Why people don't stay in BnBs

[gillumhouse]

Today is one of those days that amazes me as an innkeeper, and the fun part.
In four days in one particular room we had a couple from Scotland, then a couple (she works at the Smithsonian as a scientist and he is an artist with his work in many embassies, they are younger, they are way way too cool for school), and now a young Mennonite couple on their honeymoon from PA, with very strong Pennsylvania Dutch accents.
Three totally different demographics, so far the first two loved it here, I hope the love birds do too! .

Yeah, I was thinking today about all the people we have had who were famous in their circles (worlds/environments). Mainly because of the guests this week.
We have hosted the fastest man on 2-wheels (also a motorcycle racing champion), a guitarist with Trans-Siber ian Orchestra, a member of the USA equestrian team when the World games were here in USA, a man with patents that made rockets fly - some valve, a member of Tony Bl air's cabinet, the niece of a Football Hall of Famer, and just this week a finalist from Amer ic an I dol and the 2012 WV Women's Skeet Champion last night. Who woodda thunk that all these diverse people would come to my little Podunk!
And I would be willing to bet that many on this Forum are well-known in the circles they traveled in prior to or since taking to innkeeping.

 

[JBloggs]

Today is one of those days that amazes me as an innkeeper, and the fun part.
In four days in one particular room we had a couple from Scotland, then a couple (she works at the Smithsonian as a scientist and he is an artist with his work in many embassies, they are younger, they are way way too cool for school), and now a young Mennonite couple on their honeymoon from PA, with very strong Pennsylvania Dutch accents.
Three totally different demographics, so far the first two loved it here, I hope the love birds do too! .

and this is why I rarely share about our guests. I only shared from today, because I just checked the couple into the same room, and they were happy to be here. Even with it being an old house, with doilies and antiques. I am not trying to start a pissing contest. Just wanted to say something positive in this negative thread about bad experiences.

 

[user 26]

well ... as a former innkeeper of a place in Maine, as far EAST in the US as you can get, i take exception to the horror stories. really? really??!
i had people show up at 11 pm, one even at 1 am ... sometimes lost and confused on the dark roads ... i waited up. (well, i dozed off as i waited) but i waited. i don't know any innkeeper in my area, and i met several, who would deny a late (and not very late at that) check in to someone who called to say they were delayed.
packaged pastries at both places? it makes me wonder if my home baked, homemade breakfasts were appreciated more than i thought. i know there are places that are not allowed to cook on site. on nantucket, which is gorgeous and where i lived for a time, you could not serve a 'hot breakfast' unless you had a restaurant on site.
but an innkeeper leaving a breakfast basket outside someone's door the night before instead of getting up really early to leave it ... is that so terrible??
what time did they come back from dinner? 9pm? 10pm? what time were they getting up in the morning? i was tired at 8 pm from running the place and was always hoping to pull an early night. i think i'd probably be leaving the basket outside your door at 8pm if i did such a thing. then i'd crawl into my room ... assuming every one was checked in, and start on the paperwork and marketing, etc. before crashing.
i won't say there aren't bad places, won't say there aren't bad innkeepers. but as a paying guest before my stint as an innkeeper and after, i have never been treated like that. ever. and i've stayed at maybe 100 places all together in massachusetts, maine, new hampshire and vermont. some were a bit posh, some were like staying in a spare room. but i was not mistreated.
just felt the need to defend 'the east'.

 

[gillumhouse]

Today is one of those days that amazes me as an innkeeper, and the fun part.
In four days in one particular room we had a couple from Scotland, then a couple (she works at the Smithsonian as a scientist and he is an artist with his work in many embassies, they are younger, they are way way too cool for school), and now a young Mennonite couple on their honeymoon from PA, with very strong Pennsylvania Dutch accents.
Three totally different demographics, so far the first two loved it here, I hope the love birds do too! .

and this is why I rarely share about our guests. I only shared from today, because I just checked the couple into the same room, and they were happy to be here. Even with it being an old house, with doilies and antiques. I am not trying to start a pissing contest. Just wanted to say something positive in this negative thread about bad experiences.
.

It is not a contest, JB. My guest & I were talking this morning about how people in town were asking when we opened - who is going to come HERE? (She said she and her sister have been talking about doing B & B as a second career - and she IS aware of the work involved). And here we are 16 years later and these are just a few of the "known" who were each delightful rather than snooty but so many of the "unknowns" that cross our paths make the day. I am fortunate - I have had very few who were NOT delightful.
That conversation from this morning is what made me think of it.

 

[Flower]

Not the kind of service the gang here provides, that's for sure. However, in our defense, guests really need to understand what they are buying. Was there any indication on their confirmation or when they made the rez that no one would be available after hours and that they HAD to arrive or call by a certain time?
Some places cannot cook meals. Guests need to read the breakfast details or ask. They were, in the case of the pastries, going to get the same thing whether they got it at 10 PM or 6 AM.
Whether or not the door has a keypad is kind of irrelevant. The innkeeper doesn't allow guests to check themselves in for whatever reason. Perhaps she's been cheated in the past or had 5 people and a dog check in at 11 instead of the couple she was expecting.
We stay at a place that leaves all the room keys OUTSIDE. If you're a walk-in you call a number on the door and they tell you to pick a key out of the mailbox and let yourself in. But that's not for everyone.
And yet, those same guests would continue to stay at a chain hotel unless they had similar bad experiences at a lot of them.
I do think taking the money because the guests didn't call soon enough is a bit much. That allows no room for traffic, delayed flights, lost baggage or detours or even getting sidetracked..

I don't remember any guest telling us about a bad place, but several have told us about quirky bnb's. Things that certainly made their stay memorable. Like where they were told to bring milk; so they'd have it for their cereal! But I can say that the last 3 bnb's we stayed at were not good....dirty was the main reason. Dirty and dusty and unkempt.
.

Sometimes it is worse to have them rave about some place they've stayed. At the breakfast table. With everyone else hanging on their every word. I wonder if they say the say about us at other places they go?
I always ask guests where they are going next or where they stayed last night 'to get an idea of places to send guests who don't have a rez'. That leaves it open to them to say they liked the other places they've stayed or not.
It's tough when a guest is here overnight and they are then going to spend a week at another B&B. I feel like the ugly stepsister.
.

Had a couple stay with us for 1 night recently. Hoity toity attitude. The place they stayed the night before was $450 a night. The place they went to after us $400 a night. They booked our cheapest room ($150) since it was the only one available for a 1 night stay. Woman says to me "this must be your last room to book".
I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!
.

You two are a hoot. Thanks for the chuckle.
Hey! What's wrong with being ugly ???
But you have a kind hearts. That is what counts!!!

 

[gillumhouse]

Not the kind of service the gang here provides, that's for sure. However, in our defense, guests really need to understand what they are buying. Was there any indication on their confirmation or when they made the rez that no one would be available after hours and that they HAD to arrive or call by a certain time?
Some places cannot cook meals. Guests need to read the breakfast details or ask. They were, in the case of the pastries, going to get the same thing whether they got it at 10 PM or 6 AM.
Whether or not the door has a keypad is kind of irrelevant. The innkeeper doesn't allow guests to check themselves in for whatever reason. Perhaps she's been cheated in the past or had 5 people and a dog check in at 11 instead of the couple she was expecting.
We stay at a place that leaves all the room keys OUTSIDE. If you're a walk-in you call a number on the door and they tell you to pick a key out of the mailbox and let yourself in. But that's not for everyone.
And yet, those same guests would continue to stay at a chain hotel unless they had similar bad experiences at a lot of them.
I do think taking the money because the guests didn't call soon enough is a bit much. That allows no room for traffic, delayed flights, lost baggage or detours or even getting sidetracked..

I don't remember any guest telling us about a bad place, but several have told us about quirky bnb's. Things that certainly made their stay memorable. Like where they were told to bring milk; so they'd have it for their cereal! But I can say that the last 3 bnb's we stayed at were not good....dirty was the main reason. Dirty and dusty and unkempt.
.

Sometimes it is worse to have them rave about some place they've stayed. At the breakfast table. With everyone else hanging on their every word. I wonder if they say the say about us at other places they go?
I always ask guests where they are going next or where they stayed last night 'to get an idea of places to send guests who don't have a rez'. That leaves it open to them to say they liked the other places they've stayed or not.
It's tough when a guest is here overnight and they are then going to spend a week at another B&B. I feel like the ugly stepsister.
.

Had a couple stay with us for 1 night recently. Hoity toity attitude. The place they stayed the night before was $450 a night. The place they went to after us $400 a night. They booked our cheapest room ($150) since it was the only one available for a 1 night stay. Woman says to me "this must be your last room to book".
I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!
.

You two are a hoot. Thanks for the chuckle.
Hey! What's wrong with being ugly ???
But you have a kind hearts. That is what counts!!!
.

Flower, please e-mail me. I need to ask you something.

 

[Madeleine]

Not the kind of service the gang here provides, that's for sure. However, in our defense, guests really need to understand what they are buying. Was there any indication on their confirmation or when they made the rez that no one would be available after hours and that they HAD to arrive or call by a certain time?
Some places cannot cook meals. Guests need to read the breakfast details or ask. They were, in the case of the pastries, going to get the same thing whether they got it at 10 PM or 6 AM.
Whether or not the door has a keypad is kind of irrelevant. The innkeeper doesn't allow guests to check themselves in for whatever reason. Perhaps she's been cheated in the past or had 5 people and a dog check in at 11 instead of the couple she was expecting.
We stay at a place that leaves all the room keys OUTSIDE. If you're a walk-in you call a number on the door and they tell you to pick a key out of the mailbox and let yourself in. But that's not for everyone.
And yet, those same guests would continue to stay at a chain hotel unless they had similar bad experiences at a lot of them.
I do think taking the money because the guests didn't call soon enough is a bit much. That allows no room for traffic, delayed flights, lost baggage or detours or even getting sidetracked..

I don't remember any guest telling us about a bad place, but several have told us about quirky bnb's. Things that certainly made their stay memorable. Like where they were told to bring milk; so they'd have it for their cereal! But I can say that the last 3 bnb's we stayed at were not good....dirty was the main reason. Dirty and dusty and unkempt.
.

Sometimes it is worse to have them rave about some place they've stayed. At the breakfast table. With everyone else hanging on their every word. I wonder if they say the say about us at other places they go?
I always ask guests where they are going next or where they stayed last night 'to get an idea of places to send guests who don't have a rez'. That leaves it open to them to say they liked the other places they've stayed or not.
It's tough when a guest is here overnight and they are then going to spend a week at another B&B. I feel like the ugly stepsister.
.

Had a couple stay with us for 1 night recently. Hoity toity attitude. The place they stayed the night before was $450 a night. The place they went to after us $400 a night. They booked our cheapest room ($150) since it was the only one available for a 1 night stay. Woman says to me "this must be your last room to book".
I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!
.

I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!

I had at least a 10 minute phone call a few weeks ago from someone wanting to book what I don't have...rooms on weekends in foliage season. I had ONE room left and she looked at the photos online while she was talking to me and said, 'Well, no wonder you have that room left, it's awful. Who would want a room with twin beds???'
OK, the room has a QUEEN bed and a twin but she could not see past the fact that it was the ONLY room left. She wanted a choice. You want choice, lady, you call in March, not Sept.

 

[Madeleine]

Today is one of those days that amazes me as an innkeeper, and the fun part.
In four days in one particular room we had a couple from Scotland, then a couple (she works at the Smithsonian as a scientist and he is an artist with his work in many embassies, they are younger, they are way way too cool for school), and now a young Mennonite couple on their honeymoon from PA, with very strong Pennsylvania Dutch accents.
Three totally different demographics, so far the first two loved it here, I hope the love birds do too! .

Isn't it cool to have people from such divergent populations staying, not only with us, but all of them picking the same room!

 

[Copperhead]

Not the kind of service the gang here provides, that's for sure. However, in our defense, guests really need to understand what they are buying. Was there any indication on their confirmation or when they made the rez that no one would be available after hours and that they HAD to arrive or call by a certain time?
Some places cannot cook meals. Guests need to read the breakfast details or ask. They were, in the case of the pastries, going to get the same thing whether they got it at 10 PM or 6 AM.
Whether or not the door has a keypad is kind of irrelevant. The innkeeper doesn't allow guests to check themselves in for whatever reason. Perhaps she's been cheated in the past or had 5 people and a dog check in at 11 instead of the couple she was expecting.
We stay at a place that leaves all the room keys OUTSIDE. If you're a walk-in you call a number on the door and they tell you to pick a key out of the mailbox and let yourself in. But that's not for everyone.
And yet, those same guests would continue to stay at a chain hotel unless they had similar bad experiences at a lot of them.
I do think taking the money because the guests didn't call soon enough is a bit much. That allows no room for traffic, delayed flights, lost baggage or detours or even getting sidetracked..

Good points here Maddie. As we all know there are always 3 versions of any story, in this case the guest, the innkeeper and the truth.
There are many places that can not serve hot meals, our neighboring big city is one of them. A caller the other day went to great lengths to tell me that they should not be able to call themselves a B&B because they can't provide the 2nd B. It is what it is lady, at least they tell ya! (or at least most do)
After several late arrivers that have pulled the very scenarios you described, it has me a little gun shy every time someone wants a late self check in. I still do it but leery to say the least. Now I am covered at least with fees to assess if they try pulling a fast one. But for those that are running late, for what ever the reason (other than sneaking in a dog - grrr) I want them to feel welcome no matter when they arrive.
Charging someone because you could not accommodate them (unless it was plainly stated in their policies) is highly unprofessional.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Not the kind of service the gang here provides, that's for sure. However, in our defense, guests really need to understand what they are buying. Was there any indication on their confirmation or when they made the rez that no one would be available after hours and that they HAD to arrive or call by a certain time?
Some places cannot cook meals. Guests need to read the breakfast details or ask. They were, in the case of the pastries, going to get the same thing whether they got it at 10 PM or 6 AM.
Whether or not the door has a keypad is kind of irrelevant. The innkeeper doesn't allow guests to check themselves in for whatever reason. Perhaps she's been cheated in the past or had 5 people and a dog check in at 11 instead of the couple she was expecting.
We stay at a place that leaves all the room keys OUTSIDE. If you're a walk-in you call a number on the door and they tell you to pick a key out of the mailbox and let yourself in. But that's not for everyone.
And yet, those same guests would continue to stay at a chain hotel unless they had similar bad experiences at a lot of them.
I do think taking the money because the guests didn't call soon enough is a bit much. That allows no room for traffic, delayed flights, lost baggage or detours or even getting sidetracked..

I don't remember any guest telling us about a bad place, but several have told us about quirky bnb's. Things that certainly made their stay memorable. Like where they were told to bring milk; so they'd have it for their cereal! But I can say that the last 3 bnb's we stayed at were not good....dirty was the main reason. Dirty and dusty and unkempt.
.

Sometimes it is worse to have them rave about some place they've stayed. At the breakfast table. With everyone else hanging on their every word. I wonder if they say the say about us at other places they go?
I always ask guests where they are going next or where they stayed last night 'to get an idea of places to send guests who don't have a rez'. That leaves it open to them to say they liked the other places they've stayed or not.
It's tough when a guest is here overnight and they are then going to spend a week at another B&B. I feel like the ugly stepsister.
.

Had a couple stay with us for 1 night recently. Hoity toity attitude. The place they stayed the night before was $450 a night. The place they went to after us $400 a night. They booked our cheapest room ($150) since it was the only one available for a 1 night stay. Woman says to me "this must be your last room to book".
I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!
.

I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!

I had at least a 10 minute phone call a few weeks ago from someone wanting to book what I don't have...rooms on weekends in foliage season. I had ONE room left and she looked at the photos online while she was talking to me and said, 'Well, no wonder you have that room left, it's awful. Who would want a room with twin beds???'
OK, the room has a QUEEN bed and a twin but she could not see past the fact that it was the ONLY room left. She wanted a choice. You want choice, lady, you call in March, not Sept.
.

I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!

I had at least a 10 minute phone call a few weeks ago from someone wanting to book what I don't have...rooms on weekends in foliage season. I had ONE room left and she looked at the photos online while she was talking to me and said, 'Well, no wonder you have that room left, it's awful. Who would want a room with twin beds???'
OK, the room has a QUEEN bed and a twin but she could not see past the fact that it was the ONLY room left. She wanted a choice. You want choice, lady, you call in March, not Sept.

AMEN Sista'!

 

[Samster]

Yes, it is sad about the late check-in being denied. I would be curious about the size of the place and what they were charging. There is a big difference in the professionalism of some of the folks in the industry, as well as the level of hospitality. We've been really lucky to only hit a couple of truly bad places over the years and it seemed like a lot of the problems with those B&Bs had to do with innkeeper burnout.
I was always amazed at the different kinds of folks that we had stay with us and my life was definitely enriched by hosting them!

 

[Joey Camb]

Not the kind of service the gang here provides, that's for sure. However, in our defense, guests really need to understand what they are buying. Was there any indication on their confirmation or when they made the rez that no one would be available after hours and that they HAD to arrive or call by a certain time?
Some places cannot cook meals. Guests need to read the breakfast details or ask. They were, in the case of the pastries, going to get the same thing whether they got it at 10 PM or 6 AM.
Whether or not the door has a keypad is kind of irrelevant. The innkeeper doesn't allow guests to check themselves in for whatever reason. Perhaps she's been cheated in the past or had 5 people and a dog check in at 11 instead of the couple she was expecting.
We stay at a place that leaves all the room keys OUTSIDE. If you're a walk-in you call a number on the door and they tell you to pick a key out of the mailbox and let yourself in. But that's not for everyone.
And yet, those same guests would continue to stay at a chain hotel unless they had similar bad experiences at a lot of them.
I do think taking the money because the guests didn't call soon enough is a bit much. That allows no room for traffic, delayed flights, lost baggage or detours or even getting sidetracked..

I don't remember any guest telling us about a bad place, but several have told us about quirky bnb's. Things that certainly made their stay memorable. Like where they were told to bring milk; so they'd have it for their cereal! But I can say that the last 3 bnb's we stayed at were not good....dirty was the main reason. Dirty and dusty and unkempt.
.

Sometimes it is worse to have them rave about some place they've stayed. At the breakfast table. With everyone else hanging on their every word. I wonder if they say the say about us at other places they go?
I always ask guests where they are going next or where they stayed last night 'to get an idea of places to send guests who don't have a rez'. That leaves it open to them to say they liked the other places they've stayed or not.
It's tough when a guest is here overnight and they are then going to spend a week at another B&B. I feel like the ugly stepsister.
.

Had a couple stay with us for 1 night recently. Hoity toity attitude. The place they stayed the night before was $450 a night. The place they went to after us $400 a night. They booked our cheapest room ($150) since it was the only one available for a 1 night stay. Woman says to me "this must be your last room to book".
I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!
.

I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!

I had at least a 10 minute phone call a few weeks ago from someone wanting to book what I don't have...rooms on weekends in foliage season. I had ONE room left and she looked at the photos online while she was talking to me and said, 'Well, no wonder you have that room left, it's awful. Who would want a room with twin beds???'
OK, the room has a QUEEN bed and a twin but she could not see past the fact that it was the ONLY room left. She wanted a choice. You want choice, lady, you call in March, not Sept.
.

we have this same problem - we are booked up for a saturday night at least 6 weeks in advance this is pretty average in this area - however had 2 lots of people ringing this week for very specific rooms
(1) needed a ground floor room for his disabled wife - ground floor rooms are very rare here so I would have been looking about 3 months in advance or booked a hotel with a lift not started looking on the monday - for a wedding you knew you were coming to.
(2) lady coming to wedding with grown up son (again knew the wedding was on) needed ground floor room as he has broken his leg. Started looking on the tuesday!

 

[Madeleine]

Not the kind of service the gang here provides, that's for sure. However, in our defense, guests really need to understand what they are buying. Was there any indication on their confirmation or when they made the rez that no one would be available after hours and that they HAD to arrive or call by a certain time?
Some places cannot cook meals. Guests need to read the breakfast details or ask. They were, in the case of the pastries, going to get the same thing whether they got it at 10 PM or 6 AM.
Whether or not the door has a keypad is kind of irrelevant. The innkeeper doesn't allow guests to check themselves in for whatever reason. Perhaps she's been cheated in the past or had 5 people and a dog check in at 11 instead of the couple she was expecting.
We stay at a place that leaves all the room keys OUTSIDE. If you're a walk-in you call a number on the door and they tell you to pick a key out of the mailbox and let yourself in. But that's not for everyone.
And yet, those same guests would continue to stay at a chain hotel unless they had similar bad experiences at a lot of them.
I do think taking the money because the guests didn't call soon enough is a bit much. That allows no room for traffic, delayed flights, lost baggage or detours or even getting sidetracked..

I don't remember any guest telling us about a bad place, but several have told us about quirky bnb's. Things that certainly made their stay memorable. Like where they were told to bring milk; so they'd have it for their cereal! But I can say that the last 3 bnb's we stayed at were not good....dirty was the main reason. Dirty and dusty and unkempt.
.

Sometimes it is worse to have them rave about some place they've stayed. At the breakfast table. With everyone else hanging on their every word. I wonder if they say the say about us at other places they go?
I always ask guests where they are going next or where they stayed last night 'to get an idea of places to send guests who don't have a rez'. That leaves it open to them to say they liked the other places they've stayed or not.
It's tough when a guest is here overnight and they are then going to spend a week at another B&B. I feel like the ugly stepsister.
.

Had a couple stay with us for 1 night recently. Hoity toity attitude. The place they stayed the night before was $450 a night. The place they went to after us $400 a night. They booked our cheapest room ($150) since it was the only one available for a 1 night stay. Woman says to me "this must be your last room to book".
I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!
.

I just wanted to slap her! We were definitely the 'ugly stepsister'!

I had at least a 10 minute phone call a few weeks ago from someone wanting to book what I don't have...rooms on weekends in foliage season. I had ONE room left and she looked at the photos online while she was talking to me and said, 'Well, no wonder you have that room left, it's awful. Who would want a room with twin beds???'
OK, the room has a QUEEN bed and a twin but she could not see past the fact that it was the ONLY room left. She wanted a choice. You want choice, lady, you call in March, not Sept.
.

we have this same problem - we are booked up for a saturday night at least 6 weeks in advance this is pretty average in this area - however had 2 lots of people ringing this week for very specific rooms
(1) needed a ground floor room for his disabled wife - ground floor rooms are very rare here so I would have been looking about 3 months in advance or booked a hotel with a lift not started looking on the monday - for a wedding you knew you were coming to.
(2) lady coming to wedding with grown up son (again knew the wedding was on) needed ground floor room as he has broken his leg. Started looking on the tuesday!
.

We had a call a couple of weeks ago for a wedding next year. Asked me to hold rooms so he could call everyone. I gave him 4 days. Not a single call. Released the rooms and he calls the next day to say they changed the date of the wedding. Was I going to hold rooms again? Not on your nellie!
So, no matter what date he's got the wedding on for now, he's already bumping up against other events going on.
We got married in Sept in VT. I had to reserve the church and the hall 18 months in advance. I still had guests trying to make a reservation for a hotel a week before. We explained it to them early on...it's fall in northern VT, call early!

 

[lflkdsgjfrdklgjoireigjio']

The B&B is your home and in my day I would never come into my mothers home after midnight much less expect for her to greet me with a smile. Clearly we deserve a life and the innkeeper should of given them a code but who knows it kinda sounds like they booked that day and the innkeeper may very well have not been there ever and the next door neighbor put a basket of baked goods out for them. There are two sides to every story and we have only one half of the story presented. Weekly I get a call when I'm off to market to re provision and its a hundred mile drive for us to the nearest store. The phone rings and of course its a guest who has not booked but looking for a room. If its someone I know I give them the code however if its not someone I know they need to return when I will be there from my return trip. I even keep cameras on the front areas and front hall so I can monitor the building when I am away buying pineapples.
Long story short I'm sure if we were presented the other half of the story the innkeeper was away or clearly had other commitments than to wait for a ten pm arrival. In our online arrival I have ETA for the guest to check off. If I can't be present I call them personally and give the code.

 

[lflkdsgjfrdklgjoireigjio']

.

 

[EmptyNest]

..

See you just joined us. How about an intro first Welcome to the group.

 

[Joey Camb]

The B&B is your home and in my day I would never come into my mothers home after midnight much less expect for her to greet me with a smile. Clearly we deserve a life and the innkeeper should of given them a code but who knows it kinda sounds like they booked that day and the innkeeper may very well have not been there ever and the next door neighbor put a basket of baked goods out for them. There are two sides to every story and we have only one half of the story presented. Weekly I get a call when I'm off to market to re provision and its a hundred mile drive for us to the nearest store. The phone rings and of course its a guest who has not booked but looking for a room. If its someone I know I give them the code however if its not someone I know they need to return when I will be there from my return trip. I even keep cameras on the front areas and front hall so I can monitor the building when I am away buying pineapples.
Long story short I'm sure if we were presented the other half of the story the innkeeper was away or clearly had other commitments than to wait for a ten pm arrival. In our online arrival I have ETA for the guest to check off. If I can't be present I call them personally and give the code..

Our point is more about the fact they charged in full - would have arrived at 8pm if they were a couple of hours late from their original 6pm arrival. Feel a better compromise could have been reached.
As regards breakfast - for me wouldn't have left it out the night before as I don't trust the other guest not to be messing with it during the night but again this may be a very small place ie 2 rooms etc where the chance of that would be more limited.