The One-Guest Policy

[Red Handed Jill]

I was struck by Morticia's comment (in my subject line here) and JB's referral to the guest who can't "get a grip." (Forgive me if I have misquoted). It reminded me of something that I experienced years ago, when innkeeping wasn't even a glimmer in my mind.
At the time, I was running a studio where I provided private lessons. I'd been doing this for years, in a variety of settings, and was not a newbie in any sense of the word. But this particular year, I acquired a student who, well, defied all my efforts to get him "with the program." When running a studio about that, it's not just about students learning - it's about being ready to begin and end on schedule, it's about not treading on time other people have paid for, and, it's about getting my "own" things seen to during time *no one* has paid for. This particular student never seemed to get ideas like showing up on time, finishing on time, PAYING on time...
So, I typed up all my policies and refined them specifically (to him) where necessary. I then had a few trusted individuals read them to make sure the "fairness" was just from my perspective - I really didn't want to alienate parents of students who were very considerate of others. One of the people I had check was the mother of two of my younger students, who was also an attorney. As she was reading the pamphlet, she raised her eyebrows, looked at me over the paper, and asked (with a tone), "You have people doing these things?"
Since that time, I've thought of it differently. Sure, that one guest/customer causes us to write or alter our policies...but it's all to protect the experiences of all the others.

 

[JBloggs]

True indeed. Hate to have overbearing policies, but when ya need 'em you REALLY need 'em!

 

[Joey Camb]

think people are a bit green I have just had new non smoking signs done which look quite attractive and this lady said to me "oh why is that necessary people don't smoke in the rooms do they?" DUH We all wish

 

[Morticia]

Good that you had it checked over as it can be VERY obvious what the innkeeper has experienced by the list of policies they have in place!
And then that scares off other guests who worry they will be running into the people who caused the policies to show up in the first place.

 

[JBloggs]

Just for fun...let's put together a bulleted list we have had to add due to negligence/ignorance or otherwise. This can be a COMPILATION of our policies or notes we have around the inn that we each have due to some dufus guest action. REAL NOTES or POLICIES PLEASE.
I will begin with one of mine:

• Please use mugs or coffee cups for hot drinks

(Explanation - we could add this or let others GUESS why it was added?)
My Explanation - BOILING SCALDING KETTLE, guests use a small water cooler plastic cup and filled it with BOILING SCALDING WATER.

 

[Morticia]

Just for fun...let's put together a bulleted list we have had to add due to negligence/ignorance or otherwise. This can be a COMPILATION of our policies or notes we have around the inn that we each have due to some dufus guest action. REAL NOTES or POLICIES PLEASE.
I will begin with one of mine:

• Please use mugs or coffee cups for hot drinks

(Explanation - we could add this or let others GUESS why it was added?)
My Explanation - BOILING SCALDING KETTLE, guests use a small water cooler plastic cup and filled it with BOILING SCALDING WATER..

Just for fun...let's put together a bulleted list we have had to add due to negligence/ignorance or otherwise. This can be a COMPILATION of our policies or notes we have around the inn that we each have due to some dufus guest action. REAL NOTES or POLICIES PLEASE.
I will begin with one of mine:

• Please use mugs or coffee cups for hot drinks

(Explanation - we could add this or let others GUESS why it was added?)
My Explanation - BOILING SCALDING KETTLE, guests use a small water cooler plastic cup and filled it with BOILING SCALDING WATER.

• Please do not remove the paper cover from k-cup, insert it INTACT into the machine.

 

[Banana]

Just for fun...let's put together a bulleted list we have had to add due to negligence/ignorance or otherwise. This can be a COMPILATION of our policies or notes we have around the inn that we each have due to some dufus guest action. REAL NOTES or POLICIES PLEASE.
I will begin with one of mine:

• Please use mugs or coffee cups for hot drinks

(Explanation - we could add this or let others GUESS why it was added?)
My Explanation - BOILING SCALDING KETTLE, guests use a small water cooler plastic cup and filled it with BOILING SCALDING WATER..

Just for fun...let's put together a bulleted list we have had to add due to negligence/ignorance or otherwise. This can be a COMPILATION of our policies or notes we have around the inn that we each have due to some dufus guest action. REAL NOTES or POLICIES PLEASE.
I will begin with one of mine:

• Please use mugs or coffee cups for hot drinks

(Explanation - we could add this or let others GUESS why it was added?)
My Explanation - BOILING SCALDING KETTLE, guests use a small water cooler plastic cup and filled it with BOILING SCALDING WATER.

• Please do not remove the paper cover from k-cup, insert it INTACT into the machine.

.

• I am 120 years old - please hold me while closing gently

(on the front door that is four feet wide, very, very heavy, half glass, and has the orginal hardware - it closes very easily slam! slam! slam!)

 

[seashanty]

• Please use the bathroom in your guestroom. Please DO NOT use another guest's bathroom unless you have been invited to do so.
• Please enjoy the chairs, the bed and all the funishings and amenities in your guestroom. Please do not take towels, pillows, robes, and/or other amenities from another guest's room (if you run out of something, ask the innkeeper for more).
• Also, please do not 'test' the bed in another guest's room (unless you have been invited to do so)
  

 

[Emily Spiers]

• Please use the bathroom in your guestroom. Please DO NOT use another guest's bathroom unless you have been invited to do so.
• Please enjoy the chairs, the bed and all the funishings and amenities in your guestroom. Please do not take towels, pillows, robes, and/or other amenities from another guest's room (if you run out of something, ask the innkeeper for more).
• Also, please do not 'test' the bed in another guest's room (unless you have been invited to do so)
  

.

• Also, please do not 'test' the bed in another guest's room (unless you have been invited to do so)
  

this one made me laugh out loud! Good disclaimer on that one

 

[birdwatcher]

Like the door one-ours here is like that too.

 

[gillumhouse]

Please let us lock the doors at night
(We ended up removing the key from the front door lock because "helpful" guests would lock the door with the key - effectively making it impossible to exit in an emergency. Our door has a mechanism that locks the door for the outside but allows the knob to turn on the inside to open the door.)
Please turn the lighted switch ON when using the stairs
(We now leave the lights on in the hallway when guests are in-house. EVen being requested to use the lights as we are going up, too many would NOT turn on the lights when coming down the dark staircase.)

 

[Red Handed Jill]

Please let us lock the doors at night
(We ended up removing the key from the front door lock because "helpful" guests would lock the door with the key - effectively making it impossible to exit in an emergency. Our door has a mechanism that locks the door for the outside but allows the knob to turn on the inside to open the door.)
Please turn the lighted switch ON when using the stairs
(We now leave the lights on in the hallway when guests are in-house. EVen being requested to use the lights as we are going up, too many would NOT turn on the lights when coming down the dark staircase.).

Please turn the lighted switch ON when using the stairs
(We now leave the lights on in the hallway when guests are in-house. EVen being requested to use the lights as we are going up, too many would NOT turn on the lights when coming down the dark staircase.)

Ironic. After repeatedly begging asking guests NOT to turn hall lights off at night ("You're in a strange house, you never know when you -- or another guest -- might remember something left in the car..."), we replaced all the wall switches with motion activated switches. And, just this week, we had a sweet older couple who was up much later than we (which is fine) who, apparently, spent a significant amount of time trying to figure out how to turn off all the lights for us.

Considerate of them, but when they told me all about it the next day, I ended up giving my same "walking in a strange house at night" speech anyway.

 

[JBloggs]

SAME HERE. We have the front door always locked, no need for guests to double bolt it and turn out the lights!! We WANT our porch light on people!

 

[Joey Camb]

We have sort of the reverse problem as the switch for our portch light is near the front door and people turn it on by accident and leave it on when they are looking for another switch. This then causes idiots looking for a hotel room late at night to ring the bell at all hours. GRRR So we have lighting in the hallways and landings and turn on low lamps on the ground floor as it solves this problem. but people do turn the lights on and off randomly. Plus we have motion sensative lights in the car park and by the back door so when people are comming in (most use the back door as it is closest to the back door they can see properly to open and shut it (locks with a key).

 

[wendydk]

Yes, considerate guests (mostly older people) have a tendency to turn off all the common area lights when they go to bed at 9pm. I have to be on the lookout, and turn them back on....they don't get the whole "curb appeal" thing...they are just being thrifty.

 

[Highlands John]

"Using the TV
Switch on the power at the wall.............."
You wouldn't believe the number of people who used to come down and say "The TV in our room doesn't work" or "The TV is dead". After one incident where I went upstairs into their room, flicked the switch next to the plug and the guest said "Well it didn't tell us we had to do that in the intructions!!!".........well now it does.

 

[Morticia]

"Using the TV
Switch on the power at the wall.............."
You wouldn't believe the number of people who used to come down and say "The TV in our room doesn't work" or "The TV is dead". After one incident where I went upstairs into their room, flicked the switch next to the plug and the guest said "Well it didn't tell us we had to do that in the intructions!!!".........well now it does..

We don't label the thermostat to tell guests it's for HEAT, mostly because we know what it's for. We've had guests tell us they twirled that dial around and the A/C never came on and it got hotter in the room. I NEVER mention that thermostat in the summer, only in the winter. In the summer, I point directly to the A/C unit itself and tell them it turns on with the switch.
I may have to change that.

 

[Proud Texan]

Maybe we should state in our policies, "If you have a brain, DO NOT take it out and play with it" It seems that commons sense takes a vacation with some of these people.

 

[Innkeep]

Yes, considerate guests (mostly older people) have a tendency to turn off all the common area lights when they go to bed at 9pm. I have to be on the lookout, and turn them back on....they don't get the whole "curb appeal" thing...they are just being thrifty..

I tell the folks who like to turn out every light on their way up the stairs that our light bill is part of the marketing budget!

 

[Samster]

"Using the TV
Switch on the power at the wall.............."
You wouldn't believe the number of people who used to come down and say "The TV in our room doesn't work" or "The TV is dead". After one incident where I went upstairs into their room, flicked the switch next to the plug and the guest said "Well it didn't tell us we had to do that in the intructions!!!".........well now it does..

We were always having to remind ourselves to turn on the switch for the plug for our water kettle in our hotel room in England. That's not really usual here in the States...to have switches for appliances. I think maybe you have more switches for appliances and such in the UK? Is this an additional safety thing?