the road, the house is less than 6 months old.
.

They also said they don't stay in B&Bs because they like somewhere modern, eh? This house is less than 10 years old, and the B&B down the road, the house is less than 6 months old.

The perception that B&B = a doily gallery is hard to break.

 

[JBloggs]

I need to go to some B&B's...I have not been to any in a while, I feel I am out of the loop on them again. I know YOU ALL, and I KNOW OUR PLACE. But what else?
Maybe this winter I will do a road trip of sorts. If anyone else is up for it, we can crash a few inns along the way... let me know.

 

[Highlands John]

I don't know what to think on this one. I may have had a diff viewpoint if the owner did NOT respond.
I understand where he is coming from, but as we say "The guests think they are the only" and they don't think about 2500 other guests who came before them, and possibly broke the rules. So I have to side with the guests on this one. Three pages vs half a page is a stretch.
I am always looking at that fine line...Do I need a rule or note stating "No jumping rope in your upstairs guest room that rattles the whole bloody house?" because one person was that absurd to do it? No.
What about "No eating in the rooms?" There are many B&B's who have this (some on this forum), and it may be the ONE RULE that makes you feel like you are being overrun with rules, imo.
Is if the way it is worded that makes it appear to be the RULES OF THE HOUSE?
I had to be a bit firm about the no smoking on the porch. I haven't even had a smoker all year so far, but when WE DO they stand by the flippin' front door and light up. Then new guests check in and this is their welcome...
Good food for thought. I have to ask you BD since you know the inn and innkeepers, ARE THERE ARE LIST OF HOUSE RULES? Are they like the reviews said, or are they people who just feel they are a little too constrained in a B&B?
Every time I feel this, I lax up on the guest interaction, and then someone acts like we are hiding or something. We have the polar opposites the same night at the same table in the same place (this B&B). One needs us to do the song dance and hat tricks, the other wants to be left alone!.

Agree JB, maybe it's the way the "rules" are written that gives a bad impression. We have an "information pack" in the rooms, and it does request things like keep the noise down after 10.30, no smoking and no wandering in and out of rooms downstairs, but no-one has ever complained that we have many rules. There's a difference between:

No noise after 10.30
and
Please keep the noise, particularly the TV, to a minimum after 10.30 so as not to disturb other guests.
I've also resisted the temptation over the years to have a knee-jerk reaction to problems and write a "rule" for it. For example we have had people use the towels to remove make-up but it's rare and we've not yet had to throw a towel out.

 

[Arks]

Like they said..they aren't B & B people so that's why they wrote the review they did. And they do make good points. We had as few rules as possible. Mostly NO SMOKING..

But it's interesting to read why they're not b&b people. They stated they need more privacy, tv, no rules in their face, etc. Once again, they've lumped all b&bs together with a stereotype and will probably never stay at a b&b.
.

They also said they don't stay in B&Bs because they like somewhere modern, eh? This house is less than 10 years old, and the B&B down the road, the house is less than 6 months old.
.

They also said they don't stay in B&Bs because they like somewhere modern, eh? This house is less than 10 years old, and the B&B down the road, the house is less than 6 months old.

The perception that B&B = a doily gallery is hard to break.
.

The perception that B&B = a doily gallery is hard to break.

I was watching comedian John Oliver last night on TV, demonstrating a British person using the phone. He had a tray with a doily, the phone was on the doily, then he had another doily on the handpiece he picked up to make the call. Looked like Hyacinth on "Keeping Up Appearances".

 

[JBloggs]

I don't know what to think on this one. I may have had a diff viewpoint if the owner did NOT respond.
I understand where he is coming from, but as we say "The guests think they are the only" and they don't think about 2500 other guests who came before them, and possibly broke the rules. So I have to side with the guests on this one. Three pages vs half a page is a stretch.
I am always looking at that fine line...Do I need a rule or note stating "No jumping rope in your upstairs guest room that rattles the whole bloody house?" because one person was that absurd to do it? No.
What about "No eating in the rooms?" There are many B&B's who have this (some on this forum), and it may be the ONE RULE that makes you feel like you are being overrun with rules, imo.
Is if the way it is worded that makes it appear to be the RULES OF THE HOUSE?
I had to be a bit firm about the no smoking on the porch. I haven't even had a smoker all year so far, but when WE DO they stand by the flippin' front door and light up. Then new guests check in and this is their welcome...
Good food for thought. I have to ask you BD since you know the inn and innkeepers, ARE THERE ARE LIST OF HOUSE RULES? Are they like the reviews said, or are they people who just feel they are a little too constrained in a B&B?
Every time I feel this, I lax up on the guest interaction, and then someone acts like we are hiding or something. We have the polar opposites the same night at the same table in the same place (this B&B). One needs us to do the song dance and hat tricks, the other wants to be left alone!.

Agree JB, maybe it's the way the "rules" are written that gives a bad impression. We have an "information pack" in the rooms, and it does request things like keep the noise down after 10.30, no smoking and no wandering in and out of rooms downstairs, but no-one has ever complained that we have many rules. There's a difference between:

No noise after 10.30
and
Please keep the noise, particularly the TV, to a minimum after 10.30 so as not to disturb other guests.
I've also resisted the temptation over the years to have a knee-jerk reaction to problems and write a "rule" for it. For example we have had people use the towels to remove make-up but it's rare and we've not yet had to throw a towel out.
.

I had guests use towels to wipe up red wine spilled everywhere. And yes this could be a new rule, but what the! Why! People do stupid things, and that is that. We can't treat everyone like children.
I purposefully leave out notes I think I want to put up. I won't have them everywhere.
Our check in list says "Quiet time after 10pm, please enjoy use of the parlor, porches and pond areas after 10pm to gather" or something like that.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

I don't know what to think on this one. I may have had a diff viewpoint if the owner did NOT respond.
I understand where he is coming from, but as we say "The guests think they are the only" and they don't think about 2500 other guests who came before them, and possibly broke the rules. So I have to side with the guests on this one. Three pages vs half a page is a stretch.
I am always looking at that fine line...Do I need a rule or note stating "No jumping rope in your upstairs guest room that rattles the whole bloody house?" because one person was that absurd to do it? No.
What about "No eating in the rooms?" There are many B&B's who have this (some on this forum), and it may be the ONE RULE that makes you feel like you are being overrun with rules, imo.
Is if the way it is worded that makes it appear to be the RULES OF THE HOUSE?
I had to be a bit firm about the no smoking on the porch. I haven't even had a smoker all year so far, but when WE DO they stand by the flippin' front door and light up. Then new guests check in and this is their welcome...
Good food for thought. I have to ask you BD since you know the inn and innkeepers, ARE THERE ARE LIST OF HOUSE RULES? Are they like the reviews said, or are they people who just feel they are a little too constrained in a B&B?
Every time I feel this, I lax up on the guest interaction, and then someone acts like we are hiding or something. We have the polar opposites the same night at the same table in the same place (this B&B). One needs us to do the song dance and hat tricks, the other wants to be left alone!.

Good food for thought. I have to ask you BD since you know the inn and innkeepers, ARE THERE ARE LIST OF HOUSE RULES? Are they like the reviews said, or are they people who just feel they are a little too constrained in a B&B?

I think the truth is somewhere inbetween. I've only been in this property once, but got the tour of all the rooms and this is the b&b I refer my guests to when they're looking for that area. I actually swiped/copied how they had binders open on the bed, leaning against the pillows which is opening to their Welcome page & do's and don'ts. Since I didn't stay, I'm afraid I didn't read through their list. I found the innkeepers very charming and like minded with us, and felt very comfortable.
I used this review here only because it illustrates how others perceive us and if we want to convert more folks over to b&bs we can't have rules aimed to the lowest common denominator. It's funny, because those guests who should read the rules are the ones who never do!

 

[Ice]

I need to go to some B&B's...I have not been to any in a while, I feel I am out of the loop on them again. I know YOU ALL, and I KNOW OUR PLACE. But what else?
Maybe this winter I will do a road trip of sorts. If anyone else is up for it, we can crash a few inns along the way... let me know.

.

Now that would be fun!

 

[Madeleine]

I need to go to some B&B's...I have not been to any in a while, I feel I am out of the loop on them again. I know YOU ALL, and I KNOW OUR PLACE. But what else?
Maybe this winter I will do a road trip of sorts. If anyone else is up for it, we can crash a few inns along the way... let me know.

.

Head on up this way if you can! Even tho I keep getting this close to your place and just don't have the time to go the extra couple of hundred miles.

 

[JBloggs]

I need to go to some B&B's...I have not been to any in a while, I feel I am out of the loop on them again. I know YOU ALL, and I KNOW OUR PLACE. But what else?
Maybe this winter I will do a road trip of sorts. If anyone else is up for it, we can crash a few inns along the way... let me know.

.

Now that would be fun!
.

Now that would be fun!

Let me know Ice. I think you and I would make good road trippers, maybe pick up Innkeep as well?

 

[JBloggs]

I need to go to some B&B's...I have not been to any in a while, I feel I am out of the loop on them again. I know YOU ALL, and I KNOW OUR PLACE. But what else?
Maybe this winter I will do a road trip of sorts. If anyone else is up for it, we can crash a few inns along the way... let me know.

.

Head on up this way if you can! Even tho I keep getting this close to your place and just don't have the time to go the extra couple of hundred miles.
.

Head on up this way if you can! Even tho I keep getting this close to your place and just don't have the time to go the extra couple of hundred miles.

You have been on my list for a long time. (I mean that in a good way)