The Logic Behind Inn Policies: Part Two

Policy Explanation #1: The Rationale Behind Minimum Stay Requirements

Picture this scenario: you call an inn wanting to book their most expensive suite for a Saturday night during their high season. It’s your 25th wedding anniversary, so you’re splurging for the best, but when the innkeeper informs you there is a four night minimum on the date you’ve requested, your plans are shattered. Why on earth would a business turn away the $500 you’re willing to fork over now versus holding out for a possible longer booking? I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve ruined someone’s vacation plans because they did not meet our minimum requirements. I honestly hate being the bearer of this bad news and have actually been called selfish, money hungry, and stupid for not taking a booking during tough times in the economy. While I appreciate the name calling and unsolicited business advice, there is good reason for this policy and quite frankly, I wouldn’t be in business if I didn’t adhere to it.

Here’s the thing – the high season is our bread and butter, so we’ve got to maximize our occupancy during that time. This often reminds me of a puzzle in which booking reservations back to back in the same room is key. Sometimes, this means we can take a one or two night stay because it is a perfect squeeze between two standing reservations. For this reason, we try to keep the wording on our minimum stay requirement policy fairly vague – after all, filling those gaps between reservations is the difference between achieving 98% occupancy and 100% occupancy – a feat we have managed the last two Augusts in a row.

In general, though, weekends in the summer, for us, are like gold. We can sell Saturday nights 20 times over that same day, let alone four months in advance. Bottom line is, we’re not worried about selling our Saturday nights and we’ve got to hold onto them for the guests whose stays will spill over to the weekdays. We’ve also got to keep in mind that the longer a guest stays, the less man hours are required. To illustrate my point, here’s what goes into flipping a room from start to finish:

1. Previous guest checks out (about five to ten minutes).
2. Room gets stripped so a set of sheets, towels, and robes go into the laundry (believe me, on days when we have a lot of check outs, the laundry room is a scary place!).
3. Housekeeping staff cleans room (about an hour).
4. Once room is clean, housekeeping marks off that room is finished and one of our interns goes over the room with an extensive checklist to make sure it is properly stocked, the temperature is comfortable, lights and music are on, etc. (about 15 minutes)
5. The intern initials that the room has been checked so the whole staff knows the room is ready for check-in.
6. Once the new guest arrives, a member of staff gives a brief tour pointing out all the amenities and common areas, walks the guest to his or her room, assists with bags if necessary, and checks off that the guest has arrived. (about 15 minutes)
7. Also, bear in mind that taking and processing each reservation takes anywhere from 15 minutes to several half hour phone conversations.

Therefore, with all that’s involved, it is important to stagger arrivals and departures so we don’t have all sixteen rooms checking in and out on say, a Sunday, which is what would happen if we were to sell our Saturday nights in advance. Perhaps this makes me “selfish, stupid and money hungry,” but as an innkeeper, I’ve got to remember that my inn is my livelihood which would not survive without sensible policies like this.

The Many Hats an Innkeeper Wears

If the following story sounds like something that might happen to you, you might be cut out for the innkeeping profession: I was in college. One night, I was chatting on the phone with my cousin, Rachel, who was also attending university. She lived in an off-campus apartment and had just welcomed a new roommate. I’ll call her Kristen. Kristen and Rachel weren’t exactly hitting it off. “For starters,” Rachel complained, “she insists that we color code our sink sponges – yellow for dishes and orange for countertops….she says it’s gross to wipe down the counters with a sponge you’re going to clean dishes with.” I feigned horror at such a proposition, but was really thinking what a brilliant idea Kristen had come up with and was adding “colored sponges” to my grocery list. Who knows what happened to Kristen, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she joined the ranks of obsessive compulsive innkeepers like me. I knew that becoming an innkeeper would only encourage this behavior. What I didn’t realize were the many other hats I’d wind up wearing – here are just a few:

Traffic Analyst – I may look like I can predict the future, but trust me, nobody, not even Sky Chopper 4 News guy can tell you exactly what time to leave to avoid any traffic. As much as I try to sidestep this question, guests always counter my “leaving in the morning is probably your best bet,” with, “so should I leave at 10:00 or are you saying I should wake up really early and leave at 8:00?” The truth is, I have no idea when accidents will happen, exactly what time construction is going on, or when every other person in the area will decide to hit the road and head home.

Handyman – Guess what? Innkeepers don’t typically have plumbers, electricians or IT consultants on their payroll. I’ve plunged many a toilet in the last five years and have even learned how to use a snake (don’t ask). I can relight the pilot on gas fireplaces, solve a lot of computer problems, and even fix the occasional broken table leg. Despite being a true “girly girl,” I now know the difference between a Phillips head and flat head screwdriver. Usually, though, I hunt James down for the maintenance issues.

Weather Forecaster – I’m happy to advise guests about typical weather patterns and temperatures during different seasons. Please bear in mind, however, that even professional weather forecasters can be completely wrong two days ahead, let alone months in advance. If I could guarantee the weather, trust me, I wouldn’t be an innkeeper.

Exterminator – One of the first investments we made after buying our second inn was a screen for the top of the chimney. If you’re serious about innkeeping, you better not be too squeamish about “nature” because you’re not going to have time to call in the pros when a raccoon finds its way down the chimney and a guest is due to check into the room any minute.

Locksmith – What happens when a lock jams on a guest’s door and you want to avoid calling in a locksmith on a Sunday when you’ll have to pay time and half? You climb through the window in a dress and fix it yourself.

Detective – I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve left items behind at hotels, in taxi cabs, and at restaurants. I’ve locked keys in my trunk, looked high and low for my watch which is on my wrist, and left the oven on overnight. I attribute being a little scatterbrained to the fact that I am running a busy inn while trying to raise a family coupled with the fact that I didn’t have the greatest short-term memory to begin with. So I am very sympathetic when a guest calls and asks me to hunt down a missing item – once I even unearthed a diamond ring from our vacuum cleaner!

Psychologist/Marriage Counselor/Referee – I really can’t divulge too much about the stories behind these hats I’ve worn. Just trust me – innkeepers are a lot like hairdressers – we listen, advise, and save marriages.