Late arrival directions

[Don Draper]

Good grief, it's one afternoon away from the Inn for heaven's sake! If you already have check-ins scheduled, email or call them to explain you have a family obligation (or however you want to word it) and tell them you'll leave the instructions for self check-in. If you get new bookings from here 'til then, simply spell all this out with your confirmation. Then add "Your room will be ready any time after 12 pm, so you can check in any time that is convenient for you." On a Saturday, they will love this...now as they are driving to your Inn if they run across something interesting they can stop and check it out, take their time and not worry about hurrying to arrive at some specific time to be checked in.
In that same email/call, ask if they need help with dinner reservations, directions, etc. then go to the wedding and have a good time! If you're nervous, take your cell phone with you...we do NOT do this...we get out so rarely that I enjoy it when we are gone, I am not even going to allow the opportunity for someone to interrupt me...with my luck I'd end up driving all the way back home to get someone some extra Kleenex!
If you set it up with the expectation that the guests will be fine, THEY WILL BE FINE.

 

[Morticia]

Good grief, it's one afternoon away from the Inn for heaven's sake! If you already have check-ins scheduled, email or call them to explain you have a family obligation (or however you want to word it) and tell them you'll leave the instructions for self check-in. If you get new bookings from here 'til then, simply spell all this out with your confirmation. Then add "Your room will be ready any time after 12 pm, so you can check in any time that is convenient for you." On a Saturday, they will love this...now as they are driving to your Inn if they run across something interesting they can stop and check it out, take their time and not worry about hurrying to arrive at some specific time to be checked in.
In that same email/call, ask if they need help with dinner reservations, directions, etc. then go to the wedding and have a good time! If you're nervous, take your cell phone with you...we do NOT do this...we get out so rarely that I enjoy it when we are gone, I am not even going to allow the opportunity for someone to interrupt me...with my luck I'd end up driving all the way back home to get someone some extra Kleenex!
If you set it up with the expectation that the guests will be fine, THEY WILL BE FINE..

The only thing I would do differently is that I WOULD take the phone. I don't take it if no one is in the house or expected, but I do if someone will be there at some point. BUT, they only get the phone number once they're AT the house, not for the road.

 

[wendydk]

That's the hardest part of this business with no staff. My DH misses more family functions...but then, he gets out of the house way more than I do!
We only leave the house together if it's an all-stayover day (most Saturdays are) or no guests at all. In fact, my little brother wants the whole family to go canoeing together some Saturday or Sunday over the next two weeks, and I look at my availability calendar and wonder how that will possibly work.