It helps if you know a little about their journey – for example , if you know they planned to leave London at 2pm , you can estimate an arrival time , and allow for any road problems you may hear on the radio . And don ’ t be afraid to call them if they are late - it ’ s better than waiting and wondering .
It is so easy simply to take a booking , getting the address and charging a deposit very efficiently , but forgetting to arrange an arrival time . You could literally be waiting , if you are really unlucky , from lunchtime to midnight if you have no expected arrival time and no means to contact the guests . At such times , running your B & B begins to lose its glister !
Above all , ALWAYS charge a non-refundable deposit . No deposit , no booking – and once they have paid ( say ) £ 25 , they are less likely not to turn up ( though it ’ s not infallible – we have had no-shows who had paid a deposit ).
They should always be aware of your cancellation terms too , as they may well ( for instance ) be liable to pay the first night – ie more than their deposit – if they don ’ t turn up . You may think that there is no chance of getting anyone to honour this , but we have done so on a number of occasions when let down by guests . Be firm and reasonable .
Calling guests the day before they are due often helps – you can remind them about arrival arrangements , and they will have up to date information about their travel plans and estimated arrival time .
Another important point is to give them clear directions as to how to find your B & B – either send a map and directions , or make sure they are aware of your location page on your website and advise them that they may find it useful to print it and bring it with them .
All simple things – but they can make a very real difference to your quality of life . Lay clear ground rules and be pro-active , and you will spend less of your life listening for the doorbell !
It is worth repeating here that “ rules ” about arrival , departure and breakfast times are an absolute must . We were writing just now about “ rules ” about bookings ( minimum durations etc .), where commercial judgement requires flexibility . However the “ rules ” about simple housekeeping matters like arrival , breakfast and checkout times must be clear , and must be communicated to every guest .
We are not suggestion that you rigidly apply these rules blindly to every guest – of course not . But a couple of examples will illustrate the value of rules : 1 ) You state that arrivals can be between 4pm and 6pm ; a guest is coming to a wedding and asks to arrive at 12.30pm and change . If you can be around at 12.30 and the room will be ready , fine – agreeing an exact arrival time is the ideal . That does not make the rule irrelevant , because without it people would arrive between 10.00am and midnight ( or even later ). This is no exaggeration – we ’ ve had arrivals at 10.00am , and at after midnight !