Innkeeper To Go
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In hindsight, I wish the innsitter had not left a little early, but I backed her decision because over the years she had proven herself to me and I respected her decision making skills. I have since changed my check-in policy to inform guests that it's possible that we could be away from the inn even during regular check-in hours.BD - They had NO reason then to be this way! You had provided them all the needed info and your innsitter had provided them will all the info AND a way to contact her if they needed. THEY are not B&B people!BD, sorry you had such a negative experience and I am glad you brought this up. Let us all learn from this bad experience! So a few of questions:I basically agree with the self-check-in, but I've had the opposite experience with the traditional B&B guests. They have been the ones that expect to be greeted personally and want more interaction, especially at check-in. We had a VERY negative experience where a guest was left a very explicit note at the door, a phone number to call, etc. They let themselves in, went to their room, used the bathroom, then left. They left a note saying they felt "lost and abandoned", in all their years staying at b&bs had never not been greeted personally and they were not staying (3 night stay). He later demanded his deposit back and refused to pay for his early departure. It was a very bad experience for us. We did finally convince him we were keeping his deposit, but wouldn't charge for the remainder of his stay.I do have to say that, of the guests who have mentioned it, the idea of letting themselves in and not bothering us was very well-received. This is on the phone when they make the rez, day of when they find themselves stranded in an airport or find they really need to stop and eat before they get here, have a family event that takes precedence, or those who just don't 'get' the idea of a B&B being a small property without front desk services, etc.And another thing for those who think can't can't work out a key pad on the door or something, then you need to revoke their license and take their keys, if they are that out of touch with reality that they can't work out how to open a door and go to their room. I think we give people too little credit. Sure some need hand holding, but if there is no hand, there is no holding..
Really, all that is needed is a system that works for the property in question. And we've listed off a lot of them that work in a variety of locations.
But, we know some innkeepers who must control every movement their guests make for whom this just does not work. But that's a whole 'nother story.
.I couldn't agree more. And what we see, at least for our locale, is that the people who are really into the b&b "experience" (as opposed to the area/location, etc.) are the ones who are always here as soon as check-in starts anyway. They want the full experience and so plan their day around getting here as soon as we'll let 'em in!Morticia said:I do have to say that, of the guests who have mentioned it, the idea of letting themselves in and not bothering us was very well-received. This is on the phone when they make the rez, day of when they find themselves stranded in an airport or find they really need to stop and eat before they get here, have a family event that takes precedence, or those who just don't 'get' the idea of a B&B being a small property without front desk services, etc.
Really, all that is needed is a system that works for the property in question. And we've listed off a lot of them that work in a variety of locations.
But, we know some innkeepers who must control every movement their guests make for whom this just does not work. But that's a whole 'nother story.
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Were these guests late arrivals?
If so, had they told you in advance or were they just arriving in their due time?
Had you told them in advance that it would be a self check-in? Or after a certain time that it would be?
Have you changed your polices since this?
.This was a very interesting "case". When the guy called to make the reservation, I told him that his day of arrival was the same day we were flying back in from our vacation and that our innsitter would be here during the day. As with all our guests, their confirmation letters state that check-in is from 3-6 and if we are not available, there will be information left on the front porch for self check-in.copperhead said:BD, sorry you had such a negative experience and I am glad you brought this up. Let us all learn from this bad experience! So a few of questions:
Were these guests late arrivals?
If so, had they told you in advance or were they just arriving in their due time?
Had you told them in advance that it would be a self check-in? Or after a certain time that it would be?
Have you changed your polices since this?
These were the only guests checking in that day and our innsitter was local. After she did her tasks in the afternoon, she found herself sitting and waiting, waiting, waiting. $$$ because we paid her by the hour. At 5:30 she decided to go home (10 minutes away) and left her phone # on the info and she was available if they needed her. The guest must have arrived just a few minutes before 6:00 and you know the rest of the story. We didn't know there was any problem until we arrived home from the airport about 11:30 that night and found too few cars in the parking lot and the key and note left at the door with their notes written on the back.
Since that incident, we have changed our check-in policy to read: "Our regular check in time is between 3:00pm & 6:00pm. If you find that you will be arriving late and have not notified us when making your reservation, please call us so we might be able to plan accordingly. Please, no early arrivals without calling first to see if your room will be available. We always try to greet you personally, but if we need to step away from the inn for a short time or your arrival is delayed and we are not able to greet you in person, there will be self check-in information left for you on the front porch."
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.I hate to be a stick in the mud on this, but I really disagree with that. Some guests will knock themselves out to arrive just before the end of check-in time. In this case, 6pm. They arrive on time and find a note.copperhead said:They had NO reason then to be this way! You had provided them all the needed info and your innsitter had provided them will all the info AND a way to contact her if they needed. THEY are not B&B people!
Traveling is more difficult for some guests than others. My personal rule is that unless all check-ins have arrived, the innkeeper on duty that day is to stay until the end of check-in time. Are there occasional exceptions? Sure. But ONLY if the guest was contacted first and understood that there would be no one there when they arrived and why (owner flying home tonight, innkeeper had a personal emergency, whatever).
Some folks are going to be difficult no matter what. But a lot of folks would be disappointed to find no one there when they arrived within the timeframe given.
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It turned out this guest was a Dr. and was probably used to having everyone at his beck and call. This is an unusual circumstance we went through, but I still think about it whenever we do the self check-in. I know I should just lighten up, but it's difficult!
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To me, the whole key to lightening up is having a clear policy that's understood by the guests. And then, by all means, let them do a self check-in. Just make sure they know what they're going to find when they arrive.Breakfast Diva said:This is an unusual circumstance we went through, but I still think about it whenever we do the self check-in. I know I should just lighten up, but it's difficult!
No surprises, that's all.