Sucking it up for a client

My respect for Nini has grown.  She voluntarily gave up her bedroom for a musician. 

Yesterday a family called to see if we had four rooms available for five nights beginning today.  I said yes and then went on to explain the rooms;  two with double beds, one with two twin beds and one with a double but no private bathroom.  I don't like renting this room unless its for a family and they can share another bathroom.  For the past two nights we've had a musician staying in it and using Nini's bathroom. 

The family reserved for the first two nights and then showed up on short notice to look at the rooms.  I could tell right away they wouldn't be pleased.  The women, actually compared to the men, were rather drab.  They just had on shorts and blouses.  The men had on ironed jeans and chinos (they had the fold down the middle), polo shirts with the back of the collar turned up and the two corners turned down and every single male in the family was wearing loafers.  They loved the exterior but were disappointed with the rooms.  I wanted to say, "If you were expecting a five star chateau you shouldn't have chosen to vacation in the Ardeche."  The Ardeche is the poorest, most rural part of France.  Our houses are called Mas which, as Fancy Nancy would say, is a fancy word for farm house.

I am aware that the rooms need some changes.  I hate the carpeting but its clean.  The bathrooms are not bad but small since they were put into old walk in closets.  The bed coverings are Nini's choice and are mostly large handmade lacy doilies (must see).  But what we lack in décor, we make up for in hospitality.  So this bourgeois family gathered in the front garden to discuss.  I offered them a glass of wine which they declined (obviously they were already leaning toward no.) while they argued.  So, when the woman who originally reserved came back and said they were in disagreement and were sorry but canceling, I wasn't much surprised.  The Raphael came along and said he understands large families (They were actually two families and the grandma.) and they're welcome if they change their mind and we still have space. That made me mad because it makes us sound desperate - for money maybe (or maybe just for our own house thus the need for money) but not for guests.  We would have filled the place last night or this morning.  It's a holiday weekend.  Five minutes later, they came back and said they changed their minds again and now wanted the rooms.  I wanted to tell them no.  But four rooms, five nights, no sheet changes, no bathrooms to clean.  I said okay but I'm not sure I have the ability to be as hospitable as usual.

In the mean time, we discovered the musician, who's occupying grandma's room, was planning on staying another night.  But Nini, always looking to cut back on the work and realizing the above, said we'd put the musician in her room for the last night (he's been using her bathroom anyway) and grandma can have the room for the five nights.

Now really, who goes on vacation with children in the south of France to spend more than just sleeping time in the bedroom.  Wait until they find out I showed them the best rooms.  Grandma's room and the blue room were occupied and so I couldn't show them.  They share the worst bathroom in the house.  Should I tell them the kitchen where they plan to cook their children's meals was once the home of goats?  And the public toilet stall housed chickens? 

Fancy Nancy would love our rooms, by the way.

Comments

[Amanda]

thanks for sharing...we could give you pictures of chickens and goats so they could better visualize the history of their surroundings:)

[Gil]

leave it to the goats and chickens.