Handling Customers That Make You Uneasy At Your B&B
April 26, 2008 – 3:39 pmYou need to be prepared for trying situations at your bed & breakfast location. There are going to be times when you have to make a choice as to how to effectively handle a situation. You may not have time to carefully consider all of your options so make sure you have thought about this process in advance. Most of the customers that come to your bed & breakfast are going to be a pleasure to see but not all of them.
While you can’t change that for them you can be consistent when it comes to the types of behaviors you are willing to accept. Even though they are a guest and they should be made welcome, you need to turn away those that just are going to be too difficult to handle. After all you are operating a business not an adult day care center. You need to focus on the needs of your other guests as well. Don’t let the bad choices of one of them ruin the experience for all of them.
Many owners of such a business are very intuitive and that is a good thing. You many not be able to explain why you are uncomfortable with a certain person in your business and you don’t have to. You can simply tell them that things aren’t working out and you will help them find another place to stay. You can even offer to refund their money just to keep things cordial.
Effective communication skills can help to take care of many of the types of problems that may arise at your bed & breakfast location. However, you may not be able to take care of issues that are developing between them. Should a couple be having issues at your business you can do your best to give them space to discuss it. Should the situation appear violent though you need to get the police involved to investigate it further.
Some issues can be easily resolved so don’t be in a hurry to push everyone out the door. Noise is one issue that can come up often. Some people just don’t realize how loud they are being. When you point it out to them though they will make a conscious effort to change it immediately. Those that don’t have enough respect to do so though may need to be asked to find other accommodations.
You should have a policy of no drugs or alcohol to be brought in to your business. This would seem like common sense but you would be surprised. Many people believe that since they can legally buy alcohol and they have taken it to hotel rooms they can bring it to your bed & breakfast as well. You should also have a policy that smoking is only to be done outdoors in a designated area.
Even if you don’t allow alcohol to be consumed at the bed & breakfast, there is a good chance of people coming back after a night of partying. You may have to deal with them being loud, being out of control, and some even being sick because of it. These are all situations that you need to know how you are going to deal with.
Getting people into your bed & breakfast is important but so is the quality of who stays there. Don’t kid yourself into accepting outlandish behaviors just to make some money for that night. It simply isn’t worth it and the reputation of your business will reflect such poor choices. Use good judgment and do what is best for all of your guests. Ask those that can’t comply to leave on their own. If they won’t then don’t think twice about contacting the police to give them an escort.
Tags: Small Business
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