Taking payment - At check in or check out?

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.
Speak for yourself Joe. We haven't lost any pillows, had any broken furniture, rugs stolen or any of the myriad of other problems that have been discussed on here in the past. Sometimes putting the fear of God in them when they check in saves a lot of problems down the road. It also depends upon the level of crime in your area if you are dealing with locals..
SweetiePie said:
Speak for yourself Joe. We haven't lost any pillows, had any broken furniture, rugs stolen or any of the myriad of other problems that have been discussed on here in the past. Sometimes putting the fear of God in them when they check in saves a lot of problems down the road. It also depends upon the level of crime in your area if you are dealing with locals.
Nor have we. So do the notes work or do you just have guests who don't steal and break things? I will say it is the latter.
.
You may not have lost anything but several other people on the forum have. I think you're overreacting to what is basically a non-issue.
We don't have any notes in the room, or anywhere else for that matter.Copying the license takes 2 minutes, but It sets a tone at check-in and instills the fact that guests are responsible for any damage or theft they cause. It isn't brought up during the rest of their stay.
There's nothing written that you can't be hospitable and protect yourself at the same time.
 
I know this is slightly off topic but I have to ask a dumb question.
We have a tiny little 3"x3" sign in each restroom next to all the makeup removal products we offer. It says "Makeup Removal Products" on it.
I suppose I could eliminate it seeing how I verbally point the items out as I show guests their bathroom. We don't have nearly as big of a problem anymore with the nicer facecloths and towels being used for makeup removal since putting the signs in.
But I wonder if I should really care if a guest who both ignores the verbal que and the little sign then ruins the nice stuff is put off or not by seeing a sign they should have heeded?
The same goes for the verbal information and little sign on the wall above the toilet about us being on a septic system and that care must be taken to not flush anything but human waste and toilet paper down the chute.
With several big roto rooter bills to deal with over the first five years to deal with because of the multiple days worth of feminine products that were flushed, I guess that one could fall under the "shiite happens" category but if it was only "shiite" they were dumb enough to flush after all that information was afforded, we'd not have the roto rooter bills to contend with.
On the most current theme being spoken about, we feel very comfortable with the amount of personal and financial information we "have" on any guest walking through our door. If they purposely bust or steal something and I can determine it was them with a high degree of certainty, I have a CC number that just worked a few minutes prior to check out to extract compensation from if need be.
I don't see how how rushing out to jot down a license plate or demand a driver's license does anything but amp up the perception that we're as Joe frequently and most aptly puts it "helo-hovering" and revealing a distrust of our guests on our part that would be offputting to the overwhelming majority of people.
Guests at lower priced hotel/motels expect to be treated like suspects, but our average guests should be free from that discomfort.
We've had a few things purposely broken and stolen we could count on one hand and have been compensated without argument after each one. Out of the thousands of guests we've hosted, we'll take those odds that our philosphy of starting our relationship with a guest with trust and respect is the best way to get it coming back our way in the long run.
 
signs I'd have no problem.....
All the rest.......guess I'd have some adjusting to do........and a couple slaps upside the head.
 
I know this is slightly off topic but I have to ask a dumb question.
We have a tiny little 3"x3" sign in each restroom next to all the makeup removal products we offer. It says "Makeup Removal Products" on it.
I suppose I could eliminate it seeing how I verbally point the items out as I show guests their bathroom. We don't have nearly as big of a problem anymore with the nicer facecloths and towels being used for makeup removal since putting the signs in.
But I wonder if I should really care if a guest who both ignores the verbal que and the little sign then ruins the nice stuff is put off or not by seeing a sign they should have heeded?
The same goes for the verbal information and little sign on the wall above the toilet about us being on a septic system and that care must be taken to not flush anything but human waste and toilet paper down the chute.
With several big roto rooter bills to deal with over the first five years to deal with because of the multiple days worth of feminine products that were flushed, I guess that one could fall under the "shiite happens" category but if it was only "shiite" they were dumb enough to flush after all that information was afforded, we'd not have the roto rooter bills to contend with.
On the most current theme being spoken about, we feel very comfortable with the amount of personal and financial information we "have" on any guest walking through our door. If they purposely bust or steal something and I can determine it was them with a high degree of certainty, I have a CC number that just worked a few minutes prior to check out to extract compensation from if need be.
I don't see how how rushing out to jot down a license plate or demand a driver's license does anything but amp up the perception that we're as Joe frequently and most aptly puts it "helo-hovering" and revealing a distrust of our guests on our part that would be offputting to the overwhelming majority of people.
Guests at lower priced hotel/motels expect to be treated like suspects, but our average guests should be free from that discomfort.
We've had a few things purposely broken and stolen we could count on one hand and have been compensated without argument after each one. Out of the thousands of guests we've hosted, we'll take those odds that our philosphy of starting our relationship with a guest with trust and respect is the best way to get it coming back our way in the long run..
With several big roto rooter bills to deal with over the first five years to deal with because of the multiple days worth of feminine products that were flushed,
Totally off topic ... and I should get a comission for the number of times I have recommended this product... Have a Zabel effluent filter installed. It will likely cost less than a single rotorooter call and basically eliminates them from then on. Every B&B on a septic system should have one.
 
I know this is slightly off topic but I have to ask a dumb question.
We have a tiny little 3"x3" sign in each restroom next to all the makeup removal products we offer. It says "Makeup Removal Products" on it.
I suppose I could eliminate it seeing how I verbally point the items out as I show guests their bathroom. We don't have nearly as big of a problem anymore with the nicer facecloths and towels being used for makeup removal since putting the signs in.
But I wonder if I should really care if a guest who both ignores the verbal que and the little sign then ruins the nice stuff is put off or not by seeing a sign they should have heeded?
The same goes for the verbal information and little sign on the wall above the toilet about us being on a septic system and that care must be taken to not flush anything but human waste and toilet paper down the chute.
With several big roto rooter bills to deal with over the first five years to deal with because of the multiple days worth of feminine products that were flushed, I guess that one could fall under the "shiite happens" category but if it was only "shiite" they were dumb enough to flush after all that information was afforded, we'd not have the roto rooter bills to contend with.
On the most current theme being spoken about, we feel very comfortable with the amount of personal and financial information we "have" on any guest walking through our door. If they purposely bust or steal something and I can determine it was them with a high degree of certainty, I have a CC number that just worked a few minutes prior to check out to extract compensation from if need be.
I don't see how how rushing out to jot down a license plate or demand a driver's license does anything but amp up the perception that we're as Joe frequently and most aptly puts it "helo-hovering" and revealing a distrust of our guests on our part that would be offputting to the overwhelming majority of people.
Guests at lower priced hotel/motels expect to be treated like suspects, but our average guests should be free from that discomfort.
We've had a few things purposely broken and stolen we could count on one hand and have been compensated without argument after each one. Out of the thousands of guests we've hosted, we'll take those odds that our philosphy of starting our relationship with a guest with trust and respect is the best way to get it coming back our way in the long run..
With several big roto rooter bills to deal with over the first five years to deal with because of the multiple days worth of feminine products that were flushed,
Totally off topic ... and I should get a comission for the number of times I have recommended this product... Have a Zabel effluent filter installed. It will likely cost less than a single rotorooter call and basically eliminates them from then on. Every B&B on a septic system should have one.
.
swirt said:
With several big roto rooter bills to deal with over the first five years to deal with because of the multiple days worth of feminine products that were flushed,
Totally off topic ... and I should get a comission for the number of times I have recommended this product... Have a Zabel effluent filter installed. It will likely cost less than a single rotorooter call and basically eliminates them from then on. Every B&B on a septic system should have one.
I'm guessing this installs inline near a cleanout. What exactly does it do?
 
I know this is slightly off topic but I have to ask a dumb question.
We have a tiny little 3"x3" sign in each restroom next to all the makeup removal products we offer. It says "Makeup Removal Products" on it.
I suppose I could eliminate it seeing how I verbally point the items out as I show guests their bathroom. We don't have nearly as big of a problem anymore with the nicer facecloths and towels being used for makeup removal since putting the signs in.
But I wonder if I should really care if a guest who both ignores the verbal que and the little sign then ruins the nice stuff is put off or not by seeing a sign they should have heeded?
The same goes for the verbal information and little sign on the wall above the toilet about us being on a septic system and that care must be taken to not flush anything but human waste and toilet paper down the chute.
With several big roto rooter bills to deal with over the first five years to deal with because of the multiple days worth of feminine products that were flushed, I guess that one could fall under the "shiite happens" category but if it was only "shiite" they were dumb enough to flush after all that information was afforded, we'd not have the roto rooter bills to contend with.
On the most current theme being spoken about, we feel very comfortable with the amount of personal and financial information we "have" on any guest walking through our door. If they purposely bust or steal something and I can determine it was them with a high degree of certainty, I have a CC number that just worked a few minutes prior to check out to extract compensation from if need be.
I don't see how how rushing out to jot down a license plate or demand a driver's license does anything but amp up the perception that we're as Joe frequently and most aptly puts it "helo-hovering" and revealing a distrust of our guests on our part that would be offputting to the overwhelming majority of people.
Guests at lower priced hotel/motels expect to be treated like suspects, but our average guests should be free from that discomfort.
We've had a few things purposely broken and stolen we could count on one hand and have been compensated without argument after each one. Out of the thousands of guests we've hosted, we'll take those odds that our philosphy of starting our relationship with a guest with trust and respect is the best way to get it coming back our way in the long run..
With several big roto rooter bills to deal with over the first five years to deal with because of the multiple days worth of feminine products that were flushed,
Totally off topic ... and I should get a comission for the number of times I have recommended this product... Have a Zabel effluent filter installed. It will likely cost less than a single rotorooter call and basically eliminates them from then on. Every B&B on a septic system should have one.
.
swirt said:
With several big roto rooter bills to deal with over the first five years to deal with because of the multiple days worth of feminine products that were flushed,
Totally off topic ... and I should get a comission for the number of times I have recommended this product... Have a Zabel effluent filter installed. It will likely cost less than a single rotorooter call and basically eliminates them from then on. Every B&B on a septic system should have one.
I'm guessing this installs inline near a cleanout. What exactly does it do?
.
I'm guessing this installs inline near a cleanout. What exactly does it do?
In the installations I am familiar with (my three tanks ;) It installs in the tank on on the outlet to the sand filter/leach field. It prevents any "solid"/non-degradable items from leaving the tank and getting into blocking the drain field. It is easy to remove the filter cartridge if there is a build up of solid items, just a bit icky is all. Nothing a pair of rubber gloves and a clothespin for the nose won't solve. You remove the solid items, if you want you can hose down the cartridge (not usually needed) and then you slide the cartridge back in place.
It prevents the emergency calls to rotorooter and costly repairs to drain fields.
The other thing I like about it, is that it is something I can take care of on my schedule rather than waiting around all day for the septic repair people to show up. And of course they always show up right after your guests have checked in...they never show up in the 3 hour window where there are no guests.
 
I have never looked at a driver's license (even with personal checks as payment), never looked at a car other than to admire the Boxter or Jaguar etc. I have never had anything stolen, anything broken was by accident, and do not have anything out in the B & B that would "crush" me to have broken or walk.
My guests are guests in my home because I have invited them into my home. They just happen to pay me for the priviledge of visiting my home. The only thing I am adament about is that the hall lights stay on so no one falls on the stairs.
Life is too short to get into a snit over anything other than chocolate pudding!
 
I have never looked at a driver's license (even with personal checks as payment), never looked at a car other than to admire the Boxter or Jaguar etc. I have never had anything stolen, anything broken was by accident, and do not have anything out in the B & B that would "crush" me to have broken or walk.
My guests are guests in my home because I have invited them into my home. They just happen to pay me for the priviledge of visiting my home. The only thing I am adament about is that the hall lights stay on so no one falls on the stairs.
Life is too short to get into a snit over anything other than chocolate pudding!.
I could not agree more, K!
 
We all have to do what we feel comfortable with. We have guests who come out from Multnomah Oregon to see their son and his family here in VA. He was the Sheriff there, now retired.
They bought some land and considered opening a B&B. He confided in me that instead of a B&B they bought a quilt shop in the small town near the land as he just knew he would frisk more guests than not!
He knew he could never be a normal innkeeper where trust is a huge factor having strangers in your home.
The same applies to family homes - if this were my family home (which is insinuated quite often like it was just handed to us and voila rake in all the dough) then I would have a different outlook. Having people scratch up and dent walls and floors with their 150 lb rolling luggage would not make me a happy innkeeper. I would convert to one of those who have rules and reg's - check in schpeal's of what to do and what not to do. Little notes everywhere. I would obsess over it, which of course would make it ten times worse.
Tell someone not to do something and they will do it, guaranteed.
If someone told me something as stupid or had a note to tell me to put the shower curtain in the tub before showering I would be ticked off. And yet...and yet how many guests do this? Leave the shower curtain outside the tub? Plenty.
But we can't be guardians of these B&B's...we need to just let guests be. Writing down their license plate and/or driver's license is wacked. Sorry to all who do this...you probably have surveillance cameras on the property as well.
 
We all have to do what we feel comfortable with. We have guests who come out from Multnomah Oregon to see their son and his family here in VA. He was the Sheriff there, now retired.
They bought some land and considered opening a B&B. He confided in me that instead of a B&B they bought a quilt shop in the small town near the land as he just knew he would frisk more guests than not!
He knew he could never be a normal innkeeper where trust is a huge factor having strangers in your home.
The same applies to family homes - if this were my family home (which is insinuated quite often like it was just handed to us and voila rake in all the dough) then I would have a different outlook. Having people scratch up and dent walls and floors with their 150 lb rolling luggage would not make me a happy innkeeper. I would convert to one of those who have rules and reg's - check in schpeal's of what to do and what not to do. Little notes everywhere. I would obsess over it, which of course would make it ten times worse.
Tell someone not to do something and they will do it, guaranteed.
If someone told me something as stupid or had a note to tell me to put the shower curtain in the tub before showering I would be ticked off. And yet...and yet how many guests do this? Leave the shower curtain outside the tub? Plenty.
But we can't be guardians of these B&B's...we need to just let guests be. Writing down their license plate and/or driver's license is wacked. Sorry to all who do this...you probably have surveillance cameras on the property as well..
Trying to tackle a major plumbing issue today and last bathroom we clean the paint is completely gone off the wall by the sink in big splashy marks. Something splashed there and all down the wall. Poor hubs. He's wound up as it is to get this job done before check-in and now here's an additional issue that has to be handled. Repaint the bathroom wall.
Yes, if this was the ancestral pile, I'd be ticked at all the stuff we find. BUT, given the thousands of strangers (and repeats) that come thru here every year, the damage is really minimal compared to what it could be.
In spite of sometimes thinking guests could give a flying rat's ass about the properties we all own, there truly is very little damage. And my guess is that because most of us keep things in tip top shape that damage is lessened even more. If things were falling apart I'd bet we'd see more damage, but the tidiness factor makes guests a little more careful, I think. And no matter how careless some guests are, really the most of them are very neat and tidy with our things.
 
We all have to do what we feel comfortable with. We have guests who come out from Multnomah Oregon to see their son and his family here in VA. He was the Sheriff there, now retired.
They bought some land and considered opening a B&B. He confided in me that instead of a B&B they bought a quilt shop in the small town near the land as he just knew he would frisk more guests than not!
He knew he could never be a normal innkeeper where trust is a huge factor having strangers in your home.
The same applies to family homes - if this were my family home (which is insinuated quite often like it was just handed to us and voila rake in all the dough) then I would have a different outlook. Having people scratch up and dent walls and floors with their 150 lb rolling luggage would not make me a happy innkeeper. I would convert to one of those who have rules and reg's - check in schpeal's of what to do and what not to do. Little notes everywhere. I would obsess over it, which of course would make it ten times worse.
Tell someone not to do something and they will do it, guaranteed.
If someone told me something as stupid or had a note to tell me to put the shower curtain in the tub before showering I would be ticked off. And yet...and yet how many guests do this? Leave the shower curtain outside the tub? Plenty.
But we can't be guardians of these B&B's...we need to just let guests be. Writing down their license plate and/or driver's license is wacked. Sorry to all who do this...you probably have surveillance cameras on the property as well..
No, no surveillance cameras but no missing or broken property either.
 
Back
Top