Need help with GC wording

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Don Draper

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Had a couple who was supposed to arrive yesterday for 4 nights in our best room, it was a 50th anniversary present from their son and daughter in law (I made the arrangements with the DIL on the phone).
The couple called yesterday morning to say their flight was delayed and to make arrangements for a late check-in. Then at 4 pm yesterday their son phoned to say his mom was violently ill at the airport and they were just going to turn around and go home. I have to assume he is telling the truth, and that the couple didn't just get frustrated with the delay and decide to bag the entire trip.
SO...by my policies they (the son and DIL who are paying for everything) are responsible for all nights that we cannot resell. They of course want to know if they can just reschedule. It's just not even worth going into the "why's" with them, how we've been turning people away for weeks for this weekend, how now our best room is going to sit empty and we lose revenue,etc.
Against my better judgement, what I am going to do is charge them the full amount and send the parents a GC for 4 nights that they can use within the next year.
I want to be sure that only the parents are able to use this GC, if I put their names and "non-transferable" on it does that cover it? I will put a one year expiration on it, anything else I should be thinking of?
 
I also put on mine:
"Reservations required. Subject to availability and Inn policies".
 
Did you rebook the rooms? I wouldn't have issued a GC unless you recoop your losses for the weekend. This relates directly to another thread where we have been discussing travel insurance.
The GC is a nice gesture and does show good will, but take care of your business first.
 
Did you rebook the rooms? I wouldn't have issued a GC unless you recoop your losses for the weekend. This relates directly to another thread where we have been discussing travel insurance.
The GC is a nice gesture and does show good will, but take care of your business first..
Proud Texan said:
Did you rebook the rooms? I wouldn't have issued a GC unless you recoop your losses for the weekend.
I guess if you rebook the rooms, there's no reason to issue the GC since I assume you won't be charging them in the first place. They'll just book another time on their own, if they want.
If you rebook the room AND keep their money then yes, a GC would be appropriate.
 
Yes, make it midweek only. That is still being overly nice, and also - having this situation for this evening right here right now - put "Same policies apply to gc's as regular bookings" or someone will be ill again and cancel at the last minute. In other words, stop them from booking and rescheduling again.
No cash value - non transferable.
AND I would make it valid for only 6 months.
 
Trust me, I am always the biggest proponent of "Stick to your guns" on policies...in our 4 plus years here I have issued ONE gift certificate for a last minute cancellation.
I'm just going with my gut here, it seems like the right thing to do...I look like the good guy and I seriously doubt they will rebook within a year. I am trying to resell the rooms for this weekend, tonight looks doubtful but tomorrow is a possibility.
 
Trust me, I am always the biggest proponent of "Stick to your guns" on policies...in our 4 plus years here I have issued ONE gift certificate for a last minute cancellation.
I'm just going with my gut here, it seems like the right thing to do...I look like the good guy and I seriously doubt they will rebook within a year. I am trying to resell the rooms for this weekend, tonight looks doubtful but tomorrow is a possibility..
Don Draper said:
I am trying to resell the rooms for this weekend, tonight looks doubtful but tomorrow is a possibility.
Just curious, is there anything you DO to try and resell the rooms, other than just hope the phone will ring? Do folks ever keep a short notice call list of people who want to come and can do it almost any time if the price is right, or do you go to your website and create a last-minute special? Are there other ways to help resell a room on short notice?
 
Trust me, I am always the biggest proponent of "Stick to your guns" on policies...in our 4 plus years here I have issued ONE gift certificate for a last minute cancellation.
I'm just going with my gut here, it seems like the right thing to do...I look like the good guy and I seriously doubt they will rebook within a year. I am trying to resell the rooms for this weekend, tonight looks doubtful but tomorrow is a possibility..
Don Draper said:
I am trying to resell the rooms for this weekend, tonight looks doubtful but tomorrow is a possibility.
Just curious, is there anything you DO to try and resell the rooms, other than just hope the phone will ring? Do folks ever keep a short notice call list of people who want to come and can do it almost any time if the price is right, or do you go to your website and create a last-minute special? Are there other ways to help resell a room on short notice?
.
Arkansawyer said:
Don Draper said:
I am trying to resell the rooms for this weekend, tonight looks doubtful but tomorrow is a possibility.
Just curious, is there anything you DO to try and resell the rooms, other than just hope the phone will ring? Do folks ever keep a short notice call list of people who want to come and can do it almost any time if the price is right, or do you go to your website and create a last-minute special? Are there other ways to help resell a room on short notice?
We'll call our standby list on weekends we have one. FB is another option as well as Twitter. But you've really got to have the followers to make that work.
The problem with discounting is you spend your time kicking yourself because you HAD the room fully paid for until these guests cancelled and now you're just having a fire sale to save SOMETHING fom the weekend.
I can almsot guarantee I will not rebook the 2 nights someone cancelled last night for today and tomorrow. We'll hope the cc is valid and I'll at least get my cancellation charge of one night.
 
Trust me, I am always the biggest proponent of "Stick to your guns" on policies...in our 4 plus years here I have issued ONE gift certificate for a last minute cancellation.
I'm just going with my gut here, it seems like the right thing to do...I look like the good guy and I seriously doubt they will rebook within a year. I am trying to resell the rooms for this weekend, tonight looks doubtful but tomorrow is a possibility..
Don Draper said:
I am trying to resell the rooms for this weekend, tonight looks doubtful but tomorrow is a possibility.
Just curious, is there anything you DO to try and resell the rooms, other than just hope the phone will ring? Do folks ever keep a short notice call list of people who want to come and can do it almost any time if the price is right, or do you go to your website and create a last-minute special? Are there other ways to help resell a room on short notice?
.
I post it on the home page of my website, facebook (which feeds to twitter), and I let a couple of the other B&Bs around know if I know they are full. Usually it works, but not always.
 
No, I'm not doing more than opening up the room online and letting other area innkeepers know I've got an opening to try to resell. I will not give a discount either...there's no reason for me to work more than twice as hard as normal to sell a room that was already sold. I know plenty of innkeepers who do NOT try to rebook...they take the money and leave it blocked off as if booked.
As it is right now, the room rebooked for tomorrow night, so now I've got a Saturday check-in that I wouldn't have had to worry about....grrrrrr......
 
No, I'm not doing more than opening up the room online and letting other area innkeepers know I've got an opening to try to resell. I will not give a discount either...there's no reason for me to work more than twice as hard as normal to sell a room that was already sold. I know plenty of innkeepers who do NOT try to rebook...they take the money and leave it blocked off as if booked.
As it is right now, the room rebooked for tomorrow night, so now I've got a Saturday check-in that I wouldn't have had to worry about....grrrrrr.......
Ah. Yes. I understand.
Man, every day is a new lesson!
 
Thanks for all the help, think I got the wording locked down. Now to see what the family's reaction to the GC is.
 
Update: The family is thrilled with the GC, the ill woman emailed us and apologized profusely and is feeling better, some nasty virus that is going around. She said they will try to come later this year but our weekend are pretty full so it will likely have to be over the Spring.
We rebooked just Saturday night to a completely BIZARRE couple...too weird for words. So much, much extra work on this for us. As you all know "no good deed goes unpunished" so we'll see how it plays out.
 
Update: The family is thrilled with the GC, the ill woman emailed us and apologized profusely and is feeling better, some nasty virus that is going around. She said they will try to come later this year but our weekend are pretty full so it will likely have to be over the Spring.
We rebooked just Saturday night to a completely BIZARRE couple...too weird for words. So much, much extra work on this for us. As you all know "no good deed goes unpunished" so we'll see how it plays out..
Ha, must be the weekend for that. My last minute cancel ended me up with a bizarre guest as well.
 
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