What would you do 2?

[Coco]

I've had a good one this week.  American military family interested in our family suite for a possible 5 night stay, leading up to 4th June, some big do at St Mere Eglise.  Went through all the usual questions and they were delighted with the idea of staying at our house.  They then decided that they would like to make it a full week, so nice little earner at 115 euros per night for mum, dad and 4 kids.  In order to accommodate them for the full seven nights I had to ask two other guests if they would mind moving rooms mid-stay, which they very kindly agreed to do.  Dad also asked if I could recommend somewhere close by for his brother and 2 kids.  I recommended somewhere less than 5kms from us but that was too far.  Then two nights ago I got an email asking what the kitchen facilities were like and that started ringing warning bells - would they be wanting self-catering.  I explained that breakfast was included (served by us) and that we offer evening meals and the use of the frige to store butter, cold meats etc if they wanted to make themselves a packed lunch, but that cooking facilities were not available to guests.  I asked if this made a difference to his booking and asked for a prompt reply as I was obviously disrupting other guests to accommodate them.  No answer after 24 hours, so I sent another email (already having decide that he had clearly changed his mind even before he asked about kitchen facilities, but when he realise his brother couldn't stay next door).  He finally replied this afternoon.  No thanks, we don't want to stay at your place anymore because we want a B&B where all 11 of us can stay together.  However, we would very much appreciate your help in finding somewhere suitable for us.

I could hardly believe my eyes.  He gets me to ask other guests to swap rooms with his family, (and therefore risk them pulling out of their stay), he pulls out of what was a potential 800 euro booking for me, then has the nerve to ask me to help him find somewhere more suitable for them all!!![:@]

I think I kept my cool when I wrote back and said that no I couldn't recommend anywhere else locally, and indeed I thought he would have a great deal of trouble finding a B&B that could cope with 11 guests, during not only half-term week and bank holiday weekend, but also D-Day anniversary week, explaining that chambres d'hotes can only have a max of 5 rooms and that consequently he would have to find someone who had no bookings for a full 7 nights, only 3 weeks before a holiday week.  I even said that the offer of my place (and my friend's for his brother's family) was still there if they can't find anywhere else.  Although I really don't think I want them now anyway, but who can turn down 800 euros in this business [:(]  But I wonder whether I should just have told him to go take a hike!!!!  What would you do?

[Just Katie]

I think you guys are in one of the most difficult professions, I really do.  Trying to please people in your home.  I would have let him know that I had disrupted other guests to accommodate him but still be really friendly and professional.  If he decided to book I would welcome him with open arms and think of the money.  I would then clean the toilet with his toothbrush.[6]

[Russethouse]

I think I would email him with the contact details of the local tourist office, explain that they are best placed to assist and that you will be considering those rooms vacant from now on. (theres a good chance you could get other bookings?) Or say you will hold the room for another 48 hours and then require a deposit or if you do not hear will consider the booking cancelled. He was lucky to have found you in the first place!

Then I would think of a nice token gift for the two lots of guests who were happy to change rooms.

 

[Coco]

Sorry Gay

After 4 seasons of doing this, I've realised that although it's a nice lifestyle, there's little enough monetary recompense that I can't offer gifts to people who will not even now be disrupted.  Had they been I was prepared to ensure that there was no bottom to their wine carafe for the dinner they have already booked.  As for the non-booking yanks, well they can do their own research to find out the address of the local tourist office.  They don't want tostay with me or my local colleague.  I actually know that there is not another local B&B that could cope with 11 people; however, why should I put myself out to help him now that he has put me to the effort of trying to find accommodation for the rest of his family and then has ultimately decided not to stay with us anyway.  I don't work for the local tourist board, I'm not a charity and I can't pass the business on to anyone else I know.  So as far as I'm concerned, he can do his own research....... unless of course, he wants to give me some advertising space on his US Air Force base in Germany, and there was no indication of that!!!!

[Russethouse]

 I think the bottomless wine carafe is  the sort of level I was thinking off, more of a gesture than a great financial recompense.

As for your possible booking - of course you know your local market best, but I would want to know when to give up on them and be able to book other people, or hopefully, get the welcome mat out........[;-)]

[Coco]

Well I totally agree with you.  I'm absolutely certain there's no way they'll comeback. It was more a polite way of saying it really.  Infact, I' be gobsmacked if they did decide to come back!!!

[Wendy]

I'd have a bit of a sob over that 800 euros but to be honest I think you've been spared  a booking from a group of those guests from hell. Usually that first email you get can tell you a lot as to whether they are going to be a joy or demanding to the hilt. I think they would have been the latter. Maybe I'm wrong. But this business can sure make you cynical. I would not have assisted them to find somewhere else as you could have put yourself out in the effort only for them to jerk the other B&B owner around as well.  You dont owe it to them at all.

[Wendy]

One other thing I'd like to sound out opinions on without changing the thread too much...we also have had several guests not bothering to let us know exactly how late they are going to arrive. When they have not turned up by midnight we assume they are no-shows, close up and turn in. THEN the doorbell rings at...wait for it...5.am!! . This has happened several times to us and are dreading this again this summer. In the past we have gotten up with gritted teeth and let them in. The last time this happened we ignored the bell as we stipulate in our confirmation emails that they MUST call if they are late. So they sat in their car and rang our phone. Then the doorbell. Then the phone again. Then the doorbell. We ignored them for as long as we could, about 20 minutes, but they ended up waking our baby and toddler. We let them in only for them to then want an ensuite room which was not available and which they had not booked. Oh boy. Its very hard to be welcoming to guests like that.

[Cassis]

Hi St Amour

Well, I'd be fuming.  We always try to find somewhere else local for guests we can't accommodate, but this lot take the biscuit.  You know that the only group we have lost money on through no-show (so far) were also from the USA, so I don't think I'd be tempted to help either, after the way you've been messed about.  As you say, it's a lot of money in this business and it's always nice to get a long stay from a big group, but there are limits and this lot sound like a waste of time.

Wen - what on earth is going on that people were turning up at your place at 5.00am?  I assume this was a one-off incident, where were they coming from and how do they explain themselves?  But you make it sound like it has happened at least twice.  It beggars belief, surely you dreamt this?

Phil

[Wendy]

Hiya! it seems that the culprits are those who hop in the car up near Paris at night then zoom along till they hit us down south.  Believe me, when you hear your doorbell ringing that early you think you are only dreaming.  We shudder now when we get bookings from up near Paris. Like I said,on our website and in the reservation systems, we highlight that if guests are going to be late, meaning after 11.00pm, they must let us know beforehand. Or at least phone ahead, otherwise they will arrive to find the place closed. We know now that they do have phones on them. But, try sleeping when your phone and doorbell is being leaned on heavily. Seems they take no notice. I can assure you that this year they wont get in. Even if we have to take the phone off the hook. Just as well the doorbell cant be heard by the guests. We've had people turn up at 2.00am as well. This year I'm putting a sign up by the front door. "Ferme, reouverture 8.00am"!. Or should I put the exclamation mark in the phrase?. To date, they dont explain themselves OR apologise.

[Cassis]

Sounds awful.  I don't know where you are but obviously a long way from Paris.  We always get an ETA from guests and tell them they must call if there is a problem.  We've maybe just been lucky so far that we've had no problems of this sort - or it could be because we're just a couple of hours from Paris.

I think I'd baulk at waiting up until 11.00pm for guests on a regular basis - we're always in bed by 10.30!

Phil

(EDIT: Jude says I'm also asleep on the sofa by 9.00pm)

[Coco]

Our first year (in fact our first guests) were from Belgium and they said they would be leaving Brussels at about 1.30pm and would like an evening meal.  At 4pm she phoned to say they would be leaving Brussels at about 5pm, so I said I presumed they would no longer want an evening meal.  Oh, no, I suppose not if it will be too late for you!  Well Brussels being a good 5 and a half hours from here, yes it was too late.  So we were expecting them at about 10.30.  At 11 they phoned to say that they were 15 minutes from Cherbourg - now how they managed that I have absolutely no idea but they had clearly gone sailing past us and carried on for another hour and a bit before deciding that perhaps they were lost.  If they turned round then and headed back to us they should have been with us at about midnight, but in fact we got a phonecall to say they were at Saint Lo (20 minutes away) at 1pm.  Eventually, at 1.30 I got a description of where they were, told them NOT TO MOVE and sent my husband out to find them!!!!!  They then wanted drinks and to sit and chat when they finally arrive at 2am!

More recently, we had the phone go in the middle of the night (3am to be precise)  Unfortunately it clicks on to answerphone after 4 rings and we haven't found a way of changing it, so it stopped ringing before we got to it.  Five minutes later the same thing!  And again a third time.  I tried 3103 because by now I could only believe that for someone to be so persistent in the middle of the night that something must have happened to my husband's mum or one of his brothers.  But NO, it was a US number.  When I checked the area code the next day it was someone calling from Chicago, clearly no concept of time zones!!!  They had also managed to wake all of our guests up!!  I was very tempted to call them back at 10am French time - now what time would that have been in Chicago??[;-)]