Refuse service to weird guests

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BNcruzIng

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Can I refuse to have the room the weird guests? We have someone staying with us and does not like the first room, wanted to change room again on second night, just plain weird like they camp in the room all day, take lots of food and drink from breakfast area....how do you refuse to have them stay with you without getting into legal issues?
 
Can you refuse, absolutely, as long as it is not based on discriminatory protections in the law. In other words if they are protected class and that's the reason that you want them to leave. Which is how some religious innkeepers got themselves in trouble, forgetting that hospitality is covered under the antidiscrimination clauses.
Can they write a review about it? Absolutely. Can they sue you based on something in their head that's not factual? Absolutely. It's a very tricky situation. They did pay for the room (assuming that they are paid upfront). Do you have rules about the food? Hours? It's just part of the business that you will have people who will stay in their rooms. I've had writers who have used their room to work. I've had people doing job interviews in their rooms. I've had newlywed couples who after arriving at 3PM have spent two days in the room, only leaving the room for breakfast. Heck, I've had a couple arrive and leave within an hour and a half because they only needed the room for an hour and a half! I've had photographers book the room for the afternoon for a photoshoot. You just never know.
As for changing rooms, that was entirely up to you. In our case, they book specific rooms, they can't change. Unless they are here during a low season, they likely couldn't even ask (or beg) for an upgrade. Our rate changes if they change rooms, we charge extra for single nights in a room.
 
Eric's advice is excellent. I would say, endure this one if you can. They stay, they pay, they go away.
Then come up with a policy you can use, when you want to, in the future, such as a fee for them to change rooms, a fee high enough to discourage the changes, high enough to pay you for the trouble of cleaning and preparing an extra room, but not so high that it's ridiculous and unreasonable.
 
There may be lots of reasons why they are camped out in the room all day. Like Eric said, lots of people don't go out. Taking a lot of food is hard on you because they are taking more than their share which means someone else either doesn't get enough or you have to make more.
Unless you already have house rules about changing rooms or food in rooms or the guests are disturbing other people, hopefully they check out soon and then they're gone, there's not much you can do at this point.
 
There may be lots of reasons why they are camped out in the room all day. Like Eric said, lots of people don't go out. Taking a lot of food is hard on you because they are taking more than their share which means someone else either doesn't get enough or you have to make more.
Unless you already have house rules about changing rooms or food in rooms or the guests are disturbing other people, hopefully they check out soon and then they're gone, there's not much you can do at this point..
Madeleine said:
...there's not much you can do at this point.
I'd word that, "there's not much you should do at this point." You could do anything from having a talk with them to making them leave, but, assuming they aren't staying much longer anyway, I don't see it as worth the stress and worries about a bad review hurting your business.
Remember the adage, make them happy and they will tell 5 people, make them unhappy and they will tell 50 people!
 
Not sure what it is that is wrong, other than staying in the room enjoying it there? Are they just "gross" type people and that bugs you?
 
Like others have said, unless they are doing something illegal you sold them the room and the stay. How they use it and what they do is their business.
 
Nope, I wouldn't kick someone out just because they're 'weird'. Heck, that would mean I'd get kicked out all over the country!
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I guess we are all replying without knowing the true story/facts and you shouldn't post them here for the world to read. This is the fine line, other than them being different, there isn't much else to share I guess.
Sorry you have to deal with weirdness. Especially if it makes you uncomfortable. Please report back on the state of the room after check out if you wish. I am sure we would all like to know what you found...if they are drunk and disorderly, then you have every right to evict them from the room, or breaking rules like smoking in the room or doing drugs.
 
I agree with the others... Oddities are the norm in this business, unless they are breaking the policies you have established, just know they will be checking out & count the hours till that time. If they ask to extend, just politely say you have no rooms available for them.
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We just had a family leave that was here for 2 days. The teen kids left the room once (except breakfast) and that was to go to swim for ~ 1 hr. Parents only left to get food and bring back for the birdies to eat. I didn't get it, they flew in hundreds of miles to sit in our guest rooms, I guess I should consider this the ultimate compliment.
 
I love it when guests stay in. That tells me they like the place they're in!
 
Thank you!
We seriously dont know what's going on with the guest either. Her family booked 2 nights for her and ran off until she checked out only coming back to find her misplaced cc. She wanted to move to different room each day, only get out of her room at night wandering around...she came to our common room pick the pastries with her fingers and smell them before taking the food. Just more weird than normal weird.
 
Thank you!
We seriously dont know what's going on with the guest either. Her family booked 2 nights for her and ran off until she checked out only coming back to find her misplaced cc. She wanted to move to different room each day, only get out of her room at night wandering around...she came to our common room pick the pastries with her fingers and smell them before taking the food. Just more weird than normal weird..
Ah, that kind of weird! We had one who never came out of her room until someone took her to dinner each night. Then, when she wouldn't check-out, we found she had been smoking in the room for 2 days and never took her dog out, either. Never again.
 
hmmm ... well, if it's just someone staying in their room ... i've done that. ate in my room, too.
as for taking lots of food and drink from breakfast area ... is it buffet style? so, they don't want to go out, and don't want to pay for takeout, they just want to have some food in the room and you've set it out there.
not very polite to take tons
as innkeeper, i've had to put stuff away to keep people from taking food for the whole day which some people will.
as for your letting them change rooms, possibly twice? you have to decline or agree to that.
who knows what is troubling this person. something or nothing. could be a writer, a poet, someone working through some issues ... who knows. it would not bother me unless there is some kind of acting out (but hide the cookies!)
 
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