Innkeep
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- Jun 4, 2008
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Spoiler Alert: There is nothing profound or enlightening in the following very wordy post. I'm just feeling wordy tonight.
I have had such a long run of non-problem guests. I always thought I'd be fairly well protected from PITA's due to my non-tourist location. This week I've had a mini-epidemic.
A lady reserved my smallest room at the business rate for 3 nights. She was a presenter at a conference, so even though it involved a weekend, no probs. 3 days later she calls to say that she'd really like to have two of her old college friends join her on Saturday night. By this time the big room with space for a rollaway was already reserved by another group. I explained how small the room was, and that maybe I could squeeze an aerobed in there but didn't recommend it. In spite of my reluctance, she thought that would be great fun and so I agreed to let her squeeze two extra people in.
So, yesterday I moved furniture around in the little room and set up the rollaway in the larger room, which also involves quite a bit of furniture moving. An hour after my furniture moving the business person calls to say that she decided not to bother with inviting her friends here. I was very proud of myself because I was able to move the furniture back before she arrived and not get too upset, although I did tell her I'd already set her room up so there would be room for her extra guests.
The group in the bigger room included 5 women in town for 30th HS reunion occupying 2 rooms. The one who made the reservation made sure I knew she is no gluten. Said no one else in her group has any diet issues. Fine.
Today the group offive on arrival announced that the fifth one decided not to come (which they'd known about for weeks), and oh, yes, two of the others in the group are lactose intolerant. Unfortunately, I had just made a wheat free corn pudding and test baked a portion for me, cause I'd never tried that before (I invented the recipe just today - actually doesn't taste too bad). Has sour cream in it, so neither one of them will eat that (I asked, both declined). Group leader apologizes for not remembering to tell me about the lactose free which she knew about, or the lack of a fifth person to put in the rollaway. I think I did get a little grumpy by the time we got all that sorted out.
In the mean time I'm getting emails about every 3 days from a guy who is trying to surprise his wife for her birthday. I emailed him the restaurant list, he picks out a restaurant, but thinks it would be great to have a DQ ice cream cake waiting in the room for them when they come back from dinner... logistics? So I email back with suggestions, phone # of DQ, maybe the guys at the restaurant would serve it for him... Next email - I've changed my mind. I want chocolate covered strawberries in the room - "just add it to my bill" Guess what? In non-tourist towns they don't sell chocolate covered strawberries except maybe around Valentine's Day. I figured that out after phoning the 3 places I thought might sell them. Guess what? I decided not to try doing that myself. One new recipe challenge per week is enough for me. Now he's happy just to bring his own bottle of wine. I'm holding the peroxide and Dawn at the ready for when they spill the wine all over everything. I won't meet them til tomorrow. He has 24 hours to change his mind again.
I'm really so fortunate. If I had this level of confusion going on every day I'm sure I would be far beyond grumpy. I got a little dose of what some of you Innmates get all the time. I'm getting just enough to empathize with those of you in the tourist trenches. I really admire y'all so much for putting up with all you put up with .. I'm always running into folks I knew from my "previous life" who still ask me how I enjoy my "retirement". I tell them all that I'm enjoying it immensely, and that I've never worked harder.
I have had such a long run of non-problem guests. I always thought I'd be fairly well protected from PITA's due to my non-tourist location. This week I've had a mini-epidemic.
A lady reserved my smallest room at the business rate for 3 nights. She was a presenter at a conference, so even though it involved a weekend, no probs. 3 days later she calls to say that she'd really like to have two of her old college friends join her on Saturday night. By this time the big room with space for a rollaway was already reserved by another group. I explained how small the room was, and that maybe I could squeeze an aerobed in there but didn't recommend it. In spite of my reluctance, she thought that would be great fun and so I agreed to let her squeeze two extra people in.
So, yesterday I moved furniture around in the little room and set up the rollaway in the larger room, which also involves quite a bit of furniture moving. An hour after my furniture moving the business person calls to say that she decided not to bother with inviting her friends here. I was very proud of myself because I was able to move the furniture back before she arrived and not get too upset, although I did tell her I'd already set her room up so there would be room for her extra guests.
The group in the bigger room included 5 women in town for 30th HS reunion occupying 2 rooms. The one who made the reservation made sure I knew she is no gluten. Said no one else in her group has any diet issues. Fine.
Today the group of
In the mean time I'm getting emails about every 3 days from a guy who is trying to surprise his wife for her birthday. I emailed him the restaurant list, he picks out a restaurant, but thinks it would be great to have a DQ ice cream cake waiting in the room for them when they come back from dinner... logistics? So I email back with suggestions, phone # of DQ, maybe the guys at the restaurant would serve it for him... Next email - I've changed my mind. I want chocolate covered strawberries in the room - "just add it to my bill" Guess what? In non-tourist towns they don't sell chocolate covered strawberries except maybe around Valentine's Day. I figured that out after phoning the 3 places I thought might sell them. Guess what? I decided not to try doing that myself. One new recipe challenge per week is enough for me. Now he's happy just to bring his own bottle of wine. I'm holding the peroxide and Dawn at the ready for when they spill the wine all over everything. I won't meet them til tomorrow. He has 24 hours to change his mind again.
I'm really so fortunate. If I had this level of confusion going on every day I'm sure I would be far beyond grumpy. I got a little dose of what some of you Innmates get all the time. I'm getting just enough to empathize with those of you in the tourist trenches. I really admire y'all so much for putting up with all you put up with .. I'm always running into folks I knew from my "previous life" who still ask me how I enjoy my "retirement". I tell them all that I'm enjoying it immensely, and that I've never worked harder.