From “Ask Kit!”:
Q: If other guests give another in the inn problems and at check out he demands his money back because of the problems you say………yes immediately? offer them another chance to stay? or give them just a discount after all they still spent the entire night without complaining about the other guests. What would you do?
A: Without knowing what kind of problem was had between guests it’s hard for me to answer this one. If you were aware of the problems and could do anything about it, perhaps it was your job to stop the problems when they started. But if you weren’t aware of the problems then I don’t know how you can be responsible for the guest’s situation. They are adults and theoretically able to fend for themselves. But the nature of the problem would really affect my actions here.
If you felt at least partially responsible, then I think any of the options you presented could be good.
The situation is similar to a diner in a restuaurant. It is one thing for a diner to look at his or her entree and to immediately tell the server that this isn’t what he/she wanted. It is another thing entirely to eat the entire meal and to then complain. By this point the complaint is irrevelant because the diner ate the meal.
I think it’s the same thing with lodgings. If a guests stayed the night then the guest pays the bill.
If there were problems with the room or other guests and the guest in question did not bring this to the innkeeper’s attention – then that’s just too bad. If the guest occupied the room, the room should be paid for.
There are obvious exceptions to this rule.
I once gave a discount to our guests last February because during the night, the thermostat on our heater broke and the steam radiators stopped heating. The guests froze. Since my third floor apartment has electric heat, I was unaware of the problem until I saw the guests during breakfast.
We have since stocked all rooms with additional blankets just in case this happens again. A limited selection of portable electric heaters have also been stored in the basement.