RANT: The hits just keep on coming!

[Don Draper]

You've all listened to my griping about October in general and this week in particular...it just will NOT end!
Two couples here for 5 nights. One of the couples has been here before, 2 years ago, and stayed a week at that time. They are lovely. Their friends are nice too. But they have done nothing but hang around here all week, sitting on our back porch drinking and smoking cigars. This has made it impossible for us to have our windows open because the smoke is blowing in. It was irritating but I kept reminding myself that they are NICE, I really like them.
The last two mornings they have sat down to eat breakfast at the last possible minute and tied up breakfast an hour past finishing time. Again, grin and bear it, they're nice, right?
This morning the friends ring the bell at the front desk, they're ready to check out. I am dumbfounded, you are scheduled to stay until tomorrow. Huh? The couple who had stayed here before had actually made all the arrangements for both rooms, but with separate credit cards, deposits, and confirmations. I pull up the email confirmation, they are confirmed thru Friday. Well, they have to leave so what we can we do about it? I say I will open it up immedediately, we are completely full otherwise and perhaps we'll be able to resell it. Blank look. Ok, and she hands me her credit card.
So she payed me but now there's a definite weird vibe with the previous guests...who, by the way, realize it is THEIR fault because the woman gave me the wrong dates. Of course, the couple should have read their own confirmation and realized it was wrong but no one reads anything.
So now I have peeved previous guests and peeved new guests and REALLY peeved innkeepers. Lose/lose. I can't afford to not charge them.
Edited to add that because of the length of stay and the relationship with the previous guests both couples were given a 20% discount, which I pointed out to the woman as she was handing me her credit card.

 

[gillumhouse]

You gave enough. So they came two years ago. It is not as if they come every year. They may be nice, but they felt, on their second visit?, OK with disrupting all schedules? Sorry. They go into the "entitlement category" and as nice as they may be - are not GOOD guests. You are not going to be losing that much if they do not return. And perhaps if they do return, they will not feel so "entitled" because you stood your ground on YOUR rules.

 

[JBloggs]

good guests, not great guests. hang in there - the light at the end of the tunnel shining brightly!

 

[Copperhead]

And the day has just begun, so maybe you will resell the room.. Question - Did both couples check out or just the one - friend of the previous guests? Just wondering.
As time goes by both couples will understand what you did on your part was correct and it was their fault that there was a date mixup, not yours. And if they don't, they are not the good guests you thought they were. Good that you pointed out the discount you so graciously gave to them, hopefully you also told them how much they SAVED $$$ by the discount - most likely it made that last room night (they were giving up) almost free anyway!
Of course, the couple should have read their own confirmation and realized it was wrong but no one reads anything.
This is a good reason to require a reply to your confirmation, if they do not rely I send a 2nd one, then if no reply will call to confirmation they received the email and request a reply for my records. Why? One for the reason above - they agree with the dates, room, price as well as policies. Second - because some idiots think the confirmation is not firm unless they respond.
I had one (an idiot) a few months ago who had called to make his reservation. At the end of our conversation, I stated I would send him a confirmation via email and requested a reply so I knew he received the confirmation. He said- no worries, we will see you in Oct. Well time passed with no reply and since this was to be a very busy weekend, I emailed them a 2nd time and requested a reply. This time they did reply with "We will not be staying with you. Sorry, thought that by not responding the reservation would be canceled." Good thing I did it well enough in advance and was able to rebook the room, now I give them 2 days to reply before follow-up.

 

[Don Draper]

And the day has just begun, so maybe you will resell the room.. Question - Did both couples check out or just the one - friend of the previous guests? Just wondering.
As time goes by both couples will understand what you did on your part was correct and it was their fault that there was a date mixup, not yours. And if they don't, they are not the good guests you thought they were. Good that you pointed out the discount you so graciously gave to them, hopefully you also told them how much they SAVED $$$ by the discount - most likely it made that last room night (they were giving up) almost free anyway!
Of course, the couple should have read their own confirmation and realized it was wrong but no one reads anything.
This is a good reason to require a reply to your confirmation, if they do not rely I send a 2nd one, then if no reply will call to confirmation they received the email and request a reply for my records. Why? One for the reason above - they agree with the dates, room, price as well as policies. Second - because some idiots think the confirmation is not firm unless they respond.
I had one (an idiot) a few months ago who had called to make his reservation. At the end of our conversation, I stated I would send him a confirmation via email and requested a reply so I knew he received the confirmation. He said- no worries, we will see you in Oct. Well time passed with no reply and since this was to be a very busy weekend, I emailed them a 2nd time and requested a reply. This time they did reply with "We will not be staying with you. Sorry, thought that by not responding the reservation would be canceled." Good thing I did it well enough in advance and was able to rebook the room, now I give them 2 days to reply before follow-up..

That would be a good system but it's all I can do to keep up with sending one confirmation. We just get too busy. That is why we started offering the online booking discount, at least it's them putting in the dates, etc. and mistakes can still be made but it's one less step.
Only the friends of our previous guests left, the previous guests had always planned to stay for 5 nights. I'm over it, the previous guests are parked in the living room reading...where they will be all day (yesterday the husband did leave for 10 minutes and came back with a bottle of coke and a bag of fritos for lunch!). It is just bizarre to me.

 

[Copperhead]

And the day has just begun, so maybe you will resell the room.. Question - Did both couples check out or just the one - friend of the previous guests? Just wondering.
As time goes by both couples will understand what you did on your part was correct and it was their fault that there was a date mixup, not yours. And if they don't, they are not the good guests you thought they were. Good that you pointed out the discount you so graciously gave to them, hopefully you also told them how much they SAVED $$$ by the discount - most likely it made that last room night (they were giving up) almost free anyway!
Of course, the couple should have read their own confirmation and realized it was wrong but no one reads anything.
This is a good reason to require a reply to your confirmation, if they do not rely I send a 2nd one, then if no reply will call to confirmation they received the email and request a reply for my records. Why? One for the reason above - they agree with the dates, room, price as well as policies. Second - because some idiots think the confirmation is not firm unless they respond.
I had one (an idiot) a few months ago who had called to make his reservation. At the end of our conversation, I stated I would send him a confirmation via email and requested a reply so I knew he received the confirmation. He said- no worries, we will see you in Oct. Well time passed with no reply and since this was to be a very busy weekend, I emailed them a 2nd time and requested a reply. This time they did reply with "We will not be staying with you. Sorry, thought that by not responding the reservation would be canceled." Good thing I did it well enough in advance and was able to rebook the room, now I give them 2 days to reply before follow-up..

That would be a good system but it's all I can do to keep up with sending one confirmation. We just get too busy. That is why we started offering the online booking discount, at least it's them putting in the dates, etc. and mistakes can still be made but it's one less step.
Only the friends of our previous guests left, the previous guests had always planned to stay for 5 nights. I'm over it, the previous guests are parked in the living room reading...where they will be all day (yesterday the husband did leave for 10 minutes and came back with a bottle of coke and a bag of fritos for lunch!). It is just bizarre to me.
.

Consider it a compliment that they LIKE your place and feel at home there. They must be over it as well!

 

[Morticia]

And the day has just begun, so maybe you will resell the room.. Question - Did both couples check out or just the one - friend of the previous guests? Just wondering.
As time goes by both couples will understand what you did on your part was correct and it was their fault that there was a date mixup, not yours. And if they don't, they are not the good guests you thought they were. Good that you pointed out the discount you so graciously gave to them, hopefully you also told them how much they SAVED $$$ by the discount - most likely it made that last room night (they were giving up) almost free anyway!
Of course, the couple should have read their own confirmation and realized it was wrong but no one reads anything.
This is a good reason to require a reply to your confirmation, if they do not rely I send a 2nd one, then if no reply will call to confirmation they received the email and request a reply for my records. Why? One for the reason above - they agree with the dates, room, price as well as policies. Second - because some idiots think the confirmation is not firm unless they respond.
I had one (an idiot) a few months ago who had called to make his reservation. At the end of our conversation, I stated I would send him a confirmation via email and requested a reply so I knew he received the confirmation. He said- no worries, we will see you in Oct. Well time passed with no reply and since this was to be a very busy weekend, I emailed them a 2nd time and requested a reply. This time they did reply with "We will not be staying with you. Sorry, thought that by not responding the reservation would be canceled." Good thing I did it well enough in advance and was able to rebook the room, now I give them 2 days to reply before follow-up..

That would be a good system but it's all I can do to keep up with sending one confirmation. We just get too busy. That is why we started offering the online booking discount, at least it's them putting in the dates, etc. and mistakes can still be made but it's one less step.
Only the friends of our previous guests left, the previous guests had always planned to stay for 5 nights. I'm over it, the previous guests are parked in the living room reading...where they will be all day (yesterday the husband did leave for 10 minutes and came back with a bottle of coke and a bag of fritos for lunch!). It is just bizarre to me.
.

Minus the soda & fritos that sounds like me this weekend...I sat in front of the fire in the common room and read. Then I sat outside in a lawn chair and read. Then I sat in my room and, you guessed it, read. (I did vacate my room for 2 hours in the hopes it would be cleaned at that point. No, had to go for a walk later on.)

 

[muirford]

And the day has just begun, so maybe you will resell the room.. Question - Did both couples check out or just the one - friend of the previous guests? Just wondering.
As time goes by both couples will understand what you did on your part was correct and it was their fault that there was a date mixup, not yours. And if they don't, they are not the good guests you thought they were. Good that you pointed out the discount you so graciously gave to them, hopefully you also told them how much they SAVED $$$ by the discount - most likely it made that last room night (they were giving up) almost free anyway!
Of course, the couple should have read their own confirmation and realized it was wrong but no one reads anything.
This is a good reason to require a reply to your confirmation, if they do not rely I send a 2nd one, then if no reply will call to confirmation they received the email and request a reply for my records. Why? One for the reason above - they agree with the dates, room, price as well as policies. Second - because some idiots think the confirmation is not firm unless they respond.
I had one (an idiot) a few months ago who had called to make his reservation. At the end of our conversation, I stated I would send him a confirmation via email and requested a reply so I knew he received the confirmation. He said- no worries, we will see you in Oct. Well time passed with no reply and since this was to be a very busy weekend, I emailed them a 2nd time and requested a reply. This time they did reply with "We will not be staying with you. Sorry, thought that by not responding the reservation would be canceled." Good thing I did it well enough in advance and was able to rebook the room, now I give them 2 days to reply before follow-up..

That would be a good system but it's all I can do to keep up with sending one confirmation. We just get too busy. That is why we started offering the online booking discount, at least it's them putting in the dates, etc. and mistakes can still be made but it's one less step.
Only the friends of our previous guests left, the previous guests had always planned to stay for 5 nights. I'm over it, the previous guests are parked in the living room reading...where they will be all day (yesterday the husband did leave for 10 minutes and came back with a bottle of coke and a bag of fritos for lunch!). It is just bizarre to me.
.

Minus the soda & fritos that sounds like me this weekend...I sat in front of the fire in the common room and read. Then I sat outside in a lawn chair and read. Then I sat in my room and, you guessed it, read. (I did vacate my room for 2 hours in the hopes it would be cleaned at that point. No, had to go for a walk later on.)
.

We went to a B&B in Key West a few years ago for a real vacation in January and spent the whole week sitting on the deck with books and newspapers, only moving to get a meal. Oh, one day we went to the aquarium. On my birthday, which the innkeepers knew about, they were trying to slip a congratulatory key lime pie into our room - but we hardly ever left the property!

 

[Don Draper]

I know, I'm trying to see it that way. It's just 5 days of them constantly being underfoot is more than enough.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

I know, I'm trying to see it that way. It's just 5 days of them constantly being underfoot is more than enough..

I know, I'm trying to see it that way. It's just 5 days of them constantly being underfoot is more than enough.

On the bright side, you've already reduced your problem by 50% with less than 24 hours for the remainder to be gone.
I'd call that a good day/