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to laugh or cry....


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As we're almost 1/2 way through the summer season I though this story would make most of you either laugh or cry. We certainly didn't know which to do after we'd stopped spitting the feathers!!

Our home offers 5 en suite bedrooms on the 1st floor and our private bedroom floor is above. The private floor is 'politely' indicated with a nice rope thing (the sort you see in chateaux when you're not supposed to enter the room!!).I didnt' want 'PRIVEE' signs everywhere but it appears that subtlety doesn't work!!

All bedroom doors are locked but our bathroom from our private landing is not. Although, very obviously private and personal. You know what's coming...

7am last week we are thinking about getting up and we hear our private staircase creak (left to creak for exactly this reason). Someone was coming upstairs and our bedroom door wasn't loccked although it was closed....

My husband dived out of bed and grabbed my dressing gown by which time the 'prowler' had disappeared behind one of the closed doors. It turned out he had locked himself into our private bathroom.

After much knocking and banging on the door my husband finally got the guy out of the bathroom who didn't apologise but simply explained that there were 3 people in his bedroom and only 1 toilet!!!!

Thankfully they were leaving that morning as I was so angry at his blatent disrespect for my home. apart from anything he obviously knew where this bathrom was so, I presume, had used it beforehand.

Short of turning one's home into a fortress what can you do??!! [:P]

Our private living room & office has a 'privee' sign on the door and only last night I found a guest in there just having a 'snoop' around! I wonder which part of 'privee' he didn't understand?!

Needless to say, our bathroom now has a lock on the door.....

Happy end of season....!!

Abi (alias Cybil & basil at the moment) [:D]

 

 

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[quote user="Muzzie"]

the guy simply explained that there were 3 people in his bedroom and only 1 toilet!!!!

[/quote]

Agree it must have been very disconcerting for you both, to say the least; but I can understand his point too. Ensuites are great but sometimes an independent stand-alone loo is useful, as it would have been in these circumstances.

Sue

 

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[quote user="Muzzie"]

Maybe but we're a private home not a hotel and everyone who stays here has their own loo..I already have 8 toilets to clean I dont want anymore!

abi

[/quote]

Hi Muzzie, I appreciate it must have been a shock, however, your premises cease to become a private home when you advertise and take paying guests, particularly when your offering 5 rooms , it would indicate that the "lions share ".of the house is in a sense "commercial"

Kind regards,

Leo

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[quote user="Muzzie"]

Our private living room & office has a 'privee' sign on the door and only last night I found a guest in there just having a 'snoop' around! I wonder which part of 'privee' he didn't understand?!

[/quote]

I suspect he misunderstood the sign and was looking for the 'privy'. I'd change it to a 'no entry' sign if I were you!

That said, I agree that different rules of privacy apply when in a largely commercial environment, as does etiquette!

 

 

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When we rented out we had some things stored in the garage, these were all boxed, covered and marked PRIVATE We received a call from guests really voicing their complaint that the Video player they had got out the garage and installed didn't work. We did supply UK television which 12 years ago was rare.

Please just try and laugh [:D] You will always find people who are self centred and to put it politely 'don't think' [geek]

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Hi, Cybill and Basil are my patron saints!

Just accept that some people do not respect 'privee' signs. They just ignore them. Especially if you have been too familiar with them at the off. Never do that, they are 'paying customers', not 'house guests'. There is a huge difference and if you want to retain your privacy and authourity then this is to be enforced.

We have gone through what you have and more. We own a small hotel with doors connecting our home to the hotel firmly locked yet still some people yank the door knobs and shove against the doors to get at us regardless. Despite us having a clearly signed office. One couple even shone a torch at us through our sitting room one night this past week. It was after hours too.

We have two non-ensuite rooms who have a specially designated shower/toilet room at the end of the hall. They frequently find guests from the ensuite rooms using 'their' shower/toilet room just because they do not wish to wait for the wife/husband to get out of the bathroom in their own room. We are fed up with this and now lock the shower room and give the key to our non-ensuite guests. Signs on the door have not worked. They are ignored.

If your guests act like ignoramuses then treat them as such. Put signs everywhere, it protects you.

Long live Basil Fawlty!!

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.... are, for me, a sign of a very dreary B&B/Gite/Guest house/hotel, especially when signed off self-importantly by 'The management'.

IMHO, the best way of ruining the ambience of an otherwise nice place is the presence of instructions everywhere.

 

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'Signed off Self-importantly by The management'?. What we, 'the management' are actually saying darnsarf, is that our home is not your home.  You have paid for A room, not your hosts bathroom, their kitchen or sitting room. Signs/instructions are there because we are drawing the line obviously between 'us' and 'you'.  Our favourite guest is the one which recognises this. If you are one of those 'favourite' types then ignore the signs/instructions because you will already know how to behave in some elses establishment. You are a customer, not a friend of the family. Those signs/instructions are there for those rude ignorant types who cannot distinguish...or read. And, unfortunately, they exist.
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Couldn't agree more Wen! We have very few signs but they are positioned where needed and discreet enough to be seen but not obtrusive (although sometimes I think they need to be life sized and in flashing neon lights!).

I really laughed at you having a torch shone at you . Our 'private' sitting room is at the front of the house and we try to relax (for maybe 10 minutes) before new arrivals arrive 'after 4pm'. Invariabley they begin to arrive from midday onwards and ring the bell try to break the door down and peer through the curtains and bang on the window!! We have now invested in a discreet (see....discreet again) white rollerblind which gives us privacy without us having to sit in the dark on a summers day with the curtains shut feeling like prisoners in our own home!! Have you been there?!

I completely disagree with a previous post that just because we let 5 bedrooms we cease to be a private home. We are letting less than 50% of our bedrooms, and even if it were more, everyone is entitled to private space that should be respected. I know that if I'm somewhere and a door / space is marked 'private' or 'no entry' then I don't feel offended by this sign as I've been brought up to respect others. Likewise, as Wen says, our 'civilised' guests probably don't even notice the signs as they don't expect to use the kitchen/ my bedroom (?!) / sitting room or bathroom. 

I think the best we ever had (prior to the bathroom incident) were guests trying to light themselves a fire whilst we were out and filling the house with smoke...apparently they were cold.

Muzzie.    

 

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I totally sympathise Muzzie.  Some people are just rude beyond belief, we have a Privé sign on to the kitchen door, beyond which is our bedroom, living room and bathroom, but to no avail.  If guests want to come in they do.  If it is mid afternoon and we are upstairs having a well-deserved break before starting evening meals and they want something they just march into the kitchen and start coming up our private staircase.  At this point I now shout down to them to "wait there, I'll come down, this is our private bedroom up here"  It really, really infuriates me, not only have they ignored the private sign to come into the kitchen but they then proceed to come up into what is clearly a private part of the house.  I'm thinking of getting one of those push-button locks on the kitchen door.  I shall then put a rope across the stairs and if that fails an electric tripwire halfway up. 

Letting five rooms in your home does not mean that it becomes a commercial free-for-all.  Darnsarf is talking out of his proverbial and probably ignores such signs himself.  People are not paying hotel rates, CdH is invariably cheaper yet offers the same standard of accommodation.  These people are indeed ignorant and need to be told they are so, if need be!!! [:@]

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[quote user="Coco"]

I totally sympathise Muzzie.  Some people are just rude beyond belief, we have a Privé sign on to the kitchen door, beyond which is our bedroom, living room and bathroom, but to no avail.  If guests want to come in they do.  If it is mid afternoon and we are upstairs having a well-deserved break before starting evening meals and they want something they just march into the kitchen and start coming up our private staircase.  At this point I now shout down to them to "wait there, I'll come down, this is our private bedroom up here"  It really, really infuriates me, not only have they ignored the private sign to come into the kitchen but they then proceed to come up into what is clearly a private part of the house.  I'm thinking of getting one of those push-button locks on the kitchen door.  I shall then put a rope across the stairs and if that fails an electric tripwire halfway up. 

Letting five rooms in your home does not mean that it becomes a commercial free-for-all.  Darnsarf is talking out of his proverbial and probably ignores such signs himself.  People are not paying hotel rates, CdH is invariably cheaper yet offers the same standard of accommodation.  These people are indeed ignorant and need to be told they are so, if need be!!! [:@]

[/quote]

But it does become commercial!

with all the possible commercial implications.

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SO WHAT!!!!!!  Do you walk into the kitchens of a restaurant?  Do you go into the cellar of a pub?  Do you go rummaging through the stock room of a shop?  Do you go backstage in a theatre?  They are private areas and NOT for the general public!  Muzzie has clearly marked with signs and a rope that this is her private part of the house and no one has the right to enter without her permission, let alone use her private facilities.  If the whole house is a free for all then why didn't he walk into one of the other bedrooms and use their facilities?  Because he knew he was in the wrong and that another guest was bound to be a lot ruder (justifiably) to him than the host!  If someone has come upstairs at that time of the morning to my private quarters they would have been asked to leave BEFORE breakfast, I think Muzzie was very restrained.  I have plenty of absolutely charming guests who know how to behave and who I genuinely miss when they leave, without having to put up with a***oles like this bloke.  We are making a living by doing B&B not becoming martyrs to it[:P]

Edit:  One correction to my previous posting, it was Leo who was talking out of his proverbial, not Darnsarf, got the names muddled.

 

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some people here really are missing the point and, I would presume,  don't let any rooms themselves??

Legally, you can let 5 rooms in your ''Private home'' (hence the name Chambres d'hotes) and remain legally classified as a 'private home'.

Aside from that, are you really suggesting that every hotel / shop / restaurant / office block / commercial property in the land is not permitted a 'private' space.....you really are talking rubbish, what planet do you people live on? (sorry!) 

Every hotel has private rooms for the owners and staff that guests would / should NEVER presume to be able to use. Why should a CDH be any different whether you let 1 room or 5??!!!

Same applies to a shop - would you expect to visit the 'private' store rooms or staff canteen area? I presume not.

I rest my case. [:)]

Susie

 

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[quote user="LEO"][quote user="Muzzie"]

Maybe but we're a private home not a hotel and everyone who stays here has their own loo..I already have 8 toilets to clean I dont want anymore!

abi

[/quote]

Hi Muzzie, I appreciate it must have been a shock, however, your

premises cease to become a private home when you advertise and take

paying guests, particularly when your offering 5 rooms , it would

indicate that the "lions share ".of the house is in a sense "commercial"

Kind regards,

Leo

[/quote]

Don't be daft, Leo - just because someone runs a B&B doesn't mean

the guests have the run of every inch of the house.  Was your post meant as a

joke?
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[quote user="Cassis"][quote user="LEO"][quote user="Muzzie"]

Maybe but we're a private home not a hotel and everyone who stays here has their own loo..I already have 8 toilets to clean I dont want anymore!

abi

[/quote]

Hi Muzzie, I appreciate it must have been a shock, however, your premises cease to become a private home when you advertise and take paying guests, particularly when your offering 5 rooms , it would indicate that the "lions share ".of the house is in a sense "commercial"

Kind regards,

Leo

[/quote]

Don't be daft, Leo - just because someone runs a B&B doesn't mean the guests have the run of every inch of the house.  Was your post meant as a joke?[/quote]

 

I never said anything remotely resembling (the guests have the run of every inch of the house) what I did indicate was that part of the house was in a sense commercial.

 for example ;

The part of the house open to the public in this particular case must be ~

Main entrance hall, , hallway giving access to ,5 en-suite bedrooms,breakfast/dining room.

This amount of space would normally constitute more than half the floor space of the majority of homes.

So where does the daft bit come in?

Leo

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Leo, it comes in here:

"Hi Muzzie, I appreciate it must have been a shock, however, your

premises cease to become a private home when you advertise and take

paying guests, particularly when your offering 5 rooms , it would

indicate that the "lions share ".of the house is in a sense "commercial".

I thought that this post clearly suggested, in context, that Muzzie's complaint was unjustified.  Did it not? Maybe there is an alternative interpretation.  Maybe you can enlighten us as to your meaning - your last post certainly does not explain why you think it was okay for guests to use private quarters.

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[quote user="Cassis"]Leo, it comes in here:

"Hi Muzzie, I appreciate it must have been a shock, however, your premises cease to become a private home when you advertise and take paying guests, particularly when your offering 5 rooms , it would indicate that the "lions share ".of the house is in a sense "commercial".

I thought that this post clearly suggested, in context, that Muzzie's complaint was unjustified.  Did it not? Maybe there is an alternative interpretation.  Maybe you can enlighten us as to your meaning - your last post certainly does not.
[/quote]

Hi Cassis,

Muzie then wrote;

Maybe but we're a private home not a hotel and everyone who stays here has their own loo..I already have 8 toilets to clean I dont want anymore!

abi

I did not suggest, and do not think her original complaint was unjustified

what I did say was that her home is no longer a private house.In other words if you are taking up  8/10 paying guests I would say that you are definately in busines ,not just a pin money operation.

Leo

 

 

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