Filed under: Can't win for losing

[Morticia]

We have discussed making the keypad code so easy that the village idiot could remember it (this after having to answer the door 4 times today during breakfast for the same group- 'I forgot the code!'- ALL of you? REALLY?)
Anyway, we are flat out cleaning the whole house (no help, full house checkout) and someone knocks on the door. I ignore it. I hear them go away. 2 minutes later they are back, letting themselves into the house and wandering around.

Go out into the dining room and there is a guest FROM LAST WEEK wandering around. THEY had written the code down and just waltzed in. Looking for property they left here last week. So, what were they going to do? Search the whole house?
You know, maybe having the door unlocked all night isn't as bad as what that keypad thing has put us thru!

 

[JBloggs]

The Year Virginia Became a State - 1788
Mort you have never stayed here. May I share what I do with our guests?
I print out a sheet with like 25 codes on it WITH a bit of trivia. (I cut them into little pieces and give them to guests) So once they have it in their hand plus pocket it helps.
The code is always trivia. Once people associate it with something they remember it. I use local trivia or someone they might know of, that also helps. Although the date is rarely known to them.
The Year Virginia Became a State - 1788. (That is it, just like that, no name of the B&B or anything else)
I try to not use double digits as I want all the buttons to get even wear, so that is not our current code, but I did use it last year.

 

[Morticia]

The Year Virginia Became a State - 1788
Mort you have never stayed here. May I share what I do with our guests?
I print out a sheet with like 25 codes on it WITH a bit of trivia. (I cut them into little pieces and give them to guests) So once they have it in their hand plus pocket it helps.
The code is always trivia. Once people associate it with something they remember it. I use local trivia or someone they might know of, that also helps. Although the date is rarely known to them.
The Year Virginia Became a State - 1788. (That is it, just like that, no name of the B&B or anything else)
I try to not use double digits as I want all the buttons to get even wear, so that is not our current code, but I did use it last year..

Yup, I was thinking of that...something fun and trivial. But that doesn't stop the ones who haul the little piece of paper around with them and come in the next week! Or after shopping. Or whatever. See, we have a lot of that here. 'We'll just get the car later.' And they let themselves in again.
If I hd a spare washroom, not a problem. But these guests will come in and go around looking for an open door.
It's kind of like what I was talking about the other day...the problem keeps recurring and I haven't done anything about it.

 

[EmptyNest]

The Year Virginia Became a State - 1788
Mort you have never stayed here. May I share what I do with our guests?
I print out a sheet with like 25 codes on it WITH a bit of trivia. (I cut them into little pieces and give them to guests) So once they have it in their hand plus pocket it helps.
The code is always trivia. Once people associate it with something they remember it. I use local trivia or someone they might know of, that also helps. Although the date is rarely known to them.
The Year Virginia Became a State - 1788. (That is it, just like that, no name of the B&B or anything else)
I try to not use double digits as I want all the buttons to get even wear, so that is not our current code, but I did use it last year..

Yup, I was thinking of that...something fun and trivial. But that doesn't stop the ones who haul the little piece of paper around with them and come in the next week! Or after shopping. Or whatever. See, we have a lot of that here. 'We'll just get the car later.' And they let themselves in again.
If I hd a spare washroom, not a problem. But these guests will come in and go around looking for an open door.
It's kind of like what I was talking about the other day...the problem keeps recurring and I haven't done anything about it.
.

In your case with the traffic you have, then change the code weekly. I know it may be a pain...but what you have said these guests are doing is totally unacceptable.

 

[seashanty]

ohboy.
yes, a b&b is a business, but it's not (usually) set up like a hotel with a lobby that anyone can come in to, maybe with a public restaurant and public restrooms included.
when a guest is given a key or a code to access the front door, they know darn well that it's intended for their use while they are a guest.

 

[Copperhead]

I do not know if this will help you but after one of our guests statements, we have a new blurp we use when showing people how to access the house.
We have the code printed on their room key fob and when I show them the door, prior to taking them to their room, joke about needing to see what DH has changed the code to this time - then say, don't worry though it will be good until you check out.
I would also change the code every week - or so, depending on your turnover.
This all started because a repeat guest came to the door and started punching the buttons (back when we had the one that beeps with each number). We went to the door to see who it was - it was our guest - he REMEMBERED the code from A YEAR ago. You just never know, some people could not remember their own name much less the code to the door, and then there are those like this guest (and my DH) that can remember their locker combination from Jr High. So folks, ya gotta remember to change those codes - or you may as well let them keep a key.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

We have a keypad on our front door, but there is also a dead bolt. The only time I tell a guest the code to use the key pad is a late check-in. All others only get the key to the deadbolt. That way they have to have a key to assess the building. We have the keypad like Mort's...it's a royal pain to take it apart and change the code.

 

[JBloggs]

[FONT= 'Lucida Grande']There's a way to do it better - find it. ~ Thomas Edison[/FONT]

 

[JBloggs]

Sorry but have we lost sight of what the door code is for? I mean, if a guest comes back sobeit, greet them and treat them as a guest.
What did ya'll do when you had the door unlocked all the time for guests? Are you expecting perfection? I don't understand why or how you could or would expect perfection, it's just a door. Heck even if you had a door man he would have to go to the loo every once in a while and not be there minute by minute.

 

[Morticia]

Sorry but have we lost sight of what the door code is for? I mean, if a guest comes back sobeit, greet them and treat them as a guest.
What did ya'll do when you had the door unlocked all the time for guests? Are you expecting perfection? I don't understand why or how you could or would expect perfection, it's just a door. Heck even if you had a door man he would have to go to the loo every once in a while and not be there minute by minute..

Sorry but have we lost sight of what the door code is for? I mean, if a guest comes back sobeit, greet them and treat them as a guest.

I didn't even recognize her! That's what threw me. Who IS this person wandering around in the house?
This was the day for it, tho...we put out the 'Back at 3' sign to do a whole house flip and every person who came to the door rang the bell. Had they known the code, they would have let themselves in, too.
BTW, I am working on the better way...

 

[Hangfive]

We've been thinking of using a keypad lock to keep from changing lock cylinders wihen guests leave with the key. I was wondering about some of these same issues. I think we have settled on a dead bolt for the front door that uses programmable key fobs. That way when a guests leaves with the fob we can reprogram and they can send it back without incurring rekey charges. If we dont get the fob back then they'll get charged.

 

[Arks]

We have a keypad on our front door, but there is also a dead bolt. The only time I tell a guest the code to use the key pad is a late check-in. All others only get the key to the deadbolt. That way they have to have a key to assess the building. We have the keypad like Mort's...it's a royal pain to take it apart and change the code..

We have the keypad like Mort's...it's a royal pain to take it apart and change the code.

We've been using the $138 Schlage FE595 for about 2 years now at my house. Very easy to erase an old code and create a new one. Just enter the 6-digit programming code, then erase the old one and enter the new one. I'm planning to use them at the B&B and change the code weekly. You can have multiple codes for different people, too, so the staff code would only change when a staff member quits.

I keep a recurring reminder in my iPhone to change the battery once a year. It will last a lot longer but I don't take chances with it.
The only problem I can see with using it at the B&B would be that someone could turn the inside latch (in the lower photo, above the handle) and unlock the door so people could get in without using the keypad. I'm pretty sure I can deactivate that, though, so it always requires the keypad to get in from outside.
We all love this thing. The door is always locked so we don't have to remember to lock it at night. And you can't get locked out without a key. It has worked flawlessly for 2 years. I DO keep a key to it hidden outside in case we ever do come home and find that it's malfunctioning, but so far that has never happened.
We got the brushed aluminum look, but it also comes in polished brass. I'll add that this style of handle is much easier to use than a round door knob. I can have both hands full of stuff and still open the door by pressing the handle with an elbow. Very handy.

 

[JBloggs]

Arkie that is the same one we have on the main front door and it works well and yes people try all latches/knobs/buttons before actually pulling a knob or lever handle to open the door. They think, no idea why, that it should AUTO open for them. It is again, diff place diff thinking.
That little knob to unlock it is what I say to do at breakfast time if there is an issue with a guest who can't seem to work it out. Those others will still put the code it and get it!
You can have a tall red haired white dude in a tall purple hat bouncing a basketball come to our front door. With 12 guests standing there each one of them would give you a different description of what he looked like or what he was doing. It is human nature. We all operate differently.

 

[Copperhead]

Arkie - that is the one we have now... works so much easier than the one you have to remove a panel on to reset.
JB - you are right nothing is perfect - nothing fool proof - but each of us needs to find that 'better way' that works for them under their circumstances.

 

[Proud Texan]

Time for another sign.

"Enter Keypad code, then turn the knob"

 

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[Red Handed Jill]

We, too, have a similar Schlage model (same programming process). I was wondering, Morticia, what the big deal was about changing the code, then I remembered your lock is like the one we have on our private quarters. That lock is a pain.
You might want to consider changing locks. We only have 4 rooms, but honestly, it's so straightforward to change the code, pretty much as soon as I see they're out the door, they get five minutes (or less, if I'm busy), and that code gets deleted. Because we have so few rooms, I give each guest a code specific to them and we haven't had anyone forget (yet). But even if guest-specific codes weren't an option, the add/delete code process is simple enough to change codes weekly.

 

[Morticia]

We, too, have a similar Schlage model (same programming process). I was wondering, Morticia, what the big deal was about changing the code, then I remembered your lock is like the one we have on our private quarters. That lock is a pain.
You might want to consider changing locks. We only have 4 rooms, but honestly, it's so straightforward to change the code, pretty much as soon as I see they're out the door, they get five minutes (or less, if I'm busy), and that code gets deleted. Because we have so few rooms, I give each guest a code specific to them and we haven't had anyone forget (yet). But even if guest-specific codes weren't an option, the add/delete code process is simple enough to change codes weekly..

I need a lock with more combos allowed (at least 10) and an easy way to swap them out. I'll look around. We can use this lock on the front door or on our door.
If it's easy, I'll do it myself every morning right after brekkie. But not when the lock requires disassembling!

 

[EmptyNest]

We, too, have a similar Schlage model (same programming process). I was wondering, Morticia, what the big deal was about changing the code, then I remembered your lock is like the one we have on our private quarters. That lock is a pain.
You might want to consider changing locks. We only have 4 rooms, but honestly, it's so straightforward to change the code, pretty much as soon as I see they're out the door, they get five minutes (or less, if I'm busy), and that code gets deleted. Because we have so few rooms, I give each guest a code specific to them and we haven't had anyone forget (yet). But even if guest-specific codes weren't an option, the add/delete code process is simple enough to change codes weekly..

I need a lock with more combos allowed (at least 10) and an easy way to swap them out. I'll look around. We can use this lock on the front door or on our door.
If it's easy, I'll do it myself every morning right after brekkie. But not when the lock requires disassembling!
.

I think I would be shopping for a new lock. NOPE....Disassembling a lock is not convenient :-(