Do you have a private entrance?

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Red Handed Jill

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Our house has three first floor entrance type doors - a front door, a back door, and a side door that actually leads into our private space (which used to be a guest room). When we moved in, the lock was frozen shut, but DH got it open a couple weeks ago and we've been using it and really enjoying it. It's just more convenient than walking out the back or tramping through guest/shared space I'm trying to keep always ready. All the time we've been here, only one person has knocked on the side (private) door - it was a former guest/now neighbor stopping by and knew we were behind that door watching TV.
Today, we had a group book our dining room for some meetings (I must say, I was thrilled with how low maintainence and self-sufficient these folks were, we really lucked out).But - weird thing - the people coming to today's meetings (not the ones who booked it) kept coming to our side door. Fortunately, it has a distinct doorbell. When the first person rang it, I went out through the front, got him, welcomed him, and brought him around to the front door. Then another one, and another...thank goodness it was a fairly small meeting, and the people leading it had one of theirs finally just stay near the entrance to guide people.
I'll be getting a little sign indicating entrance is through the front door, but it made me wonder how many of you have private entrances at all, and how often guests try to use them.
 
Jill I lived in a place with a separate entrance that very rarely over the years got knocked on.
Except with groups who, with amazing frequency, would knock for just about anything they needed.
Just another group behavior, I suppose. When they have the entire place, they are more conscious of what's behind each door. And they also get much braver as a group about going to get an innkeeper any time of day.
 
We have 3 doors on one side of the house and they all face the parking area. One is a guest room, one our entry and one the inn door. We put a big sign up last year with an arrow that shows 'Guest entrance.' Mostly because guests said they didn't see that door or didn't see how to get to it (stairs from parking area).
One guest in 5 years went into our private space. She decided she didn't want to go upstairs to get into the inn so she went in the door on the ground level. I thought she would come right back out, but she didn't. We were in the inn watching her, saw her go over to our door but didn't see her come out and finally Gomez had to go get her. She was wandering around in our spare bedroom!
She said she knew it wasn't the right door but she was adamant she was not in the wrong because she didn't want to walk upstairs! She insisted we should turn our spare bedroom into guest space so guests wouldn't have to walk upstairs. Yes, she harped on that 'walk upstairs' thing the whole time she was here.
As far as I know no one has ever tried to go in the guest room entry door even tho that is the easiest one to find. You have to go out of your way to get to my door!
 
We have the front door at the street and the kitchen door at the side of the house. Guests normally use the front door and locals keep coming to the kitchen door when everyone KNOWS I live in the Library at the front of the house.
Guest keyrings have a key to their room and the kitchen door key if they are here for several days so they can get in if we have to go out. Under normal circumstances, the front door is unlocked so guests can come and go - remember Madam LaFarge is at her keyboard guarding the entrance!
 
We have a private door but it is behind a wall and down some steps and guarded by our rabbits so we have never had anyone knock on it. But if we pop out of it to greet them in the car park they get a bit of a shock as we seem to have come out of the ground.
 
We have a private door but it is behind a wall and down some steps and guarded by our rabbits so we have never had anyone knock on it. But if we pop out of it to greet them in the car park they get a bit of a shock as we seem to have come out of the ground..
But if we pop out of it to greet them in the car park they get a bit of a shock as we seem to have come out of the ground.
And those guard rabbits must especially give them a fright.
 
We have a private door but it is behind a wall and down some steps and guarded by our rabbits so we have never had anyone knock on it. But if we pop out of it to greet them in the car park they get a bit of a shock as we seem to have come out of the ground..
We have a private door but it is behind a wall and down some steps and guarded by our rabbits so we have never had anyone knock on it. But if we pop out of it to greet them in the car park they get a bit of a shock as we seem to have come out of the ground.
Dear guests,
Please always be on your best behavior. You never know where the innkeeper is, and when she might pop into view.
Thank you.
 
Don't ask what happened outside our private entrance to our bedroom, it is not what you think, either.
 
Reel em in!
Okay so this couple were here for a milestone anniversary (I think 10th but can't recall). **BTW I am warning you this is funny, don't drink tea or anything right now or it will come out your nose.
The steps up to the porch are not too far from our side entrance which is also off our bedroom. We have a louvered door that has a screen on the inside, so we open this door for fresh air, but no one can see it is open or look in.
This couple stepped up onto the porch and toot toot toot...and I hear her say 'STOP THAT! Knock it off! Someone will hear you!"
"So what" he says, "Who cares"
"I do! Now stop it!" she insists.
RING RING within 15 seconds they are at the front door with me standing there trying to keep a straight face.
poke.gif
 
Reel em in!
Okay so this couple were here for a milestone anniversary (I think 10th but can't recall). **BTW I am warning you this is funny, don't drink tea or anything right now or it will come out your nose.
The steps up to the porch are not too far from our side entrance which is also off our bedroom. We have a louvered door that has a screen on the inside, so we open this door for fresh air, but no one can see it is open or look in.
This couple stepped up onto the porch and toot toot toot...and I hear her say 'STOP THAT! Knock it off! Someone will hear you!"
"So what" he says, "Who cares"
"I do! Now stop it!" she insists.
RING RING within 15 seconds they are at the front door with me standing there trying to keep a straight face.
poke.gif
.
Thanks for the spew alert. Sounds like they got their weekend off to a celebratory start anyway.
If they only knew...
 
Reel em in!
Okay so this couple were here for a milestone anniversary (I think 10th but can't recall). **BTW I am warning you this is funny, don't drink tea or anything right now or it will come out your nose.
The steps up to the porch are not too far from our side entrance which is also off our bedroom. We have a louvered door that has a screen on the inside, so we open this door for fresh air, but no one can see it is open or look in.
This couple stepped up onto the porch and toot toot toot...and I hear her say 'STOP THAT! Knock it off! Someone will hear you!"
"So what" he says, "Who cares"
"I do! Now stop it!" she insists.
RING RING within 15 seconds they are at the front door with me standing there trying to keep a straight face.
poke.gif
.
Thanks for the spew alert. Sounds like they got their weekend off to a celebratory start anyway.
If they only knew...
.
Innkeeper To Go said:
Thanks for the spew alert. Sounds like they got their weekend off to a celebratory start anyway.
If they only knew...
and DH felt like it was an innside joke all weekend too! I think I slapped him in lieu of that other dude, on behalf of the wife. He still thought it was funny. He would. Of course if he checked them in he WOULD have said something.
Speaking of wives or women, I just got a fishing call to confirm her rez for this evening. It is 430PM. First red flag. I was so good, I was almost prepared...oddly enough. I got all of HER info and never gave away anything from the reservations for tonight.
 
Reel em in!
Okay so this couple were here for a milestone anniversary (I think 10th but can't recall). **BTW I am warning you this is funny, don't drink tea or anything right now or it will come out your nose.
The steps up to the porch are not too far from our side entrance which is also off our bedroom. We have a louvered door that has a screen on the inside, so we open this door for fresh air, but no one can see it is open or look in.
This couple stepped up onto the porch and toot toot toot...and I hear her say 'STOP THAT! Knock it off! Someone will hear you!"
"So what" he says, "Who cares"
"I do! Now stop it!" she insists.
RING RING within 15 seconds they are at the front door with me standing there trying to keep a straight face.
poke.gif
.
Thanks for the spew alert. Sounds like they got their weekend off to a celebratory start anyway.
If they only knew...
.
Innkeeper To Go said:
Thanks for the spew alert. Sounds like they got their weekend off to a celebratory start anyway.
If they only knew...
and DH felt like it was an innside joke all weekend too! I think I slapped him in lieu of that other dude, on behalf of the wife. He still thought it was funny. He would. Of course if he checked them in he WOULD have said something.
Speaking of wives or women, I just got a fishing call to confirm her rez for this evening. It is 430PM. First red flag. I was so good, I was almost prepared...oddly enough. I got all of HER info and never gave away anything from the reservations for tonight.
.
We go thru this all summer...'Hi, I feel like an idiot but I can't remember where I'm supposed to be staying tonight.' Or, 'Hi! My mother (cousin, aunt, friend) made the reservation and I don't have the street address, so I don't know where I'm going.'
I have had a few call on the road to say they are just now reading the confirmation which says they have to confirm receipt of the rez. Hmmm. And if you booked 3 months ago? You think I might not be holding the room because you never got back to me?
I've had guests describe the website to me, the room they had last time, my kids, my pets, my pool, etc and I have to tell them, 'Sorry, you didn't book here, you booked at...'
 
Well given that a Friday guest never seems to check in til 9pm, it is no wonder people call to confirm. D'oh! (It's 630PM now and the two for 4pm obv are not in yet)
I will stick by my orig statement about GPS and those who get them who have no clue so they are getting here later and later and later...not sure why I bother giving directions anymore.
If they get lost they just think they will call and make me sit on the phone for 1/2 hour with them turn by turn. If I hadn't mentioned prev I do not have a cell phone, I don't like being anyone's monkey. I was at the store last night and the man was wandering the aisles describing what was on each aisle to I presume his wife, I felt like grabbing the phone and throwing it across the store. Is this what we have become? A nation (world) of nincompoops?
Please, call me from the street or the front door, please...watch and see what happens! ha ha (Did I mention two weeks ago a guest who has a pHD I might add, called me from his room three times? Yes, for real. Then when I saw on caller id the 4th time DH grabbed it and said "Hey why don't you just come down here")
 
Well given that a Friday guest never seems to check in til 9pm, it is no wonder people call to confirm. D'oh! (It's 630PM now and the two for 4pm obv are not in yet)
I will stick by my orig statement about GPS and those who get them who have no clue so they are getting here later and later and later...not sure why I bother giving directions anymore.
If they get lost they just think they will call and make me sit on the phone for 1/2 hour with them turn by turn. If I hadn't mentioned prev I do not have a cell phone, I don't like being anyone's monkey. I was at the store last night and the man was wandering the aisles describing what was on each aisle to I presume his wife, I felt like grabbing the phone and throwing it across the store. Is this what we have become? A nation (world) of nincompoops?
Please, call me from the street or the front door, please...watch and see what happens! ha ha (Did I mention two weeks ago a guest who has a pHD I might add, called me from his room three times? Yes, for real. Then when I saw on caller id the 4th time DH grabbed it and said "Hey why don't you just come down here").
Joey Bloggs said:
I was at the store last night and the man was wandering the aisles describing what was on each aisle to I presume his wife, I felt like grabbing the phone and throwing it across the store. Is this what we have become? A nation (world) of nincompoops?
I'm afraid we've become a nation of cell phone addicts at the very least.
There is very very little cell coverage where I live. It is a true blessing that I especially appreciate each and every time I go to the store.
 
Reel em in!
Okay so this couple were here for a milestone anniversary (I think 10th but can't recall). **BTW I am warning you this is funny, don't drink tea or anything right now or it will come out your nose.
The steps up to the porch are not too far from our side entrance which is also off our bedroom. We have a louvered door that has a screen on the inside, so we open this door for fresh air, but no one can see it is open or look in.
This couple stepped up onto the porch and toot toot toot...and I hear her say 'STOP THAT! Knock it off! Someone will hear you!"
"So what" he says, "Who cares"
"I do! Now stop it!" she insists.
RING RING within 15 seconds they are at the front door with me standing there trying to keep a straight face.
poke.gif
.
Thanks for the spew alert. Sounds like they got their weekend off to a celebratory start anyway.
If they only knew...
.
Innkeeper To Go said:
Thanks for the spew alert. Sounds like they got their weekend off to a celebratory start anyway.
If they only knew...
and DH felt like it was an innside joke all weekend too! I think I slapped him in lieu of that other dude, on behalf of the wife. He still thought it was funny. He would. Of course if he checked them in he WOULD have said something.
Speaking of wives or women, I just got a fishing call to confirm her rez for this evening. It is 430PM. First red flag. I was so good, I was almost prepared...oddly enough. I got all of HER info and never gave away anything from the reservations for tonight.
.
We go thru this all summer...'Hi, I feel like an idiot but I can't remember where I'm supposed to be staying tonight.' Or, 'Hi! My mother (cousin, aunt, friend) made the reservation and I don't have the street address, so I don't know where I'm going.'
I have had a few call on the road to say they are just now reading the confirmation which says they have to confirm receipt of the rez. Hmmm. And if you booked 3 months ago? You think I might not be holding the room because you never got back to me?
I've had guests describe the website to me, the room they had last time, my kids, my pets, my pool, etc and I have to tell them, 'Sorry, you didn't book here, you booked at...'
.
Morticia said:
I've had guests describe the website to me, the room they had last time, my kids, my pets, my pool, etc and I have to tell them, 'Sorry, you didn't book here, you booked at...'
I've had guests show up swearing up and down that yes, indeed, they did have a reservation, cursing up a storm. Only to find, sure enough, once they catch their breath and against their better judgement actually show me their reservation. Always, always, always at another place, usually not even a similar name.
When they're out in the countryside and they think they're lost, they are so sure when they find a place that it MUST be the place. Who needs directions? Or inn names...
 
We had a PHD stay once and he couldn't operate the front door it was hilarious
 
We only have one suite, but we have 3 private doors and 3 guest area doors, though they only have keys to one. We have the problem that our neighbors drive comes up off a shared wrap around drive, and guests like to come up that drive and knock on our family dining room door. I have started sending directions to guests the day before their arrival, showing them where to park. That has helped greatly.
This is my first trip to your forum, and it looks like a lot of great info here.
 
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