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JBloggs

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"Mike, Your Reservation is Three Days Away!"
My wife and I made reservations this weekend to stay at your bed and breakfast for our friends wedding. On my way to work this morning, I received a phone call from the groom concerning his wedding date. He has informed me that his date has been changed to August 25, 2012, due to the finishing of his house and closing date. He was told that the construction of his new home and closing would be finalized today… which is a few days before the actual wedding ceremony.

My wife and I would like to know if our date for this weekend could be moved to that of August 25, 2012 and what steps would need to be taken to make this occur.

We look forward to hearing from you on this matter and the groom apologizes for any and all inconveniences that he may have created.

JB - - AND WHAT SAY YOU INNKEEPERS? This is the guy who needed an early check in for the wedding...and now finds this out three days from the date, or should I say ONLY TOLD ME because he got the THREE DAY REMINDER EMAIL!!
 
Move the stay to Aug and say he's lucky he hadn't purchased a plane ticket because that would have cost him around $100 to change and isn't it a crazy world where the builder couldn't tell the groom the house wouldn't be ready for another 3 months a little sooner than this! (Sorry, to go back to Eric's thread, that's a bit PA.) Oh, mention that his original cancellation date still stands in case the wedding gets called off.
Points for originality on that one. You change your wedding date (and all THAT entails) because your house isn't ready?
 
He took up a valuable room I prob won't be able to rebook now. I am inclined to tell him come this weekend, sorry you agreed to the policies. Makes me mad that he ONLY sent that because he got the three days away email...
 
He took up a valuable room I prob won't be able to rebook now. I am inclined to tell him come this weekend, sorry you agreed to the policies. Makes me mad that he ONLY sent that because he got the three days away email....
That's an option as well. Say he can rebook for Aug but you can't change the rez at this late had. Had you only known...
Which leads me to this question...why not have the reminder email go out earlier so if they're going to cancel they get the reminder before the cancel deadline? Just wondering. I don't do this except for reservations made a really long time ago.
 
He took up a valuable room I prob won't be able to rebook now. I am inclined to tell him come this weekend, sorry you agreed to the policies. Makes me mad that he ONLY sent that because he got the three days away email....
If I'd been left with an empty room when I could have let it I'd tell him he'll have to cancel the existing booking, loose his deposit and make a new booking for August with a new deposit.
 
Yes, it's very short notice and he should expect to at least lose a deposit, if not the whole stay.
Sticking to rules on no-shows and short-notice cancellations is never easy, but that's business.
Regarding when to send "x days away" reminders, that's a great question that needs more thought. If you remind them too far in advance, they may forget to come. If you wait too late to remind them, that can also be a problem for them.
Sometimes I wonder if they should get reminders at all. People need to take responsibility for the reservations they make. Hard to know what's best, but maybe too much hand holding turns them into dependent children.
 
And the reception hall, caterers, church, DJ, etc are going to just move the date and not charge fees. Sorry. This is a contract and you are keeping your part of it by providing the room and holding it for him instead to renting it to someone else who wanted it. CHARGE HIM!!! What is going to be the story in August?
 
He took up a valuable room I prob won't be able to rebook now. I am inclined to tell him come this weekend, sorry you agreed to the policies. Makes me mad that he ONLY sent that because he got the three days away email....
That's an option as well. Say he can rebook for Aug but you can't change the rez at this late had. Had you only known...
Which leads me to this question...why not have the reminder email go out earlier so if they're going to cancel they get the reminder before the cancel deadline? Just wondering. I don't do this except for reservations made a really long time ago.
.
Madeleine said:
That's an option as well. Say he can rebook for Aug but you can't change the rez at this late had. Had you only known...
Which leads me to this question...why not have the reminder email go out earlier so if they're going to cancel they get the reminder before the cancel deadline? Just wondering. I don't do this except for reservations made a really long time ago.
I would never send it out earlier, Not my job to babysit.
Nice enough they get a reminder. The reminder shows them parking info, check in times etc.
I would never send it out to remind them to cancel. no way no how. they gave me their credit card.
Our policies state: [FONT= 'Trebuchet MS'] [/FONT][FONT= 'Trebuchet MS']Changing dates falls within the cancellation policy.[/FONT]
 
Yes, it's very short notice and he should expect to at least lose a deposit, if not the whole stay.
Sticking to rules on no-shows and short-notice cancellations is never easy, but that's business.
Regarding when to send "x days away" reminders, that's a great question that needs more thought. If you remind them too far in advance, they may forget to come. If you wait too late to remind them, that can also be a problem for them.
Sometimes I wonder if they should get reminders at all. People need to take responsibility for the reservations they make. Hard to know what's best, but maybe too much hand holding turns them into dependent children..
Arkansawyer said:
Sometimes I wonder if they should get reminders at all. People need to take responsibility for the reservations they make. Hard to know what's best, but maybe too much hand holding turns them into dependent children.
That's why I don't send them unless it's for a really far (year or so) in advance rez. I used to email all my camp parents on Jan 1 to remind them they reserved. Sometimes they cancelled because the kid wasn't going away to camp and they didn't need to be here. It was a reminder they DID have an obligation to a rez somewhere no matter what the kid was doing.
A lot of parents forgot they had reserved on the way out the door. Some still cancelled the day before.
 
Sounds bogus to me. Charge at least the deposit and if he is sincere he will rebook. If he is a jerk be glad he is not staying.
 
Yes, it's very short notice and he should expect to at least lose a deposit, if not the whole stay.
Sticking to rules on no-shows and short-notice cancellations is never easy, but that's business.
Regarding when to send "x days away" reminders, that's a great question that needs more thought. If you remind them too far in advance, they may forget to come. If you wait too late to remind them, that can also be a problem for them.
Sometimes I wonder if they should get reminders at all. People need to take responsibility for the reservations they make. Hard to know what's best, but maybe too much hand holding turns them into dependent children..
Arkansawyer said:
Sometimes I wonder if they should get reminders at all. People need to take responsibility for the reservations they make. Hard to know what's best, but maybe too much hand holding turns them into dependent children.
That's why I don't send them unless it's for a really far (year or so) in advance rez. I used to email all my camp parents on Jan 1 to remind them they reserved. Sometimes they cancelled because the kid wasn't going away to camp and they didn't need to be here. It was a reminder they DID have an obligation to a rez somewhere no matter what the kid was doing.
A lot of parents forgot they had reserved on the way out the door. Some still cancelled the day before.
.
Madeleine said:
Arkansawyer said:
Sometimes I wonder if they should get reminders at all. People need to take responsibility for the reservations they make. Hard to know what's best, but maybe too much hand holding turns them into dependent children.
That's why I don't send them unless it's for a really far (year or so) in advance rez. I used to email all my camp parents on Jan 1 to remind them they reserved. Sometimes they cancelled because the kid wasn't going away to camp and they didn't need to be here. It was a reminder they DID have an obligation to a rez somewhere no matter what the kid was doing.
A lot of parents forgot they had reserved on the way out the door. Some still cancelled the day before.
Oh yeah someone who books 11 months in advance, is a diff animal. That is why I don't allow 12 mo's in advance, they won't give me a chance to adjust min stay periods etc, which happened quite often for "event" weekends. But yeah, I will send a reminder confirmation to anyone who books MONTHS in advance, absolutely. This is just more of the Millenial stuff we are talking about. This is not an older married couple who had this stunt pulled on them and are upset. FYI.
Considering the amount of contact already, for him to type to whom it may concern, it quite funny. Our names are on the three day reminder and everything else we send out.
 
Yes, it's very short notice and he should expect to at least lose a deposit, if not the whole stay.
Sticking to rules on no-shows and short-notice cancellations is never easy, but that's business.
Regarding when to send "x days away" reminders, that's a great question that needs more thought. If you remind them too far in advance, they may forget to come. If you wait too late to remind them, that can also be a problem for them.
Sometimes I wonder if they should get reminders at all. People need to take responsibility for the reservations they make. Hard to know what's best, but maybe too much hand holding turns them into dependent children..
Arkansawyer said:
Sometimes I wonder if they should get reminders at all. People need to take responsibility for the reservations they make. Hard to know what's best, but maybe too much hand holding turns them into dependent children.
That's why I don't send them unless it's for a really far (year or so) in advance rez. I used to email all my camp parents on Jan 1 to remind them they reserved. Sometimes they cancelled because the kid wasn't going away to camp and they didn't need to be here. It was a reminder they DID have an obligation to a rez somewhere no matter what the kid was doing.
A lot of parents forgot they had reserved on the way out the door. Some still cancelled the day before.
.
Madeleine said:
Arkansawyer said:
Sometimes I wonder if they should get reminders at all. People need to take responsibility for the reservations they make. Hard to know what's best, but maybe too much hand holding turns them into dependent children.
That's why I don't send them unless it's for a really far (year or so) in advance rez. I used to email all my camp parents on Jan 1 to remind them they reserved. Sometimes they cancelled because the kid wasn't going away to camp and they didn't need to be here. It was a reminder they DID have an obligation to a rez somewhere no matter what the kid was doing.
A lot of parents forgot they had reserved on the way out the door. Some still cancelled the day before.
Oh yeah someone who books 11 months in advance, is a diff animal. That is why I don't allow 12 mo's in advance, they won't give me a chance to adjust min stay periods etc, which happened quite often for "event" weekends. But yeah, I will send a reminder confirmation to anyone who books MONTHS in advance, absolutely. This is just more of the Millenial stuff we are talking about. This is not an older married couple who had this stunt pulled on them and are upset. FYI.
Considering the amount of contact already, for him to type to whom it may concern, it quite funny. Our names are on the three day reminder and everything else we send out.
.
'To Whom It May Concern'? Charge the bozo.
 
Okay I charged him one night, told him he can cancel and not pay the second night if he wants to cancel today, and if he wants to book for August we can do that but lost the one night deposit.
Compareed to our current guests, he is a dream, totally understood and his buddy getting married is paying the deposit he lost! Was super nice, super understanding, and I told him how much we appreciate his situation but have a business to run ...he knows. Nice guy.
SO THERE YA GO! One out of two - on a roll today...
 
I got here late for this discussion, but I would have also said charge him! I would have charged him for both days and told him if I could rebook the room, I'll credit him, because that's our policy which he agreed to.
As far as reminder e-mails, I won't send them. I don't want any more hassle than I already have with folks who wait until the last minute to cancel their reservation with just a cancellation fee. Like JB, I'd be afraid of reminding them they could cancel at all and I'm not a babysitter.
JB, sounds like you handled it perfectly. Everybody's a little happy.
 
Okay I charged him one night, told him he can cancel and not pay the second night if he wants to cancel today, and if he wants to book for August we can do that but lost the one night deposit.
Compareed to our current guests, he is a dream, totally understood and his buddy getting married is paying the deposit he lost! Was super nice, super understanding, and I told him how much we appreciate his situation but have a business to run ...he knows. Nice guy.
SO THERE YA GO! One out of two - on a roll today....
Glad he turned out to be nice and understanding. Hope the Bozo is no longer upstairs since it is now after 1. Sorry you had to endure them. Sad thing is that it is the behavior of the ones who did not leave on time and play with electronics instead of actually speaking that create the opinion of their generation.
 
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