Thank you for reading my story and for your comments.
Yes I agree with you about the low prices, and not that much of a profit but as I said earlier it's not just a business I get a lot of pleasure from seeing happy people and their happy childten, (of course there are the exceptions)and then the repeat bookings, and keeping the little grey cells in my head functioning.
Also the laundry costs are not that great, I do everything in house and have two sets of basic linen for every bed, having only 4 rooms it is not that difficult to manage.
I am not too happy about 5 adults though happily it does not happen very often.
I wish there were a way of selecting on BDC that rooms are for up to 2 adults and 3 children, and that should work contract persons require it would incur a surcharge of say maybe 5/6£ extra per person over the first 2.
I could make one room for contract worker adult persons only at the higher booking price, but then I would lose the family bookings who would perhaps be on a tight budget.
If I raised the room price maybe it would deter the 3 person families, and I would lose bookings that way and on balance I think it all works fine, lower price higher occupancy.
And having said that, this weekend for instance I had a room let to just one adult and two children, ages 3 and 5 and this happens many times with average persons to room being I would say between 3 and 3.5 per night/booking over the last 6 months.
maybe some one on this forum will have useful advice for me, which will help.
I am surprised by your statement " no one had offered to bring any"
You mean children ?
Maybe you are not encouraging people with children. !
I am actively advertising and targeting my rooms to families.
each of my rooms feature a triple bunk bed, which is a 4 ft 6" double with a single above, and also a set of two full size bunk beds the rooms also are with built in wardrobes , bedside lockers and chairs, so each room caters for either 2 adults with up to three children, or for 5 adults I say this because although the plan was to cater for families, I often get 3, 4, or 5 adults booking these rooms for overnight stays and sometimes much longer, people who are contact working locally.
Also the rooms are reasonably priced at £59 this is for 5 persons hopefully 2 adults and 3 children but if 5 adults book it then fine better to have some guests than no guests.
However it's room only rate no breakfast at that price. !!
If 2 adults bring only 2 children or just one then it makes no difference to the price it is the room which is booked and paid for regardless of occupants.
hot cooked full English breakfast is £3.50 paid separately and ordered the night before.
Guest's are allowed to make drinks and toast for free.
I retired from work when I was 65 this was 4 years ago and during the 4 years I worked on my gardens and house, but last spring when the daffodils and garden was in good bloom I thought why not start a bnb and let people walk from my large car parking area through the gardens to the house for bnb.
and when I first started my guest house business in April this year, I first thought to let out a room or two in my large home to any person who wanted to stay.
However when I started with airbnb it was a long time before I had a booking.
So I opened up two more rooms and started with BDC then the bookings started, and I had as you have said declared my house unsuitable for children because I have narrow stairs ( it's an old Victorian cottage ) and I had things in the garden which could be dangerous with some children who are inclined to get into mischief.
This was a big mistake I soon realised to keep busy with bookings I needed to become family friendly.
So the garden was changed the beds were changed and I meet all guests at the door, I welcome them warmly making sure to pay special attention to the children and leading them to their room explaining about the low beams, mind your head, and old Victorian cottage be especially careful as we climb the narrow staircase.
The guests love it they say nice and homely, yes it is and I go out of my way to make their stay enjoyable.
To me this is not just a business it is a passion, I always tell the guests we aim to please anything you need if I can help I will.
I hope this makes interesting reading for all on the forum keep smiling I am. !
I can sympathise with you over this drug issue, a very similar thing happened to me during this last summer, I had some overnight guests a family of 4 and they have me a very bad review, the 5 complaints ended with "and as we walked to the car park we had to pass a couple of people sitting near the car park smoking cannabis which was not nice for our children" Now I have no idea of they were smoking cannabis or whether this was real and genuine, and so My reply to this as I recall was like " I am sorry for this but I have no idea what the couple were smoking, having never ever had experience of drugs in my life, and I have no control over what people smoke outside in my garden or car park".
I may add here that this complaint was most likely genuine, and the other complaints with it all had some substance, and I had a good and genuine answer for all 5 complaints which I may add I worded in a most polite informative and professional way, I may be relatively new to guest room letting/ hosting, but it's very important to remember customers are always right, even if they are mistaken.
The next guests who stayed in this room the next night have given me a really good review.
But of course by then the other couple who were sitting near the car park had checked out, and the other small details were quickly corrected.
It's just that some people's expectations are greater than others.
And it is so true the old saying.
You can please all of the people some of the time.
You can please some of the people all of the time.
But you cannot please ALL of the people ALL of the time.
And with that in mind keep smiling and Happy room letting to all of you.
I have been operating my small 4 room (Guest house) since April this year 2018.
so I am very new to this business of guests.
I have one rule at the door as guests enter it reads No Smoking.
I have another on the kitchen door it reads No children under 12 years allowed in this kitchen unless accompanied by an adult.
all other signs are informative and not rules, as it's a holiday guest house and not a regimental barracks.
it's a very difficult decision the matter for rules, maybe up to now I have been lucky.
As for damages....
I have had all good guests from BDC and the same from Abb only one cup and one plate broken in 6+ months a curtain rod bent and curtains torn but these small things can be put down to normal operating costs.
Hello Graham Fisher.
Thank you for reading my story and for your comments.
Yes I agree with you about the low prices, and not that much of a profit but as I said earlier it's not just a business I get a lot of pleasure from seeing happy people and their happy childten, (of course there are the exceptions)and then the repeat bookings, and keeping the little grey cells in my head functioning.
Also the laundry costs are not that great, I do everything in house and have two sets of basic linen for every bed, having only 4 rooms it is not that difficult to manage.
I am not too happy about 5 adults though happily it does not happen very often.
I wish there were a way of selecting on BDC that rooms are for up to 2 adults and 3 children, and that should work contract persons require it would incur a surcharge of say maybe 5/6£ extra per person over the first 2.
I could make one room for contract worker adult persons only at the higher booking price, but then I would lose the family bookings who would perhaps be on a tight budget.
If I raised the room price maybe it would deter the 3 person families, and I would lose bookings that way and on balance I think it all works fine, lower price higher occupancy.
And having said that, this weekend for instance I had a room let to just one adult and two children, ages 3 and 5 and this happens many times with average persons to room being I would say between 3 and 3.5 per night/booking over the last 6 months.
maybe some one on this forum will have useful advice for me, which will help.
I am still smiling.?
Hi Sara Jarvis
I am surprised by your statement " no one had offered to bring any"
You mean children ?
Maybe you are not encouraging people with children. !
I am actively advertising and targeting my rooms to families.
each of my rooms feature a triple bunk bed, which is a 4 ft 6" double with a single above, and also a set of two full size bunk beds the rooms also are with built in wardrobes , bedside lockers and chairs, so each room caters for either 2 adults with up to three children, or for 5 adults I say this because although the plan was to cater for families, I often get 3, 4, or 5 adults booking these rooms for overnight stays and sometimes much longer, people who are contact working locally.
Also the rooms are reasonably priced at £59 this is for 5 persons hopefully 2 adults and 3 children but if 5 adults book it then fine better to have some guests than no guests.
However it's room only rate no breakfast at that price. !!
If 2 adults bring only 2 children or just one then it makes no difference to the price it is the room which is booked and paid for regardless of occupants.
hot cooked full English breakfast is £3.50 paid separately and ordered the night before.
Guest's are allowed to make drinks and toast for free.
I retired from work when I was 65 this was 4 years ago and during the 4 years I worked on my gardens and house, but last spring when the daffodils and garden was in good bloom I thought why not start a bnb and let people walk from my large car parking area through the gardens to the house for bnb.
and when I first started my guest house business in April this year, I first thought to let out a room or two in my large home to any person who wanted to stay.
However when I started with airbnb it was a long time before I had a booking.
So I opened up two more rooms and started with BDC then the bookings started, and I had as you have said declared my house unsuitable for children because I have narrow stairs ( it's an old Victorian cottage ) and I had things in the garden which could be dangerous with some children who are inclined to get into mischief.
This was a big mistake I soon realised to keep busy with bookings I needed to become family friendly.
So the garden was changed the beds were changed and I meet all guests at the door, I welcome them warmly making sure to pay special attention to the children and leading them to their room explaining about the low beams, mind your head, and old Victorian cottage be especially careful as we climb the narrow staircase.
The guests love it they say nice and homely, yes it is and I go out of my way to make their stay enjoyable.
To me this is not just a business it is a passion, I always tell the guests we aim to please anything you need if I can help I will.
I hope this makes interesting reading for all on the forum keep smiling I am. !
Chefallan57.
I can sympathise with you over this drug issue, a very similar thing happened to me during this last summer, I had some overnight guests a family of 4 and they have me a very bad review, the 5 complaints ended with "and as we walked to the car park we had to pass a couple of people sitting near the car park smoking cannabis which was not nice for our children" Now I have no idea of they were smoking cannabis or whether this was real and genuine, and so My reply to this as I recall was like " I am sorry for this but I have no idea what the couple were smoking, having never ever had experience of drugs in my life, and I have no control over what people smoke outside in my garden or car park".
I may add here that this complaint was most likely genuine, and the other complaints with it all had some substance, and I had a good and genuine answer for all 5 complaints which I may add I worded in a most polite informative and professional way, I may be relatively new to guest room letting/ hosting, but it's very important to remember customers are always right, even if they are mistaken.
The next guests who stayed in this room the next night have given me a really good review.
But of course by then the other couple who were sitting near the car park had checked out, and the other small details were quickly corrected.
It's just that some people's expectations are greater than others.
And it is so true the old saying.
You can please all of the people some of the time.
You can please some of the people all of the time.
But you cannot please ALL of the people ALL of the time.
And with that in mind keep smiling and Happy room letting to all of you.
I have been operating my small 4 room (Guest house) since April this year 2018.
so I am very new to this business of guests.
I have one rule at the door as guests enter it reads No Smoking.
I have another on the kitchen door it reads No children under 12 years allowed in this kitchen unless accompanied by an adult.
all other signs are informative and not rules, as it's a holiday guest house and not a regimental barracks.
it's a very difficult decision the matter for rules, maybe up to now I have been lucky.
As for damages....
I have had all good guests from BDC and the same from Abb only one cup and one plate broken in 6+ months a curtain rod bent and curtains torn but these small things can be put down to normal operating costs.