What was your best guest "thank you"?

[Samster]

Just received a thank you note today from our visiting artist guest that was here for a week. Naturally, it is her original art work on the cover which is signed and dated! How cool is that??

 

[YellowSocks]

Auburn U. hats for my boys.
=)
Kk.

 

[Morticia]

Very nice!
We got a copy of one of our guest's new book.

 

[muirford]

One guest sent me a hand-stitched needle carrier after discussing cross-stitch and needlepoint with me - we have several vintage pieces on the walls from my collection. Another brought back a red-and-white toile box for the room she was staying in, to match the decor.
Jeanne

 

[Samster]

Auburn U. hats for my boys.
=)
Kk..

Heck, I could sent you some of those Are you Auburn fans??

 

[YellowSocks]

Auburn U. hats for my boys.
=)
Kk..

Heck, I could sent you some of those Are you Auburn fans??
.

No, the guest was from Auburn and brought them with her.
We're fans of free hats.
=)
Kk.

 

[Samster]

One guest sent me a hand-stitched needle carrier after discussing cross-stitch and needlepoint with me - we have several vintage pieces on the walls from my collection. Another brought back a red-and-white toile box for the room she was staying in, to match the decor.
Jeanne.

Those are 2 really thoughtful gifts!! We did have a guest bring a bottle of Texas vodka before they had even stayed with us. It's still unopened in the freezer Hmmm...maybe I should have some of that for this cough. haha.
Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.

 

[Morticia]

One guest sent me a hand-stitched needle carrier after discussing cross-stitch and needlepoint with me - we have several vintage pieces on the walls from my collection. Another brought back a red-and-white toile box for the room she was staying in, to match the decor.
Jeanne.

Those are 2 really thoughtful gifts!! We did have a guest bring a bottle of Texas vodka before they had even stayed with us. It's still unopened in the freezer Hmmm...maybe I should have some of that for this cough. haha.
Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.
.

Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.

That sounds good. A nice scrapbook with pix of the inn, flower gardens, etc interspersed with the notes of thanks.

 

[Samster]

One guest sent me a hand-stitched needle carrier after discussing cross-stitch and needlepoint with me - we have several vintage pieces on the walls from my collection. Another brought back a red-and-white toile box for the room she was staying in, to match the decor.
Jeanne.

Those are 2 really thoughtful gifts!! We did have a guest bring a bottle of Texas vodka before they had even stayed with us. It's still unopened in the freezer Hmmm...maybe I should have some of that for this cough. haha.
Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.
.

Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.

That sounds good. A nice scrapbook with pix of the inn, flower gardens, etc interspersed with the notes of thanks.
.

What do you do with your notes and stuff?
If I don't start something like that now, I will NEVER get it done. haha!

 

[Morticia]

One guest sent me a hand-stitched needle carrier after discussing cross-stitch and needlepoint with me - we have several vintage pieces on the walls from my collection. Another brought back a red-and-white toile box for the room she was staying in, to match the decor.
Jeanne.

Those are 2 really thoughtful gifts!! We did have a guest bring a bottle of Texas vodka before they had even stayed with us. It's still unopened in the freezer Hmmm...maybe I should have some of that for this cough. haha.
Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.
.

Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.

That sounds good. A nice scrapbook with pix of the inn, flower gardens, etc interspersed with the notes of thanks.
.

What do you do with your notes and stuff?
If I don't start something like that now, I will NEVER get it done. haha!

.

What do you do with your notes and stuff?
If I don't start something like that now, I will NEVER get it done. haha!

See, this is why I think there's something 'wrong' with us. We don't get letters from guests. We got one from a guy who thanked us for the historical info we gave to him, but nothing else. (The PO's had a folder of thank yous.)
We don't get gifts per se. The book was nice a couple of weeks ago. When we first got here the PO's were getting Christmas gifts delivered here from guests.
I am blazingly jealous of Tipsy who needs only mention she loves (fill in the blank) and her guests scour the town for it. (OK, full disclosure...I don't want to work that hard, either.)
What we have gotten is taken out for lunch/dinner. Which is REALLY nice because, to me, it means the guests like us a friends, people they WANT to spend time with.
I do have to say, after thinking about this while cleaning this morning, the BEST 'thank you' is a return visit.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

I have a drawer I stuff things into. This includes newspaper articles etc. Then I clean out the drawer and stuff it into another. I finally got one of those UN-clear plastic sleeves I bought and tried to corral them all in that, so I know where they are. I believe when I leave innkeeping these will be my favorite-most items/momentos from this career choice. So I SHOULD take more care of them.
I had a couple here on their wedding night give us a thank you card left in the room, that she hand drew. I will say, it would have been nice to think she took the time THAT night to do it, but sure hope not.

It was a handmade paper, into a card that she used these watercolor paint - like markers (she was an artist) and drew on the card. It was delightful!
Another lady spent hours sketching the place and said she would paint it and send it to us as a thank you. That was about 2 years ago. The thought was nice.
I don't want to be greedy but I do like those sorts of gifts. Whenever someone takes TIME to do something I appreciate it!

 

[Samster]

One guest sent me a hand-stitched needle carrier after discussing cross-stitch and needlepoint with me - we have several vintage pieces on the walls from my collection. Another brought back a red-and-white toile box for the room she was staying in, to match the decor.
Jeanne.

Those are 2 really thoughtful gifts!! We did have a guest bring a bottle of Texas vodka before they had even stayed with us. It's still unopened in the freezer Hmmm...maybe I should have some of that for this cough. haha.
Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.
.

Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.

That sounds good. A nice scrapbook with pix of the inn, flower gardens, etc interspersed with the notes of thanks.
.

What do you do with your notes and stuff?
If I don't start something like that now, I will NEVER get it done. haha!

.

What do you do with your notes and stuff?
If I don't start something like that now, I will NEVER get it done. haha!

See, this is why I think there's something 'wrong' with us. We don't get letters from guests. We got one from a guy who thanked us for the historical info we gave to him, but nothing else. (The PO's had a folder of thank yous.)
We don't get gifts per se. The book was nice a couple of weeks ago. When we first got here the PO's were getting Christmas gifts delivered here from guests.
I am blazingly jealous of Tipsy who needs only mention she loves (fill in the blank) and her guests scour the town for it. (OK, full disclosure...I don't want to work that hard, either.)
What we have gotten is taken out for lunch/dinner. Which is REALLY nice because, to me, it means the guests like us a friends, people they WANT to spend time with.
I do have to say, after thinking about this while cleaning this morning, the BEST 'thank you' is a return visit.
.

I agree that the best "thank you" is a return visit, which means they loved their stay! And probably second best, is a great online review which will hopefully bring in other guests.

But I have to agree with JBJ, that I'm always touched when someone takes the time to actually do something thoughtful for me. For me, it means that they recognize how hard we worked to make their stay special for them.

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

Hmmmm - Some of my favourites:
A HUGE oversize earth-green teapot (very Alice in Wonderlandish) that I had my eye on but couldn't justify purchasing. The guests left super early and it was sitting in the middle of the floor with a ribbon tied round it.
An early, soft leather bound copy of Balzac's Droll Tales
An English rose bush from the guest whose name must never be mentioned
A wonderful selection of potted plants. They were left anonymously on my kitchen steps but have to be from the ladies who had stayed because they wanted to visit our local garden center.
A wine rack full of wine ..... and I STILL don't know who did that. I had mentioned to DH QUIETLY the night before that we were all out of red wine. The next morning, after all the guests had checked out I noticed that there were six new bottles of wine in our wine rack
My New Delhi guests who always bring me fistfuls of jewelry
A "pub" sign that says "House Rules - Relax, Relax, Relax"
A GORGEOUS silver spirit kettle with the spout in the shape of a fish picked up at a local flea market
... and guests who hear about my Xmas trees and want to contribute an ornament for "their" room. The Butler's Room has a nutcracker theme at Christmas and last year my guests actually found a nutcracker christmas ornament with ginger hair (I'm a red head). It was soooo cool.
I'm a lucky lucky lady

 

[The Tipsy Butler]

One guest sent me a hand-stitched needle carrier after discussing cross-stitch and needlepoint with me - we have several vintage pieces on the walls from my collection. Another brought back a red-and-white toile box for the room she was staying in, to match the decor.
Jeanne.

Those are 2 really thoughtful gifts!! We did have a guest bring a bottle of Texas vodka before they had even stayed with us. It's still unopened in the freezer Hmmm...maybe I should have some of that for this cough. haha.
Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.
.

Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.

That sounds good. A nice scrapbook with pix of the inn, flower gardens, etc interspersed with the notes of thanks.
.

What do you do with your notes and stuff?
If I don't start something like that now, I will NEVER get it done. haha!

.

What do you do with your notes and stuff?
If I don't start something like that now, I will NEVER get it done. haha!

See, this is why I think there's something 'wrong' with us. We don't get letters from guests. We got one from a guy who thanked us for the historical info we gave to him, but nothing else. (The PO's had a folder of thank yous.)
We don't get gifts per se. The book was nice a couple of weeks ago. When we first got here the PO's were getting Christmas gifts delivered here from guests.
I am blazingly jealous of Tipsy who needs only mention she loves (fill in the blank) and her guests scour the town for it. (OK, full disclosure...I don't want to work that hard, either.)
What we have gotten is taken out for lunch/dinner. Which is REALLY nice because, to me, it means the guests like us a friends, people they WANT to spend time with.
I do have to say, after thinking about this while cleaning this morning, the BEST 'thank you' is a return visit.
.

"I am blazingly jealous of Tipsy who needs only mention she loves (fill in the blank) and her guests scour the town for it."
Honestly Bree - I think people just feel sorry for me

I'm convinced the potted plants were a gentle nudge that maybe I need to get my flower beds up to snuff

 

[gillumhouse]

One guest sent me a hand-stitched needle carrier after discussing cross-stitch and needlepoint with me - we have several vintage pieces on the walls from my collection. Another brought back a red-and-white toile box for the room she was staying in, to match the decor.
Jeanne.

Those are 2 really thoughtful gifts!! We did have a guest bring a bottle of Texas vodka before they had even stayed with us. It's still unopened in the freezer Hmmm...maybe I should have some of that for this cough. haha.
Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.
.

Speaking of thank yous...does anyone have a "kudos" album or scrapbook? I was thinking about starting one. I've gotten a couple of really nice thank you notes.

That sounds good. A nice scrapbook with pix of the inn, flower gardens, etc interspersed with the notes of thanks.
.

What do you do with your notes and stuff?
If I don't start something like that now, I will NEVER get it done. haha!

.

I have blank, lined books in each guest room for them to write comments ad messages. Some don't bother but many do. I have had several guests tell me they had brought a book but the comment book was so interesting that they did not even start the book. When they just leave a not, I tuck it into the comment book unless it is something VERY personal.
The books are also great for a "downer" day. I go read the books and I cannot get my head through the door.

 

[gillumhouse]

Our second "househunting" guests, after finding their house and having heard the story of the previous success, bouth a small hinged frame with 6 slots and put a photo of their house in spot #2 so we could get a photo of #1 and add to it.
Then several have sent books to DH and one lady, in addition to the books she sent (and brought) to DH, sent me a box of tea and brought me a Pfaltzgraff plate the last visit. Another has brought a wall hanging with a lovely tea verse, a gentleman brought us a Zanesville pottery pitcher on his second visit and a roseville pottery crock on their third visit.
We have been given many small momentos - the man that left yesterday was in a craft shop with his wife and saw this little saying on a wood block and bought it to give to me. It says: Bed and Breakfast - two things men don't make

 

[Cathy]

We too have had "gifts". One of our very first guests had a wall hanging sewn for us, it says "Casa Chocolate" with a hershey kiss on the banner as well. It hangs in our office behind our desk.
Some one brought us "chocolate mocha" tea and hand towels for the kitchen and chocolate scented candles. This same couple decided that we should have a twisted tree plant (they didn't know anything about it or how it grows or if it has flowers - they did ask the lady selling it if it gives flowers and she said "yes" lol ... it doesn't).
An ugly ugly bud vase (sorry but it really is).
A clock with "Casa Chocolate" and the second visit a hand made bear with the letter "C" embroidered on the bottom of the 2 back feet.
Jam, someone brought us jam and apple butter (never had that - yet) that someone made in the USA, and maple syrup.
I think there is a couple more but I can't remember. Funny when I first started to reading this forum I was thinking I can't wait ... but then when I read about the plant pots I am embarrassed that I have a late memory.
We have also had repeat guests who have brought guests who they inturn returned with their Mom and Aunt for Mother's Day weekend and said they would be back.

Oh, and we received our one and only tip. It was $100.00 in total from the family group, but we did some running around for them, translating for them, and were invited to their wedding and ended up sorting out the missing wedding cake for them. It is good to speak the language. The groom was marrying a Mexican girl and was a tad busy to find his missing cake. grin It is a good thing we don't have a real job. lol
We have also had lots (ok 5) great reviews on Trip Advisor. Too happy about that. Great and wonderful comments in our guest book that brought tears to our eyes.
I think we are in the right business. We are not always looking forward to the arrival of our guests (still have the want to please and have everything perfect nerves and what if ...) and a lot of times sad to see them go.
Cathy

 

[Samster]

Hmmmm - Some of my favourites:
A HUGE oversize earth-green teapot (very Alice in Wonderlandish) that I had my eye on but couldn't justify purchasing. The guests left super early and it was sitting in the middle of the floor with a ribbon tied round it.
An early, soft leather bound copy of Balzac's Droll Tales
An English rose bush from the guest whose name must never be mentioned
A wonderful selection of potted plants. They were left anonymously on my kitchen steps but have to be from the ladies who had stayed because they wanted to visit our local garden center.
A wine rack full of wine ..... and I STILL don't know who did that. I had mentioned to DH QUIETLY the night before that we were all out of red wine. The next morning, after all the guests had checked out I noticed that there were six new bottles of wine in our wine rack
My New Delhi guests who always bring me fistfuls of jewelry
A "pub" sign that says "House Rules - Relax, Relax, Relax"
A GORGEOUS silver spirit kettle with the spout in the shape of a fish picked up at a local flea market
... and guests who hear about my Xmas trees and want to contribute an ornament for "their" room. The Butler's Room has a nutcracker theme at Christmas and last year my guests actually found a nutcracker christmas ornament with ginger hair (I'm a red head). It was soooo cool.
I'm a lucky lucky lady.

WOW!! You are a loved innkeeper

I think that you are definitely in the right business

Those are awesome gifts!!

 

[Samster]

We too have had "gifts". One of our very first guests had a wall hanging sewn for us, it says "Casa Chocolate" with a hershey kiss on the banner as well. It hangs in our office behind our desk.
Some one brought us "chocolate mocha" tea and hand towels for the kitchen and chocolate scented candles. This same couple decided that we should have a twisted tree plant (they didn't know anything about it or how it grows or if it has flowers - they did ask the lady selling it if it gives flowers and she said "yes" lol ... it doesn't).
An ugly ugly bud vase (sorry but it really is).
A clock with "Casa Chocolate" and the second visit a hand made bear with the letter "C" embroidered on the bottom of the 2 back feet.
Jam, someone brought us jam and apple butter (never had that - yet) that someone made in the USA, and maple syrup.
I think there is a couple more but I can't remember. Funny when I first started to reading this forum I was thinking I can't wait ... but then when I read about the plant pots I am embarrassed that I have a late memory.
We have also had repeat guests who have brought guests who they inturn returned with their Mom and Aunt for Mother's Day weekend and said they would be back.

Oh, and we received our one and only tip. It was $100.00 in total from the family group, but we did some running around for them, translating for them, and were invited to their wedding and ended up sorting out the missing wedding cake for them. It is good to speak the language. The groom was marrying a Mexican girl and was a tad busy to find his missing cake. grin It is a good thing we don't have a real job. lol
We have also had lots (ok 5) great reviews on Trip Advisor. Too happy about that. Great and wonderful comments in our guest book that brought tears to our eyes.
I think we are in the right business. We are not always looking forward to the arrival of our guests (still have the want to please and have everything perfect nerves and what if ...) and a lot of times sad to see them go.
Cathy.

Well, any B&B/inn with a name like yours has to be great. My favorite food group

It's cool that guests can give you stuff that goes with the chocolate theme!

 

[trishany]

A couple had booked for 2 nights. They got a call that their baby was sick (the person called our B&B). They left, but we didn't charge them. In the mail the following week we received a big, beautiful bronze statue of a saint bernard (we have two saints). It was very, very nice.