We've just been watching the 'Four in a bed' TV programme, a great learning tool for any B&B owner. For those that have not seen the programme the basic premise is that four sets of B&B owners stay in each others Bed and Breakfasts and then critic them all and finally after being told the room's respective costs they pay what they think the rooms were actually worth. This bit often leads to much offence being taken, which is of course what makes it so entertaining.
Each set of owners whilst staying at their competitions B&B strive to find the smallest thing to complain about so they can justify knocking a fiver off the bill and thus enhance their chances of winning the competition. Frankly it is all a little sad. Pillows will go flying as they hunt for a stray hair missed by the poor unfortunate that had cleaned the room. They search under the fitted sheets, under the bed and every inch of the duvet. they are so pleased when they find one that they cannot hide their glee and if they come across one that they consider a pube, well they are inconsolable with shock and horror... all for the cameras sake, of course, as to them this is the holy grail because they can record it on the feedback form and knock £10 off the bill. As I said it is all a little sad but as a consequence of such childish behaviour quite amusing too.
At the end of the stay some pay more for the room as they felt it was worth more than they were being charged but the majority pay less in the jostle for position as the best B&B.
Strangely this practise has crept into the real world as quite a few guests insist on paying us a little more as they felt we were worth it, which is quite nice actually.
I say it is a learning tool as you so often see great ideas and best practise. Then at the other end of the spectrum you see some terrible ideas and even more so poor, poor management, a kind of how not to run a B&B training video.
Today's episode had a very nervous owner with all the others staying at her B&B and she carefully laid the breakfast table but one of them wanted some sugar and she had inadvertently forgotten to put any out on the table. Well that was no sin, just one of those silly little mistakes that happens and no one would have thought any more about it if she hadn't gone to the kitchen and started crying in distress on her husbands shoulder because she had made such a major devastating cock-up. No, the guests had no concern for the error but the awkwardness in the room as they all sat there in silence listening to the owner sobbing her heart out just the other side of the door for the next 3 minutes was simply painful.
It reminded me of the Monty Python Dirty fork scene in a restaurant in-which all the members of the staff are mortified when a diner happens to casually mention that his fork has a speck of dirt on it...
The whole set up involves three other B&B guests staying at your place and then giving critical (good and bad) feedback to you. So naturally my heart and soul is lifted when right at the beginning in one of their interviews to camera they state "I can't take being criticised". Ohhhh goody, I think to myself with a wicked smirk.
We have had an email asking us if we would like to be on the programme but despite how I look I'm really not that stupid!
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