Signs, Signs, Everywhere a Sign....

[Samster]

Sanctuary's vent about the flushers made me think about this again...
I guess we need some signs. Sigh...
I had just gotten in the shower around 8pm on Friday night after a long day with a full house of guests. My dh was "in charge"...had my cell phone (which is the number guests are instructed to call), house phone was forwarded to the cell, all the guests seem to be settled in. Dh was in the kitchen having a late bite of dinner (he had worked late in his "real" job) and had the TV on. Just out of the shower & I hear a light knocking on the door to our quarters. The knock repeats and the guest doesn't go to the kitchen door when there's no answer. Instructions in the check in area said to call the cell if no answer and there is a portable phone right there. Third knock... I go to the phone in our bedroom & call my cell & tell my dh that someone is knocking on our door and now they seem to be walking out the door & I'm in a towel!! Can he please go help them????
He catches them & helps them out. I had to change the little sign at the check-in area to add another step if no answer at our door to our quarters..."Knock on the kitchen door marked 'Private'".
What kinds of changes have you made to any signs that you have for guests??

 

[Samster]

Had a guest ask if they could use the laundry room to do laundry & looked at me like I was crazy when I said the health department didn't allow guest to use our w/d. Oh, well...

 

[muirford]

Added a sign to the front door asking guests to please not allow any cats sitting on the front porch into the house, after one guest helpfully let a big gray neighborhood cat in the living room and then knocked on our door letting us know she had let 'our' cat in. Ours stay inside and in our quarters - not on the front porch. Fortunately this was relatively tame cat who followed me outside with food. Not one of our ferals who let herself in our back door then proceeded to hang from the drapes and screens until we could get her outside again.

 

[gillumhouse]

I got 4 small boxes with red Xs in them so I guess I git the color you could not put in.

 

[Morticia]

I got 4 small boxes with red Xs in them so I guess I git the color you could not put in..

So you don't see the wording of my sign? Just the broken links from the copy/paste? How weird...

 

[Copperhead]

Currently I only have 2 signs - One in the bathroom regarding what not to flush and the other sign is on a tent card with general reminders about pool hours, breakfast hours and such.
I have been pondering 2 more signs...One about cigarette butts (they just do not understand that butts are litter) and the other would be by the door 'by appointment only'...We are located outside of town and do not have 'open hours' but we do get those that drive out to 'check out the place' and then are stunned if we are not here or are unable to take them on a tour.

 

[Morticia]

If guests use the second bed in my rooms for luggage, they'll be using your couch as well. This is why I don't have white coverlets on any beds. I've seen guests just throw the dirty luggage right on the beds after wheeling them thru snow and rain across the parking lot. Also have seen guests fling themselves onto the beds, shoes and all.
BTW, the couch is beautiful!

 

[swirt]

I got 4 small boxes with red Xs in them so I guess I git the color you could not put in..

So you don't see the wording of my sign? Just the broken links from the copy/paste? How weird...
.

Those images are referencing your c drive...which fortunately for you, we don't have access too LOL

 

[Copperhead]

JBJ - in reading your post I was reminded of something all the cruise ships do. They place a protective cover over the end of the bed at the beginning and end of each cruise. They know that guests will be tossing their luggage on the bed (of course in a stateroom there is no where else to place your luggage).

 

[Morticia]

Stop![/h3]Due to Health Department regulations, guest are NOT allowed in the kitchen.
You may leave any dirty dishes right here on the counter for the kitchen fairies to pick up.
Thank you for respecting this notice.

 

[Morticia]

I got 4 small boxes with red Xs in them so I guess I git the color you could not put in..

So you don't see the wording of my sign? Just the broken links from the copy/paste? How weird...
.

Those images are referencing your c drive...which fortunately for you, we don't have access too LOL
.

Those images are referencing your c drive...which fortunately for you, we don't have access too LOL

That's odd because I just copied it from a word document. Why would the copy function copy a location instead of the actual text? I guess it explains why I can see it posted here but no one else can...
All fixed...

 

[swirt]

I got 4 small boxes with red Xs in them so I guess I git the color you could not put in..

So you don't see the wording of my sign? Just the broken links from the copy/paste? How weird...
.

Those images are referencing your c drive...which fortunately for you, we don't have access too LOL
.

Those images are referencing your c drive...which fortunately for you, we don't have access too LOL

That's odd because I just copied it from a word document. Why would the copy function copy a location instead of the actual text? I guess it explains why I can see it posted here but no one else can...
All fixed...
.

Copy and paste of an image doesn't know where the image is relative to the server, because the image was never uploaded so it is nowhere to be found on my server... or anywhere else on the internet.

 

[Morticia]

I got 4 small boxes with red Xs in them so I guess I git the color you could not put in..

So you don't see the wording of my sign? Just the broken links from the copy/paste? How weird...
.

Those images are referencing your c drive...which fortunately for you, we don't have access too LOL
.

Those images are referencing your c drive...which fortunately for you, we don't have access too LOL

That's odd because I just copied it from a word document. Why would the copy function copy a location instead of the actual text? I guess it explains why I can see it posted here but no one else can...
All fixed...
.

Copy and paste of an image doesn't know where the image is relative to the server, because the image was never uploaded so it is nowhere to be found on my server... or anywhere else on the internet.
.

But it's not an 'image' is it, if it is text in a word documnet?

 

[gillumhouse]

How nice!! Oh to have wall space for even a chair!!! I have doors, windows, and fireplaces everywhere. I have an extra dresser I would like to remove but DH picked it out....... Part of the some day list for the some day I am really, truly, no matter how much I whine, dreading.

 

[Samster]

That's really pretty & looks lovely in that room!
I don't think it was the luggage that cracked the arm of that antique sofa of mine. I think that it was some other activity. And that room as a beautiful KIng Size wrought iron bed!
I'll just leave it at that....

 

[swirt]

I got 4 small boxes with red Xs in them so I guess I git the color you could not put in..

So you don't see the wording of my sign? Just the broken links from the copy/paste? How weird...
.

Those images are referencing your c drive...which fortunately for you, we don't have access too LOL
.

Those images are referencing your c drive...which fortunately for you, we don't have access too LOL

That's odd because I just copied it from a word document. Why would the copy function copy a location instead of the actual text? I guess it explains why I can see it posted here but no one else can...
All fixed...
.

Copy and paste of an image doesn't know where the image is relative to the server, because the image was never uploaded so it is nowhere to be found on my server... or anywhere else on the internet.
.

But it's not an 'image' is it, if it is text in a word documnet?
.

Oh, no it shouldn't have been an image ... unless maybe it was stylized text or word art or something that looks like text but isn't really text.

 

[Willowpondgj]

Oooh, I wanna be there!

 

[DaisyMae]

"Please close door behind you so bugs do not get inside"
I'm sorry, but this is just common sense, to me anyway, i shouldn't have to hang a sign about closing the door behind you. as my dad used to say to us when we were little," were you brought up in a barn?"
as far as guests not being allowed to use, laundry machines, kitchen appliances, etc....i just blame the insurance company, that way noone argues. they just walk away saying, "hmmmph, insurance companies.."

 

[MTLLodge]

What a beautiful room! Very Very nice!

 

[jkarennj]

I think innkeepers should make furnishing and decoration decisions assuming guests are going to abuse them. You say that you expect guests to use the beautiful sofa as luggage stowage, but at the same time you won't tolerate it and think a sign would be appropriate or might do the trick in preventing them from using it.
My immediate thought is don't put a sign on or near the sofa. One of the biggest complaints of B&B guests (especially the newbies) is "too many signs." You don't want someone to walk into a room and see signs about what they cannot/should not do, unless it's 100% completely necessary. I think too often new B&B guests don't feel comfortable in an inn, because the innkeepers have used signs that make them uneasy...yet the B&B image we portray on our web sites is all about comfort and relaxation. The guest arrives and hears or sees a lot of "Do this...don't do this...etc." Even though the signs are for the "other" dummy guests, since the sign is out for all your guests to see, it could feel like you're putting the dunce cap on all of your guests.
Someone in our industry once said, "The vertical surfaces are for the innkeepers, and the horizontal surfaces are for the guests." Maybe Sandy Soule said that? That sums it up nicely. Expect guests to put a glass directly on a piece of wood rather than a coaster. Expect guests to lay on top of the comforter. Expect guests to put their rollerboards on top of the sofa, if there's a sofa in the room.
You seem pretty serious about not tolerating it, and I fear (based on how serious you seem) the reaction you might have towards a guest. What will you do if you go into a room and see a suitcase or other personal belongings on the sofa?