This couple insisted on booking on Saturday, March13, 2010 in the midst of the worst wind storm in nearly 40 years. I discouraged them from coming, as the local news had advised citizens to stay at home. They lived within 8 miles of the Inn and insisted that despite the conditions, they had a sitter for their two young children and needed a break. They arrived before 3p.m. and despite the obvious local damage, they registered, accepted their room, and we heard no complaints until the power was lost to 90% of the town around 6p.m. They went to Greenwich Avenue for dinner where my husband bought them a drink (we were dining at the same restaurant). After dinner they decided to return to White Plains where they live. On Sunday, they returned for their belongings and promised to mail back our room key. They demanded a gift certificate for a future stay and threatened in a written email to write negative reviews on every website they could find if we did not issue it. We decided that these were guests we did not want to host in the future, despite thier obvious desire to return. Why did they demand a future credit or gift certificate if their rating reflected an honest assessment of our Inn? This year is our 25th Anniversary as a premier Bed and Breakfast.

Here at the Stanton House Inn, we value all feedback from our guests and are open to suggestions as to how we may better serve them. While we appreciate the reviewer’s opinions, we feel that some of the sentiments expressed are the result of a misunderstanding of the need for our policies. In operating a twenty-room bed and breakfast facility, the safety and comfort of our guests is paramount. We regret that the reviewer felt “anxiety” over our policies. However, these policies are in effect to ensure that all of our guests enjoy a safe and peaceful stay at the Inn. The waiver signed by our guests in order to use the pool implies that the guest agrees to the Inn’s rules and safety regulations for pool use. These rules are by no means unreasonable. The reviewer, however, took immediate offense when asked to sign the form and became irritated when our staff tried to explain the need for the waiver, which is in accordance to local health and safety codes. We ask that our guests not swim alone, as we do not have a lifeguard on duty. We ask that guests address any health issues that may be exacerbated by swimming before they enter the pool. These rules are clearly in place to ensure the well-being of our guests and not to deflect “sue-happy clients.” Due to zoning regulations in our town, the pool is available exclusively to overnight guests of the Inn. The pool is available only to those over ten years of age, and we ask that any minors using the pool be accompanied by an adult in a swimsuit. The “dress code” for going to and from the pool is a routine standard of dress for public spaces. We simply ask - as is customary in all indoor public facilities - that guests not walk around with bare feet, and request that they dry off before coming back into the house, so as not to track water through the Inn. It is unfortunate that the reviewer took offense to these requests. The “specific towel” that the reviewer was “forced” to u se is provided by the Front Desk for the convenience of our guests. We provide pool towels as a courtesy, so that our guests do not have to bring their own towels, or use the bath towels from their rooms. This is usually perceived as a convenience by our guests, rather than a strict measure implemented by “paranoid owners.” The reviewer also objected to the posting of signs in our parking lot. The signs are quite customary, and may certainly not be perceived as unreasonable. Parking in our parking lot is reserved for overnight guests of the Inn. Also, the Inn is not responsible for theft or damage to vehicles parked in our lot. It is unfortunate that the reviewer was offended by the posting of these signs. The staff at the Stanton House Inn is trained to uphold the Inn’s policies and to ensure the safety of all guests. We regret that if, in doing so, our clerk was perceived as “snobby.” Our policies are the result of twenty-two years of successful operation, and we have no plans to alter them at this point.