Guest who arrive early.......

[joyful]

Would welcome comments on this little gem. Mainly for small B&Bs guest houses without a front of house desk etc. and those who use pre booked guests rather than just turn ups on the spots.....One has an arrival time, one confirms it in writing/email/phone.... and then lo and behold you spot your Pre Booked guests who have pre selected their arrival time now arriving 2,3,4, hours early "we were just passing and wondered if we could drop our bags off.... I hope we haven't disturbed you....." whilst I wipe my lunch off my chin etc..... It has become a plague these last 2 years and of course once you open the door and are facing them unless you can genuinely say "your room isn't ready yet" then you are stuck a) with astonishment at their being on your door step at 11am/12pm/lpm b) thinking of a good excuse to send them away till the correct arrival time when you are ready for them.....

I have in fact gone as far as to install CCTV on my drive to see the early arrivals and thus not open the door which gets me out of telling fibs and means I don't have to push my luncheon plate to one side as crawl to the front door dusting crumbs off, scraping my hair back to one side and feeling a heel at turning them away till the correct arrival time. I have also installed an intercom so that I can speak to anyone I want to speak to and it is handy for resident guests who want to bang on your door at 9pm+ or some other unearthly hour asking where the local beer shop/pub/whatever is...(rather than read the information book in their room)....

[Ghislaine]

Hi

I don't see any problem in simply telling them they can leave their bags in the hallway or wherever convenient and that their room will be ready from whatever time. I feel that it is quite reasonable to say 2pm - if they want to check in first thing in the morning for instance for a wedding then they should stay the night before.

In my experience most guests know that the room is probably being cleaned and prepared in the mornings and don't expect in before lunch. A bigger problem is them arriving really late and screwing up your dinner/theatre arrangements. Any comments on how to cope with that, apart from the obvious one of taking their mobile on booking so you can check on their progress? At what point is it reasonable to, say, go out and leave the key with a nearby pub?
Ghislaine

[Wiggy]

You must remember that you are in the hospitality trade with Hospitality being the word. I run a guest house in Blackpool and though I state that the earliest time of arrival is 12:00hrs find, like yourself, that guests are forever arriving earlier. If thier room is ready I happily show them in and register them as guests, after all they are on holiday and my job is to make it a pleasant as possible. If thier room is not ready I let them leave thier bags, furnish them with thier keys and register them as guests. Though this can be a little bit annoying at times you must agree that a little civility and an accommodating approach to your guests will ensure that they come back time and again. Remember we are in a trade that can remain quiet for long periods and that is when I have my down time and can relax.

[KBO]

This has to be a wind-up. If I arrived 'early' and was treated like this I don't think I would be back. We are in the service industry and we have to accommodate. What happens if the guest travels by train which gets them in early, it's pouring with rain, are you going to make them wait while you have you lunch? After all they are the ones who are paying. Surely it's not too much trouble to at least take they bags off them. And first impressions count. Could be the start of repeat business.

[Flowerlass]

We tell guests that we welcome them between the hours of 4-6pm to ensure that someone is available please let us know in advance if you will be arriving outside of these times.

I always take a mobile number and once somebody is ½ hour late for the time that they arranged I ring to find out if they are having trouble finding us. They will then volunteer the information of time of arrival and I can always make alternative arrangements with them for leaving the key somewhere else.

[amesbury druid]

have you ever thought that you may be in the wrong trade: your lunch seems to much more important than your guests. But if you don't want your guests arriving before time then tell them that. Running a B and B is a simple and very enjoyable way of earning a living but the primary requirement is that you must enjoy it , (otherwise your guests won't)

[Flora]

I think flexibility is the name of the game, especially these days. I have been caught with my rubber gloves on ... I think guests find it reassuring.

[Raincliffe1]

Agree Wiggy, it's inconvenient but you cannot blame them for wanting to deposit their things and explore. Most people understand that the room may not be ready and others simply want to touch base to make sure the accommodation is okay because they have had a bad experience.

Regards guests arriving late - for 6+ years now I have put my social life on hold or built it around guests arriving and departing (yes, I do have a limited social life!) - it goes with the territory of running a small business on your own. If you can't handle the fact that guests come first - choose another occupation.

[West Country Chic]

Must agree with previous comments, if this person thinks 9pm is an 'unearthly' time to ring the doorbell, then they must live in a different time zone to our guests.

We get alot of passing trade from 9pm onwards BECAUSE we are still willlling to open the door and with a genuine but sometimes weiry smile.

No we don't have a receptionist or a large establishment, our reception is open 24/7 but boy do we pick up extra business ! And of course if it's after 11pm the price rises by £5 and who would argue about that !!!!

[Joyce Taylor]

We have been known to pick up `strays` up to 01.00am. people arriving late at Newcastle airport hire a car and start driving to Scotland an hour later they are passing our village and they realise they are too tired to go any further,so they knock us out of bed. As it is a safety issue we dont really have any option but to check them in.I had never even thought of adding a premium for late arrivals.

[Raincliffe1]

Decent people arrive at a decent time or they have the forethought to telephone ahead because they have been unavoidably delayed (the plane developed problems and they had to turn back and take a later flight, car broke down for example). I can only speak from my own experience being in a seaside resort but 90% of the trade that rings the bell on spec after 23.00 hrs I wouldn't want anyway. It is more than likely different if you are an accommodation provider on a main trunk road or near main airports etc. Some hotels near us simply do not check in guests after 22.00 hrs.

Speaking of lunch, I always remember the couple we bought the hotel from. They kept us waiting one day when we came to view it for an hour while they had their lunch and I remember thinking I wonder if you treat your customers like that. Mind you they only had the hotel for 18 months so perhaps they weren't cut out for it.

[joyful]

You must remember that you are in the hospitality trade with Hospitality being the word. I run a guest house in Blackpool and though I state that the earliest time of arrival is 12:00hrs find, like yourself, that guests are forever arriving earlier. If thier room is ready I happily show them in and register them as guests, after all they are on holiday and my job is to make it a pleasant as possible. If thier room is not ready I let them leave thier bags, furnish them with thier keys and register them as guests. Though this can be a little bit annoying at times you must agree that a little civility and an accommodating approach to your guests will ensure that they come back time and again. Remember we are in a trade that can remain quiet for long periods and that is when I have my down time and can relax.

Thanks for your response which is nice to know I am not the only one caught with a loo brush in their hand when people arrive earlier and earlier. It never used to happen so much but is a daily occurence now I find. Thanks for your response. :d/

[Hilary]

On the whole our guests arrive from 3.30pm. The problem with colder months is that we do not run our central heating all day, who does in this current climate? therefore early arrivals arrive to a chilly room which doesn't go down too well! Do the rest of you heat unbooked rooms just in case a booking turns up?

[peddars way]

Hi

I agree with you, we have a very rural B & B we do not have any passing trade it is all from bookings, I do not like people turning up 2 or maybe 3 hours before our stated time, I make it quite clear when people are booking that the rooms are ready at 2pm, we have people arriving at 11 am after being told that their rooms will be ready at 2pm.

My opinion on this is if people want to stay in their rooms all day and night they should book into a hotel, I think the general public want as much for their money as they can possibly get.
We have had guest arrive at 11am take a shower then a bath in the evening, then another shower before they leave, quite honestly this is not good business.

If I was to run my business 24/7 and not have any leisure time I would not enjoy it, a business that is successful should also be a business that suits the owners as well as the guests and there is a happy medium. I really enjoy my B & B and the guest re-book because I am very hospitable, and will really go the extra mile, but quite honestly I would not want the type of trade that arrives when they like and expect to pay B & B rates.

On arrivals, I do not have a problem with guest arriving a little late, but you must consider all of your guests, I feel that guest do not want a disrupted night sleep where guests are arriving during the night.

We are not the budget end on the market and find our guests are looking for a high standard of accommodation and service which we provide, rightly so they are paying for that service, the majority of our guests do arrive after 2pm no problem, but we do have the odd ones that do not, I will let them drop off luggage, but I will not let them have the room until 2pm even if it is ready, hard as that may seem I feel I am entitled to my free time and would never arrive anywhere before the time myself. so I suppose I think they are taking advantage, as well I am not desperate for guests we are fully booked most weeks, with regular guests so i must be doing something right.

We are in the hospitality trade, but we are also running a business, not a charity!!!
A happy owner makes happy guests.

o:)

[joyful]

Thank you Peddars Way for saying better what I was trying say earlier. My attempts at humour miss fired!

[Joyce Taylor]

On the whole our guests arrive from 3.30pm. The problem with colder months is that we do not run our central heating all day, who does in this current climate? therefore early arrivals arrive to a chilly room which doesn't go down too well! Do the rest of you heat unbooked rooms just in case a booking turns up?
We are an Eco-Hostel as all of the radiators have thermostats on we leave empty rooms off as we let the bigger rooms first any `strays` get the smaller rooms which heat up quickly while they get a cup of tea or a drink. Being an Eco-Hostel gives us a good excuse for the radiator being off it`s not economy it environmental awareness.People are also happy just to drop their luggage and sit in the dining room or lounge in front of the log fires.

[Gill Horsfield]

I'm in my first year of operating a B&B and therefore, some established proprietors may call me idealistic, but I can't believe what I read from 'Joyful'. Why enter the hospitality industry if you can't be accommodating and, er...hospitable?

Is there really a problem in somebody arriving early? It has happened to me on several occasions already - yes, it can be a little embarrassing to be in your slippers /covered in flour / on the phone to a friend or simply having lunch, but then this how I choose to earn my living, so I have to take what it throws at me. Yes, this might be my home, but it's also my place of work and my guests are the people who keep me employed.

As an aside, I recently heard a story about another B&B. The guests returned early in the afternoon. The weather was awful and one of them didn't feel particularly well. They decided to go back to sit in the guest lounge: dry out, get warm and watch a bit of TV. They were 'greeted' by the proprietor who told them in no uncertain terms that they were not welcome in the house during the day. They were made to leave because she wanted to vacuum the carpet!! Needless to say, they're not about to return to that B&B and have made sure that they tell as many people as possible.

I really thought these attitudes were long gone - no doubt somebody will tell me that there really are landladies that stand behind the front door sporting a rolling pin waiting for the late-night returners!!

[Graham Durack]

Would welcome comments on this little gem. Mainly for small B&Bs guest houses without a front of house desk etc. and those who use pre booked guests rather than just turn ups on the spots.....One has an arrival time, one confirms it in writing/email/phone.... and then lo and behold you spot your Pre Booked guests who have pre selected their arrival time now arriving 2,3,4, hours early "we were just passing and wondered if we could drop our bags off.... I hope we haven't disturbed you....." whilst I wipe my lunch off my chin etc..... It has become a plague these last 2 years and of course once you open the door and are facing them unless you can genuinely say "your room isn't ready yet" then you are stuck a) with astonishment at their being on your door step at 11am/12pm/lpm b) thinking of a good excuse to send them away till the correct arrival time when you are ready for them.....

I have in fact gone as far as to install CCTV on my drive to see the early arrivals and thus not open the door which gets me out of telling fibs and means I don't have to push my luncheon plate to one side as crawl to the front door dusting crumbs off, scraping my hair back to one side and feeling a heel at turning them away till the correct arrival time. I have also installed an intercom so that I can speak to anyone I want to speak to and it is handy for resident guests who want to bang on your door at 9pm+ or some other unearthly hour asking where the local beer shop/pub/whatever is...(rather than read the information book in their room)....
:-s
Hello Joyful,
I bet you feel like you've been verbally abused and thoroughly ticked off. Just wanted to say that we know how you feel but im afraid the majority are right, we are in the hospitality business which means we have to be hospitable to all no matter what time of day. (hey dont start on me guys, "first impressions" and all that!
We always ask guests for an estimated time of arrival and ask them to call if they know they are going to be late. On the whole people are pretty good and tend to arrive within an hour of the time they say they will. but the late ones we welcome with open arms, once they are comfortable and settled and out of earshot we grumble away to ourselves like two "old gits."

Our guests would never know our displeasure. We had one woman arrive at 2.30am after telling us that she would be with us at 10pm. She alleged that she got hopelessly lost. We welcomed her like we do all our guests, even offered her a cup of tea, but ignored her horrified looks when she was greeted at the front door by us with our wee willy winky nightshirts and bed socks on. Because we had to be up at five am the next morning to see her off on the ferry! We could not even go back to bed as we also had other guests in who needed breakfast at 7.30am! The next day I went round like a zombie!

Dont the lovely guests make up for the horrible ones though?

[Georgie]

I have had our 3 self catering cottages for almost 2 yrs now and really enjoyed the time so far. When I reply to guests with booking confirmation, I always ask them to confirm their arrival time. We ask guests to arrive after 4pm, as with 3 cottages to clean in 6 hrs it is a full strech on Saturdays. However I give all my guests the option that they can arrive early, and if the cottage is ready they can have immediate access, or if it is not ready, they can put any items into the fridge and leave the car on the drive, thus enabling them to walk down into the village for lunch or a drink. It seems to work well and 1st impressions really do count. Equally if guests are arriving late, I either leave the key for them in a safe place or arrange for someone else to meet and greet them.

[Sue & Dave]

We are in the hospitality trade and the hours stink :-({|= .....

But hold on......... you should run the business and not let the business run you OR so we are told...

We do inform guests that ..."the rooms will be ready from 3pm onwards" but sometimes they turn up when they want. If the room isnt ready we'll check in the guests, then let them leave their bags in the dinning room. Now if its a nice day its to our advantage and if they are the only guests to arrive then we may then go and take the dog for a walk on the fells.
It doesnt always work out like that though, sometimes they are late and I mean really late. It could be a "The weather was sooo nice we'd thought we'd have quick walk (2~3hrs!!) then check in" ](*,)
OR
It may be beyond the guests control as happened recently. A bad pile up on the motorway which delayed our guests. Thank heavens they were not involved in the actual pile up but only caught up in the traffic and arrived just before midnight BUT they had phoned to inform us. o:)
Maybe youre out at shopping at the market and your mobile rings with an angry guest complaining no one is at the B&B .....even if they are several hours early.... just smile :-"

As a matter of interest ..... there is a well known hotel chain in London who will actually charge you extra [-x Yes they charge for every hour that the guests arrive early.

They do pay our wages so you have to put up with a few odd hours (should that be odd guests 8-[ ) but 97.25% of the guests are great... well, I think thats the percentage :-k

Ok next question..........
What do you do with the guests that come back very late (any time after midnight) and insist on making so much noise that they wake up all the other guests in your establishment. After all they on holday and want to have a good time. :-"

[freddy1]

[quote=Sue & Dave]We are in the hospitality trade and the hours stink :-({|= .....

But hold on......... you should run the business and not let the business run you OR so we are told...

Yes, it's true, you should not let the business run you and those who stay up till all hours of the night for guests make a rod for their own back. Please don't tell me they are eternally grateful - they've found mugs to put up with their selfish behaviour and you've fallen for it! I run my B&B on my own on a main road, so will not accept anyone after a certain time and no way will I open the door to someone late at night on spec. Luckily, 99% of my custom is booked and they know the arrival times via confirmation letter & invoice. If there are mitigating circumstances, ie, travel trouble, illness then I will accommodate. My guests come back because of the quality of the accommodation, the food and the convenient location, perhaps for my personal hospitality. I do not kid myself that they come back because of me. I personally couldn't care less about the hosts when on holiday as long as they are not verbally abusive. I only expect what they advertise, and if I turned up 3 or 4 hours earlier than they had specified then I would not be surprised to be turned away. If I get less than advertised, ie, supermarket bacon instead of local or butchers, then I would get upset. I offer what is advertised on my website and have had less than 1% complaints (can't please everyone). I have been in the hospitality business for 30 odd years now and it amuses me. Anyway, each to their own way of operating....horses for courses and all that.

[Longtimer]

By common consent round here, this is the most irritating problem that all of us rural B&B owners have to face. If we are to enjoy running our B&Bs, we must at least allow ourselves another life for some of the time, so we can't possibly be expected to man a reception desk all day and well into the night.

The problem arises, we believe, because just a few inconsiderate guests simply don't understand the nature of a B&B and they can only think of us as a cheap hotel. Fortunately, the vast majority of our guests regard us as quite the opposite; almost as if we were friends with whom they would like to stay, so they are happy to agree a time when they will arrive, and they will call us from their mobile if they are delayed. In return they have every reason to expect a very special kind of friendly reception that a commercial operation could not begin to offer.

So we always agree an estimated time of arrival at the time of the booking, or alternatively we specify a time range for arrival. The confirmation, which is put in writing on our booking confirmation, also asks that if there is any delay, our guests call us on their mobile. Thus there is usually no excuse if our guests turn up unexpectedly. It can only mean that they haven't read our booking confirmation or they have ignored it.

A few years ago, there were times when we wondered if our guests were going to turn up at all. Now, we always ask for a deposit for the first night's stay in advance by credit (or preferably debit) card. So there are no more cheques lost in the post or no shows because the weather forecast isn't very promising. If you are to run a B&B successfully, you have to business-like, and most our guests fully understand this. As for the others, it would be so much better if we didn't have to take them at all!

[joyful]

Pip Pip! Thanks. I think it is us Rural ones who get this the most. Card deposits has stopped a lot of the "no shows" and accompanying letter with receipt has helped a bit to stop the "turn up 3 hours early".

[Starchip]

Ok.

Pretty much uninterested in the objections to guests arriving when they like.

I agree with Gill.

Unless you are actually doing a "Fawlty Towers" themed weekend, then you belong to your guests. You are the Martini. Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere.

I have just noticed that the "Anywhere" or, arguably, the "Anyplace" is redundant. How did I live for over fifty years and not spot that? I will remove it from my signage.

But, rest assured, I will keep the Martini.

If you are unhappy with this attitude of hospitality then, please, send your unhappy guests to me. I could do with the business.

Finally, I must endorse Peddars Way's comment;

"A happy owner makes happy guests".

Desmond True.

(Just in case you don't know, "Desmond True" means "Tu Tu True")

[_Judith]

Change your job, your not suited to B & B, its all part of the job, come on what harm does it do letting a guest leave their bags and offer them a cup of tea, I bet you they remember you and book again when in your area, lets be a little helpful here and remember why we do this job
Judith in wonderful Somerset

[Ryan1489]

I personally feel guests that have been told check in times and have sgreed should stick to that agreement, it wouldnt be proper if we gave them a single room as opposed to the double they asked for would it. Usually there is no objection to guests dropping bags off to check in later, and we try to accommodate this weherevr possible but for small family run busionesses we do need to get oput and do things in the day, largely business related, but also to just get out, owning a business in the service industry is not about being chained and unhappy, but about having some freedom too, else we'd all work in other peoples hotels. Hospitality is a two way street. A guest that gets particualarly flustered or put out by being reminded check in is not for another 4 or 5 hours as was previouysly agreed is not the repeat business any of us needs. Hard work, high standrads, professionalism and being indivisual earn repeat business not answerring to every beck and call.

[joyful]

I have since noticed that enclosing a confirmation letter with a nice paragraph about arrival times "I would be grateful if you would respect my arrival time of 3pm as I need until then to get your room immaculate and run errands" has stopped the early arrivals. Of course if by prior arrangement then no probs but just turning up at mid day when you are knee deep in hoovering and looking like Mrs. Mopp is very frustrating. Also, if you let them in and they trip over the hoover guess who would be responsible and if they see the place still "mid clean" it is off putting. Sadly, if you give people an inch they take a mile and as for the early arrivals (I mean early, not just 30 minutes etc which is fine) usually these guests are the ones who play up from the word go. One lot of "3 hour early" arrivals I let in repaid me by vomiting in tandem down the drive!!!! For a one man band with a busy B&B you need from departure until your arrival time just to get straight (in between the phone calls and admin as well don't forget). I don't go off on a jolly between departure and arrivals!!!!

[_Sharpe]

> > Hello
> > We are looking forward to our stay in July.
> > We are getting a very early ferry on 17th (5am!) I was wondering how early
> > we could check in with you?


Just got this in my inbox this morning and it reminded me of this topic on the forum.

[Kellymichelle]

Hi, my way of dealing with people that come in late and make a noise. I ask them to come in quietly if they are going to be late and with a big smile on my face promise not to wake them at 5.30am if they don`t wake me at midnight. A bit of humor goes a long way and so far it has worked.

[joyful]

By common consent round here, this is the most irritating problem that all of us rural B&B owners have to face. If we are to enjoy running our B&Bs, we must at least allow ourselves another life for some of the time, so we can't possibly be expected to man a reception desk all day and well into the night.

The problem arises, we believe, because just a few inconsiderate guests simply don't understand the nature of a B&B and they can only think of us as a cheap hotel. Fortunately, the vast majority of our guests regard us as quite the opposite; almost as if we were friends with whom they would like to stay, so they are happy to agree a time when they will arrive, and they will call us from their mobile if they are delayed. In return they have every reason to expect a very special kind of friendly reception that a commercial operation could not begin to offer.

So we always agree an estimated time of arrival at the time of the booking, or alternatively we specify a time range for arrival. The confirmation, which is put in writing on our booking confirmation, also asks that if there is any delay, our guests call us on their mobile. Thus there is usually no excuse if our guests turn up unexpectedly. It can only mean that they haven't read our booking confirmation or they have ignored it.

A few years ago, there were times when we wondered if our guests were going to turn up at all. Now, we always ask for a deposit for the first night's stay in advance by credit (or preferably debit) card. So there are no more cheques lost in the post or no shows because the weather forecast isn't very promising. If you are to run a B&B successfully, you have to business-like, and most our guests fully understand this. As for the others, it would be so much better if we didn't have to take them at all!


Agreed! Deposits on cards (particularly one night's deposit) stops a lot of potential problems. However, I do find that not all guests read the confirmation literature sent them either. One couple booked in on line, had the confirmation letter sent. Then this last Easter Bank Holiday weekend I wondered where they were. Rang them and they said they were not coming till July. Fortunately the written copy (as well as the internet booking form copy) I had indicated they were due that night. It was their on line booking error. Technically I could have charged them - however, as it was the first "error" of this kind I had come across I was temporarily flumoxed and rolled the deposit over (thus losing 2 night B&B on a Bank Holiday). I kicked myself afterwards (for days I argued with myself) as it was clearly their fault - which they admitted with much embarrasment) but have since taken "precautions" in the Terms & Conditions asking them to "check carefully dates booked so that errors can be recitified etc., etc.,". You learn something every day - I am in my 2nd decade doing B&B!

[Clanville Manor]

Regarding early arrivals-my main problem is that, despite telling guests that the room will be ready from 4pm onwards and 'please phone first if you need to arrive early, as I may be out', there was always the early arrival! If I am here then of course I welcome them, as there is no point in berating them for an early arrival, but, if I am going out, or need to rest after an early start, I put a pre printed note on the door to the effect that I shall be back at 4pm to welcome new guests and my mobile number in case of emergency.

B&B proprietors are in the hospitality trade, but, if you want to last more than a few years at it if you are a one man or woman band, then you have to have your own time and also time for stocking up at local shops or cash and carry. This is a 7 day a week job and gets very tiring if you let yourself work all day every day-and then you cannot give of your best to the guests anyway.