How would you handle this?

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We have been open for 4 years and overbooked twice in that time. Dear husband and I slept in the basement and the guests got our room, nice King Bed in sound proof room, with extra large ensuite and view of the yard. The guests were thrilled and wondered why we didn't have that room listed on our site. We never mentioned that we had overbooked. With Air now we are never full let alone overbooked, truly semi-retired now.
Breakfast - I don't serve anything before 7AM, not even a brown paper bag ready to go. My competition, and friend, down the street does. She is a better woman then I.
 
I would pay the difference if I overbooked. Happily it hasn't happened so far. And most of the B&Bs in town are very comparably priced.
I serve breakfast at any hour. If they want 6, they get 6. If I'm finding out the night before, it makes it harder to say yes. But the reality is, yes, I'd still serve them at 6. I would get up at 5:30 (or even 5:40), not 4:30. The table would already be set, and a lot of the other prep done. The chances of them getting "eggs to order" would be very high. The 9 a.m. second breakfast would be a bummer.... if I saw that guest I'd probably ask if they were interested in going any earlier.
But I only have four rooms, which makes a big difference. In this scenario it would be two rooms, which is pretty typical for me. And when I do have a full house they're either all here for the same thing and eat at the same time, or I actually steer them to two breakfast times so that I'm not as crazed.
I tell guests the earliest I've ever served breakfast was 4:45 (and he came back the next year and did it again), but the hardest breakfast was the 14 Amish at 5 a.m. That was the first time they came. Now they average once or twice a year and I've gotten pretty good at it.... waffles and sausages made the night before and put in the oven and fridge to be polished off in the morning. Table set and everything read to go. Last time I got up at 4:40 and set the juice on the table at 4:59.
But it's only once or twice a year.... in the scenario you paint I'd be telling myself it's only one morning.
We all do what works for us!
=)
Kk.
 
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