How much information is too much information?

[EmptyNest]

I have a partner who lives with me but we arn't married but I don't see how this is any of the customers business. I am tempted to wear a ring just to shut them up but think it might be a faf when I am cleaning. People sometimes say oh gosh you don't do all this by yourself which I don't mind (I would have to be wonder woman!) I say oh no my partner helps and my parents which is fine but I do sometimes just say he is my husband or fiance because it is easier for people to understand. Sometimes though as Simon is out at work for example on a friday night and it can be groups of lads comming to the door and it would be nice to have some back up. For example last night two lads came to the door for a twin room and one was tryng to look down my top while trying to "convince me one would have the single and one would share with me" and other stupid things. I mean who talks to someone like that you are tying to convince to let you stay? and one slapped me on the arse as they walked away!.

WHAT???? I hope you sent them packing!!!! IF someone slapped me...I would be calling the cops!

 

[JBloggs]

"shell middens"
You are educating me. Thanks.

 

[EmptyNest]

It is acceptable in different parts of the country and different walks of life to ask different questions. Boy did that make any sense? Well what I am saying is there are the tight lipped community, then there is the everything hang out community, the ADHD adults who feel there are no boundaries and repsect no ones privacy.
But overall, I think it is mostly just making small talk. I feel that if we instigate good conversation first, then they respond in kind. So almost cutting it off at the pass. But having said that, when you have one nighter after one nighter we are broken records, we have the schpeel down. The guests don't know this, of course.
First question always "How long have you been doing this?" Second question "How do you like it" Third question "Do you stay busy?" Fourth Question "I bet it is a lot of work?"
Me: answering while intertwining stories of prev interesting guests, local folklore and why we love living here, and how running this B&B keeps us off the streets.
Folklore for the week: I went to a show which was very educational on the Sacred Harp and (broader) shape note singing. I have heard of it since moving here to these mountains but have never experienced it myself. Yes, I wrote a blog article about it, even still not grasping it fully. So this is my weekly question, asking if they know of this, a tradition that goes back hundreds of years in these hills.
Here it is in wiki as the trivia for the week http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Harp.

Good one...I am pushing the alewives and the mail boat this week!
.

Good one...I am pushing the alewives and the mail boat this week!

I love that, I truly do, it makes me want to get in the car and head to Maine. This is the FUN PART of innkeeping, imo.

PS I have also told the alewives and mailboat this week because of you. The couple now from FLA just heard about the Fairy Stones. They stayed up near Riki for two nights and had the innkeeper telling them to "not do this and not do that" I asked the name of the inn. I will code it here for Riki and Catlady. Tree.S.I.
.

I could have guessed it was that place :-( Not the least bit surprised

 

[Morticia]

"shell middens"
You are educating me. Thanks..

"shell middens"
You are educating me. Thanks.

Huge piles of shells. Tipsy loves her oysters, but so did the native populations here!

 

[user 26]

however you choose to answer (silly, snarky, businesslike, avoidance) ALWAYS give the impression that more than one of you lives on the premises ... that 'mr brown the caretaker' is always somewhere on the property .., something like that.
just for your own safety ... strength in numbers and all that.
years and years ago i worked in a ladies clothing store and we were trained to always say that the manager was busy 'in the back' ... never to say we were alone. being high school girls, we made a bit of a joke about it, pretending to buzz the manager on the phone and then telling the imaginary visitor that he was busy on a sales call and we'd have to take a message. we joked until we were robbed by someone pointing a hypodermic needle at my face. i will NEVER forget that!

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

however you choose to answer (silly, snarky, businesslike, avoidance) ALWAYS give the impression that more than one of you lives on the premises ... that 'mr brown the caretaker' is always somewhere on the property .., something like that.
just for your own safety ... strength in numbers and all that.
years and years ago i worked in a ladies clothing store and we were trained to always say that the manager was busy 'in the back' ... never to say we were alone. being high school girls, we made a bit of a joke about it, pretending to buzz the manager on the phone and then telling the imaginary visitor that he was busy on a sales call and we'd have to take a message. we joked until we were robbed by someone pointing a hypodermic needle at my face. i will NEVER forget that!.

however you choose to answer (silly, snarky, businesslike, avoidance) ALWAYS give the impression that more than one of you lives on the premises ... that 'mr brown the caretaker' is always somewhere on the property .., something like that.
just for your own safety ... strength in numbers and all that.
years and years ago i worked in a ladies clothing store and we were trained to always say that the manager was busy 'in the back' ... never to say we were alone. being high school girls, we made a bit of a joke about it, pretending to buzz the manager on the phone and then telling the imaginary visitor that he was busy on a sales call and we'd have to take a message. we joked until we were robbed by someone pointing a hypodermic needle at my face. i will NEVER forget that!

Oh! the joys of retail. All kidding aside, that is frightening!

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

I have a partner who lives with me but we arn't married but I don't see how this is any of the customers business. I am tempted to wear a ring just to shut them up but think it might be a faf when I am cleaning. People sometimes say oh gosh you don't do all this by yourself which I don't mind (I would have to be wonder woman!) I say oh no my partner helps and my parents which is fine but I do sometimes just say he is my husband or fiance because it is easier for people to understand. Sometimes though as Simon is out at work for example on a friday night and it can be groups of lads comming to the door and it would be nice to have some back up. For example last night two lads came to the door for a twin room and one was tryng to look down my top while trying to "convince me one would have the single and one would share with me" and other stupid things. I mean who talks to someone like that you are tying to convince to let you stay? and one slapped me on the arse as they walked away!.

I have a partner who lives with me but we arn't married but I don't see how this is any of the customers business. I am tempted to wear a ring just to shut them up but think it might be a faf when I am cleaning. People sometimes say oh gosh you don't do all this by yourself which I don't mind (I would have to be wonder woman!) I say oh no my partner helps and my parents which is fine but I do sometimes just say he is my husband or fiance because it is easier for people to understand. Sometimes though as Simon is out at work for example on a friday night and it can be groups of lads comming to the door and it would be nice to have some back up. For example last night two lads came to the door for a twin room and one was tryng to look down my top while trying to "convince me one would have the single and one would share with me" and other stupid things. I mean who talks to someone like that you are tying to convince to let you stay? and one slapped me on the arse as they walked away!

Do men actually think we find this type of behavior charming? I get the looking down the shirt thing quite often. Its hard to avoid it as I am petite.
However, if I got a slap on the butt, they would get a knee in return.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

however you choose to answer (silly, snarky, businesslike, avoidance) ALWAYS give the impression that more than one of you lives on the premises ... that 'mr brown the caretaker' is always somewhere on the property .., something like that.
just for your own safety ... strength in numbers and all that.
years and years ago i worked in a ladies clothing store and we were trained to always say that the manager was busy 'in the back' ... never to say we were alone. being high school girls, we made a bit of a joke about it, pretending to buzz the manager on the phone and then telling the imaginary visitor that he was busy on a sales call and we'd have to take a message. we joked until we were robbed by someone pointing a hypodermic needle at my face. i will NEVER forget that!.

however you choose to answer (silly, snarky, businesslike, avoidance) ALWAYS give the impression that more than one of you lives on the premises ... that 'mr brown the caretaker' is always somewhere on the property .., something like that.
just for your own safety ... strength in numbers and all that.

When the question of who lives here comes up, I always just say "Someone is always on site. At least 2 of us." And then go on to discussing why the guest is here.
Changing the subject is really not that hard. But making sure they know you're not alone there is, IMHO, really important.

 

[JBloggs]

Like the old addage for single females to park a pair of men's work boots out the back door or on the porch.

 

[Country Girl]

I find most guests are very curious about B&B's and their owners. Our B&B is small so it is like staying with family. We're pretty open and I've never been offended by a question. But when my husband is traveling I never let on that I am alone.

 

[user 26]

I have a partner who lives with me but we arn't married but I don't see how this is any of the customers business. I am tempted to wear a ring just to shut them up but think it might be a faf when I am cleaning. People sometimes say oh gosh you don't do all this by yourself which I don't mind (I would have to be wonder woman!) I say oh no my partner helps and my parents which is fine but I do sometimes just say he is my husband or fiance because it is easier for people to understand. Sometimes though as Simon is out at work for example on a friday night and it can be groups of lads comming to the door and it would be nice to have some back up. For example last night two lads came to the door for a twin room and one was tryng to look down my top while trying to "convince me one would have the single and one would share with me" and other stupid things. I mean who talks to someone like that you are tying to convince to let you stay? and one slapped me on the arse as they walked away!.

For example last night two lads came to the door for a twin room and one was tryng to look down my top while trying to "convince me one would have the single and one would share with me" and other stupid things. I mean who talks to someone like that you are tying to convince to let you stay? and one slapped me on the arse as they walked away!

this is NOT cool at all! no one should be looking at you like that and absolutely NOT touching you like that! those two were TROUBLE in my book and not welcome. i hope you slammed the door on their 'arses' on the way out.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

I have a partner who lives with me but we arn't married but I don't see how this is any of the customers business. I am tempted to wear a ring just to shut them up but think it might be a faf when I am cleaning. People sometimes say oh gosh you don't do all this by yourself which I don't mind (I would have to be wonder woman!) I say oh no my partner helps and my parents which is fine but I do sometimes just say he is my husband or fiance because it is easier for people to understand. Sometimes though as Simon is out at work for example on a friday night and it can be groups of lads comming to the door and it would be nice to have some back up. For example last night two lads came to the door for a twin room and one was tryng to look down my top while trying to "convince me one would have the single and one would share with me" and other stupid things. I mean who talks to someone like that you are tying to convince to let you stay? and one slapped me on the arse as they walked away!.

For example last night two lads came to the door for a twin room and one was tryng to look down my top while trying to "convince me one would have the single and one would share with me" and other stupid things. I mean who talks to someone like that you are tying to convince to let you stay? and one slapped me on the arse as they walked away!

this is NOT cool at all! no one should be looking at you like that and absolutely NOT touching you like that! those two were TROUBLE in my book and not welcome. i hope you slammed the door on their 'arses' on the way out.
.

For example last night two lads came to the door for a twin room and one was tryng to look down my top while trying to "convince me one would have the single and one would share with me" and other stupid things. I mean who talks to someone like that you are tying to convince to let you stay? and one slapped me on the arse as they walked away!

this is NOT cool at all!

Ditto. I would have sent those lads away Or better, I'd have called Simon and asked him to send them away. They'd probably have been gone before you hung up the phone.

 

[Proud Texan]

DW and I have a little bio of ourselves in the guest room information book. If it ain't in there, it ain't nobody's bidness!
One way I get people from asking personal questions is to start talking about my grandchildren. That turns them off real fast!