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Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?.
Olga said:
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?
I think some people use those signs and if you make them fun I'd be ok with them. The plain old B&W 'Do Not Disturb' signs are not really for B&B's.
Caveat- some folks have found the guests will hang out in their rooms until 4PM and then flip the sign over and expect the room to be cleaned. I would have no idea someone was gone from their room and needed it picked up!
.
Madeleine said:
Olga said:
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?
I think some people use those signs and if you make them fun I'd be ok with them. The plain old B&W 'Do Not Disturb' signs are not really for B&B's.
Caveat- some folks have found the guests will hang out in their rooms until 4PM and then flip the sign over and expect the room to be cleaned. I would have no idea someone was gone from their room and needed it picked up!
I wonder if they are made aware that housekeeping is only available between certain times? I know in some hotels, the housekeepers are gone by 5pm ... earlier if all their work is done sooner.
.
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
.
Madeleine said:
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
Do people read the guest books that thoroughly? Or just read the information they are looking for? I myself sometimes just leaf through them. We went away for 2 weeks this year, and I don't even think I looked at it (I think my other half looked at it though).
Would a housekeeping schedule on the back door or on one of those little stand up notices on a desk work? Or would that just be adding clutter?
.
Olga said:
Madeleine said:
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
Do people read the guest books that thoroughly? Or just read the information they are looking for? I myself sometimes just leaf through them. We went away for 2 weeks this year, and I don't even think I looked at it (I think my other half looked at it though).
Would a housekeeping schedule on the back door or on one of those little stand up notices on a desk work? Or would that just be adding clutter?
OK, here's the deal...some people read every scrap of paper in the room, some tell me there was absolutely NO information in the room about anything they needed.
SO. On the back of the door, just like a hotel, I have the check out time. Still get guests who are standing at the door, studiously avoiding seeing the sign with the check-out time, while I'm knocking on it at 11:30 tell me they had no idea check-out was at 11.
Ditto any other info.
I have those little plastic 5x7 picture frames like you would stand on a table in which I have a sheet with all the really important stuff- breakfast, WiFi, check-out, how to find us. I put this on the dresser on top of the guest book. Nothing doing. Had guests say they couldn't log onto the WiFi, they didn't have the pw.
I put both the book and the picture frame ON the bed. They have to move it, touch it, look at it to use the bed. Same problem. 'Oh, I didn't see it.'
So, you can do anything and everything but 95% of the guests are on vacation in more ways than one and they do not read. I just do it for those 5% who do read. Which reminds me that I have to update the room books this month.
Hey, I do it myself. I sat down in a hotel in Vegas and tried to log onto the WiFi there. No can do. I go looking for something that tells me how to do this and can't find it. FInally I look for a phone number to call and there it is...directions for how to get on the internet. Not WiFi.
.
Maddie, maybe at check in you can just ask to see their cell phones and then put a sticky note on it saying "please read the in-room guest book first"
Hey worth a shot. Because you know they never leave the cell phone, even when the rest of their brain is on vacation.
 
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?.
Olga said:
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?
I think some people use those signs and if you make them fun I'd be ok with them. The plain old B&W 'Do Not Disturb' signs are not really for B&B's.
Caveat- some folks have found the guests will hang out in their rooms until 4PM and then flip the sign over and expect the room to be cleaned. I would have no idea someone was gone from their room and needed it picked up!
.
Madeleine said:
Olga said:
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?
I think some people use those signs and if you make them fun I'd be ok with them. The plain old B&W 'Do Not Disturb' signs are not really for B&B's.
Caveat- some folks have found the guests will hang out in their rooms until 4PM and then flip the sign over and expect the room to be cleaned. I would have no idea someone was gone from their room and needed it picked up!
I wonder if they are made aware that housekeeping is only available between certain times? I know in some hotels, the housekeepers are gone by 5pm ... earlier if all their work is done sooner.
.
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
.
Madeleine said:
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
Do people read the guest books that thoroughly? Or just read the information they are looking for? I myself sometimes just leaf through them. We went away for 2 weeks this year, and I don't even think I looked at it (I think my other half looked at it though).
Would a housekeeping schedule on the back door or on one of those little stand up notices on a desk work? Or would that just be adding clutter?
.
Olga said:
Madeleine said:
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
Do people read the guest books that thoroughly? Or just read the information they are looking for? I myself sometimes just leaf through them. We went away for 2 weeks this year, and I don't even think I looked at it (I think my other half looked at it though).
Would a housekeeping schedule on the back door or on one of those little stand up notices on a desk work? Or would that just be adding clutter?
OK, here's the deal...some people read every scrap of paper in the room, some tell me there was absolutely NO information in the room about anything they needed.
SO. On the back of the door, just like a hotel, I have the check out time. Still get guests who are standing at the door, studiously avoiding seeing the sign with the check-out time, while I'm knocking on it at 11:30 tell me they had no idea check-out was at 11.
Ditto any other info.
I have those little plastic 5x7 picture frames like you would stand on a table in which I have a sheet with all the really important stuff- breakfast, WiFi, check-out, how to find us. I put this on the dresser on top of the guest book. Nothing doing. Had guests say they couldn't log onto the WiFi, they didn't have the pw.
I put both the book and the picture frame ON the bed. They have to move it, touch it, look at it to use the bed. Same problem. 'Oh, I didn't see it.'
So, you can do anything and everything but 95% of the guests are on vacation in more ways than one and they do not read. I just do it for those 5% who do read. Which reminds me that I have to update the room books this month.
Hey, I do it myself. I sat down in a hotel in Vegas and tried to log onto the WiFi there. No can do. I go looking for something that tells me how to do this and can't find it. FInally I look for a phone number to call and there it is...directions for how to get on the internet. Not WiFi.
.
Its the first page on my guest information and it says on their welcome letter that the info is in your guest information and still am asked "do you have Wi-fi?"
 
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?.
Olga said:
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?
I think some people use those signs and if you make them fun I'd be ok with them. The plain old B&W 'Do Not Disturb' signs are not really for B&B's.
Caveat- some folks have found the guests will hang out in their rooms until 4PM and then flip the sign over and expect the room to be cleaned. I would have no idea someone was gone from their room and needed it picked up!
.
Madeleine said:
Olga said:
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?
I think some people use those signs and if you make them fun I'd be ok with them. The plain old B&W 'Do Not Disturb' signs are not really for B&B's.
Caveat- some folks have found the guests will hang out in their rooms until 4PM and then flip the sign over and expect the room to be cleaned. I would have no idea someone was gone from their room and needed it picked up!
I wonder if they are made aware that housekeeping is only available between certain times? I know in some hotels, the housekeepers are gone by 5pm ... earlier if all their work is done sooner.
.
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
.
Madeleine said:
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
Do people read the guest books that thoroughly? Or just read the information they are looking for? I myself sometimes just leaf through them. We went away for 2 weeks this year, and I don't even think I looked at it (I think my other half looked at it though).
Would a housekeeping schedule on the back door or on one of those little stand up notices on a desk work? Or would that just be adding clutter?
.
Olga said:
Madeleine said:
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
Do people read the guest books that thoroughly? Or just read the information they are looking for? I myself sometimes just leaf through them. We went away for 2 weeks this year, and I don't even think I looked at it (I think my other half looked at it though).
Would a housekeeping schedule on the back door or on one of those little stand up notices on a desk work? Or would that just be adding clutter?
OK, here's the deal...some people read every scrap of paper in the room, some tell me there was absolutely NO information in the room about anything they needed.
SO. On the back of the door, just like a hotel, I have the check out time. Still get guests who are standing at the door, studiously avoiding seeing the sign with the check-out time, while I'm knocking on it at 11:30 tell me they had no idea check-out was at 11.
Ditto any other info.
I have those little plastic 5x7 picture frames like you would stand on a table in which I have a sheet with all the really important stuff- breakfast, WiFi, check-out, how to find us. I put this on the dresser on top of the guest book. Nothing doing. Had guests say they couldn't log onto the WiFi, they didn't have the pw.
I put both the book and the picture frame ON the bed. They have to move it, touch it, look at it to use the bed. Same problem. 'Oh, I didn't see it.'
So, you can do anything and everything but 95% of the guests are on vacation in more ways than one and they do not read. I just do it for those 5% who do read. Which reminds me that I have to update the room books this month.
Hey, I do it myself. I sat down in a hotel in Vegas and tried to log onto the WiFi there. No can do. I go looking for something that tells me how to do this and can't find it. FInally I look for a phone number to call and there it is...directions for how to get on the internet. Not WiFi.
.
Maddie, maybe at check in you can just ask to see their cell phones and then put a sticky note on it saying "please read the in-room guest book first"
Hey worth a shot. Because you know they never leave the cell phone, even when the rest of their brain is on vacation.
.
Weaver said:
Maddie, maybe at check in you can just ask to see their cell phones and then put a sticky note on it saying "please read the in-room guest book first"
Hey worth a shot. Because you know they never leave the cell phone, even when the rest of their brain is on vacation.
QR codes. Everyone loves to see what kind of prize they get by scanning the codes, right?
 
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?.
Olga said:
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?
I think some people use those signs and if you make them fun I'd be ok with them. The plain old B&W 'Do Not Disturb' signs are not really for B&B's.
Caveat- some folks have found the guests will hang out in their rooms until 4PM and then flip the sign over and expect the room to be cleaned. I would have no idea someone was gone from their room and needed it picked up!
.
Madeleine said:
Olga said:
Does anyone have signs for the guests to use for 'no housekeeping', or 'do not disturb'? Or is that more of a hotel/motel sorta deal?
I think some people use those signs and if you make them fun I'd be ok with them. The plain old B&W 'Do Not Disturb' signs are not really for B&B's.
Caveat- some folks have found the guests will hang out in their rooms until 4PM and then flip the sign over and expect the room to be cleaned. I would have no idea someone was gone from their room and needed it picked up!
I wonder if they are made aware that housekeeping is only available between certain times? I know in some hotels, the housekeepers are gone by 5pm ... earlier if all their work is done sooner.
.
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
.
Madeleine said:
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
Do people read the guest books that thoroughly? Or just read the information they are looking for? I myself sometimes just leaf through them. We went away for 2 weeks this year, and I don't even think I looked at it (I think my other half looked at it though).
Would a housekeeping schedule on the back door or on one of those little stand up notices on a desk work? Or would that just be adding clutter?
.
Olga said:
Madeleine said:
Even tho we do not have the do not disturb signs we do have a notice with 'important info' that lets the guest know we clean between 9 AM- 1 PM. So, if you're lollygagging around until 2 PM, no one is going to touch the room at tht point. I'm dead by 1 PM!
Do people read the guest books that thoroughly? Or just read the information they are looking for? I myself sometimes just leaf through them. We went away for 2 weeks this year, and I don't even think I looked at it (I think my other half looked at it though).
Would a housekeeping schedule on the back door or on one of those little stand up notices on a desk work? Or would that just be adding clutter?
OK, here's the deal...some people read every scrap of paper in the room, some tell me there was absolutely NO information in the room about anything they needed.
SO. On the back of the door, just like a hotel, I have the check out time. Still get guests who are standing at the door, studiously avoiding seeing the sign with the check-out time, while I'm knocking on it at 11:30 tell me they had no idea check-out was at 11.
Ditto any other info.
I have those little plastic 5x7 picture frames like you would stand on a table in which I have a sheet with all the really important stuff- breakfast, WiFi, check-out, how to find us. I put this on the dresser on top of the guest book. Nothing doing. Had guests say they couldn't log onto the WiFi, they didn't have the pw.
I put both the book and the picture frame ON the bed. They have to move it, touch it, look at it to use the bed. Same problem. 'Oh, I didn't see it.'
So, you can do anything and everything but 95% of the guests are on vacation in more ways than one and they do not read. I just do it for those 5% who do read. Which reminds me that I have to update the room books this month.
Hey, I do it myself. I sat down in a hotel in Vegas and tried to log onto the WiFi there. No can do. I go looking for something that tells me how to do this and can't find it. FInally I look for a phone number to call and there it is...directions for how to get on the internet. Not WiFi.
.
Maddie, maybe at check in you can just ask to see their cell phones and then put a sticky note on it saying "please read the in-room guest book first"
Hey worth a shot. Because you know they never leave the cell phone, even when the rest of their brain is on vacation.
.
Weaver said:
Maddie, maybe at check in you can just ask to see their cell phones and then put a sticky note on it saying "please read the in-room guest book first"
Hey worth a shot. Because you know they never leave the cell phone, even when the rest of their brain is on vacation.
QR codes. Everyone loves to see what kind of prize they get by scanning the codes, right?
.
Madeleine said:
Weaver said:
Maddie, maybe at check in you can just ask to see their cell phones and then put a sticky note on it saying "please read the in-room guest book first"
Hey worth a shot. Because you know they never leave the cell phone, even when the rest of their brain is on vacation.
QR codes. Everyone loves to see what kind of prize they get by scanning the codes, right?
There you go, and the winner is....... how to connect to the Wi-Fi. Duh if they could only read.
 
As far as our guests are concerned, we do not go in their room at all. Total privacy. Don't want that liability and relieves us of having to take the time to fluff their room. I wouldn't want someone coming in my room while I went into town for the day. I'd be wondering if they went through my stuff. I'm just weird like that
embaressed_smile.gif

Now, we will sneak in to put the cleaned spare set of sheets back in the closet just so they are not laying around the laundry room... But we just installed locks on all the bedroom doors, so the guests aren't expecting anyone to be able to get in. We do offer a changed bed if they are staying more than 3 nights at which time we'll tell them that we're going in....
Do guests know there is no daily housekeeping? It is so strange that JB got dinged for not REMAKING a made bed and you don't make beds at all and seem none the worse for it!
We do clean the guest rooms everyday. Pretty thoroughly at that.
.
I'm amused by this, because it's never been something that's been addressed. We don't tell them that there's no room service... we don't say anything about room service at all. I've never had anyone ask about room service or comment about lack thereof. The only thing we discussed when we took over was when to change sheets. We didn't want to have to change sheets after just one night and the previous owners said they only did so if they stay more than 3 nights. (come to find out after the fact that they often didn't change sheets between guests either EEWWW - probably why there's not alot of repeat business from before our reign).
.
Ok - I hear you all loud & clear. I just had a discussion with the other Innkeeper and we completely agree with y'all. If I was staying somewhere and came back after a long day to find my trash was still overflowing and my towels were still on the floor, I would not be pelased. I appreciate the help to improve our establishment & the level of service that we offer. We are going to start housekeeping immediately.
I was not a big traveler and had never stayed in a B&B before starting to run this one. So, I have a limited frame of reference from a guest's point of view. I try to put myself in their shoes when considering things, but this had honestly not crossed our minds because we were adamant about not entering a guest's room... again I am grateful to this forum for showing me the way
lightbulb.gif

Thanks again!!
.
I don't fluff the room every day but I do let guests know what to expect. In our in-room info, under the heading Linens, Towels and Room Servicing, it says along the line of "Our aim is to be attentive to your needs without being intrusive" and explains that towels are replaced every other day or as requested, sheets are changed after three nights or as requested, trash is emptied etc... and to let us know if they would like their room serviced with more or less frequency. Basically, a two-night stay doesn't get the room serviced unless requested.
On days when I will be in their room, I try to remind them after breakfast with a quick "I'll freshen your towels/room while you're out today". Some say don't bother but I do it more so they remember to put away things they don't want me to see. I'm big on privacy when I travel and so I try to give the same to guests.
Do what works for your situation and your market. Just be sure to let the guests know what to expect and give them the opportunity to have it their way if possible.
 
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