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deercrossing

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I have been approached 3X this past year from other B&B's about trading stays. I turned them down because of the season requests (We gotta make "Hay" while the sun shinesand $$$ in the bank helps get us through the slow winter). Two of them were from places we probably would not visit anyway but the third was from a place we have wanted to go.
Again, I'm a newbie to the site so I am sure this has been discussed time and again but your insights are appreciated.
Thanks
 
If you think it's a place you will go then go for it! We were going to do one and I asked them if we could come in the off season. No, they were closed but they'd let us stay in the house. What? I want the whole experience not just camping out in someone's house.
So, you might suggest a voucher for you to go when you can. Rather than trying to nail down a date right off.
 
I don't trade unless it is a B & B I have a good relationship with in another town where we constantly refer guests back and forth. I have a few like that and it is good for each person to get to stay at each others place so they know if it is good or not. If it is some random city across the country then no. I also just received an email from a woman doing a trip from Los Angeles to Washington wanting a free room and in trade I would be featured on her blog. That is not going to happen either.
 
You are right to pick and choose with these requests. I have done 2. One was an offer by the innkeeper. Their place was in a beach town about 2 hours from here so I jumped on it. Problem, they did not come with a GC/voucher for the reciprocal night. He was lackadaisical about the entire matter (among other things
angry_smile.gif
) so we planned a quick getaway soon after his stay so we would not loose out in the 'trade'.
The 2nd was OUR offer. Another B&B within 2 hrs. Good place to just retreat. They provided a GC with a very short expiry date. NOT happy about that! If it were a freebie I would understand but all in all we paid for it and should deserve the LEGAL terms of a standard GC in this state (which is 5 yrs). Funny thing is that I had not noticed it during their stay and we were chatting over breakfast and the subject of GC's came up and a problem with one they had. So turned out she said that she always puts 12/31/yr purchased on a GC. When I told her there was a law on this she was baffled - and she is a board member of the state org.
SO if you do choose to accept an exchange/trade make sure you have all the details on the trade in writing at the time of booking, not after they are staying. Learn from my casual mistakes.
 
I don't do trades. Generally because well, I don't usually want to go where the offers come from and they don't want to come here. I pay. They want to stay, they pay. The money crosses anyway. It's fair.
And so far, most of the innkeepers who have come my way.... I've read their reviews... I don't want to stay! I think they were below 1600th in their city of almost 1800 properties!
 
Trade with someone we don't know vs an innmate from this forum makes a difference. If it is NOT peak season and they are innkeepers I may do a BOGO for them. But I will be frank here, the innmates on this forum stay, take you to dinner, love everything and it is like lost friends reuniting!
The innkeepers we have had (apart from one couple from NY state who were awesome) have all been the worst guests. Isn't that wonderful? NO.
So, if they are in my state or near by state I might do the BOGO as I would love them to refer guests to us and vice versa.
There is a swap program for innkeepers Night for Night you can join, or not join. :)
 
You are right to pick and choose with these requests. I have done 2. One was an offer by the innkeeper. Their place was in a beach town about 2 hours from here so I jumped on it. Problem, they did not come with a GC/voucher for the reciprocal night. He was lackadaisical about the entire matter (among other things
angry_smile.gif
) so we planned a quick getaway soon after his stay so we would not loose out in the 'trade'.
The 2nd was OUR offer. Another B&B within 2 hrs. Good place to just retreat. They provided a GC with a very short expiry date. NOT happy about that! If it were a freebie I would understand but all in all we paid for it and should deserve the LEGAL terms of a standard GC in this state (which is 5 yrs). Funny thing is that I had not noticed it during their stay and we were chatting over breakfast and the subject of GC's came up and a problem with one they had. So turned out she said that she always puts 12/31/yr purchased on a GC. When I told her there was a law on this she was baffled - and she is a board member of the state org.
SO if you do choose to accept an exchange/trade make sure you have all the details on the trade in writing at the time of booking, not after they are staying. Learn from my casual mistakes..
copperhead said:
The 2nd was OUR offer. Another B&B within 2 hrs. Good place to just retreat. They provided a GC with a very short expiry date. NOT happy about that! If it were a freebie I would understand but all in all we paid for it and should deserve the LEGAL terms of a standard GC in this state (which is 5 yrs). Funny thing is that I had not noticed it during their stay and we were chatting over breakfast and the subject of GC's came up and a problem with one they had. So turned out she said that she always puts 12/31/yr purchased on a GC. When I told her there was a law on this she was baffled - and she is a board member of the state org.
This is what I saw too, you need that GC in hand to make it viable, otherwise it can be embarrassing.
 
You are right to pick and choose with these requests. I have done 2. One was an offer by the innkeeper. Their place was in a beach town about 2 hours from here so I jumped on it. Problem, they did not come with a GC/voucher for the reciprocal night. He was lackadaisical about the entire matter (among other things
angry_smile.gif
) so we planned a quick getaway soon after his stay so we would not loose out in the 'trade'.
The 2nd was OUR offer. Another B&B within 2 hrs. Good place to just retreat. They provided a GC with a very short expiry date. NOT happy about that! If it were a freebie I would understand but all in all we paid for it and should deserve the LEGAL terms of a standard GC in this state (which is 5 yrs). Funny thing is that I had not noticed it during their stay and we were chatting over breakfast and the subject of GC's came up and a problem with one they had. So turned out she said that she always puts 12/31/yr purchased on a GC. When I told her there was a law on this she was baffled - and she is a board member of the state org.
SO if you do choose to accept an exchange/trade make sure you have all the details on the trade in writing at the time of booking, not after they are staying. Learn from my casual mistakes..
We did a trade with a B&B we figured we'd go to en route to visit family. They came here first, were complete asses and we decided to not even bother. I would hazard a guess they do that on purpose. From the stories they told they are the sort of innkeepers who prey on their guests and get free stays all over the world.
 
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