How visible are you to your guests during their stay?

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Morticia

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Been thinking about this for a few days as we have had several guests who just hung around the house. I want to do laundry and other stuff in the inn, but I don't want the guests to feel like I'm hovering, or, conversely, ignoring them as I go about my tasks not 'noticing' them. Plus, I need to be able to spread stuff out but I don't want the guests feeling like they're in my way.
How do you get things done around the inn (not room cleaning) when guests are around? Do you greet them every time you see them? Stop and chat? Just wave? Ignore them?
 
I stop and chat briefly then crack on as we have four flights of stairs that need vacuming so people have to get past me on a regular basis.
 
If by chance I run into them. I will just say hi or how's your day? whatever? Then move on... I was not there to entertain them. They can take care of themselves. I had work to do and I did it. Thankfully, we can just shut off our part of the house, so most never saw us because the doors were closed and locked sometimes:)
 
If by chance I run into them. I will just say hi or how's your day? whatever? Then move on... I was not there to entertain them. They can take care of themselves. I had work to do and I did it. Thankfully, we can just shut off our part of the house, so most never saw us because the doors were closed and locked sometimes:).
All of the 'stuff' tho, is on the inn side...laundry, kitchen, etc. SO I have to go over there for the wash (all day long!)
 
If by chance I run into them. I will just say hi or how's your day? whatever? Then move on... I was not there to entertain them. They can take care of themselves. I had work to do and I did it. Thankfully, we can just shut off our part of the house, so most never saw us because the doors were closed and locked sometimes:).
All of the 'stuff' tho, is on the inn side...laundry, kitchen, etc. SO I have to go over there for the wash (all day long!)
.
I would just continue on with whatever you are doing. They are adults and can take care of themselves. You aren't their babysitter. Maybe a wave or a Hi as acknowlegement....I certainly wouldn't ignore them...but they see you are busy.
 
Hi Mort: I just go about my standard business, punctuated with conversation if required. They know we're the cook, bottle washer, gardener, etc.... provides an opportunity sometime to talk "housekeeping".
The messy stuff, or course, will just have to wait....
-KathleenM
 
My "central control" is at the computer in my Library which is at the bottom of the stairs. I nod to guests as they pass or say have a great day - something like that - or answer their questions, chat IF they wish. Laundry is at the back of the house so I can get there without passing guests.
I am as visiible as the guests wish me to be - but try to blend into the woodwork otherwise. Serve breakfast, ask if they need anything or hav eI forgotten anything and then, unless they want to chat, say I will leave you to your breakfast in peace. If you need anything just let me know. This has just given me a brainfart - I will give the lady the bell to ring if they need anything! Just as I do for dinners.
 
There is no getting around having to get your work done. Although I always liked to try to make things happen magically behind the scenes as much as possible, it didn't always happen if guests were hanging around or constantly in and out.
I would always stop and ask if they needed anything or if I could help them with a suggestion for lunch, sightseeing, whatever. Everything OK in their room?
If guests were around between check-out & check-in, I did feel like I had to "contain" things more, if that makes sense. But when I thought about it, if you're in a hotel you see cleaning carts, laundry bundles, etc. Stuff needs to happen during a certain window of the day!
It's not like we all have house elves or something.....
 
"We're here when you need us - give us a holler"
We have a bell, ring it if you need anything.
If I am cleaning a guest room, the door is closed and in fact most times I turn the bolt. I don't need anyone walking in on me, I won't be cornered in a bedroom. Just my personal space when I am working.
I speak to guests each and every time I SEE THEM and they SEE ME. I am one of those people who says Good morning, and when others continue to walk past and ignore and give no reply. Manners. If they don't see me, and I am in the habitrail somewhere all the better, I just do my thang.
We, like many of you, have first time B&B goers and they are unsure what to do and how it is done, once they realize there is no curfew and things are laid back, they can relax.
 
"We're here when you need us - give us a holler"
We have a bell, ring it if you need anything.
If I am cleaning a guest room, the door is closed and in fact most times I turn the bolt. I don't need anyone walking in on me, I won't be cornered in a bedroom. Just my personal space when I am working.
I speak to guests each and every time I SEE THEM and they SEE ME. I am one of those people who says Good morning, and when others continue to walk past and ignore and give no reply. Manners. If they don't see me, and I am in the habitrail somewhere all the better, I just do my thang.
We, like many of you, have first time B&B goers and they are unsure what to do and how it is done, once they realize there is no curfew and things are laid back, they can relax..
Oh, yeah...they KNEW where to find me. haha!
I did the same with guest rooms as far as locking the door when cleaning if I was on my own, except on the way out with the vacuum. :) It helped to cut down on cleaning noise traveling (running jetted tubs, vacuuming, etc.) Also if that guest returned, they would know that we were keeping their belongings locked up for them.
 
I do things behind the scenes when possible. If a guest sees me going up or down with a laundry basket or cleaning supplies, I always smile really big and say "pretend you don't see the housekeeper"! They always laugh and then go back to their book, map, coffee or whatever unless they have a question. The guests that don't want casual conversation are obvious, as are the ones that do.
Everyone knows which door to knock on by day if they need something and don't see me, and and which one to knock on by night for an emergency...that's only happened twice in seven years.
 
"We're here when you need us - give us a holler"
We have a bell, ring it if you need anything.
If I am cleaning a guest room, the door is closed and in fact most times I turn the bolt. I don't need anyone walking in on me, I won't be cornered in a bedroom. Just my personal space when I am working.
I speak to guests each and every time I SEE THEM and they SEE ME. I am one of those people who says Good morning, and when others continue to walk past and ignore and give no reply. Manners. If they don't see me, and I am in the habitrail somewhere all the better, I just do my thang.
We, like many of you, have first time B&B goers and they are unsure what to do and how it is done, once they realize there is no curfew and things are laid back, they can relax..
Do you close and lock a guest room door when you are cleaning if the guests are staying over? Curious as we are adamant that the door is open when we are cleaning and we're in there with someone's 'stuff'. Lock the door if we have to run to get something, but open when we're in there. I do this so the guest does not think anything 'funny' is going on if they come back.
We have had guests return to the room with the outside door and find us in there and their look tells all...'What are you doing in here?' (Well, ok, it's obvious, but it's that initial shock of unlocking their door and seeing someone inside the room.) That's the only room, that we don't open the door because the whole world can see in.
 
If it is freshening a guest room then the door remains OPEN.
If cleaning a bog and stripping beds, vacuuming etc, the door is closed. I don't care to see all dirty rooms open and being stripped as a guest either.
 
If it is freshening a guest room then the door remains OPEN.
If cleaning a bog and stripping beds, vacuuming etc, the door is closed. I don't care to see all dirty rooms open and being stripped as a guest either..
Joey Bloggs said:
If it is freshening a guest room then the door remains OPEN.
If cleaning a bog and stripping beds, vacuuming etc, the door is closed. I don't care to see all dirty rooms open and being stripped as a guest either.
Totally agree and yet I still don't go to make sure doors are closed when guests leave right after brekkie. And, oh, the mess I sometimes encounter and realize EVERYONE walked past that room.
 
I hate being caught with laundry and stuff I had just stripped about 4 rooms of everything and I was tired so I just chucked all the stuff down the stairs and it was all in a heap then people came and saw it all with me stood there with my hair all stood up, red face, no make up. Oh well never mind!
 
I try to stay out of the way. As far as tending rooms, we're fortunate to have a back stairwell, which I use most of the time (it has wooden stairs - I hate vacuuming the front, carpeted stairs so use them as little as possible).
We let them know - holler, knock on our door, ring the bell, and if ALL else fails and you need us, dial the phone.
If I am not terribly busy, I will leave one door open to our private space so I can easily hear someone "yoo-hoo."
Mostly it's a non-issue. If guests are choosing to hang out, they pretty much keep to their rooms.
 
I hate being caught with laundry and stuff I had just stripped about 4 rooms of everything and I was tired so I just chucked all the stuff down the stairs and it was all in a heap then people came and saw it all with me stood there with my hair all stood up, red face, no make up. Oh well never mind!.
When I know I'm going to chuck stuff down the stairs, I put everything in the pillowcases. At least it makes a tidy mess.
 
Laundry chute bayyyyybeeee. Plus our rooms are three in the front then a long hallway to get to two more then the outside room. So the config works fine, we have another door on the hallway which we can close as well if vacuuming. We? Sheesh is there a mouse in my pocket. which I can close.
 
Laundry chute bayyyyybeeee. Plus our rooms are three in the front then a long hallway to get to two more then the outside room. So the config works fine, we have another door on the hallway which we can close as well if vacuuming. We? Sheesh is there a mouse in my pocket. which I can close..
The PO's converted our laundry chute into cabinets. DH offered to convert it back (which would be awesome), but then I'd lose my cabinets...
 
Laundry chute bayyyyybeeee. Plus our rooms are three in the front then a long hallway to get to two more then the outside room. So the config works fine, we have another door on the hallway which we can close as well if vacuuming. We? Sheesh is there a mouse in my pocket. which I can close..
You really do have to come here to see just how every square inch of space is guest area. Chases were added in the hallways to run pipes for water, but that's about all the spare room there is!
 
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