Inquiries about former guests?

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Morticia

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Had a call earlier from someone looking for info about a guest he said stayed here last year. Gave the person's name but not what he wanted to know. I said we don't keep guest info so I couldn't help him.
How would you handle this?
 
I'm chicken, would not give out any information or even confirm anyone stayed here. I'm afraid I'd be pulled into court for something. I don't think I would even confirm that anybody was staying at the inn.
Maybe this is because my dad was an ex-FBI agent, or because we get people from DC here....
Riki
 
I would handle it the same way. We don't give out guest info. "Did they stay there?" We don't give out guest info. "You can't even tell me..." No, we don't give out guest info,
I do get calls FOR guests who have not checked in and many times they ask for the wrong name and tell me they KNOW they are staying with us, and I have had on ocassion distraught women calling every lodging establishment. (those are usually obv).
 
'it is our policy to keep personal information regarding guests of the inn confidential'
as you know, in maine we are required to collect information on who stays with us. i guess we would have to provide it to law enforcement if requested. but that's it.
now i am curious ..... this inquiree (inquirer?) could have been husband or boyfriend of wife or girlfriend or s.o. who may have stayed with this person at your place. could have been a private investigator. could have been someone audting books of person to see what trips were business and/or pleasure. now i am curious to know - did this person stay with you?
 
I would pull a Schultz - I know nothing! Privacy laws are such that even a hospital cannot say who is in there. I will not divulge any info on any guest current or former without a court order.
 
Why would they call you??? I wouldn't have any information other than address, phone, email on my previous guests and I sure wouldn't be sharing that with anyone??? Wierd!
 
'it is our policy to keep personal information regarding guests of the inn confidential'
as you know, in maine we are required to collect information on who stays with us. i guess we would have to provide it to law enforcement if requested. but that's it.
now i am curious ..... this inquiree (inquirer?) could have been husband or boyfriend of wife or girlfriend or s.o. who may have stayed with this person at your place. could have been a private investigator. could have been someone audting books of person to see what trips were business and/or pleasure. now i am curious to know - did this person stay with you?.
The person hemmed and hawed when I said I did not keep info on former guests so I couldn't say either way. I think that threw him. He was 'unsure' of the name, could have been...so I looked up the 'could have been' name but no such person.
 
anyplace i have ever worked, kept info private. not just regarding customers/clients but also regarding coworkers. unless you specifically know that it it the coworkers child, spouse, etc on the phone. if some anonymous "joe blow" called asking if "susie" is working today, we were required to only tell them that we are not allowed to give out that info.
for your own safety at your B&B, i would plead the 5th. sadly, you just never know who anyone is these days.
 
I agree, no info. Who knows why they asked.
Once I had a guy call wanting info on a guest that stayed at the same time as they did. I had remembered that the two had hit it off. Still I did not feel right giving the info. I told him I was not near my records at the time but would be happy to take down his information and pass it on to the other guest. Then it would be up to him to respond.
Several months later, the 2 couples booked again to meet up, that was nice.
 
I agree, no info. Who knows why they asked.
Once I had a guy call wanting info on a guest that stayed at the same time as they did. I had remembered that the two had hit it off. Still I did not feel right giving the info. I told him I was not near my records at the time but would be happy to take down his information and pass it on to the other guest. Then it would be up to him to respond.
Several months later, the 2 couples booked again to meet up, that was nice..
This one is tough because we often find that new guests are in the same (odd) line of work as previous guests. I'll say, 'Oh, we just had someone who does that same thing.' Hubs will then beat me about the head to come up with the name. Which I won't do. He says, 'C'mon, you know, you remember everybody.' Yes, I may do that, but I'm not telling everybody!
Or he'll start to tell a story and I hope he won't remember their names, but this is the one time he does.
 
I guess the exception would be 2 parties who advised us that they are traveling together, part of the same group or something, when they booked. I just had that with another family member who was trying to confirm that they had booked the correct dates!
 
I wouldn't give them anything... I would just pretend I didn't know what they were talking about. Too risky giving info. out like that, especially if the customer you gave the info out about found out and was not happy!
confused_smile.gif
 
Sometimes the decision of what info to give out is not as clear. So it is good to think it through ahead of time to decide how you'd handle it. We've had occaision where someone has called with an emergency (sick kid at home, car accident) and they ask to speak with the guest by name. We've always put those calls through .... though usually the guest will indicate if they think a family member might be trying to reach them. As in, we don't have a cell phone so our son might try to reach us here...
 
Sometimes the decision of what info to give out is not as clear. So it is good to think it through ahead of time to decide how you'd handle it. We've had occaision where someone has called with an emergency (sick kid at home, car accident) and they ask to speak with the guest by name. We've always put those calls through .... though usually the guest will indicate if they think a family member might be trying to reach them. As in, we don't have a cell phone so our son might try to reach us here....
We had the brother of a guest (so said he) call one night very late, he called a couple of times so I answered the phone finally. The guest was no longer here but he wanted me to tell him where she went. How would I know? Well, how long ago was she there? I explained it was very late, the office was closed and I had no idea when she was here or where she was. He continued to ask, last week? A month ago? Last year? FInally he told me I was the most unhelpful person, he was sorry he'd disturbed me but there's been an accident and he thought his sister should know her friend was injured.
Again, I had no idea where she was and why would I? But he was persistent.
 
If they said someone in the family had an emergency I would still play dumb. Then I'd pull the person aside and tell them I had a call but did not give out any information per office procedures.
I would not believe the caller as all of my guests have cell phones. I know this because we offer transportation to town and back and not one of them has said they didn't have a cell to call me when they were ready to be picked up.
Riki
 
Sometimes the decision of what info to give out is not as clear. So it is good to think it through ahead of time to decide how you'd handle it. We've had occaision where someone has called with an emergency (sick kid at home, car accident) and they ask to speak with the guest by name. We've always put those calls through .... though usually the guest will indicate if they think a family member might be trying to reach them. As in, we don't have a cell phone so our son might try to reach us here....
We had the brother of a guest (so said he) call one night very late, he called a couple of times so I answered the phone finally. The guest was no longer here but he wanted me to tell him where she went. How would I know? Well, how long ago was she there? I explained it was very late, the office was closed and I had no idea when she was here or where she was. He continued to ask, last week? A month ago? Last year? FInally he told me I was the most unhelpful person, he was sorry he'd disturbed me but there's been an accident and he thought his sister should know her friend was injured.
Again, I had no idea where she was and why would I? But he was persistent.
.
FInally he told me I was the most unhelpful person, he was sorry he'd disturbed me but there's been an accident and he thought his sister should know her friend was injured.
And how many grandmother's have had funerals requiring last minute cancels. If it was an accident - why would did she stay there last year matter. U-hunh!!
Asking to be connected to a guest's room a la hotel switchboard would be reasonable for someone in-house but is not the same as making an inquiry about a former guest.
 
Sometimes the decision of what info to give out is not as clear. So it is good to think it through ahead of time to decide how you'd handle it. We've had occaision where someone has called with an emergency (sick kid at home, car accident) and they ask to speak with the guest by name. We've always put those calls through .... though usually the guest will indicate if they think a family member might be trying to reach them. As in, we don't have a cell phone so our son might try to reach us here....
We had the brother of a guest (so said he) call one night very late, he called a couple of times so I answered the phone finally. The guest was no longer here but he wanted me to tell him where she went. How would I know? Well, how long ago was she there? I explained it was very late, the office was closed and I had no idea when she was here or where she was. He continued to ask, last week? A month ago? Last year? FInally he told me I was the most unhelpful person, he was sorry he'd disturbed me but there's been an accident and he thought his sister should know her friend was injured.
Again, I had no idea where she was and why would I? But he was persistent.
.
FInally he told me I was the most unhelpful person, he was sorry he'd disturbed me but there's been an accident and he thought his sister should know her friend was injured.
And how many grandmother's have had funerals requiring last minute cancels. If it was an accident - why would did she stay there last year matter. U-hunh!!
Asking to be connected to a guest's room a la hotel switchboard would be reasonable for someone in-house but is not the same as making an inquiry about a former guest.
.
gillumhouse said:
FInally he told me I was the most unhelpful person, he was sorry he'd disturbed me but there's been an accident and he thought his sister should know her friend was injured.
And how many grandmother's have had funerals requiring last minute cancels. If it was an accident - why would did she stay there last year matter. U-hunh!!
Asking to be connected to a guest's room a la hotel switchboard would be reasonable for someone in-house but is not the same as making an inquiry about a former guest.
I think he was just trying to figure out where his sister might be, if she had just been with me yesterday or last week. I think he threw the 'last year' in there because he was frustrated I wouldn't tell him anything. Seriously, I wouldn't even have said I knew her if he hadn't woken me up and scared me by calling 3 times in a row. I thought it was my own family, who know I DO answer the inn phone, even when I don't answer my own.
I think it really was her brother. But, I have a policy. I can take a message if you know the person is here, but otherwise? Nada.
 
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