I'm on your side and if I can help by playing Devil's Advocate, I'm in. Use what you can and leave the rest.
As a guest, I am paying good and often big money to stay at a B&B, inn and I look for child-free properties. If I booked expecting quiet, romance, leisure, unwind, I'd have been ticked to see a kiddo on premises. No, I don't hate kids but I live next door to the neighborhood playground (or it could be) and want to be as far from kids as east is from west when I vaca.
I would've offered the guests a lists of hotels that take kids. Let them call and book there. Or not to be rude (but they were, pulling this over on you and your other guests) let them stay one night 'til they found another place. Maybe. Also, how about stating a reminder when peeps book rooms that yours is a child-free property. That will be music to many guests' ears. Try raising acceptable age from 10 to 15, this way parents of six year olds will have to be idiots to think they can pull that one off. A sign on check in desk might help..
TinaC said:
I'm on your side and if I can help by playing Devil's Advocate, I'm in. Use what you can and leave the rest.
As a guest, I am paying good and often big money to stay at a B&B, inn and I look for child-free properties. If I booked expecting quiet, romance, leisure, unwind, I'd have been ticked to see a kiddo on premises. No, I don't hate kids but I live next door to the neighborhood playground (or it could be) and want to be as far from kids as east is from west when I vaca.
I would've offered the guests a lists of hotels that take kids. Let them call and book there. Or not to be rude (but they were, pulling this over on you and your other guests) let them stay one night 'til they found another place. Maybe. Also, how about stating a reminder when peeps book rooms that yours is a child-free property. That will be music to many guests' ears. Try raising acceptable age from 10 to 15, this way parents of six year olds will have to be idiots to think they can pull that one off. A sign on check in desk might help.
I agree with you wholeheartedly regarding adult only facilities. Once we add any age children to the mix it opens the door for those that must bend the system. Yes, there are those that will be idiots and WILL pull it off by requesting self check in to avoid the host. Has happened here twice and why I always hesitate about allowing late self check ins...
And some B&B's are unable to make an age restriction as the state laws forbid it. There is no 100% fix for handling this. You just have to have your policies in place and deal with those that choose to think they are special. And the reason we have more and more of those is because they have learned that if they cry fowl (a review) too many will give in.
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copperhead said:
And the reason we have more and more of those is because they have learned that if they cry fowl (a review) too many will give in.
Good grief, not chickens, too! (Sorry, had to do it.)
We are in one of those states where kids cannot be excluded. We have tried our darndest to keep them on one side of the house in case they are criers. You know what they are for sure? Jumpers! One room is right over the kitchen and we can hear them bouncing bouncing bouncing around the room. Imagine if you had a room underneath this!
Next year, we are removing another twin bed to reduce the number of options for parents with kids. And we're pretty strict on number of guests in room has to comply with availability of sleeping space. ie- 2 beds? 3 guests. 1 bed? 2 guests. Don't care if you pig pile in the bed at home. Here there has to be enough space for all the people.
No one thinks about it but if you put a pack n play in the room and you block your egress how do you get out in an emergency? Sorry, it's my job to make sure that sort of thing doesn't happen.
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