From “Ask Kit!”:
Q: The most important experience I want in my B&B along with extra ordinary service, is to make sure my guest have a Great night SLEEP!! An experience that will inspire them to come back for more and tell ALL their friends…
A: That’s a great goal and a great business attitude. And along that line I have a story to tell. Once upon a time, a B&B consultant stayed in a B&B for many nights. Each day the consultant heard various one of her new friends talk about their personal experience at the inn. First it was a comment about how the wife’s allergy to eggs had them request no eggs for her breakfast; the innkeeper’s reaction was, “you should have told us sooner so we wouldn’t go to so much trouble for you”. The next day the guests asked to be moved to a different room because the mattress wasn’t comfortable to them; the innkeeper said, “you should have told us sooner you had special sleep requests — we spent $2,000 on these beds and they are comfortable — but ok, we can move you to this one room”. The guests don’t feel welcome here.
The moral of the story is to not get so hung up on how much you spent or how much effort you have gone to, unless you have tried your best and the guest won’t be pleased. If you haven’t inquired about dietary needs and don’t offer a wide variety of breakfast foods, it’s not reasonable for you to get grumpy with the guests. And even if you have tried everything, if the guest is still unhappy that’s an indication your inn isn’t a good fit for the guest and you should find them a different location — with a smile on your face and in your heart, of course. And it doesn’t matter how much money you spend on beds, sheets or even mattresses — if it’s not right for the guest, it’s not right and they won’t sleep well. You smile and accommodate them as best as you can.
I’m sure you won’t be trapped by these situations, based on your present attitude. I hope you stay fresh and excited about this so nobody tells stories like this about you.