Preparing For Trying Customers at your B&B | Small Business

By PattiRob
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Word Count: 572

For any business there tends to be a handful of difficult customers that come in. Depending on your policies and the situation you will react accordingly. A bed & breakfast is a very personal type of business so you get to interact more with guests than you would if you ran a hotel. Unfortunately you are going to come across some customers that make you uneasy.

While this won't be a daily occurrence it is something you are going to need to be prepared for. You will likely have other guests there too and they will expect you to handle things professionally as well as quickly. You definitely don't want them to be the one to pack their bags and leave. More than likely they won't be coming back and they would like their money refunded as well.

Most business owners understand that they need to do all they can to accommodate the wishes of their guests. Yet that doesn't mean that you allow them to engage in reckless behaviors that affect everyone else. Try to give people the benefit of the doubt but should you feel uneasy about a situation then trust yourself to know enough about people to be on alert.

In most instances though if you have to go to the extreme of asking someone to leave they are going to know why. You may have a conflict with them that you have tried to resolve but they still aren't following the rules you have in place. Since they can't abide by the guidelines of your business they need to stay some place else and you need to make that clear to them.

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.

While you aren't going to want to have to approach customers that make you uneasy at your bed & breakfast it will some times be necessary. You need to be able to assert yourself in a friendly and professional manner. Make sure you listen to complaints but also are firm about your rules. Draw the line as to behavior and if you must ask a customer to leave then do so. You also need to contact law enforcement if you aren't able to resolve the situation on your own.

About the Author

Patti Rob has some new, profitable ideas for starting your B&B.. This information might give you a foot up when you consider buying a B&B.

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