Sunday, April 13, 2008
Well, I broke down and took reservations for the Bird's Nest starting next week. My mentor Phyllis Gardner told me "never take walk-ins - get reservations and deposits way in advance." I know why she said this. I've had people call from a bar in Tivoli..."Hi, we're here at the Stoney Creek and my girlfriend and I are pretty drunk. We're wondering if you have a room for the night?" That is when you say, "Sorry, we are booked." It's not always a problem with over indulgence. Last summer I had a call, "Hey, were up here in Tivoli, and we got your number. My friend and I have biked up from the city. We really need a place to stay." I responded that I just had people and didn't have a chance to clean or make the beds. He hung up. The phone rang two minutes later, "Hey, listen, we don't need the beds made. We're covered in sweat and we just need a place to wash up and get some shut eye." When they don't even want the beds made, you know that's trouble. I had a man leave a message on my machine last week. He wanted two weekends in August, during the Bard Music Festival, a time when everything fills up quickly and some places even double their rates. His message: "I'll even sleep on the floor, anything at all". Then he must have realized other needs, because he added, "And a washroom - I'll need a washroom." Now, that is desperate. And what the hell is a washroom? It sounds like a laundry room to me. I've told people that I am booked, and they will ask "Can we bring a tent and camp in the yard?" They didn't even ask about the washroom. Bringing their own I guess. I did have people come early once. They were scheduled for Thursday, and I was up on the computer the day before, when I hear a voice under the window: "YooHoo, anyone home?" I stuck my head out the window, two people were standing there, smiling up at me. "Hi, we're the Jones, we're here a day early, but can we get in?" Dear sweet Jesus, I thought. Then said, come back in half an hour and I will be ready. I thought of Phyllis and said, "Well, there not really walk-ins...there just "early" guests.
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There is always the other side of the coin, the desperate proprietor. When Roseanne and I were visiting a small Greek island during off-season, I was approached by a strange man in the street, saying, "Hey mister, you need a room? Five thousand drachmas!" Well, in fact, we did need a room and the price (about $20) seemed right, so we threw caution to the wind. Luckily he did not turn out to be an axe murderer, though he did turn out to be a taxi driver. Every morning, shortly after we left his house on foot, he would drive by in his taxi, asking if we wanted to buy a ride into town. Actually, he seemed to follow us all around the island in that taxi, offering his services. I guess you don't need to be that proactive when you have people knocking on your windows and trying to set up tents in your backyard!
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