When they aren't moving and don't show for breakfast...

[Breakfast Diva]

138PM and she is finally up and moving up there. We knocked on her door and asked if she is okay, and then are you checking out today, it is 11am. She did sign up for a breakfast seating for this morning. She said "I am checking out Sunday" we replied, "It IS Sunday" "Well can I check out Monday?" "Sure" and left it at that.
DH wants me to find out what is going on, and I said "None of my business."

.

138PM and she is finally up and moving up there. We knocked on her door and asked if she is okay, and then are you checking out today, it is 11am. She did sign up for a breakfast seating for this morning. She said "I am checking out Sunday" we replied, "It IS Sunday" "Well can I check out Monday?" "Sure" and left it at that.
DH wants me to find out what is going on, and I said "None of my business."

I'm with you. It would be none of my business. I would charge their card immediately though for the extra night! They can not change their mind at this point.

 

[EmptyNest]

138PM and she is finally up and moving up there. We knocked on her door and asked if she is okay, and then are you checking out today, it is 11am. She did sign up for a breakfast seating for this morning. She said "I am checking out Sunday" we replied, "It IS Sunday" "Well can I check out Monday?" "Sure" and left it at that.
DH wants me to find out what is going on, and I said "None of my business."

.

HUH? Check out on Monday???? WHAT is up with THAT? It is your business...if she is staying another day, you need to know.

 

[gillumhouse]

I used to not do anything but why frustrate yourself. Unless someone has said they do not want breakfast, then yes within 10 mins of "late time" I certainly would knock on their door and nicely remind them they had a scheduled breakfast at x time.
Ref check out time - do you NEED to get into the room RIGHT THEN? We all know we can only clean one room at a time so making everyone leave by x time is a nice policy but if you have other rooms to clean it does not matter that much if someone checks out a little later - however if it is PAST check out time and you have not heard from them, a knock and a "will you be needing a late check out" is not a bad thing. If they only need an extra hour or two and it does not affect you that much (you don't need the room that night or have other rooms to clean) then no biggie, if it is much later or really inconvenient, just say nicely that you do need to make them aware that a late check out fee of x$ will apply.
Or a knock and "we do need to start cleaning the room in 30 minutes ...."
And no I would not have any breakfast for them other than coffee, leftover baked goods if there are any and cereals/juice..

I do clean ALL my rooms at the same time! I strip all beds and drop all sheets, towels, etc down to the first floor. I cannot do that with someone in-house nor can I have them stepping over the laundry pile (my current resident is helping strip and remake the beds - "I have to DO something!" and her younger son has been assigned trash can duty. He is to take the liners and other trash out of the room and bring it down so I can give him new liner bags)
I spray the cleaner on all the bathoom fixtures in both bathrooms and then go scrub the first and by the time i get done the second is ready for scrub. I vac all rooms at the same time in sequence and then put the vac away. When I make the beds, I go down the line. That way I know each room is done when I get done When I walk down those stairs - ALL rooms are done. I do NOT want to have to go up again..

 

[Proud Texan]

I used to not do anything but why frustrate yourself. Unless someone has said they do not want breakfast, then yes within 10 mins of "late time" I certainly would knock on their door and nicely remind them they had a scheduled breakfast at x time.
Ref check out time - do you NEED to get into the room RIGHT THEN? We all know we can only clean one room at a time so making everyone leave by x time is a nice policy but if you have other rooms to clean it does not matter that much if someone checks out a little later - however if it is PAST check out time and you have not heard from them, a knock and a "will you be needing a late check out" is not a bad thing. If they only need an extra hour or two and it does not affect you that much (you don't need the room that night or have other rooms to clean) then no biggie, if it is much later or really inconvenient, just say nicely that you do need to make them aware that a late check out fee of x$ will apply.
Or a knock and "we do need to start cleaning the room in 30 minutes ...."
And no I would not have any breakfast for them other than coffee, leftover baked goods if there are any and cereals/juice..

I do clean ALL my rooms at the same time! I strip all beds and drop all sheets, towels, etc down to the first floor. I cannot do that with someone in-house nor can I have them stepping over the laundry pile (my current resident is helping strip and remake the beds - "I have to DO something!" and her younger son has been assigned trash can duty. He is to take the liners and other trash out of the room and bring it down so I can give him new liner bags)
I spray the cleaner on all the bathoom fixtures in both bathrooms and then go scrub the first and by the time i get done the second is ready for scrub. I vac all rooms at the same time in sequence and then put the vac away. When I make the beds, I go down the line. That way I know each room is done when I get done When I walk down those stairs - ALL rooms are done. I do NOT want to have to go up again..
.

I do clean ALL my rooms at the same time! I strip all beds and drop all sheets, towels, etc down to the first floor. I cannot do that with someone in-house nor can I have them stepping over the laundry pile (my current resident is helping strip and remake the beds - "I have to DO something!" and her younger son has been assigned trash can duty. He is to take the liners and other trash out of the room and bring it down so I can give him new liner bags)
I spray the cleaner on all the bathoom fixtures in both bathrooms and then go scrub the first and by the time i get done the second is ready for scrub. I vac all rooms at the same time in sequence and then put the vac away. When I make the beds, I go down the line. That way I know each room is done when I get done When I walk down those stairs - ALL rooms are done. I do NOT want to have to go up again..

Same here. We have a system and it works. However, it requires that everyone be gone at our checkout time of 11 a.m. It's not that we can't turn the room around if we start a little later, but we also have a life and other things to do that may or may not be B&B related.
We've recently started getting an influx of honeymooners so have instituted a new "lazy morning" add on. For a small fee, the couple can schedule a later breakfast/brunch time and receive an extended checkout time. We'll have to be very firm on the times so that we WILL have time to flip the rooms after they leave.

 

[Joey Camb]

Due to the nature of the trade here we often have a full house out and a full house in scenaria then it is all hands to the deck. Our chamber maid gets a printed list which has a check list column of OUT so as people pay I tick it (untill she gets in) so she can see straight away even if we are still serving breakfast (usually are as we serve till 9.30 and she comes at 9) which rooms she can get into right away. She starts with those and as more check out I notify her by text (ie 10 gone) I also have a column for Arrivals which I tick the rooms that are arrivals so she can see which rooms have prioroty. Then as soon as breakfast is done and dishwasher on and running DH and I run round the remaining rooms stripping and setting the sheets and towels up. DH is usually in charge of bins and I also do glasses and mugs switching them out for the dishwasher. (sometimes I have to run up and down to check people out) As soon as all the sheets are down we bag everything up for the laundry which goes out on a tuesday and thursday so you want everything to be ready to go when he comes as otherwise you have a ton of sheets hanging about everywhere till the next delivery) I then grab a coffee and breakfast praying the door bell doesn't ring.
Also the people that baffle me are the ones who say can we leave our bags? yes this is fine "so I''l keep my key so I can get back in" "No because the next guest will want to get in and know their room is secure" "Oh are you busy?" These people are morons! "Oh how will I get in?" "ring the bell like you did when you arrived DUH!"
We get a lot of this because many come one the train. The Harrogate International center used to do a baggage check service but they have knocked it off which has caused a nightmare of problems. We are happy to store it but a lot of places do not have anyone there between about 12 and 3 so if you want your bag then best of luck or they just won't do it.

 

[Alibi Ike]

Due to the nature of the trade here we often have a full house out and a full house in scenaria then it is all hands to the deck. Our chamber maid gets a printed list which has a check list column of OUT so as people pay I tick it (untill she gets in) so she can see straight away even if we are still serving breakfast (usually are as we serve till 9.30 and she comes at 9) which rooms she can get into right away. She starts with those and as more check out I notify her by text (ie 10 gone) I also have a column for Arrivals which I tick the rooms that are arrivals so she can see which rooms have prioroty. Then as soon as breakfast is done and dishwasher on and running DH and I run round the remaining rooms stripping and setting the sheets and towels up. DH is usually in charge of bins and I also do glasses and mugs switching them out for the dishwasher. (sometimes I have to run up and down to check people out) As soon as all the sheets are down we bag everything up for the laundry which goes out on a tuesday and thursday so you want everything to be ready to go when he comes as otherwise you have a ton of sheets hanging about everywhere till the next delivery) I then grab a coffee and breakfast praying the door bell doesn't ring.
Also the people that baffle me are the ones who say can we leave our bags? yes this is fine "so I''l keep my key so I can get back in" "No because the next guest will want to get in and know their room is secure" "Oh are you busy?" These people are morons! "Oh how will I get in?" "ring the bell like you did when you arrived DUH!"
We get a lot of this because many come one the train. The Harrogate International center used to do a baggage check service but they have knocked it off which has caused a nightmare of problems. We are happy to store it but a lot of places do not have anyone there between about 12 and 3 so if you want your bag then best of luck or they just won't do it..

We've gotten a fair number of 'we'll just keep our key' comments. And the same thing happens...'There are more guests coming in???' No, I'm just open the one day/week.

 

[Generic]

Due to the nature of the trade here we often have a full house out and a full house in scenaria then it is all hands to the deck. Our chamber maid gets a printed list which has a check list column of OUT so as people pay I tick it (untill she gets in) so she can see straight away even if we are still serving breakfast (usually are as we serve till 9.30 and she comes at 9) which rooms she can get into right away. She starts with those and as more check out I notify her by text (ie 10 gone) I also have a column for Arrivals which I tick the rooms that are arrivals so she can see which rooms have prioroty. Then as soon as breakfast is done and dishwasher on and running DH and I run round the remaining rooms stripping and setting the sheets and towels up. DH is usually in charge of bins and I also do glasses and mugs switching them out for the dishwasher. (sometimes I have to run up and down to check people out) As soon as all the sheets are down we bag everything up for the laundry which goes out on a tuesday and thursday so you want everything to be ready to go when he comes as otherwise you have a ton of sheets hanging about everywhere till the next delivery) I then grab a coffee and breakfast praying the door bell doesn't ring.
Also the people that baffle me are the ones who say can we leave our bags? yes this is fine "so I''l keep my key so I can get back in" "No because the next guest will want to get in and know their room is secure" "Oh are you busy?" These people are morons! "Oh how will I get in?" "ring the bell like you did when you arrived DUH!"
We get a lot of this because many come one the train. The Harrogate International center used to do a baggage check service but they have knocked it off which has caused a nightmare of problems. We are happy to store it but a lot of places do not have anyone there between about 12 and 3 so if you want your bag then best of luck or they just won't do it..

We've gotten a fair number of 'we'll just keep our key' comments. And the same thing happens...'There are more guests coming in???' No, I'm just open the one day/week.
.

Which is why I have a numeric keypad for the front door. Even if they lose the room key, you can't get into the house to use it. And there is no reason to hold on to the key. Their "door key" expires at 6PM on the day that they are leaving.

 

[Samster]

138PM and she is finally up and moving up there. We knocked on her door and asked if she is okay, and then are you checking out today, it is 11am. She did sign up for a breakfast seating for this morning. She said "I am checking out Sunday" we replied, "It IS Sunday" "Well can I check out Monday?" "Sure" and left it at that.
DH wants me to find out what is going on, and I said "None of my business."

.

You'll have to let us know the rest of the story, so to speak....
Traveling on her own, she could have decided to just skip breakfast...thinking that it might be awkward to sit with others and converse?
But, not coming down before check-out to request another day is weird. She shouldn't assume that the room would even be available!

 

[Samster]

I confess!

I corrupted some B&B guests by allowing a later check-out on Sundays if I had no one else coming into the room. BUT, I would let them know at breakfast on Sunday morning to take their time if they wanted to. It was my choice, not the guest's.
Frankly, I didn't feel like rushing around sometimes on a Sunday if I'd had a really busy week with all rooms full in two houses. My dh worked another full-time job and I felt like I was working him to death to help me on Sundays. My part-time housekeeper showed up on Mondays and we could get caught up. Mondays were usually slow for us as far as bookings went as well.
Another confession, my dh is absolutely notorious for taking forever and a day to pack up his stuff and get out of a place. I have to nag him to get a move on! He assumes a noon check-out and I have to be the time keeper. This is another area where some of the hotels are beating B&Bs - some offer a later check-out if you're a member of their rewards program.

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Scene: Two shot. Innkeeper in hallway. Vacuum is standing nearby. She knocks. "Housekeeping. We'll be happy to put your bags in the common area, as we need to turn our rooms now. If you'd like to stay another half hour, the charge will be 25.00 to your card.
Innkeeper leaves room door open and switches on the vacuum...
Interior shot: Guests scurrying with luggage... Cut away to :
Car pulls out of circular drive.
If only it really worked that way...
greencat

 

[Basil Fawlty]

I always have this moment, when I haven't seen them since check-in and they didn't show for breakfast and now it's past check-out time...what if they're dead in there?
It's morbid, I know but who knows what goes on behind those doors, you could be opening the door to a murder-suicide scene for all we know!!!.

That's hilarious! Ok. This prompts me to share a story from a fellow innkeeper and neighbor (no longer in business - she's writing her novel!) -
Jane (not her real name!) called me one day and shrieked, "You'll never believe what I just found in my Master Suite!! I opened the bottom drawer of the armoire to find:
Five bullets and a black lacey undergarment !!"
OMG, says I, WHERE'S THE SIXTH BULLET??
She could have re-named her place , "The Dashiell Hammett House"
Adventures in Innkeeping, North Kitsap County, Washington State.

 

[JBloggs]

I always have this moment, when I haven't seen them since check-in and they didn't show for breakfast and now it's past check-out time...what if they're dead in there?
It's morbid, I know but who knows what goes on behind those doors, you could be opening the door to a murder-suicide scene for all we know!!!.

That's hilarious! Ok. This prompts me to share a story from a fellow innkeeper and neighbor (no longer in business - she's writing her novel!) -
Jane (not her real name!) called me one day and shrieked, "You'll never believe what I just found in my Master Suite!! I opened the bottom drawer of the armoire to find:
Five bullets and a black lacey undergarment !!"
OMG, says I, WHERE'S THE SIXTH BULLET??
She could have re-named her place , "The Dashiell Hammett House"
Adventures in Innkeeping, North Kitsap County, Washington State.
.

I am on the 4th (I think) novel "[COLOR= rgb(0, 51, 102)]44 Cranberry Point" [/COLOR]that takes place in Kitsap Co (South), actually Port Orchard WA by Debbie Macomber (Cedar Cover Series) and this one features the couple who run a bed and breakfast. They have been intertwined in all the stories from the start after discovering a guest dead in his room with the door locked from the inside.