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inncogneeto

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I'm noticing a trend around here...
When I have guests who are staying here as a respite from camping at the local national parks, things go missing....
like blankets ( 3 in the last 6 weeks) and entire new rolls of toilet paper.
frustrating. The blanket thing is really bugging, I just bought all new.
Toilet paper I can live with, blankets...that's stealing!
 
The TP is stealing, too... just a misdemeanor instead of a felony.
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Bummer...
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=)
Kk.
 
We've had the TP & tissues and soaps all leave with the campers. Never blankets. Oh, and the tea, coffee & granola bars, too. Taking blankets takes nerve. How have you handled it? Have you contacted them? I mean, that's something you notice right away, not like a some glasses that may have been broken.
 
Blankets are not cheap..
ring, ring ... 'hi, xyzguest. this is seashanty from abc inn. we are unable to locate three blankets from your room(s) ... and wonder if they might have been accidentally packed away with your (bedrolls ... sleeping bags ... 'stuff') ... they are stamped with abc inn ... could you please check?'
'i will hold while you check'
that is bad bad bad!
 
Wow! I am in shock. I was still shaking my head at the whole idea of people doing that when I then read seashanty's great advise! Of course! Hotels would make you pay, right? So the calling idea sounds smart and it makes me feel better, it also saves face that it could have been a mistake.
I can see that I have a lot to learn if I am ever going to be a successful innkeeper. Wow. Swirt could put together the best of forums...etc. Oh, maybe he already has. There is so much to read and learn!
 
Blankets are not cheap..
ring, ring ... 'hi, xyzguest. this is seashanty from abc inn. we are unable to locate three blankets from your room(s) ... and wonder if they might have been accidentally packed away with your (bedrolls ... sleeping bags ... 'stuff') ... they are stamped with abc inn ... could you please check?'
'i will hold while you check'
that is bad bad bad!
.
I agree, that would be bad, plus I don't usually notice until a few days later, with dh and dd stripping the beds, I don't usually figure it out until I'm doing the big wash and inventory...
it's weird. Maybe it's the :ghost:
 
Yes, I agree that this is a bad sign, but you were very quick to put thought on this and figure out the trend. Since some of the disappearences (blankets) are several weeks old, I think that the only one(s) I would possibly call would be in the last day or 2, any longer ago and the person could easily use the excuse that you need to call your last guests.
In a way to discourage this behavior in the future, you may want to include a clause in your confirmation and sign-in that addresses 'missing items' and charges that could occur.
 
Are they the spare blankets in closets/drawers? Surely not right off the beds. I mean that would by so noticable.
 
do you have your name in big laundry marker letters on the blankets? if not, please put it there right away. on the underside where it doesn't show when you make up the bed, but big enough to be SEEN. are these folks who are camping, then staying with you, then camping again? wondering how you know they are taking a respite from camping.
i did have someone take an afghan away but she returned it ... i too am wondering, are these right off the beds??? if they are spares, then i don't think i'd have them in the room for guests to help themselves if this is what is going on until you figure out another solution. they'd have to come ask me for a spare.
it's not possible that they have been put aside in the wrong place or in the wash? if you are working alone or are right in there flipping rooms, then you would know.
it's very upsetting. i am so sorry
 
Not in the wash and I have looked in all the places we store the extra stuff, not there, I keep them zipped up in those plastic bags they come in -when not in use, so it's not like the "spare" but that's not an excuse for taking them anyway, just because we don't have stamps on every single thing in the house, doesn't mean it's complimentary!
the first blanket, I don't know who took it, but the last two went missing the day after campers, and yes, apparently we are the stop in the middle of the trip, the shower and clean up stop...
again today; Pillow walked this morning, nowhere to be found, I know that is an easy mistake to make, they brought their own pillows and inadvertently took ours... I know who it was, how many pillows were on the bed yesterday at fluff, same as every other day...and the spares are in place in the closet...
So far only one bath sheet has walked, and we intercepted some that almost walked with a guy who thought he was going to clean his Harley with them, can you believe that!??
dh thinks I am going nuts, that people aren't taking the stuff and i must be putting them in my top secret blanket storage for the senile...OK, then show me where they went?!
...but like SS brings up, as frustrating as it is, do you really call them and ask them to return it? i don't think so...
I'm running out of storage space and it is so convenient to store them right there in the room...why can't people just be good?
 
Not in the wash and I have looked in all the places we store the extra stuff, not there, I keep them zipped up in those plastic bags they come in -when not in use, so it's not like the "spare" but that's not an excuse for taking them anyway, just because we don't have stamps on every single thing in the house, doesn't mean it's complimentary!
the first blanket, I don't know who took it, but the last two went missing the day after campers, and yes, apparently we are the stop in the middle of the trip, the shower and clean up stop...
again today; Pillow walked this morning, nowhere to be found, I know that is an easy mistake to make, they brought their own pillows and inadvertently took ours... I know who it was, how many pillows were on the bed yesterday at fluff, same as every other day...and the spares are in place in the closet...
So far only one bath sheet has walked, and we intercepted some that almost walked with a guy who thought he was going to clean his Harley with them, can you believe that!??
dh thinks I am going nuts, that people aren't taking the stuff and i must be putting them in my top secret blanket storage for the senile...OK, then show me where they went?!
...but like SS brings up, as frustrating as it is, do you really call them and ask them to return it? i don't think so...
I'm running out of storage space and it is so convenient to store them right there in the room...why can't people just be good?.
yes! really call ... although will that make the blankets return? i don't know. grrrrrrrrrrrr
 
For what it's worth, I am just an inn lover who is an aspiring, wannabe, hope to someday be innkeeper and I agree with seashanty and say call. Would you really want them as return guests anyway, if they stole from you? And if it was an honest mistake, you might get it back. I guess you have to weigh whether it is worth it your time and what you hope to achieve by doing it and what you could lose.
If I had accidentally taken it, I would want to return it and wouldn't mind getting the call. (Actually I would be so worried about having it I would have called you as soon as I realized I had it!) My sister, on the other hand, would never even realize it didn't belong to her family and who knows if she would be offended!
I guess that didn't help...!
 
Noone accidentally takes a blanket. Calling will only get you in deeper. Write it off. Put their name on the DNR to list
 
If you could figure out who took it, I'd charge their card. I'd be willing to risk a chargeback for that! That is theft for one thing & certainly bad manners. How rude!
So far, I had a pillow go missing when the cheerleaders were here (grrrrr). I know what happened there....she buddied up with a friend in a room in the other inn & took it with her. The other inn probably got it but they weren't willing to own up about it. I've had a couple of make-up mirrors go missing - $2 at Tuesday Morning but still.... I didn't catch that right away.
I read this post briefly right as I was dozing off last night & thought about those makeup mirrors! I dreamt that someone was taking all of them. It was weird.
 
If you could figure out who took it, I'd charge their card. I'd be willing to risk a chargeback for that! That is theft for one thing & certainly bad manners. How rude!
So far, I had a pillow go missing when the cheerleaders were here (grrrrr). I know what happened there....she buddied up with a friend in a room in the other inn & took it with her. The other inn probably got it but they weren't willing to own up about it. I've had a couple of make-up mirrors go missing - $2 at Tuesday Morning but still.... I didn't catch that right away.
I read this post briefly right as I was dozing off last night & thought about those makeup mirrors! I dreamt that someone was taking all of them. It was weird..
Uh, oh...must be contagious... The crazies, I mean...
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Sweet dreams!
 
If you could figure out who took it, I'd charge their card. I'd be willing to risk a chargeback for that! That is theft for one thing & certainly bad manners. How rude!
So far, I had a pillow go missing when the cheerleaders were here (grrrrr). I know what happened there....she buddied up with a friend in a room in the other inn & took it with her. The other inn probably got it but they weren't willing to own up about it. I've had a couple of make-up mirrors go missing - $2 at Tuesday Morning but still.... I didn't catch that right away.
I read this post briefly right as I was dozing off last night & thought about those makeup mirrors! I dreamt that someone was taking all of them. It was weird..
Uh, oh...must be contagious... The crazies, I mean...
tounge_smile.gif

Sweet dreams!
.
Knock wood...nothing has gone missing lately at all.
I have no clue who would have taken those makeup mirrors although they're almost small enough to be travel size. I'm giving the benefit of the doubt on that one. haha. I would notice right away if a blanket went missing though!
 
OMG, they even got the shlumpadinka likeness of me in that caricature! WOW!
I love you Bree!
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