Complaints from guests about the noise

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brighteyes_22

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Aspiring Innkeeper here again...I don't know if this has already been a topic, but I'm just curious as to how much of your daily lives affect the guests while they are in their rooms. Do they just deal with background noise because of the fact that they are sharing a house with others, or do you find yourselves having to tone things down when guests are in the house? I worked in a B&B over the summer and there were very little complaints, but yet the rooms were tucked away on the opposite end of the house on the other side of the "living quarters". Do any of you have piped-in music to help "soundproof" things, or use other tactics?
 
I am looking forward to my inn-mates responses here...
I guess the answer to this question is based on what YOU (or guests) consider noise. I believe guests, in general, know that during the day there will be a time that some noises will occur, such as vacuum cleaners, and other daily activites. They should also be accustomed to the fact that other guests will be moving about more so than at night. In summer the pool area is lively as well as our gardens. There is also yard management with mowers and blowers etc.
We have not had this to be an issue at all (so far).
We are no different that any other lodging properties. The work as to be done at some point to keep up the appearance to the degree not only we as innkeepers want but our guests expect. We typically try to keep the most disturbing work to after check out and before check in. Of course stay overs will hear the noice, but it can not be avoided.
I personally would not enjoy 'piped in music' through out.
Now as far OUR daily lives goes, there usually is not an issue where we feel like we must tip toe around in general. If that were an issue, I think I would be looking at blowing in additional sound barrier insulation between the walls.
 
I am looking forward to my inn-mates responses here...
I guess the answer to this question is based on what YOU (or guests) consider noise. I believe guests, in general, know that during the day there will be a time that some noises will occur, such as vacuum cleaners, and other daily activites. They should also be accustomed to the fact that other guests will be moving about more so than at night. In summer the pool area is lively as well as our gardens. There is also yard management with mowers and blowers etc.
We have not had this to be an issue at all (so far).
We are no different that any other lodging properties. The work as to be done at some point to keep up the appearance to the degree not only we as innkeepers want but our guests expect. We typically try to keep the most disturbing work to after check out and before check in. Of course stay overs will hear the noice, but it can not be avoided.
I personally would not enjoy 'piped in music' through out.
Now as far OUR daily lives goes, there usually is not an issue where we feel like we must tip toe around in general. If that were an issue, I think I would be looking at blowing in additional sound barrier insulation between the walls..
We built our B&B so put our loft apartment above the common rooms, and have the suites as a wing. We carpeted only our apartment upstairs so our less-than-graceful Borzoi hound would not make noise. That said, he loves to gallop up and down the stairs from the apartment down past the kitchen to the basement area, but I don't think it's heard beyond the kitchen.
We will put in lots of insulation when we build our second wing which will be our other four rooms. I sometimes worry about the noise between rooms. But then again, I've been in plenty of hotel rooms where you can hear the noise or talk from the room next door.
We do leave the music channel on low in the library to carry through the main rooms, but not piped music. We play a classic favorite cd during breakfast which our guests love. But we really leave the music on the tv in the library so they don't have to figure out which of the remotes turns the darn thing on. We have not had the time to weed through the instructions to figure out how to put it all on one remote.
I would not pipe music. We get too many people with different tastes. And that would make me feel hotel-like.
You have to also realize that people are going to be out doing stuff. And if they are staying in they'll be playing their own stuff. We have guests bringing all kinds of music with them.
RIki
 
Guests are not here during the day (usually) when we are doing our normal stuff. In the evening if guests are in-house - the most rented room is directly over his studio (supposed to be our living room) and he does turn the TV volume way down because my "shake-down cruise" indicated that sound - not what was dialog, but that there was sound - was able to be heard. Other than that and using a Shark battery-powered sweeper if I need to "touch-up" the carpet after a dinner, is the only adjustment we make. Oh, I also do not practice for concerts when people are in house either. There are just the 2 of us and we do not make a lot of noise under regular non-guest circumstances.
Edited to add that we are small so rarely have people in-house when doing the vac or lawn stuff. We do reserve "battle-zone" times to when no one is here. THAT is the hard thing when I cannot slam a door in frustration! As DH said about him & his first - going to a party snarling all the way. Arrive in huge smiles and have a wonderful evening. Back in car to go home - SNARL!! That is battle-zone time here when anyone is in-house. That is when I use chat,vent, WHINE!!!!!
 
As a Inn-goer I don't mind the daily life noise. At one B&B we stayed at they were re-building the front porch so there was hammering and sawing but it didn't bother us. They started after breakfast and ended before dinner. What does bother me when I'm staying somewhere (hotel or B&B) is the noise other guests make after 11pm. I can't stand to hear someone's TV or excessive talking when I'm trying to fall asleep, now when I get to sleep usually nothing wakes me up!
 
Guests don't mind the 'daily' noise of laundry, cleaning, lawn mowing, etc if it's early afternoon. I do not run any appliances after 4-5 PM. If we are going to argue we get as far away from where the guests might be as possible. We start cleaning around 9 AM. If you're still in bed, tough.
wink_smile.gif

We don't have little kids of our own, but when the grands visit they are told, in no uncertain terms, that they are not to run or yell ANYWHERE in the house. If they come across a guest they can say hello and keep going to wherever it was they were headed. (As some here know, we had an 'incident' here over the summer where the grands were here and one had a screaming meltdown in the dining room. I told him to go outside. His mother packed him and his brother up and cut their vacation short.)
We don't play music because I find that distracting if I'm trying to read a book or watch TV. I know sound travels because I can hear doors opening and closing and I know which ones they are. Right now we are trying to deaden the noise from one room because it keeps ME awake. We're going to hang an insulated 'art' piece on the wall by this guestroom door in the hopes of absorbing some of the sound.
 
I am looking forward to my inn-mates responses here...
I guess the answer to this question is based on what YOU (or guests) consider noise. I believe guests, in general, know that during the day there will be a time that some noises will occur, such as vacuum cleaners, and other daily activites. They should also be accustomed to the fact that other guests will be moving about more so than at night. In summer the pool area is lively as well as our gardens. There is also yard management with mowers and blowers etc.
We have not had this to be an issue at all (so far).
We are no different that any other lodging properties. The work as to be done at some point to keep up the appearance to the degree not only we as innkeepers want but our guests expect. We typically try to keep the most disturbing work to after check out and before check in. Of course stay overs will hear the noice, but it can not be avoided.
I personally would not enjoy 'piped in music' through out.
Now as far OUR daily lives goes, there usually is not an issue where we feel like we must tip toe around in general. If that were an issue, I think I would be looking at blowing in additional sound barrier insulation between the walls..
We built our B&B so put our loft apartment above the common rooms, and have the suites as a wing. We carpeted only our apartment upstairs so our less-than-graceful Borzoi hound would not make noise. That said, he loves to gallop up and down the stairs from the apartment down past the kitchen to the basement area, but I don't think it's heard beyond the kitchen.
We will put in lots of insulation when we build our second wing which will be our other four rooms. I sometimes worry about the noise between rooms. But then again, I've been in plenty of hotel rooms where you can hear the noise or talk from the room next door.
We do leave the music channel on low in the library to carry through the main rooms, but not piped music. We play a classic favorite cd during breakfast which our guests love. But we really leave the music on the tv in the library so they don't have to figure out which of the remotes turns the darn thing on. We have not had the time to weed through the instructions to figure out how to put it all on one remote.
I would not pipe music. We get too many people with different tastes. And that would make me feel hotel-like.
You have to also realize that people are going to be out doing stuff. And if they are staying in they'll be playing their own stuff. We have guests bringing all kinds of music with them.
RIki
.
Oh, right, the dog. Forgot about the dog. I do warn guests they may hear her running or flopping herself on the floor. She likes to stand by each side of our bed at night and wag her tail until we pet her and say goodnight. You can hear THAT thwapping noise quite clearly. So I consider guests in the room beneath mine amply warned.
 
The doorbell on my front door is one like the old tricycle bell - turn the gizmo and it goes bbbrrrringgggggg. When grands # 4 & 5 visited at ages about 4 & 6, they discovered the doorbell and turned the gizmo like it was going out of style - something Granny understood as she did the same when we first got the house. The minute a guest appeared - with no prior warning of any kind from Granny - the doorbell went silent. Guests left the house.... Bbrriiinnnnggggggggg!!! They just did it (maybe mama warned, I do not know because we had sent mama and daddy off for getting to know you time while we got to do the Granny & Grandpa we miss out on.) I was so proud of them considering how young they were.
 
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