Waiting to Exhale

[bbinnsitters]

I was supposed to have 3 check-ins today - one at 1pm, one at 3pm and one at 5pm. It is now 3:40pm and no one has shown up yet. Anybody want to place bets on the fact that my 5pm will probably be the first to show up?!

 

[wendydk]

For sure they will be. People never checked in for us when they said they would...NEVER.

 

[bbinnsitters]

For sure they will be. People never checked in for us when they said they would...NEVER..

Well I'll be danged - my 1pm checked in at 4:15...still waiting for everyone else and it is 4:30 now - maybe my 5pm people will be on time?! If I start baking they'll all be sure to show up, right!?

 

[Red Handed Jill]

Sueellen, that's the guarantee here. Put something in the oven...the doorbell rings. I have actually baked for no other reason sometimes except that I was tired of waiting.

 

[Emily Spiers]

For sure they will be. People never checked in for us when they said they would...NEVER..

Well I'll be danged - my 1pm checked in at 4:15...still waiting for everyone else and it is 4:30 now - maybe my 5pm people will be on time?! If I start baking they'll all be sure to show up, right!?
.

If I start baking they'll all be sure to show up, right!?

Or go to the bathroom

 

[JBloggs]

As you know we are not in walk in ville here for guests, we get them rarely.
A car pulled up and asked DH who is topping trees outside if we have any rooms for tonight, so he just called a moment ago and will leave their dog in the car, which he said is fine.
He said "I tried to book online but it wouldn’t let me."
“Just now?” I ask.
Yes.
Book online when you are sitting in front of the place? IS IT IS FULL MOON? I told him, that is correct our check in time is 4 to 6, there is no way to book online at 615PM the same day and walk in the front door, sorry. Now I am waiting for them to cross the front porch and my half made dinner is sitting in there...I nearly got off easy with the other rooms checking in later.

 

[Don Draper]

I DESPISE walk-ins after our check-in time is over...don't know why it just gets under my skin. If it makes y'all feel any better our two checkins today were together and got here as promised at 3 pm...they are snotty as all get out, very condescending to both DH and myself, whatever. Now they are sitting in my living room eating McD's takeout for dinner....GREAT.

 

[bbinnsitters]

Sueellen, that's the guarantee here. Put something in the oven...the doorbell rings. I have actually baked for no other reason sometimes except that I was tired of waiting..

Yep, the baking helped - the 3pms showed up at 5pm right as I was getting ready to pop something in the oven and continued to be a little high maintenance - so the muffins were very close to being over done.
The 5pm people checked in at 6:45! Yay, everyone is here - I am going to go put my feet up - which had I known it was going to be this kind of day I could have done between 1 and 4! Heck I could've taken a 3 hour nap!

 

[bbinnsitters]

I DESPISE walk-ins after our check-in time is over...don't know why it just gets under my skin. If it makes y'all feel any better our two checkins today were together and got here as promised at 3 pm...they are snotty as all get out, very condescending to both DH and myself, whatever. Now they are sitting in my living room eating McD's takeout for dinner....GREAT..

Seriously!? There oughta be a law against people smelling up your house with that stuff - almost as bad as smoking! HA!

 

[Red Handed Jill]

Sueellen, that's the guarantee here. Put something in the oven...the doorbell rings. I have actually baked for no other reason sometimes except that I was tired of waiting..

Yep, the baking helped - the 3pms showed up at 5pm right as I was getting ready to pop something in the oven and continued to be a little high maintenance - so the muffins were very close to being over done.
The 5pm people checked in at 6:45! Yay, everyone is here - I am going to go put my feet up - which had I known it was going to be this kind of day I could have done between 1 and 4! Heck I could've taken a 3 hour nap!
.

<snip>

so the muffins were very close to being over done.

I have taken to carrying the kitchen timer with me. It beeps and "Oops! Gotta go get something out of the oven!" It may seem odd, but better than burnt baked goods. And I try to warn them it's coming.

 

[Don Draper]

I DESPISE walk-ins after our check-in time is over...don't know why it just gets under my skin. If it makes y'all feel any better our two checkins today were together and got here as promised at 3 pm...they are snotty as all get out, very condescending to both DH and myself, whatever. Now they are sitting in my living room eating McD's takeout for dinner....GREAT..

Seriously!? There oughta be a law against people smelling up your house with that stuff - almost as bad as smoking! HA!
.

I know, I hate it. That plus they swore their child was 10, he's lucky if he's 7 and he is complete ADD, into everything. They left everything a giant mess, threw a half empty can of diet coke in the trash can, splashing it all over the wall. WHY does it only take 2 jackasses to completely RUIN an otherwise lovely house of 9??? Two more days of this nonsense.

 

[InnBloom]

In my own experience, waiting for folks to check in is the HARDEST part of this whole gig. I have learned that it is okay to:
-reconfirm by email or phone their real travel plans (some folks booked months ago, and don't even remember what they said)
-go about my business a little bit and be outside planting plants, or mowing the yard, or whatever else needs done, as long as I've got an eye out for them
-or actually leave a key and a letter (after talking with them by phone and learning that their real plans have nothing to do with the plans they said when they booked.) I actually thank all the members of this forum for getting me to this point. Just today I had some guests who were actually relieved when I offered to leave a key and a letter outside so they didn't have to sweat the time, and I didn't have to hang around. Win/win for both of us! Thanks everyone! (But I still have to admit, I was relieved when I happened to be around when they arrived, so that I could personally greet them and show them around. I do think it makes a difference).
But truly, of ALL the hard jobs innkeeping entails, waiting for late check-ins is the abolute hardest.

 

[JBloggs]

Tonight we go to see Celtic Thunder, if they are not in by check in time, they have a self check in. Ottawa, FLA and two others. It is what it is. Will work ALL day stripping, cleaning and making up 5 rooms...so by this evening it will be FAMILY TIME.
Being tied to this place and never seeing the sunshine gets to me. Up at 6am for brekkie and in bed is MY TIME, I NEED SLEEP

 

[Tom]

Just called a guest who's booking requested "early check in" to find out what "early" means, told her we won't be here until 3. She was appreciative.

 

[bbinnsitters]

Sueellen, that's the guarantee here. Put something in the oven...the doorbell rings. I have actually baked for no other reason sometimes except that I was tired of waiting..

Yep, the baking helped - the 3pms showed up at 5pm right as I was getting ready to pop something in the oven and continued to be a little high maintenance - so the muffins were very close to being over done.
The 5pm people checked in at 6:45! Yay, everyone is here - I am going to go put my feet up - which had I known it was going to be this kind of day I could have done between 1 and 4! Heck I could've taken a 3 hour nap!
.

<snip>

so the muffins were very close to being over done.

I have taken to carrying the kitchen timer with me. It beeps and "Oops! Gotta go get something out of the oven!" It may seem odd, but better than burnt baked goods. And I try to warn them it's coming.
.

I like the idea of carrying the timer with you! Ding - gotta go!

 

[bbinnsitters]

As you know we are not in walk in ville here for guests, we get them rarely.
A car pulled up and asked DH who is topping trees outside if we have any rooms for tonight, so he just called a moment ago and will leave their dog in the car, which he said is fine.
He said "I tried to book online but it wouldn’t let me."
“Just now?” I ask.
Yes.
Book online when you are sitting in front of the place? IS IT IS FULL MOON? I told him, that is correct our check in time is 4 to 6, there is no way to book online at 615PM the same day and walk in the front door, sorry. Now I am waiting for them to cross the front porch and my half made dinner is sitting in there...I nearly got off easy with the other rooms checking in later.
.

Joey,
Thought of you today as a guest is asking me if we have any "regular" coffee - she poured from the Hazelnut thermos which is sitting right beside the regular - both of which have cute little ceramic signs in front of them explaining what the contents are!!!! And the regular sits about 6 inches higher than the flavored - how/why did she pick the smaller one anyways?
This should be in another recent thread, I just was too tired to try to find it and put this in its proper place.

 

[bbinnsitters]

I DESPISE walk-ins after our check-in time is over...don't know why it just gets under my skin. If it makes y'all feel any better our two checkins today were together and got here as promised at 3 pm...they are snotty as all get out, very condescending to both DH and myself, whatever. Now they are sitting in my living room eating McD's takeout for dinner....GREAT..

Seriously!? There oughta be a law against people smelling up your house with that stuff - almost as bad as smoking! HA!
.

I know, I hate it. That plus they swore their child was 10, he's lucky if he's 7 and he is complete ADD, into everything. They left everything a giant mess, threw a half empty can of diet coke in the trash can, splashing it all over the wall. WHY does it only take 2 jackasses to completely RUIN an otherwise lovely house of 9??? Two more days of this nonsense.
.

How are you doing, DD - are your guests getting any better - or worse?!

 

[birdwatcher]

Yup, I agree with everyone-waiting for late check ins is a pain-but walk-ins are even worse if you had plans for that day cause you had no guests-ie-Friday-planned a nice dinner with hubbie-were gonna grill stakes and have a romantic dinner than a movie-but that got thwarted when we got last minute reservations that afternoon and they didn't show up until 9PM-then breakfast at 7AM.

 

[InnBloom]

Yup, I agree with everyone-waiting for late check ins is a pain-but walk-ins are even worse if you had plans for that day cause you had no guests-ie-Friday-planned a nice dinner with hubbie-were gonna grill stakes and have a romantic dinner than a movie-but that got thwarted when we got last minute reservations that afternoon and they didn't show up until 9PM-then breakfast at 7AM..

Had a call last week one day when I had no later check-in scheduled, and I was just about to walk into a movie with DH....they were calling from the road and I bravely told them I hadn't been expecting any more check-ins, and we were in effect closed, because we were having 'date night".
Good, yes?
Then, I started rethinking and I called back and asked when they wanted to check in, and explained the situation, and we worked out a compromise where we got to go to our movie, and they had dinner before they checked in, and we met them after the movie, and then went out to our own dinner.
Funny part was, when they arrived, they made clear that they were 100% percent impressed and appreciative that I had drawn the line at "date night" and were a little bit sorry that I had "caved' into letting them come. It all turned out fine, but maybe I learned that every now and then it's just OK to draw the line. (And maybe I will, soon..... )

 

[Don Draper]

I DESPISE walk-ins after our check-in time is over...don't know why it just gets under my skin. If it makes y'all feel any better our two checkins today were together and got here as promised at 3 pm...they are snotty as all get out, very condescending to both DH and myself, whatever. Now they are sitting in my living room eating McD's takeout for dinner....GREAT..

Seriously!? There oughta be a law against people smelling up your house with that stuff - almost as bad as smoking! HA!
.

I know, I hate it. That plus they swore their child was 10, he's lucky if he's 7 and he is complete ADD, into everything. They left everything a giant mess, threw a half empty can of diet coke in the trash can, splashing it all over the wall. WHY does it only take 2 jackasses to completely RUIN an otherwise lovely house of 9??? Two more days of this nonsense.
.

How are you doing, DD - are your guests getting any better - or worse?!
.

Generally better...we were jam-packed for the first half of October and the second half is definitely slower. We've just had some REAL doozies crammed into the past few weeks. Along with some FABULOUS people as well, but I sit and talk with them so don't have to come back here and gripe about THEM on the forum

Figured out the problem with the people with the kid...he's a pilot and she's a stewardess. He's just VERY used to getting everything he wants and very quickly, without having to actually speak to anyone in the process. He was so condescending and downright MEAN to her, it was embarrassing for the whole house. The little boy settled down after the first day, he was actually sweet and I felt kind badly for him, his name was William and he was to BE a William, not a Will, or Billy. Not really allowed to be much of a kid at all. At least he got to enjoy playing with our dog.