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gillumhouse

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Had a call last night from a lady of a prominent family in town. She was calling for her neighbor who is deaf. A couple is bringing a friend in to visit her and they need a place to stay for the night. yes, i do have availability. She does not know the couple - not even their names - just making the call because the neighbor cannot ust the phone. OK, no problem.
Last night i get a call from the potential guest who does not give me her name - they will get into town and come look at us - but wants to know if the bathroom is in the room. Yes, it is ensuite. THEN she tells me her husband is blind and I tell her the rooms are on the second floor, there are steps. I do not want this reservation. I do not want to get a room all guest ready and wait around for people who - may or may not stay and will not be eating breakfast because they are taking their friends out to breakfast before thet leave town AND I do not want the fear of a blind man falling down my stairs OR walking into my upstairs railing which is LOW and doing a header.
I cannot talk to the friend in town because she is deaf and I have NO info about the "guests". This is one peoblem anyone doing business in a small town will have to be prepared to handle. It took 13 years to come up for me - but if it did come up once, you can be sure it will again for someone.
 
Why didn't you ask her for her name and a cell phone number? Did you tell her that you were concerned about the safety of your home for a blind person?
K...you don't have to say yes to everyone, you know!
 
I didn't have it happen like yours but i got a call and they asked me if I was ADA compliant. I explained that we only had two rooms and we were exempt from that compliance. I explained that we had stairs going to the front door and the bedrooms were on the second floor and the bathroom had two steps down into it. He had me count the stairs before each landing. Then said, "ok, as long as there are landings we'll be fine". Well they show up and have to stop to rest after every 5th step. I was really worried. They were very slow going both up and down. I spent much time in prayer for them while they were here! They were really nice, but I was nervous while they were here!
 
Why didn't you ask her for her name and a cell phone number? Did you tell her that you were concerned about the safety of your home for a blind person?
K...you don't have to say yes to everyone, you know!.
Of course I asked for her name and tried to take the reservation then and there. She hung up before I had a chance to say much of anything. I am not taking this reservation. IF they show up, I am going to give them directions to the motel down the road - no stairs. Not as nice but not as expensive either. I have turned away many reservations that are not a fit for here.
I posted this as a learning tool for Aspirings. It is one of the myriad things that can and will happen.
 
Why didn't you ask her for her name and a cell phone number? Did you tell her that you were concerned about the safety of your home for a blind person?
K...you don't have to say yes to everyone, you know!.
Of course I asked for her name and tried to take the reservation then and there. She hung up before I had a chance to say much of anything. I am not taking this reservation. IF they show up, I am going to give them directions to the motel down the road - no stairs. Not as nice but not as expensive either. I have turned away many reservations that are not a fit for here.
I posted this as a learning tool for Aspirings. It is one of the myriad things that can and will happen.
.
Blind people DO learn to navigate and function in the real world. It shouldn't be an issue for him.
 
Why didn't you ask her for her name and a cell phone number? Did you tell her that you were concerned about the safety of your home for a blind person?
K...you don't have to say yes to everyone, you know!.
Of course I asked for her name and tried to take the reservation then and there. She hung up before I had a chance to say much of anything. I am not taking this reservation. IF they show up, I am going to give them directions to the motel down the road - no stairs. Not as nice but not as expensive either. I have turned away many reservations that are not a fit for here.
I posted this as a learning tool for Aspirings. It is one of the myriad things that can and will happen.
.
Blind people DO learn to navigate and function in the real world. It shouldn't be an issue for him.
.
I am well aware of this however since SHE called me about this and then refused to give me reservation info and hung up before I could take it further, I do not want this reservation. My problem with the whole thing is I do not want to appear to be turning away reservations with a person of prominence in this town. That family - not her branch but still the family - owns the funeral home across the street that could have made people aware that we were here and did not. THIS is why I am warning about small town dynamics.
 
I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to take this reservation, based on the fact that you are not getting any specifics and the person couldn't even be bothered to give you contact info. As if you just have all day to sit around and wait for them IF they even show up, and then they MIGHT deign to stay with you. People just don't get it.
I did want to chime in though to say we had a family here for 5 days, they had two rooms for 4 people, both on the second floor. One of their sons was blind which we didn't know until he arrived. It had absolutely no impact on us at all, he used a cane and his brother who stayed in the room with him helped him navigate. I did offer if they needed any throw rugs removed or furniture moved to just let me know but they never asked for anything. The only adjustment I made was when I served him breakfast I let him know where I was putting his drinks so they wouldn't get knocked over.
 
I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to take this reservation, based on the fact that you are not getting any specifics and the person couldn't even be bothered to give you contact info. As if you just have all day to sit around and wait for them IF they even show up, and then they MIGHT deign to stay with you. People just don't get it.
I did want to chime in though to say we had a family here for 5 days, they had two rooms for 4 people, both on the second floor. One of their sons was blind which we didn't know until he arrived. It had absolutely no impact on us at all, he used a cane and his brother who stayed in the room with him helped him navigate. I did offer if they needed any throw rugs removed or furniture moved to just let me know but they never asked for anything. The only adjustment I made was when I served him breakfast I let him know where I was putting his drinks so they wouldn't get knocked over..
I would not have had any unease about any of it until the lady called and grilled me. She said they would not be having breakfast as they were taking their friends out to breakfast - I suggested the friends join them here even. She seemed comcerned about the steps and the bathroom. People who stay here - or expect to - owe me the courtesy of at least giving me their name which she did not do when I asked. We are not even talking about the lack of a cc number which I was willing to forego with the original call.
I am well aware of the functionality of the blind and applaud it. It was her questions that made me wonder. People who function on their own as blind have usually had training to do so. Has he???
 
Hmmmm.....think about it. They don't HAVE a reservation. You have no info on them, so I would just lock the front door and/or be away. It's ridiculous to have to hang around just in case.
Obviously, these are not B&B people and would be happier elsewhere.
 
Hmmmm.....think about it. They don't HAVE a reservation. You have no info on them, so I would just lock the front door and/or be away. It's ridiculous to have to hang around just in case.
Obviously, these are not B&B people and would be happier elsewhere..
I concur.
 
this is a difficult situation to be in. i had guests with varying degress of challenges, blind, deaf, hearing impaired, some with service animals, etc. the most challenging for me was the man who rode a motorized scooter up to the front door and insisted on keeping his room on the second floor. the room on the first floor was completely accessible but had no view and he wanted a view.
so he went up and down the stairs by grasping the railing and pulling himself along - 14 steps ... the railing had to be reinforced during his stay because it suddenly felt wobbly ... some kind of anchor bolt actually broke loose ... that's how much weight was being put on the railing.
i would be lying if i said i was not relieved when he checked out ... unhurt and happy. he was a lovely man but i was worried about those stairs.
 
I called the prominent lady this morning to explain why I was not going to take this reservation and to ask which neighbor - downhill or up - to give her a note explaining the MY HouseInn was not a "good fit". She told me the neighbor had a doc appt this morning. So I wrote a letter on letterhead explaining that since when I spoke to the lady, she was unwilling to give me even a name and since I was certain they would understand wanting to know at least the name of people who were going to be in your home and in view of the stairs situation, I felt they would be much better accommodated at the motel and gave the phone number of the motel. I dropped it off on my way to a wake this afternoon. The door was answered by the lady who is visiting (not my potentials) and I told her who I was only to hear her say "Oh, we were going to call you to say they were not going to stay with you." I gave her the letter and left. Felt good to be the one to say sorry, not here. It was already going on 4 PM. And just when would they have gotten around to calling??
 
I agree that you should not take that reservation. I also live in a small town and just last week was asked if there was room from a lady up the road in a large home an some relatives where coming this was for one night and I said Yes of course we only have one room and its the suite, she said she had to call the relative to make sure, that week was crazy and we where in the middle of a project with the wood floors in our front room not to mention had 11 guests coming for the guest house which we where cleaninf from Labor Day weekend not to mention that it was nearly 11PM she said she would call right back. (the suite was not even ready for the next day) anyway, she never called back, maybe it was the price.
I would just not be home..:)yea but then you gotta hear the gossip...i get you! Good luck.
 
Why didn't you ask her for her name and a cell phone number? Did you tell her that you were concerned about the safety of your home for a blind person?
K...you don't have to say yes to everyone, you know!.
Of course I asked for her name and tried to take the reservation then and there. She hung up before I had a chance to say much of anything. I am not taking this reservation. IF they show up, I am going to give them directions to the motel down the road - no stairs. Not as nice but not as expensive either. I have turned away many reservations that are not a fit for here.
I posted this as a learning tool for Aspirings. It is one of the myriad things that can and will happen.
.
Blind people DO learn to navigate and function in the real world. It shouldn't be an issue for him.
.
ginocat said:
Blind people DO learn to navigate and function in the real world. It shouldn't be an issue for him.
The wonderful adaptations of the blind are really not the point OR her concern.
It was the lack of information up front and mostly the lack of a credit card number to hold the room. You really can't even consider this a reservation. It sounds like someone was just checking availability.
 
Why didn't you ask her for her name and a cell phone number? Did you tell her that you were concerned about the safety of your home for a blind person?
K...you don't have to say yes to everyone, you know!.
Of course I asked for her name and tried to take the reservation then and there. She hung up before I had a chance to say much of anything. I am not taking this reservation. IF they show up, I am going to give them directions to the motel down the road - no stairs. Not as nice but not as expensive either. I have turned away many reservations that are not a fit for here.
I posted this as a learning tool for Aspirings. It is one of the myriad things that can and will happen.
.
Blind people DO learn to navigate and function in the real world. It shouldn't be an issue for him.
.
ginocat said:
Blind people DO learn to navigate and function in the real world. It shouldn't be an issue for him.
The wonderful adaptations of the blind are really not the point OR her concern.
It was the lack of information up front and mostly the lack of a credit card number to hold the room. You really can't even consider this a reservation. It sounds like someone was just checking availability.
.
In all fairness, I did bring up the stairs and the low railing as part of the unease. The fact that I did not even have a name - after speaking to the person i thought was his wife and asking to her make the reservation while we are talking to each other (and too late at night to contact anyone) was the last straw. Having no one to contact to say this is not a reservation made this even more difficult.
It was an all around manure pile and I was stuck right in the middle of it. The only reason I brought it up was as another situation that can & will happen so decide how it will be handled when it does.
 
Why didn't you ask her for her name and a cell phone number? Did you tell her that you were concerned about the safety of your home for a blind person?
K...you don't have to say yes to everyone, you know!.
Of course I asked for her name and tried to take the reservation then and there. She hung up before I had a chance to say much of anything. I am not taking this reservation. IF they show up, I am going to give them directions to the motel down the road - no stairs. Not as nice but not as expensive either. I have turned away many reservations that are not a fit for here.
I posted this as a learning tool for Aspirings. It is one of the myriad things that can and will happen.
.
Blind people DO learn to navigate and function in the real world. It shouldn't be an issue for him.
.
ginocat said:
Blind people DO learn to navigate and function in the real world. It shouldn't be an issue for him.
The wonderful adaptations of the blind are really not the point OR her concern.
It was the lack of information up front and mostly the lack of a credit card number to hold the room. You really can't even consider this a reservation. It sounds like someone was just checking availability.
.
I guess I didn't want to allude to that because I saw the issue mainly as a big mistake in taking the reservation without info. We all make mistakes and not getting the correct info from the 'get-go' is always a problem. Then it was compounded by trying to get out of the booking (when really there wasn't one) by skirting the main issue that no information was taken/given and focusing on 'blind' issues. It is a lesson to never try and be nice and skip details even when we know someone or think we are doing a favour and I'm sure we've all fallen into that trap at one time, or if we haven't yet we probably will sometime in the future.
 
I'm just skimmin here, and I know there's a lot of frustration involved, but the fun part is that a blind man is coming to visit a deaf woman...
=)
Kk.
 
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