Sunday Walk-in

Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum

Help Support Bed & Breakfast / Short Term Rental Host Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Don Draper

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Messages
2,863
Reaction score
1
Only One check-in today but she gave me no indication of when she'd be arriving so I've been waiting all afternoon. Luckily I have a lot of accounting work to catch up on so it's not bothering me too much.
Doorbell just rang and I thought Woo Hoo, I'm done! Not so...it was a single woman, I asked if she was checking in and she said "No, my friend and I are just getting into town and I want to know what your best rate for two single women would be, no breakfast needed."
I told her I had one room that has two beds in it, it would be $129 for the night (normal rate is $159 but she would only be the fourth room for tonight so I discounted to the price of our least expensive room...and I very rarely offer any discount, even to walk-ins). She said she'd go check with her friend and then asked what restaurant I would recommend. I felt like saying "If you decide to stay we've got a whole list of information on the town, etc., etc." but I didn't, I told her where I'd eat and she said ok. Walked out and got right in the driver's seat and drove away...obviously not consulting with her friend.
I walked in the living room and a set of our stay-over guests were in there...I was glad I had quoted $129 because that is the price they are paying for tonight, and the last two nights that they booked ahead. I would have felt terrible if they'd heard me offering the larger room for less than they were paying.
Does anyone else share my feelings that this is a lose/lose situation? Even if they'd stayed I think I still would have felt resentful that I discounted our largest room. Though the income would have been nice I think I'm glad they didn't stay. I am not much of a bargain hunter myself, I'm more of an "I want that, tell me how much it is" so I can't picture myself doing what she just did.
The whole thing just left a bad taste in my mouth.
 
I don't know what to make of it. We have a set price that all our guests always get. That way we are never worrying about what we quoted someone and will they tell the other guest etc. We just don't bargain or reduce. We personally feel that reducing rates to get a head in the bed is a leading cause of innkeeper burnout.
 
Whenever we have guests in the house we try to not quote prices where thy might hear us. Even tho all of the rooms are different prices and the guests might not know the prices, they could certainly look them up if they felt like doing that. (Which means we try to get the guests out of the doorway and into the rooms to have a look before quoting prices.
Like I say a lot around here, 'If it makes you uncomfortable don't do it.' That especially applies to discounting where the guest may use up all of your resources, both mental and tangible while doing it on your dime.
I had a situation last year where a guest checking in was talking with a friend who was also checking in when a local came in and asked if we had a room for 3-4 days. I said we did and stated our price. It was too much for her and I would have discounted if she had not had to stand there in front of everyone to make her case. I was NOT going to discount EVERY booking because the other guests heard me giving her a break.
Get a clue, people. Take ME aside and ask about discounts. Like I always try to do with the guests.
You're happy they left, leave it at that and recognize why you're happy now...you weren't happy with what you were doing.
 
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!
 
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!.
InnsiderInfo said:
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!
OK, look at it this way...I have no guests. Not a one. Not for the next 3 weeks. Needy at this point would be a welcome change.
wink_smile.gif

 
I don't know what to make of it. We have a set price that all our guests always get. That way we are never worrying about what we quoted someone and will they tell the other guest etc. We just don't bargain or reduce. We personally feel that reducing rates to get a head in the bed is a leading cause of innkeeper burnout..
knkbnb said:
I don't know what to make of it. We have a set price that all our guests always get. That way we are never worrying about what we quoted someone and will they tell the other guest etc. We just don't bargain or reduce. We personally feel that reducing rates to get a head in the bed is a leading cause of innkeeper burnout.
I think that is a good way to do it. I do that when we are in peak season but in the slow season I tend to give in sometimes :( and really after hearing about heating costs in the winters and what other innkeepers are saying it really isn't worth it to discount the rooms in the the offseason if they are going to be cranking up the heat.
 
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!.
InnsiderInfo said:
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!
OK, look at it this way...I have no guests. Not a one. Not for the next 3 weeks. Needy at this point would be a welcome change.
wink_smile.gif

.
Good point Bree. Is that normal for you this time of year?
 
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!.
InnsiderInfo said:
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!
OK, look at it this way...I have no guests. Not a one. Not for the next 3 weeks. Needy at this point would be a welcome change.
wink_smile.gif

.
Good point Bree. Is that normal for you this time of year?
.
Not at all, if it were normal I wouldn't be complaining, I'd be on vacation! If nothing else we should be full on weekends with random 2-3 rooms mid-week.
 
I got a call last night at 9:43 and it came to my cell phone (which I forgot had the inn line forwarded to it still) and it was local. I just said, "Hello" because I thought it was a neighbor calling my cell and this woman who sounded like she had a few drinks says, "Is this the Bed and Breakfast?" I said, "Yes, this is Samster's B&B, how can I help you?" "Well, how much is a room for tonight?" Well, at 9:43PM with all the other guests checked out and me in my jammies, there would not be availability for someone who sounds like they might be 3 sheets to the wind. Red flag #2 is when the prospective guest asks how much the room is right off the bat. They are always looking for a discounted room because they think that they're doing you a favor.
Had a call this evening for a room tomorrow and I asked them to book online and they'd get the discount. No rez coming through yet. Reasoning for that is these last minute bookings have to agree to our policies when they book online. Maybe that caller expected a bigger discount too since there is only one room booked for tomorrow. Oh, well.....
 
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!.
InnsiderInfo said:
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!
OK, look at it this way...I have no guests. Not a one. Not for the next 3 weeks. Needy at this point would be a welcome change.
wink_smile.gif

.
Good point Bree. Is that normal for you this time of year?
.
Not at all, if it were normal I wouldn't be complaining, I'd be on vacation! If nothing else we should be full on weekends with random 2-3 rooms mid-week.
.
I am sending a good thought that things pick up soon. I wouldn't normally be this cranky so early in but we've been really busy and I have to be in a wedding this coming weekend...getting all the little extras done for the ladies who come in to "Inn sit" has got me stressed. At least the needy lady wasn't here when the lights when out!
 
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!.
InnsiderInfo said:
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!
OK, look at it this way...I have no guests. Not a one. Not for the next 3 weeks. Needy at this point would be a welcome change.
wink_smile.gif

.
Good point Bree. Is that normal for you this time of year?
.
Not at all, if it were normal I wouldn't be complaining, I'd be on vacation! If nothing else we should be full on weekends with random 2-3 rooms mid-week.
.
I am sending a good thought that things pick up soon. I wouldn't normally be this cranky so early in but we've been really busy and I have to be in a wedding this coming weekend...getting all the little extras done for the ladies who come in to "Inn sit" has got me stressed. At least the needy lady wasn't here when the lights when out!
.
Had one of those phone calls- what can you tell me about your place (to make me want to stay)? Not being a mind-reader, not knowing what she already does know, I hesitated. Told her proximity to things to do, special we are offering this month and asked what other info she might need? Nothing, she'd just call somewhere else, thanks.
And that other place must have told her what she wanted because she never called back.
 
Got a similar call today from someone staying at the local hotel down the street from us (it showed up on caller id). First they wanted to know our rates... gave those.No problem. Then they wanted the telephone number for the local theatre... HELLO???? (what am I, directory assistance?) Told them to go to their hotel lobby for local paper that would have a listing and also gave them the name of the listing they could look it up in their telephone directory in their room.
 
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!.
InnsiderInfo said:
Ugh, maybe the walk-in would have been better. Our check-in is by herself and NEEDY...Sundays shouldn't be this hard!
OK, look at it this way...I have no guests. Not a one. Not for the next 3 weeks. Needy at this point would be a welcome change.
wink_smile.gif

.
Good point Bree. Is that normal for you this time of year?
.
Not at all, if it were normal I wouldn't be complaining, I'd be on vacation! If nothing else we should be full on weekends with random 2-3 rooms mid-week.
.
I am sending a good thought that things pick up soon. I wouldn't normally be this cranky so early in but we've been really busy and I have to be in a wedding this coming weekend...getting all the little extras done for the ladies who come in to "Inn sit" has got me stressed. At least the needy lady wasn't here when the lights when out!
.
Had one of those phone calls- what can you tell me about your place (to make me want to stay)? Not being a mind-reader, not knowing what she already does know, I hesitated. Told her proximity to things to do, special we are offering this month and asked what other info she might need? Nothing, she'd just call somewhere else, thanks.
And that other place must have told her what she wanted because she never called back.
.
I had a call where someone asked, "What room should I book?" Huh?? Do I know what amenities you want? All our rooms are slightly different. So, I asked if they had looked at our room descriptions on our website? Yes, but they needed more info. What the heck? I did the whole spiel including porches and how the rooms faced (for some reason they were worried about the heat here in the Summer despite having air conditioning and fans both. They didn't book and who knows if they will.
 
Our power plant has planned "outages" - maintenance - and brings in MANY outside workers who need living quarters for 4 to 6 weeks or longer. So when I get a call (have had MANY the last 2 weeks) do you have a weekly rate? I know it is power plant and give the number of the local no-tell. Now THEY are full as usual and getting the calls again. Several people in town have rooms they keep for the power plant people - bare bones type.
 
Our power plant has planned "outages" - maintenance - and brings in MANY outside workers who need living quarters for 4 to 6 weeks or longer. So when I get a call (have had MANY the last 2 weeks) do you have a weekly rate? I know it is power plant and give the number of the local no-tell. Now THEY are full as usual and getting the calls again. Several people in town have rooms they keep for the power plant people - bare bones type..
Why do you not take them? Just curious, we don't take long-term, either.
 
Our power plant has planned "outages" - maintenance - and brings in MANY outside workers who need living quarters for 4 to 6 weeks or longer. So when I get a call (have had MANY the last 2 weeks) do you have a weekly rate? I know it is power plant and give the number of the local no-tell. Now THEY are full as usual and getting the calls again. Several people in town have rooms they keep for the power plant people - bare bones type..
Why do you not take them? Just curious, we don't take long-term, either.
.
First they do not want to pay my rates (not even the per diem of $70 with comp breakfast and charging 6 days for week with 7th free), they are construction workers - DIRT - who have a rep of not being too careful about things. I know my son is construction and is considerate but not all of them are that way. PLUS I really do not want someone in the house that long. One call was from a woman and I may have taken her except she works nights and would sleep during the day. I am about to get my bathroom reno done - during the day with lots of BAM, BAM, BAM!!
 
Our power plant has planned "outages" - maintenance - and brings in MANY outside workers who need living quarters for 4 to 6 weeks or longer. So when I get a call (have had MANY the last 2 weeks) do you have a weekly rate? I know it is power plant and give the number of the local no-tell. Now THEY are full as usual and getting the calls again. Several people in town have rooms they keep for the power plant people - bare bones type..
Why do you not take them? Just curious, we don't take long-term, either.
.
First they do not want to pay my rates (not even the per diem of $70 with comp breakfast and charging 6 days for week with 7th free), they are construction workers - DIRT - who have a rep of not being too careful about things. I know my son is construction and is considerate but not all of them are that way. PLUS I really do not want someone in the house that long. One call was from a woman and I may have taken her except she works nights and would sleep during the day. I am about to get my bathroom reno done - during the day with lots of BAM, BAM, BAM!!
.
Along those lines...hubs's father cleared the woods around the Syracuse Airport (for the airport). Because they were over 2 hours from home, he would rent an entire motel for his team to stay in during the week. He came to an arrangement with the proprietors that Mrs Proprietor would make everyone's lunch each day and have it waiting in the morning. Each man would hand in his lunch pail at the end of the day to be washed up and repacked. They were there for months. Hubs's dad was killed while working on this project.
Hubs, in the meantime, was in the VA hospital, himself almost being killed at this time. When he returned home (after his father died) hubs had to make that same long drive to get to the VA hospital in NY. He had an early morning appt one day and decided to leave the night before. He stopped at that motel. Not knowing his dad had just spent months living there.
When he walked in, the owners could only stare at him...a ghost they thought! They talked to him about his dad all night.
Still, we don't take long termers because I think they'd get 'too comfortable'. I know I would. I don't want to have the issues of using the kitchen and doing laundry come up.
 
Our power plant has planned "outages" - maintenance - and brings in MANY outside workers who need living quarters for 4 to 6 weeks or longer. So when I get a call (have had MANY the last 2 weeks) do you have a weekly rate? I know it is power plant and give the number of the local no-tell. Now THEY are full as usual and getting the calls again. Several people in town have rooms they keep for the power plant people - bare bones type..
gillumhouse said:
Our power plant has planned "outages" - maintenance - and brings in MANY outside workers who need living quarters for 4 to 6 weeks or longer. So when I get a call (have had MANY the last 2 weeks) do you have a weekly rate? I know it is power plant and give the number of the local no-tell. Now THEY are full as usual and getting the calls again. Several people in town have rooms they keep for the power plant people - bare bones type.
Had a call yesterday asking if I had a weekly rate for a single. I asked for when and she said starting tomorrow for 2 weeks...well we were out at the time and I did not feel comfortable confirming I had availability for that long. I gave her the weekly rate and she said she would call back to check my availability. I thought - well that is that! Then she called back. I could take her for 11 of the 14 days she was asking and told her I would prorate the partial week to be the same, nightly. She asked what that rate was on a nightly basis (guess she did not do the math prior to calling me again) and when I told her she said well that is too high, guess WE will have to continue looking. What a pure waste of my time.
 
Our power plant has planned "outages" - maintenance - and brings in MANY outside workers who need living quarters for 4 to 6 weeks or longer. So when I get a call (have had MANY the last 2 weeks) do you have a weekly rate? I know it is power plant and give the number of the local no-tell. Now THEY are full as usual and getting the calls again. Several people in town have rooms they keep for the power plant people - bare bones type..
gillumhouse said:
Our power plant has planned "outages" - maintenance - and brings in MANY outside workers who need living quarters for 4 to 6 weeks or longer. So when I get a call (have had MANY the last 2 weeks) do you have a weekly rate? I know it is power plant and give the number of the local no-tell. Now THEY are full as usual and getting the calls again. Several people in town have rooms they keep for the power plant people - bare bones type.
Had a call yesterday asking if I had a weekly rate for a single. I asked for when and she said starting tomorrow for 2 weeks...well we were out at the time and I did not feel comfortable confirming I had availability for that long. I gave her the weekly rate and she said she would call back to check my availability. I thought - well that is that! Then she called back. I could take her for 11 of the 14 days she was asking and told her I would prorate the partial week to be the same, nightly. She asked what that rate was on a nightly basis (guess she did not do the math prior to calling me again) and when I told her she said well that is too high, guess WE will have to continue looking. What a pure waste of my time.
.
She wanted a weekly rate, got it and was unhappy with the daily rate she wasn't even going to pay?
 
Our power plant has planned "outages" - maintenance - and brings in MANY outside workers who need living quarters for 4 to 6 weeks or longer. So when I get a call (have had MANY the last 2 weeks) do you have a weekly rate? I know it is power plant and give the number of the local no-tell. Now THEY are full as usual and getting the calls again. Several people in town have rooms they keep for the power plant people - bare bones type..
gillumhouse said:
Our power plant has planned "outages" - maintenance - and brings in MANY outside workers who need living quarters for 4 to 6 weeks or longer. So when I get a call (have had MANY the last 2 weeks) do you have a weekly rate? I know it is power plant and give the number of the local no-tell. Now THEY are full as usual and getting the calls again. Several people in town have rooms they keep for the power plant people - bare bones type.
Had a call yesterday asking if I had a weekly rate for a single. I asked for when and she said starting tomorrow for 2 weeks...well we were out at the time and I did not feel comfortable confirming I had availability for that long. I gave her the weekly rate and she said she would call back to check my availability. I thought - well that is that! Then she called back. I could take her for 11 of the 14 days she was asking and told her I would prorate the partial week to be the same, nightly. She asked what that rate was on a nightly basis (guess she did not do the math prior to calling me again) and when I told her she said well that is too high, guess WE will have to continue looking. What a pure waste of my time.
.
She wanted a weekly rate, got it and was unhappy with the daily rate she wasn't even going to pay?
.
Bree said:
She wanted a weekly rate, got it and was unhappy with the daily rate she wasn't even going to pay?
No - it was the 'discounted' rate she wanted to know and got. I guess she had not done her math prior to calling me back $525/7 = $75! I guess that was too high for her...Well my reg. nightly rate for my cheapest room is $99 - and our reg. rates are clearly on our site...just how low did she think I was going?? Who knows but she is gladly not my problem!
 
Back
Top