Hello everyone,
I'm new here and found you by googling "charge for early check in"... one of the posts from this thread that suggested charging $50 for early check ins popped up in the search. I was searching for this information because the last few weeks we've gotten many requests for early check in, in fact we had a reservation come in last night that was booked online and they requested an early check in of 1:00PM... said they would be in the area around noon. I emailed them and said normally we could not accomodate early check ins but would make an exception and said we could but to please not arrive prior to 1:00 (I didn't want them showing up at noon!) as I write this it is now 3:20PM and our 1:00 check ins still have not arrived! Although the guest rooms have been ready since yesterday we still had to rush around this morning cleaning the downstairs, bringing in fresh flowers from the garden, printing out paperwork etc plus I had a 12:00 hair apt that I had to sqeeze in and I still need to go shopping for breakfast (and our dinner) necessities!
Now mind you we only have three quest suites but the place is big, library, dining room, sunroom, living room for common areas and it's just my mom and me doing all the work around here. And there have been many times when guests have not asked if they could come early but have simply shown up expecting that we would be ready for them whenever they decided to arrive!
I've had enough! I've decided to put in our policies that early check ins, if we can accommodate them will be charged a fee of $50. And I've just made a sign for the door that we will begin putting out in the morning which says "Hello! So sorry to have missed you but we are busy preparing for our next arrivals and are currently closed. Check-in is between 3PM-5PM. See you then!" I will leave a basket with local restaurant information and brochures for area things they can do until them. I want happy guests but we need some time to get the things done around here that need doing!.
10Fitch said:
Hello everyone,
I'm new here and found you by googling "charge for early check in"... one of the posts from this thread that suggested charging $50 for early check ins popped up in the search. I was searching for this information because the last few weeks we've gotten many requests for early check in, in fact we had a reservation come in last night that was booked online and they requested an early check in of 1:00PM... said they would be in the area around noon. I emailed them and said normally we could not accomodate early check ins but would make an exception and said we could but to please not arrive prior to 1:00 (I didn't want them showing up at noon!) as I write this it is now 3:20PM and our 1:00 check ins still have not arrived! Although the guest rooms have been ready since yesterday we still had to rush around this morning cleaning the downstairs, bringing in fresh flowers from the garden, printing out paperwork etc plus I had a 12:00 hair apt that I had to sqeeze in and I still need to go shopping for breakfast (and our dinner) necessities!
Now mind you we only have three quest suites but the place is big, library, dining room, sunroom, living room for common areas and it's just my mom and me doing all the work around here. And there have been many times when guests have not asked if they could come early but have simply shown up expecting that we would be ready for them whenever they decided to arrive!
I've had enough! I've decided to put in our policies that early check ins, if we can accommodate them will be charged a fee of $50. And I've just made a sign for the door that we will begin putting out in the morning which says "Hello! So sorry to have missed you but we are busy preparing for our next arrivals and are currently closed. Check-in is between 3PM-5PM. See you then!" I will leave a basket with local restaurant information and brochures for area things they can do until them. I want happy guests but we need some time to get the things done around here that need doing!
Welcome 10Fitch! You have just described
Mother Murphy's law of innkeeping...or shall we say the waiting game. If they request an early check in they are NEVER early. Law of moron physics or something. The one thing that perturbs me most in this business, is the inconsiderate guests. You are not a robot, you do have your own life where you need to eat drink shower shop run errands get your ears lowered etc. Beside the fact add into that all the work you do as an innkeeper.
For innkeeper sanity/well being,
stick to your policies. I even have a note on the front door that states the same thing - Check in time begins at 3pm. We are busy preparing the rooms, we cannot accept early check ins. Then you have leave some menus out there (if you want to be nice) and the other half of the note is by appt only, no marketers or soliciting in other words.
Enjoy the forum. It is a lively bunch!
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Welcome 10Fitch!
I cannot agree with Joe more fervently. Adopt good policies to begin with and unless it is totally convenient for YOU to be flexible, stick to them.
I don't care where you are located, every time one of us bends over and takes in the $%^& for an inconsiderate guest, we are enabling that guest to believe that all innkeepers are ripe for and accepting of the abuse.
This is a fraternity we belong to is just like plumbers, electricians, etc..
Some standardized consistency on policies is the only thing that will minimize the stuff like this that happens as you'll read if you hang out here long enough to ALL of us.
I can guarantee you that most hotel chains are in near perfect alignment on various policies depending on size, price point, etc... If we expect to be taken seriously as a viable and competitive alternative to hotels and motels, we need to be just as united in our consistent application of some basic rules and policies.
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