If two of you are running the business???

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Baygirl

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If two of you are running the business...Do you set up schedules for each other..?
Like one day one of you answers the phone all day and is the designated one to check all guests in?
Currently both of us run the business and usually take turns when it comes time to check people in or answer the phone...(I got the last one, you're turn, type of thing)
Starting to wonder if it would be better for both of us to maybe set a few days where each of us gets a break from the phone/guest check in.
Just curious if anyone does this or if you have any system in place...
 
We're just starting to get the hang of it... dh got laid off two months ago and now we're both running the biz.
Some things are mine (cooking, bed making) and some are his (floors!), although we're trying to get to where he knows how to make beds, too. He's hard of hearing (and introverted) so I'm the phone answerer.
I think our goal is that we both can do all of it, but we seem to be progressing toward a lot of his and hers jobs.
Don't know if that helps any...
=)
Kk.
 
We each have our own job. DH is not as comfortable schmoozing so his tasks usually don't include the guest interaction. He does all the laundry & beds and vacuuming, yard work, etc. We are both cross trained and can cover for each other when needed or when the other one needs a break. This works well for us.
 
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!
 
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!.
sounds like a good idea. It wouldn't work for us, because DH REALLY doesn't like the guest interaction. Also, he's not as good at holding up our policies as I am when a guest/phone call puts pressure on to bend our rules.
If it works for you two, go for it! Personally, I would like to have a day without dealing with the guests.
 
It's really a matter of who is here when the guests arrive. Gomez generally heads out to do the shopping at 3 PM. (hmmmm!)
Other jobs we just sorted it out pretty quickly that whoever does it best does it. I usually get the phone because I have no problems hanging up on telemarketers. However, his booking rate is better than mine, so it's a toss up which way works best!
If one is busy we just holler to each other, 'Incoming!'
 
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!.
Baygirl said:
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!
I'm not sure how that would work. You've got one person doing all their 'usual' tasks and now there's no back up. So, I'm ironing, the laundry buzzes, the cookies are done, the phone rings and the doorbell rings. And Gomez sits there with his feet up because it's his day off? Oooo, I don't think so. (Because if the shoe were on the other foot, he'd be hollering for me to do something so it would never be equal unless I left the house.)
 
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!.
Baygirl said:
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!
I'm not sure how that would work. You've got one person doing all their 'usual' tasks and now there's no back up. So, I'm ironing, the laundry buzzes, the cookies are done, the phone rings and the doorbell rings. And Gomez sits there with his feet up because it's his day off? Oooo, I don't think so. (Because if the shoe were on the other foot, he'd be hollering for me to do something so it would never be equal unless I left the house.)
.
Actually you both would be doing your usual tasks...cooking, laundry and cleaning, etc...- That's why I've put this question out there to see if anyone does have a system in place. It would just be a few days out of the week, (more than likely weekday, maybe only off season time) with one day of no people interaction.....
 
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!.
Baygirl said:
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!
I'm not sure how that would work. You've got one person doing all their 'usual' tasks and now there's no back up. So, I'm ironing, the laundry buzzes, the cookies are done, the phone rings and the doorbell rings. And Gomez sits there with his feet up because it's his day off? Oooo, I don't think so. (Because if the shoe were on the other foot, he'd be hollering for me to do something so it would never be equal unless I left the house.)
.
Actually you both would be doing your usual tasks...cooking, laundry and cleaning, etc...- That's why I've put this question out there to see if anyone does have a system in place. It would just be a few days out of the week, (more than likely weekday, maybe only off season time) with one day of no people interaction.....
.
Baygirl, I know some innkeepers who do this with varying levels of success.
I know one couple who split the day up. She hates getting up early so he does breakfast. She comes in later and is there for the evening happy hour and check-ins. Seems to work well for them but they don't really take separate days off very often. They just split up each day with some overlap.
Another couple I know really splits their days completely. I have to say though, that their plan does not seem to me like the best plan since they are often like ships passing in the night and don't have a whole lot of quality time together. At least from my semi-outsider's perspective, this definitely seems to have negatively impacted their relationship.
But every inn and every relationship is different. You might be able to make it work if what you really find you're needing is some space and alone time. My only advice would be to make sure you also schedule in some quality time together, too.
 
It's really a matter of who is here when the guests arrive. Gomez generally heads out to do the shopping at 3 PM. (hmmmm!)
Other jobs we just sorted it out pretty quickly that whoever does it best does it. I usually get the phone because I have no problems hanging up on telemarketers. However, his booking rate is better than mine, so it's a toss up which way works best!
If one is busy we just holler to each other, 'Incoming!'.
Morticia said:
If one is busy we just holler to each other, 'Incoming!'
Good to know the technical term!
=)
Kk.
 
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!.
Baygirl said:
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!
I'm not sure how that would work. You've got one person doing all their 'usual' tasks and now there's no back up. So, I'm ironing, the laundry buzzes, the cookies are done, the phone rings and the doorbell rings. And Gomez sits there with his feet up because it's his day off? Oooo, I don't think so. (Because if the shoe were on the other foot, he'd be hollering for me to do something so it would never be equal unless I left the house.)
.
Actually you both would be doing your usual tasks...cooking, laundry and cleaning, etc...- That's why I've put this question out there to see if anyone does have a system in place. It would just be a few days out of the week, (more than likely weekday, maybe only off season time) with one day of no people interaction.....
.
Baygirl said:
Actually you both would be doing your usual tasks...cooking, laundry and cleaning, etc...- That's why I've put this question out there to see if anyone does have a system in place. It would just be a few days out of the week, (more than likely weekday, maybe only off season time) with one day of no people interaction.....
Well, we're new at this so I wouldn't go as far as "system" but I am working hard to implement "me" time, "him" time and "family" time... Wednesday I have a practice at church, and I just tried out a Bible study, so I think Wed. afternoons are going to be my "day out." Sometimes he goes to the library, or even (gasp!) goes fishing if we're caught up enough.
Like I said, not a system yet, but I do think we both need time "off and away."
=)
Kk.
 
Basically, I ran the business but if I had a busy schedule (I also am involved in a lot of community work), I would ask my dh to do the evening check-ins when he got home from work so that I could at least put my feet up for awhile.
Imvho, if you are both full-time owner/innkeepers you have to work out some kind of system or job descriptions where the workload is shared fairly evenly or one business partner can get resentful of doing more in the business. You need to play to your strengths to an extent, but there is a lot of physical work that needs to be shared (or hired out) or you can just get plain exhausted. For example, to me it wouldn't be fair to me if one partner is doing all the housework and the other one is entering data.
Better to handle this right away than wait for resentment to build up. And as much as we might love our guests, sometimes we get tired of telling "our story" and appreciate the other half taking a turn.
I think you're very wise to try and figure this out! :)
 
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!.
Baygirl said:
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!
I'm not sure how that would work. You've got one person doing all their 'usual' tasks and now there's no back up. So, I'm ironing, the laundry buzzes, the cookies are done, the phone rings and the doorbell rings. And Gomez sits there with his feet up because it's his day off? Oooo, I don't think so. (Because if the shoe were on the other foot, he'd be hollering for me to do something so it would never be equal unless I left the house.)
.
Actually you both would be doing your usual tasks...cooking, laundry and cleaning, etc...- That's why I've put this question out there to see if anyone does have a system in place. It would just be a few days out of the week, (more than likely weekday, maybe only off season time) with one day of no people interaction.....
.
Baygirl said:
Actually you both would be doing your usual tasks...cooking, laundry and cleaning, etc...- That's why I've put this question out there to see if anyone does have a system in place. It would just be a few days out of the week, (more than likely weekday, maybe only off season time) with one day of no people interaction.....
You should see us...'You go.' 'No, you go.' (As in 'you go get the door, I'm tired.') It's shameful. It's always after dinner. We're both just getting comfy and the bell starts ringing again.
 
It's really a matter of who is here when the guests arrive. Gomez generally heads out to do the shopping at 3 PM. (hmmmm!)
Other jobs we just sorted it out pretty quickly that whoever does it best does it. I usually get the phone because I have no problems hanging up on telemarketers. However, his booking rate is better than mine, so it's a toss up which way works best!
If one is busy we just holler to each other, 'Incoming!'.
Morticia said:
Gomez generally heads out to do the shopping at 3 PM. (hmmmm!)
Hmmmm is right!
 
We do have our normal chores spread out pretty evenly. So that's not an issue. It's trying to avoid like Morticia said, the "no you go" or "it's your turn" dilema. We think that if we can figure out how to do this at least a day or two a week, then mentally one of us is prepared at the beginning of the day to handle all "Incoming"
wink_smile.gif
, as far as guests and phones go. We would still do what needed to be done chore wise. We're coming into our 6th year doing this and are still learning every day!
 
We're just starting to get the hang of it... dh got laid off two months ago and now we're both running the biz.
Some things are mine (cooking, bed making) and some are his (floors!), although we're trying to get to where he knows how to make beds, too. He's hard of hearing (and introverted) so I'm the phone answerer.
I think our goal is that we both can do all of it, but we seem to be progressing toward a lot of his and hers jobs.
Don't know if that helps any...
=)
Kk..
You also have the housekeeping/bellmen in training.
 
We too have our designated jobs, and cover for each other when needed... I was wondering if anyone had a schedule worked out where say...Tuesday DH deals with all phone calls and check ins and Wednesday it's DW's turn. Just giving one another a day where they know they can be free of dealing with calls and check ins!.
We also both have our own jobs. I handle all the bookings, enquiries and checking people in, that way I know what's going on, who to expect and who I'm waiting for deposits from, that sort of thing. Glen looks after people in the dinning room at breakfast, he's good at all the chat, while I cook and look after the kitchen. He cleans the bathrooms and dusts, I change the beds and hoover. Works for us.
 
Under normal circumstances (meaning when DH is not going through yet another medical deal), DH does the dishes and vacs the downstairs. He also answers the phone when I am out. Other than that the rest is mine. He used to take the garbage out and do the yard work but has been unable to do that for a couple years now. As he ages, he is able to do less and less and each med deal takes more out of him.
He spends most of his time at the drawing board doing his paintings. He has several commisions for paintings when he gets back on his feet from this current deal - that makes up for lack of B & B duties.
Edited to add: I am very involved in community/State things and that is MY break from the B & B - but it all helps the B & B in the long run.
 
It's really a matter of who is here when the guests arrive. Gomez generally heads out to do the shopping at 3 PM. (hmmmm!)
Other jobs we just sorted it out pretty quickly that whoever does it best does it. I usually get the phone because I have no problems hanging up on telemarketers. However, his booking rate is better than mine, so it's a toss up which way works best!
If one is busy we just holler to each other, 'Incoming!'.
Morticia said:
If one is busy we just holler to each other, 'Incoming!'
Good to know the technical term!
=)
Kk.
.
Better than... "oh s#*t, they're here!" LOL
 
We can cross over on most things, not all. I don't do stairs because of back and knee troubles, but in a pinch I can. My hubster can't do computer - at all.
So I am accounting, website, marketing, all things internet and email. I cook for the larger crowds, as I am the breakfast caserole queen, and I mostly do all my prep in the evening. I cut the fruit and do the juices and toast in the am. He is the short order cook, eggs, pancakes, omelettes
I am a late night person - he is a morning person. That will never change.
He does yardwork. I do gardening. He built all the add-ons (half of each house). I was in charge of site developement, zoning, licensing, etc.
In a perfect world, when we have part time help, neither of us does rooms. In a non-perfect time, he does the rooms - I do the ironing and dusting.
We both get burned out, and since we can't always cross-over, we have to sense the burnout coming on and plan time off ahead. Or meltdown - that happens too, occasionally.
 
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