Allthough PR1's statement may be a little harsh on not caring how far one drives to come to the yoop, the rest of his statement is dead on. Way too many people. From all over come up and have the attitude of "I'm spending my money here, so you have to kiss my butt or I'll spend it somewhere else." I don't think any business owner likes that or deserves that. Lenny has a fine rental property and is a class act. He surely won't miss out on people like that. Run your place as you see fit my friend. I hope to rent from you someday in the future.........only if you promise, no more shoes in the cookie jar, lol.....now that was fun!!!!!
harvest1121
Well-known member
I can see every ones point about getting to the UP and ready to ride. We have been to places where we have been too early to check in. I usually ask do you care if we get dressed inside and leave. I have never had an issue either way. If I was an owner I would get a CC machine people have to respect things if they know it will cost them money. Sounds like Lenny has had some bad tenants sometimes you just had enough of the bs.
polarisrider1
New member
I never said to say you don't care how far someone traveled. Truth is nobody really does and the lodge owners must smile. Point I was making is the feeling of entitlement many of you have towards the businesses of the North. Just cause you drove all night is not their problem. You did that for YOU. Not them. Be greatful there is a place to stay up there. Lenny just wants you to respect his place of Business. From the pics I have seen, he takes great pride in his rentals.
Lenny-
I believe a lot of people are used to staying at hotels/motels!
The problem is they feel like homes and cabins are the same but they are not!
At these type of places a maid service comes in everyday and makes the bed and cleans everything back to almost new!
At homes/cabins there are dishes,stoves, fridges and most times the renter is there for 2-7 nights and don't get cleaned till check out!
This makes the job bigger for the cleaner!
Most cabins/homes have lists for cleaning up before leaving un-like leaving a motel/hotel trashed and un-picked up!
Also there is much more work for you than a motel type 200 sq foot room with a bathroom!
I have stayed at many cabins over the years for summer in Northern Mn and also have stayed at ALL the rental properties from Twin lakes to Houghton!
when I leave I always vac, do dishes,strip my bed and take out the trash! the only thing I never do is clean the bathroom!
All my life this was expected at all the resorts I have stayed at and that's what I do! I never really think about leaving it a mess and a ton of work for the owners!
I'm sure you have a paper with these rules for your guests?
Even with that said only a two hour turn around for new guests seems too short!
I would let people park and change clothes to get out riding but who really needs an early check in?
I say if your done and its ready let people in, let them in but cleaning around people is not acceptable!
the credit card thing would help as others stated and take that deposit!
I take credit cards for my remodeling company and it just plugs into my Iphone! it's 2.7% but is directly deposited into my business account!
I would have a 11AM checkout and 3PM check in like every other hotel in the world!
Not only all the cleaning you have to do the snow clean up takes a long time and that's almost daily with the snows!
I know every time I get to my shack in Twin Lakes it take me 1-2 hours to clean up the snow with my plow truck up there!
Thank god for Richard and the Glandon's next door for their help or it would be OUT OF CONTROL!
Good luck and keep your chin up!
JUST MY 2 CENTS!
Scottiking OUT
Scottiking OUT
I believe a lot of people are used to staying at hotels/motels!
The problem is they feel like homes and cabins are the same but they are not!
At these type of places a maid service comes in everyday and makes the bed and cleans everything back to almost new!
At homes/cabins there are dishes,stoves, fridges and most times the renter is there for 2-7 nights and don't get cleaned till check out!
This makes the job bigger for the cleaner!
Most cabins/homes have lists for cleaning up before leaving un-like leaving a motel/hotel trashed and un-picked up!
Also there is much more work for you than a motel type 200 sq foot room with a bathroom!
I have stayed at many cabins over the years for summer in Northern Mn and also have stayed at ALL the rental properties from Twin lakes to Houghton!
when I leave I always vac, do dishes,strip my bed and take out the trash! the only thing I never do is clean the bathroom!
All my life this was expected at all the resorts I have stayed at and that's what I do! I never really think about leaving it a mess and a ton of work for the owners!
I'm sure you have a paper with these rules for your guests?
Even with that said only a two hour turn around for new guests seems too short!
I would let people park and change clothes to get out riding but who really needs an early check in?
I say if your done and its ready let people in, let them in but cleaning around people is not acceptable!
the credit card thing would help as others stated and take that deposit!
I take credit cards for my remodeling company and it just plugs into my Iphone! it's 2.7% but is directly deposited into my business account!
I would have a 11AM checkout and 3PM check in like every other hotel in the world!
Not only all the cleaning you have to do the snow clean up takes a long time and that's almost daily with the snows!
I know every time I get to my shack in Twin Lakes it take me 1-2 hours to clean up the snow with my plow truck up there!
Thank god for Richard and the Glandon's next door for their help or it would be OUT OF CONTROL!
Good luck and keep your chin up!
JUST MY 2 CENTS!
Scottiking OUT
Scottiking OUT
LoveMyDobe
Well-known member
In the past at Lakewoods, Cable WI, they let us check in early so we can drop our Dobe , we can ride, bartender friend Laurie comes into work, lets Dobe out 4 us, we come back, spend $$$ at bar, leave big tip, and make a ever lasting friendship . oh then I get to Dobe sit for Laurie's Dobe 16 days while she goes south, all is good. and I do clean up my Dobe poop, always bagged and garbage ready, Now we live up here, peeps and family come and go, no problem, no room charge!oh, but I should post a sign in bathroom, no TAMPONS, we are septic. Amazing how many city peeps don't get it. Thank God we haven't had any problems because of the young peeps flushed :"it" so what/ ,, gggrrr
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You said nobody cares.
By the way, sometimes it works both ways. Two or three years ago, our cabin ran out of propane in the middle of the night, and for some reason, it filled up with the smell of propane. We could probably have dealt with the cold, but the smell was bad. We had to move to a different cabin in the middle of the night. Did we bitch and moan and ask for some credit? Never even thought about it.
Last year, we stayed at the Peppermill, and the whole town had no water. The owners busted their butts to bring us buckets of water and we dealt with it. We also went to the famous Henry's buffet, and it was very disappointing, probably because they had no water. Did we complain and ask for credit? Never even thought about it.
Point is, is you are going to charge for every service that you offer, expect some people to complain more about things that are not to their liking.
By the way, sometimes it works both ways. Two or three years ago, our cabin ran out of propane in the middle of the night, and for some reason, it filled up with the smell of propane. We could probably have dealt with the cold, but the smell was bad. We had to move to a different cabin in the middle of the night. Did we bitch and moan and ask for some credit? Never even thought about it.
Last year, we stayed at the Peppermill, and the whole town had no water. The owners busted their butts to bring us buckets of water and we dealt with it. We also went to the famous Henry's buffet, and it was very disappointing, probably because they had no water. Did we complain and ask for credit? Never even thought about it.
Point is, is you are going to charge for every service that you offer, expect some people to complain more about things that are not to their liking.
L
lenny
Guest
lots of good info from you and others, I tell you,,,,, I greatly appreciate it cause no doubt I need help figuring this out.
As usual, I re-read my original post and I can understand why some would think I was going to charge extra under any circumstance for early check-in cause it kinda does say that but that was not my intent. I have never addresses early check-in so I am where I am because of my mistake. My fault there as I was unclear. No doubt I have be getting frustrated with some people and probably come across a little testy, my apologies there but a guy does get tired of disrespectful people. I suppose it comes with the business, I don't have to like it or tolerate it as I can always say no. I have a group there now that came in Fri morning at 9:00 am, they called when they arrived asking how to get in,,,lol. So I go down there and hook them up and ask to square up but they couldn't so I asked them to leave the money on the table when they leave tomorrow. Sat came and no money, sun came and no money and no communication. Maybe they have a legit excuse but I don't know that so I am concerned. Regardless I'll be in my jammies later tonight and at 11 i'll have to suit up and go down there and maybe,,just maybe collect. It's stuff like this that drives me crazy. I like Ezra's solution with the padlock and $50 to come and unlock it. What a shame it has to be like this. These guys I hope have a good reason and maybe they will but it's not looking like they care all that much about me getting paid. So for a select few, the majority have to suffer,,,shame shame shame.
The one I use is Square
https://squareup.com/?gclid=COrhoZu247wCFedAMgodzFYADQ&sro=1
I think Paypal would be a good one as well!
https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/credit-card-reader
I would never go down in my jammys to get paid! screw that BS!
It would only cost $2.75 for a $100 room a night!
And I roll the extra cost into my bill if my customer needs to charge it!
People fling out the card in no time!
Scottiking OUT
https://squareup.com/?gclid=COrhoZu247wCFedAMgodzFYADQ&sro=1
I think Paypal would be a good one as well!
https://www.paypal.com/webapps/mpp/credit-card-reader
I would never go down in my jammys to get paid! screw that BS!
It would only cost $2.75 for a $100 room a night!
And I roll the extra cost into my bill if my customer needs to charge it!
People fling out the card in no time!
Scottiking OUT
I believe paypal only 2% I've been thinking with going with that. Plus no monthly fee I don't think
L
lenny
Guest
cant argue that! My wife drove by the place and they guys just got back so I go down there and and tell them I need to get paid. He asks if he can just pay for the nights he has stayed,,,lol.. I say NO! So he paid but now I have a check and gotta run that to the bank and hope it's good. No one to blame my myself for running business unprofessional and that's what it is unprofessional! But hey, I'm learnin! The wife and I have been having some serious discussion on how to manage the business better and with all these suggestions things will improve.
I am going to break down and get a better phone and be equipped to swipe a card like you said and the bears said. I bet that alone will improve things tremendously.
mrsrunningbear
Active member
It will really improve things more than you can even imagine! Also set some rules for yourself, a confirmation letter so no one can say you didn't tell them something it's all in print and a check in procedure with a form they sign...just smart business for all involved
L
lenny
Guest
I like it,,, "I lock it a lot" one of my favorite quotes from loDye in Dumb and dumber
Hey Linda, maybe you and bear could meet up with Di and I sometime so you could teach us some of this professional practice you guys learn. I can pay you for your time and will insist on it. I know, we could meet you in Bruce's at Chars and buy you guys dinner and you can teach us lazy bums something!
Wow, unbelievable Lenny. What a bunch of losers.
L
lenny
Guest
well, they seem like cool guys for the most part but why they didn't pay when they arrived was not good and than to not leave it for me like they said they would. Probably in case they leave early they wouldn't be out,,,right? lol
I probably shouldn't be complaining like this but it's amazing what we experience and the funny thing is the renters think nothing of it. Best part of all this is that I am no doubt changing. I cannot to continue to be naive because at some point I will get burned.
mrsrunningbear
Active member
garyl62
Active member
This thread has gone a long way from the first post, and there is no way I can comment on most of them, but I’ll say the way I expect to act, and be treated when I’m coming up north.
If I’m coming to a motel in Houghton/Hancock I’ll use my card to hold a room and if I know I’m not coming a week before the reservation I’ll cancel it so they can rent the room to someone else. I’ve canceled a day or two before a trip, but only once. Even though I’m within their policy I just don’t feel it’s the right thing to do. Once the weather was so bad driving up I had to stop in Rhinelander for the night so I called the place in Houghton and told them I was coming but not till the next day. I fully expected to pay for the room that night, but when I got there they told me no charge for the night even though I had a confirmed reservation since I had a history of staying with them and I had called to tell them what was happening.
Now when we stay at a cabin I make reservations a long way in advance, sometimes even a year out. On those I figure I better cancel at least 6 weeks in advance if I need to cancel. When I make a reservation a couple months in advance I figure I owe the guy at least 3 week notice. In no instance would I ever cancel with less than 10 days to 2 weeks’ notice.
As far as paying, normally when I’m with a group we all pay into the kitty on the night we get there, or the next morning. That money gets set aside and usually paid to the owner one of the first times we see them.
Finally, regarding early check in or leaving early, in my mind early check in means parking the truck and trailer, and then going for a ride. It does not mean unloading your stuff and expecting to get into your cabin. The only thing I may talk to the owner about is if there are things in the truck or trailer that may freeze. That would be a “we’ll work together to figure something out” type of a deal. As far as leaving early, I pay for all the days I said I would be there regardless of when I leave. There have been several trips when I have left early due to weather, but that doesn’t mean I have any right to pay the owner less than I originally created that verbal contract for.
Bottom line, I’ll respect the owners opportunity to earn a living and treat their place as if it was mine. In return I hope to get a warm, clean and fully furnished spot to stay. I hope I can steer more business to them, and I hope they will work with me to make my time in the UP as fun as possible. So far everyplace I’ve stayed that seems to be the way things have worked out.
If I’m coming to a motel in Houghton/Hancock I’ll use my card to hold a room and if I know I’m not coming a week before the reservation I’ll cancel it so they can rent the room to someone else. I’ve canceled a day or two before a trip, but only once. Even though I’m within their policy I just don’t feel it’s the right thing to do. Once the weather was so bad driving up I had to stop in Rhinelander for the night so I called the place in Houghton and told them I was coming but not till the next day. I fully expected to pay for the room that night, but when I got there they told me no charge for the night even though I had a confirmed reservation since I had a history of staying with them and I had called to tell them what was happening.
Now when we stay at a cabin I make reservations a long way in advance, sometimes even a year out. On those I figure I better cancel at least 6 weeks in advance if I need to cancel. When I make a reservation a couple months in advance I figure I owe the guy at least 3 week notice. In no instance would I ever cancel with less than 10 days to 2 weeks’ notice.
As far as paying, normally when I’m with a group we all pay into the kitty on the night we get there, or the next morning. That money gets set aside and usually paid to the owner one of the first times we see them.
Finally, regarding early check in or leaving early, in my mind early check in means parking the truck and trailer, and then going for a ride. It does not mean unloading your stuff and expecting to get into your cabin. The only thing I may talk to the owner about is if there are things in the truck or trailer that may freeze. That would be a “we’ll work together to figure something out” type of a deal. As far as leaving early, I pay for all the days I said I would be there regardless of when I leave. There have been several trips when I have left early due to weather, but that doesn’t mean I have any right to pay the owner less than I originally created that verbal contract for.
Bottom line, I’ll respect the owners opportunity to earn a living and treat their place as if it was mine. In return I hope to get a warm, clean and fully furnished spot to stay. I hope I can steer more business to them, and I hope they will work with me to make my time in the UP as fun as possible. So far everyplace I’ve stayed that seems to be the way things have worked out.
L
lenny
Guest
We're in Lenny just give a call when you have the time
Thanks Linda, gonna be 3 weeks before I'll be able to hook up with you guys but I will not waste much of your time as I know you and bear are very busy. We can meet very close to your place and best part we can spend a little time with some of our good friends!
I agree with most all that and it's practical and reasonable. The way I see it is that I charge for what I give. If I give a spacious, immaculate unit with huge parking area than a guy gets his money worth. The early check in part is where I am still uncertain about things. I like very much to accommodate renter as best as I can but there needs to be a reasonable balance where it;s not all for the renter but rather both parties benefit. If a early check in means 2 trucks and (2) 4 place trailers that I have to plow around, some gear inside that we clean around I believe I am offering something extra to the renter so maybe a small fee would be accommodating to me, not just the renter. After all, I believe I am offering superb accommodations which covers the rate quoted to the renter,,so does that mean it covers anything else they need? If it just a small truck and trailer and they want to go in and gear up and go ride, good for them, not a cent more, i'm glad to help. The last 2 groups I had which overlapped 2 night (up and down stair) both arrived before 9:00 with no calls, this has never happened before,,ever. The first truck parked diagonal in the lot probably because they unloaded the sleds and ramp would hit truck. Well, they never parked the truck after that and 2 days later next group shows up at 8:50 am and parks parallel with diagonal truck and trailer. We get 7-8" of new snow with heavy winds and now I have a mess. City road grader plows town and my lot but cannot so I have to deal with it like I often do because lot is full of rigs. Talk about tough time moving snow,,and for free! Not any more under these circumstances. Like I said, a reasonable balance that both parties can be satisfied with.
Much of my problems can be eliminated with me instructing the renter, not all but much. Sometimes I give give give and get little for my efforts. We are working on all aspect as we speak and believe we can come up with a plan that everyone is happy with.
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polarisrider1
New member
Nice post. I suspect the bulk of us operate just like that. Lenny, I also use Square to Run cards. 1.7% for peace of mind.
yeah lenny u need a card reader I use them all the time and I know U are not suppose to charge people for using cards but I let them know up front this much for cash this much for cards and be careful about what cards u take some of the bonus type cards can charge big money .
as far as cabin rental goes
I have never left a cabin with out cleaning up after my self
bedding and towels in a pile
dishes done
vacuum quick paper towel cleaning of vinyl and tile
and we always bring a few contractor bags for trash.
I always thought that was what was expected in cabin rental
If I rented my place out and some one left it with dirty dishes U bet your ars I would be charging there card 50bucks a hr to wash them.
I always pre pay when I can ask what the earliest I can get in and if it is a issue to pull in in the midle of the night and plan accordingly.
that is what adults do Iowarider
as far as cabin rental goes
I have never left a cabin with out cleaning up after my self
bedding and towels in a pile
dishes done
vacuum quick paper towel cleaning of vinyl and tile
and we always bring a few contractor bags for trash.
I always thought that was what was expected in cabin rental
If I rented my place out and some one left it with dirty dishes U bet your ars I would be charging there card 50bucks a hr to wash them.
I always pre pay when I can ask what the earliest I can get in and if it is a issue to pull in in the midle of the night and plan accordingly.
that is what adults do Iowarider
Well said Ezra and Gary.