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The INNkeepers Letter

by Janet Rogers

 

Making a Reservation

 

 

Having my own Bed & Breakfast (The Spitzer House) I seldom have the opportunity to stay in other B&B's. But once

in a while we do manage to get away for a couple of days, and when we do, we always stay at a Bed & Breakfast.

 

When staying at a Bed & Breakfast I have found that sometimes the brochure, website, and B&B have very little in

common. (I will write more about that later) meanwhile asking the right questions is key when making a reservation.

 

Most of the B&B's I have stayed in have turned out to be disappointing. So how does something like this happen? Am

I too critical since I have my own B&B or is it simply because I am not asking the right questions? I look at the website,

talk to the host, read the brochure, but still end up usually surprised about something. Also the B&B's that I have stayed

in have not been cheap! Which makes the situation more frustrating because you really feel like you got screwed. Could

it be because I didn't think to ask questions like, " Do you have a 2' X 2' cut out area above the guest rooms doors with

no glass so everyone can hear each others activities? Or is your B&B located in a really bad neighborhood where I have

to sign a paper in case something gets stolen out of my car. Or a B&B with a bar close by that has a loud band that plays

most the night? Or do you have an 8X10 list posted of what not to touch and charges I can incur by even receiving a phone

call? Or do you only serve scrambled eggs and nothing else? Or are you going to push your religion on me and pray for me?

Or is your soap made from leftover soap? (Inspected INN) Or do you have 11 illegal non-vented fireplaces that can actually

affect my health? (Inspected Inn) Or can you breath in the guest room? (Windows painted shut, vent in ceiling, no access to

thermostat or Innkeeper) Or is your bathroom outside the door, down the hall, around the corner and up a flight of steps?

GET REAL! Who in their right mind would even think to ask these types of questions? So my conclusion is this, there will

always be things beyond my control. But maybe just maybe there are a few things I can control by asking key questions. At

least that's what I hope happens! LOL! Here is a list of key questions. What are key questions? Simply this...what is important

to you as a customer. One important question I should always ask would be, Is there a TV in the room? I like to watch the

news before I go to sleep, so a TV in the room would important to me. Who wants to sneak down the stairs in their PJ's and

grab the TV controller from another guest? Have you ever seen an Innkeeper sneak downstairs in their PJ's? I think not!...that's

because they have their own TV. I have always had TV's in my guest rooms, all hotels have them, so I just assume since the

are so affordable now, that most B&B's would have them by now, and stop using that "ambiance line" on their guests. Obviously

these B&B's do not do weekday business people, nor will they ever if they do not offer TV's in their guest rooms, and maybe

they don't care. But since 911, guests want the option to be able to listen to the news.

 

We recently stayed at a B&B in East Berlin PA where the host wanted to charge us an additional $20.00 to put a TV in our

room, (usually this flag tells me right away, that they both quit their jobs, and this B&B is their only income) You do the math,

am I missing something here? I look over at my husband for under standing, but he politely reminds me that I am the one that

booked the room not him. I looked around at my overpriced room and thought, I really have got to get better at this. See my

article on "Is your guest rooms overpriced? Then I stayed at another B&B in Delaware Ohio that the Innkeeper told us a TV

in the room would cost $3.00, sounds better than $20.00 huh? The B&B again was their only source of income. I figured that

out as soon as I saw the 8X10 list laying on the bed of charges and do's and don'ts. A couple I remember off hand were; if you

receive a phone call, it's 25 cents a minute, if you make a phone call it's 25 cents a minute, the list went on and on, but that's

another nickel and dime story for later. I would have given anything to have a copy of this INNkeepers list for a B&B book I

want to write someday, but knew if I took it I might get charged. What is happening to INNkeepers? Instead of an 8X10

laminated sheet of costs just increase your room rate, it looks alot better to your customer. Would I go back to this B&B? If

I thought I had a chance to get that 8X10 price sheet without getting caught I sure would! LOL!

 

I have always thought "The more money you pay, the more you get." Now after 13 years in the B&B business I have finally

figured out that the price of the room has nothing to do with how nice the room is. You assume you can turn around in your

room if necessary, you assume you will have more than eggs for breakfast, you assume you might even have secure parking.

Wrong, don't assume any thing! I stayed at a B&B in Dayton Ohio where I had "very insecure" parking and the Innkeeper

said I should have known all downtown B&B's are in bad neighborhoods? What is that all about? now it's my fault? Give me

a break. The Innkeeper sure isn't going to advertise that on her website now is she? Should I have asked if they offered secure

parking? I'll tell you what, if I make a reservation in a downtown area again you can bet I will. But will the Innkeeper even tell

me the truth? Because if she would have told me the truth I would have never stayed there to begin with. My husband and I

had just went to the Ohio Mart so my car was full of merchandise. After telling the Innkeeper my concerns she allowed me

park in the garage. Had she not, we definitely would have left. We probley should have just left anyway because things just

went downhill from there. Neither one of us slept all night. We couldn't figure out how to turn down the heat, couldn't

open the windows, couldn't find a fan and had to sleep with the door open all night just so we could breath. Now did I tell

the Innkeeper the next day? NO.....all the Innkeeper knows is that I asked politely to use her garage because I was concerned

since my car was full of merchandise. Will I ever go back? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Do you need to even ask? ALL

INNkeepers need to do is sleep in there guest rooms just one night and see how much they like it especially after they hand

over 150.00 to be miserable. I just stayed at another B&B in Downtown Columbus and asked if they had a TV in the room

and they said yes. I asked if they had off street parking (see I am trying to ask the right questions) and he said yes. I asked if

he was in a safe neighborhood and he said it was safe although he was located in an urban area. Then when we got to the

B&B were were asked to sign a registration form that states "Since we are located in an urban area, please make sure that

you bring in any valuables. It became very clear why the host didn't live at the B&B. From now on I will never stay at a B&B

that the Innkeeper does not live there. This B&B is the same one that had a huge window hole above the door. When the

current host remodeled he obviously wanted it to look like the old transom windows above the doors, but he made the opening

too big and didn't bother adding glass. There was another guest room right beside us, maybe two feet away at the most. They

also had their "big hole" without glass above the door. We could hear everything and MORE in the room next to us. Like I've

always said "if you can hear them they can hear you." We could even hear them in their bathroom down the hall. It was very

inappropriate at $129.00 a night.

 

Anyway below are some questions that may help you when booking your reservation although there will always be surprises

no matter how hard you try and ask the right questions. I have also included for fun my favorite question that a customer just

recently asked.

 

My favorite all time question. Does your bathroom have a door? (The B&B she just stayed in had vertical blinds as a bathroom

door, and the bathroom was located in the hall so she was really creeped out.)

 

In 2006 Ohio passed a law where all businesses are now non-smoking. If an Innkeeper suspects you have violated the law,

they can call an Ohio hotline and fines are about 2500. If you are a smoker and you are traveling check each state laws.

 

Does the guest room have a private bath? Where is the private bath located? In the room, across the hall, down the hall,

down the hall around the corner and up the stairs? down the street?

 

Is there a TV in the room?

 

What time is breakfast usually served? Can I have it a different time? Some B&B's have strict rules and of course you have to

go by the rules. LOL!

 

What kind of breakfast do you serve? Full? continental? Maybe on weekends a 7:00AM is a continental, but an 8:00 is a full.

I have to admit I don't want to get up on weekends at 6:00 AM for a 7:00AM breakfast. So continental at 7:00 AM on week

ends sounds good to me.

 

Do you have off street parking? Are you in a safe neighborhood?

 

Does your guest rooms have any amenities? Example robes. If you need to go down the hall around the corner and down the

stairs out the door and go two blocks east to get to the bathroom you might need one, or at least know to bring one.

 

If stairs are a problem, you will want to know if there is a guest room on the main floor, or is it alot of stairs.

 

How much is your tax? We stayed in B&B and was charged a 7% room tax and a 6% State tax on an already "overpriced

room" She also had a $25.00 late arrival fee after 8:00 PM) Get real! She lived there.

 

What is your cancellation policy? Many INNkeepers are doing their own thing so each B&B could be different ASK.

 

Do you get a key to come and go? (we stayed at a B&B and could not lock our door when we went out for the evening.)

There were other guests at the B&B too. I didn't like that at all. I did not know them and how do I know someone hasn't

gone through my stuff? Even at a Holiday INN you can lock your door. We are not all family here. Give your guests a key!

 

Are there resident hosts? If not who do you call in case of an emergency? Remember the bad neighborhood? The Innkeeper

didn't live there.

 

Also when booking a reservation and the host sounds rude, a flag should go right away. Think before you book that room.

 

If you are looking for a Jacuzzi. Find out first if it is a Jacuzzi for two. Also if there is a picture on the website. If there is not

ask the shape. If it's shaped like a tub forget it, two people won't fit, unless you both are both very skinny and very very short.

LOL!

 

The webs we weave on websites!

 

I will keep adding to this in the days ahead!

 

 

How to open a B&B

What is a B&B

What is an INN

The INNkeeper

Ohio licensing requirements Bill # 223

Towels

Beds

Is your Bed & Breakfast over priced?

How B&B Hosts look at other B&B Hosts

The Guest from Planet X

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