Things that wasted your time or need to change

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.

JBloggs

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 7, 2008
Messages
17,744
Reaction score
9
Every year after the busy season has passed for most of us I ask this question -
In your day to day innkeeping: What things did you do that really did not benefit you, your guests or the business? What things will you consider doing differently in 2012?
This can be operational, personal, financial, etc
 
Well, we already did one. Went from four rooms to three. We never once rented out all four at the same time, although the two cheaper rooms had equal bookings. We rethought the furniture and layouts, rearranged, and now we have an office (a real space to do paper/computer work in, instead of perching at a table or in the bedroom...).
If it doesn't work, we can always go back (we didn't sell off the beds, just moved them). But we might as well make better use of the same space.
 
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?
 
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast.
 
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?.
Proud Texan said:
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?
Sometimes we have to wait until the season is over in order to have time to implement changes. Although we needed to start taking deposits at time of booking, trying to do that mid-season is a nightmare. So, it happened last week. Well after the season is over and well before reservations for next season kick into high gear. Easing into something allows it to be tweaked when there aren't a million other things going on.
 
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast..
Madeleine said:
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast.
But...you also have them sitting off to the side, not ON THE TABLE. So pour it and sit down, or get up and get it and sit down, right? So for a communal table having it on the table within grasp might be the opposite effect. That is a good time and cost savings, plus someone can grab a glass prior to breakfast, right? When they get their coffee?
 
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?.
Proud Texan said:
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?
This is a rehash, as RHJ stated something they did/changed.
This is also a time to rethink how you did something, for example if you are caught up, this meaning very busy in day to day operations you may not have realized something that was more waste than benefit. So yes, this is a good time to do it. Some innkeepers are "busier than a one armed paperhanger" and therefore when it slows down they can re-evaluate things. They can look at the figures too and see what changes can or should occur.
Another might be your thinking of changing online reservation systems for the next year. Year end stuff in the office and elsewhere...
 
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast..
Madeleine said:
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast.
But...you also have them sitting off to the side, not ON THE TABLE. So pour it and sit down, or get up and get it and sit down, right? So for a communal table having it on the table within grasp might be the opposite effect. That is a good time and cost savings, plus someone can grab a glass prior to breakfast, right? When they get their coffee?
.
Right next to the coffee & tea. So it is a matter of get it, sit down, get more if you want. Only a couple of people have taken a 16 oz water glass and filled it with juice.
 
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?.
Proud Texan said:
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?
Sometimes we have to wait until the season is over in order to have time to implement changes. Although we needed to start taking deposits at time of booking, trying to do that mid-season is a nightmare. So, it happened last week. Well after the season is over and well before reservations for next season kick into high gear. Easing into something allows it to be tweaked when there aren't a million other things going on.
.
Madeleine said:
Proud Texan said:
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?
Sometimes we have to wait until the season is over in order to have time to implement changes. Although we needed to start taking deposits at time of booking, trying to do that mid-season is a nightmare. So, it happened last week. Well after the season is over and well before reservations for next season kick into high gear. Easing into something allows it to be tweaked when there aren't a million other things going on.
We don't really have seasons, but then again, we mostly only have guests on the weekends. So, I shouldn't be such a grump. I can't imagine the hectic situations that most of you experience. I don't have the constitution for it. We have the luxury of idle time to think and rethink things.
 
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?.
Proud Texan said:
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?
Sometimes we have to wait until the season is over in order to have time to implement changes. Although we needed to start taking deposits at time of booking, trying to do that mid-season is a nightmare. So, it happened last week. Well after the season is over and well before reservations for next season kick into high gear. Easing into something allows it to be tweaked when there aren't a million other things going on.
.
Madeleine said:
Proud Texan said:
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?
Sometimes we have to wait until the season is over in order to have time to implement changes. Although we needed to start taking deposits at time of booking, trying to do that mid-season is a nightmare. So, it happened last week. Well after the season is over and well before reservations for next season kick into high gear. Easing into something allows it to be tweaked when there aren't a million other things going on.
We don't really have seasons, but then again, we mostly only have guests on the weekends. So, I shouldn't be such a grump. I can't imagine the hectic situations that most of you experience. I don't have the constitution for it. We have the luxury of idle time to think and rethink things.
.
Proud Texan said:
Madeleine said:
Proud Texan said:
If they were things that were of no benefit to us, our guests, or our business, then we eliminated those things as we discovered them. It's can be costly to wait. Is there something magical about waiting until the new year to change?
Sometimes we have to wait until the season is over in order to have time to implement changes. Although we needed to start taking deposits at time of booking, trying to do that mid-season is a nightmare. So, it happened last week. Well after the season is over and well before reservations for next season kick into high gear. Easing into something allows it to be tweaked when there aren't a million other things going on.
We don't really have seasons, but then again, we mostly only have guests on the weekends. So, I shouldn't be such a grump. I can't imagine the hectic situations that most of you experience. I don't have the constitution for it. We have the luxury of idle time to think and rethink things.
See, that is why we need to wait- too busy. No time to think about ramifications in season; we spend most of our time reacting. NOT a good situation. But, sometimes, not being able to think a thing over too much allows us to make a snap decision that we would have arrived at anyway but without the hassle!
 
That is why this forum is a great sounding board. Sometimes you can't see the chaos on the other end of this connection when someone posts something. :) Some only come here when they have terrible issues to deal with, we accomodate that to, but wish they would stop in when things are running smoothly as well and share themselves, their inns and their experiences.
In other words, give us more than the crappy stuff.
wink_smile.gif
 
That is why this forum is a great sounding board. Sometimes you can't see the chaos on the other end of this connection when someone posts something. :) Some only come here when they have terrible issues to deal with, we accomodate that to, but wish they would stop in when things are running smoothly as well and share themselves, their inns and their experiences.
In other words, give us more than the crappy stuff.
wink_smile.gif
.
The sheets menu came from this sounding board. It is one of those things that did not cost a lot to offer and if it does not work out, no biggie. The Penny Pincher is just up the street.
 
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast..
Madeleine said:
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast.
But...you also have them sitting off to the side, not ON THE TABLE. So pour it and sit down, or get up and get it and sit down, right? So for a communal table having it on the table within grasp might be the opposite effect. That is a good time and cost savings, plus someone can grab a glass prior to breakfast, right? When they get their coffee?
.
Right next to the coffee & tea. So it is a matter of get it, sit down, get more if you want. Only a couple of people have taken a 16 oz water glass and filled it with juice.
.
Madeleine said:
Right next to the coffee & tea. So it is a matter of get it, sit down, get more if you want. Only a couple of people have taken a 16 oz water glass and filled it with juice.
So, don't put out 16 oz water glasses! Put out wine glasses, they can use them for water or for juice.
 
We were charging a weekday rate and a weekend rate. Plus on weekends once a month, there is a popular flea market nearby that opens on Thur - Sun, so we were charging the weekend rate on those certain weekdays. Is that clear as mud to you? ;) Anyway, we decided to raise our weekday rate to the same as weekend. Now we charge the same rate everyday and that has made things easier for us.
 
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast..
Madeleine said:
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast.
But...you also have them sitting off to the side, not ON THE TABLE. So pour it and sit down, or get up and get it and sit down, right? So for a communal table having it on the table within grasp might be the opposite effect. That is a good time and cost savings, plus someone can grab a glass prior to breakfast, right? When they get their coffee?
.
Right next to the coffee & tea. So it is a matter of get it, sit down, get more if you want. Only a couple of people have taken a 16 oz water glass and filled it with juice.
.
Madeleine said:
Right next to the coffee & tea. So it is a matter of get it, sit down, get more if you want. Only a couple of people have taken a 16 oz water glass and filled it with juice.
So, don't put out 16 oz water glasses! Put out wine glasses, they can use them for water or for juice.
.
Eric Arthur Blair said:
Madeleine said:
Right next to the coffee & tea. So it is a matter of get it, sit down, get more if you want. Only a couple of people have taken a 16 oz water glass and filled it with juice.
So, don't put out 16 oz water glasses! Put out wine glasses, they can use them for water or for juice.
I don't put out 16 oz water glasses for juice, I put out 7 oz juice glasses right next to the pitchers. However, there is always a selection of glasses, mugs, wine glasses available to the guests and if they show up with one of those in hand, I'm not going to stop them.
I would be shot if I put wine glasses out for juice and water. They take up too much room the dishwahser and usually end up causing a second load to be run when guests use them at night.
 
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast..
Madeleine said:
Odd one here- I used to serve juice individually. After Alibi's 'how do you serve juice' survey earlier, I bought those pitchers that Eric mentioned. Haven't looked back. Guests help themselves, I don't throw any full glasses of juice out any longer (guests taste the juice before pouring a full glass) and I've cut back dramatically on the amount of juice we buy. Guests take less juice than I was pouring for them.
I might get another pitcher for the summer to put out iced tea at breakfast.
But...you also have them sitting off to the side, not ON THE TABLE. So pour it and sit down, or get up and get it and sit down, right? So for a communal table having it on the table within grasp might be the opposite effect. That is a good time and cost savings, plus someone can grab a glass prior to breakfast, right? When they get their coffee?
.
Right next to the coffee & tea. So it is a matter of get it, sit down, get more if you want. Only a couple of people have taken a 16 oz water glass and filled it with juice.
.
Madeleine said:
Right next to the coffee & tea. So it is a matter of get it, sit down, get more if you want. Only a couple of people have taken a 16 oz water glass and filled it with juice.
So, don't put out 16 oz water glasses! Put out wine glasses, they can use them for water or for juice.
.
Eric Arthur Blair said:
Madeleine said:
Right next to the coffee & tea. So it is a matter of get it, sit down, get more if you want. Only a couple of people have taken a 16 oz water glass and filled it with juice.
So, don't put out 16 oz water glasses! Put out wine glasses, they can use them for water or for juice.
I don't put out 16 oz water glasses for juice, I put out 7 oz juice glasses right next to the pitchers. However, there is always a selection of glasses, mugs, wine glasses available to the guests and if they show up with one of those in hand, I'm not going to stop them.
I would be shot if I put wine glasses out for juice and water. They take up too much room the dishwahser and usually end up causing a second load to be run when guests use them at night.
.
We were using Martini glasses for certain items... we went stemless to save space.
The restaurant supply place has the glasses for verrines, which has saved us quite a bit of space in the dishwasher. All stemless and sold by the number of cl that fit in the glass. Made serving yogurt and such so much easier.
But we still use wine glasses for juice or water.
en-petits-verres.jpg

 
We were charging a weekday rate and a weekend rate. Plus on weekends once a month, there is a popular flea market nearby that opens on Thur - Sun, so we were charging the weekend rate on those certain weekdays. Is that clear as mud to you? ;) Anyway, we decided to raise our weekday rate to the same as weekend. Now we charge the same rate everyday and that has made things easier for us..
Mtatoc said:
We were charging a weekday rate and a weekend rate. Plus on weekends once a month, there is a popular flea market nearby that opens on Thur - Sun, so we were charging the weekend rate on those certain weekdays. Is that clear as mud to you? ;) Anyway, we decided to raise our weekday rate to the same as weekend. Now we charge the same rate everyday and that has made things easier for us.
Hear hear! I get lost when I go to a website and have to go through the obstacle course of room rates. When I see that, I think "No wonder people just call" if I can't work it out and i do this every day... Just tell me how much it is per night, thank you very much. Now for packages etc, it is another animal.
BY THE WAY, that was what tanked this year for me, so I am rethinking it. In a nutshell, I offered this fantastic picnic package, but...it was for a two night stay only because I wanted my hamper back, well no one booked it, at all, this entire year. I have discovered those who splurge on a "package" will only stay one night - anniversaries and bdays mostly. So what will I do? I am thinking IF I can buy these picnic hampers at walmart next year I will include them into the package. They sat there all summer long this year, not in years past, so not sure if they will be there next spring, summer and fall.
Now for me, this is the thing - I don't want to pre-purchase a bunch of them, I HAVE NO PLACE TO SToRE THEM, I really don't, not in the least. But for all the marketing on it no one wanted it for two nights. dang it.
 
We were charging a weekday rate and a weekend rate. Plus on weekends once a month, there is a popular flea market nearby that opens on Thur - Sun, so we were charging the weekend rate on those certain weekdays. Is that clear as mud to you? ;) Anyway, we decided to raise our weekday rate to the same as weekend. Now we charge the same rate everyday and that has made things easier for us..
Mtatoc said:
We were charging a weekday rate and a weekend rate. Plus on weekends once a month, there is a popular flea market nearby that opens on Thur - Sun, so we were charging the weekend rate on those certain weekdays. Is that clear as mud to you? ;) Anyway, we decided to raise our weekday rate to the same as weekend. Now we charge the same rate everyday and that has made things easier for us.
Hear hear! I get lost when I go to a website and have to go through the obstacle course of room rates. When I see that, I think "No wonder people just call" if I can't work it out and i do this every day... Just tell me how much it is per night, thank you very much. Now for packages etc, it is another animal.
BY THE WAY, that was what tanked this year for me, so I am rethinking it. In a nutshell, I offered this fantastic picnic package, but...it was for a two night stay only because I wanted my hamper back, well no one booked it, at all, this entire year. I have discovered those who splurge on a "package" will only stay one night - anniversaries and bdays mostly. So what will I do? I am thinking IF I can buy these picnic hampers at walmart next year I will include them into the package. They sat there all summer long this year, not in years past, so not sure if they will be there next spring, summer and fall.
Now for me, this is the thing - I don't want to pre-purchase a bunch of them, I HAVE NO PLACE TO SToRE THEM, I really don't, not in the least. But for all the marketing on it no one wanted it for two nights. dang it.
.
Joey, maybe think of something other than a picnic basket. Like a nice large gift bag, nice paper plates, etc. Stuff that you don't expect back. I don't know exactly but you get the idea.
 
We were charging a weekday rate and a weekend rate. Plus on weekends once a month, there is a popular flea market nearby that opens on Thur - Sun, so we were charging the weekend rate on those certain weekdays. Is that clear as mud to you? ;) Anyway, we decided to raise our weekday rate to the same as weekend. Now we charge the same rate everyday and that has made things easier for us..
Mtatoc said:
We were charging a weekday rate and a weekend rate. Plus on weekends once a month, there is a popular flea market nearby that opens on Thur - Sun, so we were charging the weekend rate on those certain weekdays. Is that clear as mud to you? ;) Anyway, we decided to raise our weekday rate to the same as weekend. Now we charge the same rate everyday and that has made things easier for us.
Hear hear! I get lost when I go to a website and have to go through the obstacle course of room rates. When I see that, I think "No wonder people just call" if I can't work it out and i do this every day... Just tell me how much it is per night, thank you very much. Now for packages etc, it is another animal.
BY THE WAY, that was what tanked this year for me, so I am rethinking it. In a nutshell, I offered this fantastic picnic package, but...it was for a two night stay only because I wanted my hamper back, well no one booked it, at all, this entire year. I have discovered those who splurge on a "package" will only stay one night - anniversaries and bdays mostly. So what will I do? I am thinking IF I can buy these picnic hampers at walmart next year I will include them into the package. They sat there all summer long this year, not in years past, so not sure if they will be there next spring, summer and fall.
Now for me, this is the thing - I don't want to pre-purchase a bunch of them, I HAVE NO PLACE TO SToRE THEM, I really don't, not in the least. But for all the marketing on it no one wanted it for two nights. dang it.
.
Joey Bloggs said:
Now for me, this is the thing - I don't want to pre-purchase a bunch of them, I HAVE NO PLACE TO SToRE THEM, I really don't, not in the least. But for all the marketing on it no one wanted it for two nights. dang it.
Thermal totes, maybe - like this? You can probably get them personalized if you want. I have one that I got for free from a grocery store and I love it.
 
We were charging a weekday rate and a weekend rate. Plus on weekends once a month, there is a popular flea market nearby that opens on Thur - Sun, so we were charging the weekend rate on those certain weekdays. Is that clear as mud to you? ;) Anyway, we decided to raise our weekday rate to the same as weekend. Now we charge the same rate everyday and that has made things easier for us..
Mtatoc said:
We were charging a weekday rate and a weekend rate. Plus on weekends once a month, there is a popular flea market nearby that opens on Thur - Sun, so we were charging the weekend rate on those certain weekdays. Is that clear as mud to you? ;) Anyway, we decided to raise our weekday rate to the same as weekend. Now we charge the same rate everyday and that has made things easier for us.
Hear hear! I get lost when I go to a website and have to go through the obstacle course of room rates. When I see that, I think "No wonder people just call" if I can't work it out and i do this every day... Just tell me how much it is per night, thank you very much. Now for packages etc, it is another animal.
BY THE WAY, that was what tanked this year for me, so I am rethinking it. In a nutshell, I offered this fantastic picnic package, but...it was for a two night stay only because I wanted my hamper back, well no one booked it, at all, this entire year. I have discovered those who splurge on a "package" will only stay one night - anniversaries and bdays mostly. So what will I do? I am thinking IF I can buy these picnic hampers at walmart next year I will include them into the package. They sat there all summer long this year, not in years past, so not sure if they will be there next spring, summer and fall.
Now for me, this is the thing - I don't want to pre-purchase a bunch of them, I HAVE NO PLACE TO SToRE THEM, I really don't, not in the least. But for all the marketing on it no one wanted it for two nights. dang it.
.
Joey Bloggs said:
Now for me, this is the thing - I don't want to pre-purchase a bunch of them, I HAVE NO PLACE TO SToRE THEM, I really don't, not in the least. But for all the marketing on it no one wanted it for two nights. dang it.
Thermal totes, maybe - like this? You can probably get them personalized if you want. I have one that I got for free from a grocery store and I love it.
.
Those are neat totes! I could see having those for a picnic. And the guest can reuse it when they get home.
 
Back
Top