When parents sneek children into your (adults only) establishment.

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The Farmers Daughter

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I have a couple who came as a self check in late last night.
By 1 AM, I heard they had a baby with them.
How would you confront this situation? Would you tack on a surcharge for the baby?
 
Are they staying again tonight? Tell them they can't. You have a policy, they broke it. Say you're sure it was an oversight on their part but the baby woke you up and you cannot have your guests being awakened by children especially as no one, including yourself, was expecting a child to be in the house. I don't get how guests 'forget' they have children. I will say, tho, that most of my guests NEVER read the website OR their confirmation.
If they were leaving today anyway, I wouldn't charge for the baby, but I would bring up the policy when they check out. 'I am assuming you didn't know we do not allow children.'
 
Are they staying again tonight? Tell them they can't. You have a policy, they broke it. Say you're sure it was an oversight on their part but the baby woke you up and you cannot have your guests being awakened by children especially as no one, including yourself, was expecting a child to be in the house. I don't get how guests 'forget' they have children. I will say, tho, that most of my guests NEVER read the website OR their confirmation.
If they were leaving today anyway, I wouldn't charge for the baby, but I would bring up the policy when they check out. 'I am assuming you didn't know we do not allow children.'.
Morticia said:
Are they staying again tonight? Tell them they can't. You have a policy, they broke it. Say you're sure it was an oversight on their part but the baby woke you up and you cannot have your guests being awakened by children especially as no one, including yourself, was expecting a child to be in the house. I don't get how guests 'forget' they have children. I will say, tho, that most of my guests NEVER read the website OR their confirmation.
If they were leaving today anyway, I wouldn't charge for the baby, but I would bring up the policy when they check out. 'I am assuming you didn't know we do not allow children.'
They are leaving today. I feel a bit peeved about this since when I called to confirm their reservations, I confirmed for 2 adults. no kids, no pets. grrrr
 
many new parents don't even think of 'the baby' as being an issue ... babies at weddings, etc. and they would not consider not bringing them along. i only had one couple do this ... but the whole house was of guests attending the same wedding so ... was not a problem. i only learned there was a baby in the group when the grandmother asked me if the baby was there yet. baby?! i have to say, the reservations were made a year in advance for all, so no baby was on the way at the time. :)
 
Are they staying again tonight? Tell them they can't. You have a policy, they broke it. Say you're sure it was an oversight on their part but the baby woke you up and you cannot have your guests being awakened by children especially as no one, including yourself, was expecting a child to be in the house. I don't get how guests 'forget' they have children. I will say, tho, that most of my guests NEVER read the website OR their confirmation.
If they were leaving today anyway, I wouldn't charge for the baby, but I would bring up the policy when they check out. 'I am assuming you didn't know we do not allow children.'.
Morticia said:
Are they staying again tonight? Tell them they can't. You have a policy, they broke it. Say you're sure it was an oversight on their part but the baby woke you up and you cannot have your guests being awakened by children especially as no one, including yourself, was expecting a child to be in the house. I don't get how guests 'forget' they have children. I will say, tho, that most of my guests NEVER read the website OR their confirmation.
If they were leaving today anyway, I wouldn't charge for the baby, but I would bring up the policy when they check out. 'I am assuming you didn't know we do not allow children.'
They are leaving today. I feel a bit peeved about this since when I called to confirm their reservations, I confirmed for 2 adults. no kids, no pets. grrrr
.
Then definitely bring it up at check out in case they decide to try it again at another time. If you don't say anything, they'll think it's ok.
 
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( You really are having guest problems this year:-( SInce they are leaving...Make your policy clear to them. Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on.
 
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( You really are having guest problems this year:-( SInce they are leaving...Make your policy clear to them. Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on..
catlady said:
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on.
thumbs_up.gif

 
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( You really are having guest problems this year:-( SInce they are leaving...Make your policy clear to them. Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on..
catlady said:
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( You really are having guest problems this year:-( SInce they are leaving...Make your policy clear to them. Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on.
They are gone with a new understanding of Innkeepers policies.
Furthermore, I expect to be one of the TOP contenders for the much ballihooed PITA award for 2009.
 
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( You really are having guest problems this year:-( SInce they are leaving...Make your policy clear to them. Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on..
catlady said:
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( You really are having guest problems this year:-( SInce they are leaving...Make your policy clear to them. Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on.
They are gone with a new understanding of Innkeepers policies.
Furthermore, I expect to be one of the TOP contenders for the much ballihooed PITA award for 2009.
.
The Farmers Daughter said:
Furthermore, I expect to be one of the TOP contenders for the much ballihooed PITA award for 2009.
Sweetie, I say display it with pride. We're here for you.
 
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( You really are having guest problems this year:-( SInce they are leaving...Make your policy clear to them. Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on..
catlady said:
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( You really are having guest problems this year:-( SInce they are leaving...Make your policy clear to them. Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on.
They are gone with a new understanding of Innkeepers policies.
Furthermore, I expect to be one of the TOP contenders for the much ballihooed PITA award for 2009.
.
I know I'm not getting it this year. And I am soooo happy about that! This has been an easy year with just the usual early/late/can't eat that sorts of guests. Nothing to write home about as they say. (BTW, if I forgot something that happened here, please don't remind me...)
 
Sneaking a baby in for a one night stay is not a Pita. Sorry, I would contest that. We need to have the levels of Pitas diagramed for us, that would at best be a level 1. 1 out of 10.
pita.gif

Unless the baby screamed its lungs out all night long? The parents walked and talked all night long to soothe it?
 
Sneaking a baby in for a one night stay is not a Pita. Sorry, I would contest that. We need to have the levels of Pitas diagramed for us, that would at best be a level 1. 1 out of 10.
pita.gif

Unless the baby screamed its lungs out all night long? The parents walked and talked all night long to soothe it?.
Joey Bloggs said:
We need to have the levels of Pitas diagramed for us, that would at best be a level 1. 1 out of 10.
If it kept ME awake, it would be a PITA.
The levels of PITAness would rise exponentially with the number of nights stay - it's not a linear scale. The corollary theory is 'an innkeeper can handle almost any guest for one night.' One of my own favorite postulations, along with 'no good ever comes from answering the phone after 9:00 p.m.'
 
Sneaking a baby in for a one night stay is not a Pita. Sorry, I would contest that. We need to have the levels of Pitas diagramed for us, that would at best be a level 1. 1 out of 10.
pita.gif

Unless the baby screamed its lungs out all night long? The parents walked and talked all night long to soothe it?.
Joey Bloggs said:
We need to have the levels of Pitas diagramed for us, that would at best be a level 1. 1 out of 10.
If it kept ME awake, it would be a PITA.
The levels of PITAness would rise exponentially with the number of nights stay - it's not a linear scale. The corollary theory is 'an innkeeper can handle almost any guest for one night.' One of my own favorite postulations, along with 'no good ever comes from answering the phone after 9:00 p.m.'
.
So the Pita score increases with length of stay and frazzly-hair-pulled-out-ness of the innkeeper. For sure.
I can't go by the keeping me awake theory that would mean nearly every guest that goes up our elephants are quieter stairs. The most booked room is over my bed- they would all be pitas. By the end of Oct most guests have a pita aura tho.
cry_smile.gif
I don't know how anyone can do this on their own. They get the prize as their pitas are doubled in my book.
So the pitas who are on a side of the house that you don't have to deal with them as much are less pita on my scale as well. It's all relative. For example, somehow those in our little cabin are always less pita-esque than those inside here. Perhaps those booking a cabin just want to do their own thing more than those inside wanting the song and dance from the innkeeper? See sneaking a baby into the cabin would be the way to go, we might not even know about it.
cry_smile.gif

 
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( You really are having guest problems this year:-( SInce they are leaving...Make your policy clear to them. Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on..
catlady said:
Why did I know this would be coming from you :-( You really are having guest problems this year:-( SInce they are leaving...Make your policy clear to them. Did it inconvience anyone? Then let it go and move on.
They are gone with a new understanding of Innkeepers policies.
Furthermore, I expect to be one of the TOP contenders for the much ballihooed PITA award for 2009.
.
I know I'm not getting it this year. And I am soooo happy about that! This has been an easy year with just the usual early/late/can't eat that sorts of guests. Nothing to write home about as they say. (BTW, if I forgot something that happened here, please don't remind me...)
.
That was the only upside to the "down" business this year. Everybody that stayed with me was here because we were their first choice - not because everybody else was full. So ... $$ ---- , wonderful guests +++++
In terms of "glass half empty / half full" I know we gained some serious repeats this year.
 
Question: Do you feel there is a correlation between # of phone calls and Pita score?
I do, the more they call the worse they are (as in needy pitas not destructive pitas or any of those) when they are at the Inn. Not the single phone calls. For example "the woman who ran into my arms sobbing after refusing to see other guests at breakfast day two and had us go get her makeup IN her car so she didn't have to wake her husband as she stood in our kitchen while we prepped breakfast in only her robe and whose knee was injured so she needed another guest to carry her coffee cup up the stairs and had a declined credit card at check out who would then never leave..." she called. yep. she called. and then called again. and one more time. she was so sweet on the phone asking me all sorts of questions.
angry_smile.gif
 
Sneaking a baby in for a one night stay is not a Pita. Sorry, I would contest that. We need to have the levels of Pitas diagramed for us, that would at best be a level 1. 1 out of 10.
pita.gif

Unless the baby screamed its lungs out all night long? The parents walked and talked all night long to soothe it?.
Joey Bloggs said:
Sneaking a baby in for a one night stay is not a Pita. Sorry, I would contest that. We need to have the levels of Pitas diagramed for us, that would at best be a level 1. 1 out of 10.
pita.gif

Unless the baby screamed its lungs out all night long? The parents walked and talked all night long to soothe it?
Seemed to me to either be colicking or teething or both.
 
Question: Do you feel there is a correlation between # of phone calls and Pita score?
I do, the more they call the worse they are (as in needy pitas not destructive pitas or any of those) when they are at the Inn. Not the single phone calls. For example "the woman who ran into my arms sobbing after refusing to see other guests at breakfast day two and had us go get her makeup IN her car so she didn't have to wake her husband as she stood in our kitchen while we prepped breakfast in only her robe and whose knee was injured so she needed another guest to carry her coffee cup up the stairs and had a declined credit card at check out who would then never leave..." she called. yep. she called. and then called again. and one more time. she was so sweet on the phone asking me all sorts of questions.
angry_smile.gif
.
I definitely think the needy phone calls are an early PITA indication. Especially when they're just so sweet but something is just not right about the whole thing. It's like a PITA aura has already formed around them and you just know they're not going to shake it before they arrive....
 
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