original owner's decendants coming to stay

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Yes, the original owners' granddaughter and great granddaughter of this old house we live in have booked two night's in the master suite where their grandparents slept.
They are coming tonight from California. We of course are very excited and so are they.
The original owner owned a brick factory in the very early 1900's and most of the old brick buildings in town were from his bricks.
The question is DO WE CHARGE THEM? I think I am going to feel terrible doing that.
 
The original family is coming to my place too in July. They are stilling being charged but they have a discounted rate. I would discount it even more but not on a 4th of July weekend. I don't think someone should expect to you put them up for free. Nothing is free.
 
It depends on how YOU feel about it.
The son of my Gillums and his son & d-i-l came in 1996 right after I had opened. When I was asked how much the words that tumbled out of my mouth were I cannot charge a Gillum! I did a small reception for Paul after chuch that weekend and he was touched by how many people remembeed him. They sent me a generous GC for JCP when they returned home. Paul has since died and Mike has been back 3 more times. This is where he came summers when he was in college and this was Grandma's house. On his last visit, he brought me his grandfather's deed to this house and a box of his uncle's (the oldest son of this house) memoriablia including his military stuff. We donated that to the museum.
Mike has been told that for him and his brothers, it is coming home - the next generation however pays. Mike's daughter came through a couple yeras ago on her honeymoon - and she paid.
It is a personal call. How do you feel about the family? Are they a resource of history to you? And how tight are things financially for you? If you NEED the money - do not hesitate to charge.
 
It's up to you. I'd be inclined to discount the room for them and also do something special for them. You know that they will probably share some stories that will be invaluable to you :)
 
We had not the original owners, but one person who had lived here in the past, stop by. We've never had anyone stay over (their family still lives in town).
I would hope they would bring photos of the house 'way back then' that you could make copies of but I wouldn't give them a free night. How about a 'family' discount?
 
Do you know them? Why do you think you owe them a free stay? It hasn't been their house in ages. I would charge them but give some sort of discount.
 
a place near here offers a discount to anyone with the same last name as the name of the b&b. you could do something like that.
 
It was outstanding! The granddaughter brought lots of photos, my husband drove her, her daughter and their companion to Danceland 2 1/2 hrs. away which her grandparents also built and showed her several buildings which were built using his bricks, we had 5 historians and several others from our town for breakfast to meet them. They were ever so nice. No we did not charge them though they wanted to pay. We have already become like sisters. We felt like we were part of their family and we are now invited to their homes in the U.S. both in California and in MA. They want to have a family reunion here with all her cousins next year because as she said "This is where it all started for them". We also gave her 2 bricks with her grandparents stamp WWMJ. She and her daughter also went home and wrote up some nice reviews about the place.
 
It was outstanding! The granddaughter brought lots of photos, my husband drove her, her daughter and their companion to Danceland 2 1/2 hrs. away which her grandparents also built and showed her several buildings which were built using his bricks, we had 5 historians and several others from our town for breakfast to meet them. They were ever so nice. No we did not charge them though they wanted to pay. We have already become like sisters. We felt like we were part of their family and we are now invited to their homes in the U.S. both in California and in MA. They want to have a family reunion here with all her cousins next year because as she said "This is where it all started for them". We also gave her 2 bricks with her grandparents stamp WWMJ. She and her daughter also went home and wrote up some nice reviews about the place..
That's wonderful. I bet it sits well with your soul, too.
 
We did the same thing. Our home was the first inn in our town and stayed that way until a family from Texas purchased it in 1886. It stayed in that family until we bought it in 1996. Since then we have had visits from the relatives of the family that owned it for those 100 years. We did not charge them and they have become wonderful friends. The great great grandaughter of the original family is now in her 80's and was an absolute delight. Her son and daughter-in-law now stay with us every summer and we visit them in their state. It has been a wonderful connection and we now feel like they are a part of our family.
 
It was outstanding! The granddaughter brought lots of photos, my husband drove her, her daughter and their companion to Danceland 2 1/2 hrs. away which her grandparents also built and showed her several buildings which were built using his bricks, we had 5 historians and several others from our town for breakfast to meet them. They were ever so nice. No we did not charge them though they wanted to pay. We have already become like sisters. We felt like we were part of their family and we are now invited to their homes in the U.S. both in California and in MA. They want to have a family reunion here with all her cousins next year because as she said "This is where it all started for them". We also gave her 2 bricks with her grandparents stamp WWMJ. She and her daughter also went home and wrote up some nice reviews about the place..
I know how you felt with them. It is that way with our original family also. Thjis last trip they brought his grandfather's deed to this house and gave it to us. Now DH just has to get it matted and framed and then I have to find a place to hang it. Too many things on the foyer walls already
 
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