What is an acceptable number of daytime visitors?

[rammy100]

Therefore, I'm inclined to keep it very business like and just bill her for the additional guests and deduct it from the deposit (although the deposit is unlikely to cover it all). I will also charge for any ruined linens even though I wouldn't normally.

It's important that you bill for this (well certainly for the additional guests) to complete the process for yourself.

Keep the email light and explain that obviously the under occupancy discount no longer was valid. Any reasonable person should understand this.

+1 with this.

[Nemo]

Therefore, I'm inclined to keep it very business like and just bill her for the additional guests and deduct it from the deposit (although the deposit is unlikely to cover it all). I will also charge for any ruined linens even though I wouldn't normally.

It's important that you bill for this (well certainly for the additional guests) to complete the process for yourself.

Keep the email light and explain that obviously the under occupancy discount no longer was valid. Any reasonable person should understand this.

I completely agree with this approach. I've bolded the above because would any reasonable person have booked the property without being clear what the intentions were? Maybe I'm being harsh. Maybe the bride had no idea at the outset what was going to end up being the final plan, but I suspect she had a good idea.

I will be interested to see if she accepts it without a murmur or expected you to take all the extra work and extra people lying down.

[la vache!]

Renting is swings and roundabouts. You get a small percentage of perfect guests, a large percentage of normal guests and a small percentage of far from perfect guests.
It all evens out. A few extra bags of rubbish and a little cleaning is par for the course occasionally. And you had nothing in your Ts and Cs about extra visitors not being allowed.
Leave it this time.

[Cassis]

As a B&B we found early on that it wasn't unusual for wedding parties to abuse the facilities by inviting friends in to change, shower etc. and despite our saying "no friends or family allowed on premises without permission". Also very hard to get them down to breakfast and to leave at a reasonable time as they may be out until 4am. We now avoid wedding guests altogether but the odd one still sneaks through.

[teapot]

Renting is swings and roundabouts. You get a small percentage of perfect guests, a large percentage of normal guests and a small percentage of far from perfect guests.
It all evens out. A few extra bags of rubbish and a little cleaning is par for the course occasionally. And you had nothing in your Ts and Cs about extra visitors not being allowed.
Leave it this time.

Yep too late to do anything but create a bad feeling, I completely understand your nerves are in tatters and many sleepless nights but all said and done after the large number there not too bad, some rubbish and some over used towels.

If your T&C's reflected your now thinking it would be different, it feels like you have been had with the discount and in all honesty you have. I suppose it doesn't hurt to write a very nice letter and see what response you get?

[revdev]

I suppose it doesn't hurt to write a very nice letter and see what response you get?

Yes, a nice letter and keep the tone friendly.

I wouldn't charge for anything petty (and in this instance, I personally wouldn't charge for the towels).

However, the guest asking for under occupancy discount, then overfilling with extras - you are well within your rights there.

[FelicityA]

And you had nothing in your Ts and Cs about extra visitors not being allowed.
Leave it this time.

Tricky. You get conflicting advice from us all, don't you, Bunny! At the end of the day, it is up to you. Fair enough, lesson learnt on the extra daytime visitors issue but on the nighttime occupancy issue, the bride having negotiated you down on the basis of UNDER occupancy, I would certainly not leave it! That's straightforward taking the p1**. If she genuinely did not guess she would have more and subsequently found she had, then she, or someone in her party, should have done the decent thing and come over to your house to offer the difference. Had you made up all the beds or will they have brought their own sheets and towels?

[SandyBeaches]

Personally I would never offer an under occupancy discount - and I know we've discussed this at length on LMH before. In my opinion if they want to hire the whole house then it costs 'x'. There's always the temptation for guests to 'invite a couple of extra friends for a couple of extra nights' which can so easily turn into full occupancy for the whole stay.

If they want somewhere which only sleeps a certain amount of people then look for a smaller cottage which is within budget/affordable! Sorry, but I would rather lose the business than be taken for a ride.

[GRL]

And you had nothing in your Ts and Cs about extra visitors not being allowed.
Leave it this time.

Tricky. You get conflicting advice from us all, don't you, Bunny! At the end of the day, it is up to you. Fair enough, lesson learnt on the extra daytime visitors issue but on the nighttime occupancy issue, the bride having negotiated you down on the basis of UNDER occupancy, I would certainly not leave it! That's straightforward taking the p1**. If she genuinely did not guess she would have more and subsequently found she had, then she, or someone in her party, should have done the decent thing and come over to your house to offer the difference. Had you made up all the beds or will they have brought their own sheets and towels?

I agree - you offered her an under occupancy discount and she abused that generosity. She may well pay up the difference between that and the full amount or she may not but of you don't ask, you certainly won't get. You can also put this whole issue down to a learning experience and put things in place to prevent it happening again. Good luck.

[GRL]

Personally I would never offer an under occupancy discount - and I know we've discussed this at length on LMH before. In my opinion if they want to hire the whole house then it costs 'x'. There's always the temptation for guests to 'invite a couple of extra friends for a couple of extra nights' which can so easily turn into full occupancy for the whole stay.

If they want somewhere which only sleeps a certain amount of people then look for a smaller cottage which is within budget/affordable! Sorry, but I would rather lose the business than be taken for a ride.

I offer 15% off is just a couple stay in the gite in mid and low season. We sleep 5 and our main market is families with children but we are equally welcoming and suitable for couples who may well stay in the gite out of high season but may not want to pay the full amount. They generally use less electricity, often eat out so use less gas and I have less bedding to launder. I only supply the bedding for the double bed and tell them this when they book, although if they asked for an extra single set I would happily provide it. We live next door so if they tried to sneak anyone extra in we would know. In 5 years this has never been abused and only on occasion have guests had friends round for dinner and they asked beforehand if that is OK.

But I imagine it would be a very different scenario if you did not live on site.

[teapot]

Rosie, you sound similar to us in being a smaller occupancy less chance of this happening, It's the larger units with potential for more freeloaders? that seem to get bitten more frequently

[Bunny]

Had you made up all the beds or will they have brought their own sheets and towels?

I just made up the main beds (not the sofa or guest beds), so I think they must have brought some of their own bedding or just slept on them without, so I'm having to wash the protectors too.
When she booked she asked me how many towel sets she could hire because she wanted more. I just assumed that she was someone who liked lots of clean towels. I now realise the reason the towels are so trashed is because I was hiring them to all her visitors who hadn't flipping paid to be there in the first place! And hence why they didn't care. That's why I'm inclined to charge for them. They are still soaking in a bath full of Vanish because I've currently got a power cut!

[Bunny]

It's the larger units with potential for more freeloaders? that seem to get bitten more frequently

Yesterday I had an enquiry for two families with a 6 month old, a 1 yr old, 2 yr old, 3 yr old, and 4 yr old between them, which totalled nine. My nerves are still raw and I declined because it was over my occupancy but also I was terrified at the thought of all those sticky mits in one go! She then came back and asked if she could book if her husband slept in their campervan on the drive. Yeah right; we all know that wouldn't have happened. This was an enquiry for late November! Brrrr!

[SandyBeaches]

Ha ha - you've got to laugh at that.

Sending lots of hugs and sympathy your way Bunny.

[apexblue]

Well I wouldn't want the wedding party back and would feel the need to let them know they had been sussed.

Go with your gut feeling.