Confessions from a Nutty Innkeeper

Okay, folks, here's how not to do it, here's how not to be a good innkeeper:

We had a check-in today, and I handled it badly. The gentleman showed up in my lobby, and I greeted him the way I've greeted thousands of guests who arrive at our place: "Hi, how are you today?" He immediately replied, "Not good. This isn't what we were looking for."

"I'm sorry," I said, "what were you looking for?"

"Something better."

That was the wrong thing for him to say.

"Are you saying there's something wrong with my place?"

"Well, the paint job outside--"

I cut him off. "Don't you dare come into my home and my business and insult me and all the hard work I've done here. I take a lot of pride in this place, and I resent being any implication otherwise. I invite you to leave. You should go find someplace else to stay. I won't even charge you anything for my trouble. Just leave."

He didn't.

"Well, can I at least see the room?"

"Under the circumstances that wouldn't be a good idea." And then he left.

I was incensed, and I let it show, and there's no excuse for that. But my thinking was this: What kind of person would come into a business--a little B&B--and insult the owner like that, right off the bat? What is that person like? Why didn't he just start off by introducing himself, saying, "Hi, I'm _______ , and we have reservations here, but I'm afraid it isn't quite what we were expecting."

We get that often enough; folks aren't ready for the little inn that's more like someone's house than it is a hotel. Usually there's some bartering that goes on, because we require a cancellation fee. Chantal has a great rap that goes like this: "How would you feel if I did that to you? Is that how you do business?" That makes sense, and it engenders--at least--civility.
But for someone who reserved a room with us to show up and say he was looking for something better? Wha? How can that be interpreted in any other way?

I was quick to react with this guest; maybe it was for the best, maybe it wasn't. But I knew instantly that I didn't want anyone who had the gumption to stand in my lobby and insult me staying here. Nor did I want to haggle with them. I wanted to send him away with something to think about, and I hope while he's trying to figure out what kind of nutty innkeepers they have up here in Vermont he'll devote some thought to his own words and actions.

I sincerely hope I don't scare anyone off. I'm hardly an ogre; I'm more of a happy, hard-working writer and teacher and father. But I'm proud of what Chantal and I have accomplished here, and I won't bow to the customer; he's not always right.

Please do your homework before you book, folks. We're a small, roadside inn with a bunch of eclectic rooms that feel more like home than anything else. And we'd love to host you.