All Forum Posts by: Diana Mulvihill

Hi all ~ you’ve been so helpful in the past, and I have another question I’d love your input on. Thank you for being kind enough to share your opinions and expertise.

I’m in Northern California ~ slightly mountainous ~ and it gets hot here in the summer, usually ranging from the 80s to high 90s. I have a saltwater hot tub that’s a big draw in cooler months, and I’m wondering how best to offer it during the summer.

Would it make sense to keep the hot tub temp for a relaxing evening soak, as it cools off a bit at night? Or should I market it as a 'cool saltwater plunge', keeping the temperature a few degrees below body temp?

Curious what you’ve seen work well ~ or what you’d enjoy as a guest. Appreciate your thoughts!

1 Vote

@Christina B. and @Lisa Graesser

oh my gosh, I have such a collection of fancy beer now! People always leave alcohol. I am not much of a drinker, so I am always saying 'Do you want some fancy beer or wine? I have a garage full of it.' Ha ha ... always trying to give it away to friends ...

Thank you for the tip: It's helpful to have different methods shared. I typically put things in a lost and found (also in my garage) unless they are looking for it. With the car keys and the retainer, unsurprisingly, they contacted me right away looking for them.

For smaller items like this, I might use @John Underwood 's simple method: For bigger items or if things start being left and requested back more frequently, I may indeed need to both charge for shipping and maybe loop the person who cleans in on it ~ She'd likely appreciate a bit of extra, relatively simple work.

Thank you!

1 Vote

Quote from @Christina B.:

We do what @Lisa Graesser does and charge cost of shipping along with our cleaner's time (she quotes us). Once I have approval from the guest and payment, our cleaner texts me a photo of the tracking info which I pass along to the owner. One thing to be aware of is that if you do this on the same platform the guest booked on (e.g. VRBO), VRBO still charges both a VRBO commission fee and a payment processing fee. Those fees were irritating as even though I should have known better, our cleaner charged $50 for both postage and her time (heavier items) and while I still had to pay her $50, I actually only received $46 from VRBO as a result of those fees. Great question. I do recommend checking with the guest what their preference is as we've had guests pass on having things such as glasses (!) returned to them. (Someone should start a post here on the funny things guests leave behind, some deliberately because they don't want to cart home beer, mead, etc.!)

2 Votes

Quote from @Alessandro Di Luciano:

@Diana Mulvihill I would say use the authorities as the middlemen unless you know the owners and are comfortable meeting in person. If they agree and again if you are comfortable you can leave them in a ziplock on your porch for them to pick up (I assume they know where you live) If they are out of state get their permission to mail it out.
save all communication, take a picture and advise them you won't be responsible should anything be lost or damaged. Keeping a record will be the most important.

Not sure how helpful all that was and I apologize if I've missed read the question again!

@Alessandro Di Luciano thank you for your suggestions! I really appreciate it.

0 Votes

Quote from @John Underwood:

I send them via USPS with delivery confirmation.

I usually cover the costs, but you could ask to be reimbursed or send you money ahead of time to cover shipping.

Okay, this seems simple and efficient. Thank you for sharing!

0 Votes

Quote from @Alessandro Di Luciano:

Unless you have their contact info and are comfortable reaching out, Honestly handing them off to the local police station is probably your best bet.

take pictures, and record any communications with the authorities to cover your butt. Maybe send an email to the authorities first so you have a paper trail to refer back to.

@Alessandro Di Luciano Apology maybe I was unclear: These are items that the owners have reached out about because they need them and want them returned.

1 Vote

Hi all,

Does anyone have a go-to method for returning lost items? I currently have a retainer and a set of car keys and want to get them back to their owners as easily as possible.

Would love any tips or suggestions—thank you in advance!

0 Votes

Thank you all for all of these great perspectives and things to consider, I really appreciate it!

1 Vote

All Forum Posts by: Diana Mulvihill

Diana Mulvihill has started 10 posts and replied 44 times.

Post: Keeping Hot Tub Inviting in Summer ~ What Works Best?

Post: Keeping Hot Tub Inviting in Summer ~ What Works Best?

Post: Keeping Hot Tub Inviting in Summer ~ What Works Best?

Post: Best Way to Return Left Behind Items?

Post: Best Way to Return Left Behind Items?

Post: Best Way to Return Left Behind Items?

Post: Best Way to Return Left Behind Items?

Post: Best Way to Return Left Behind Items?

Post: Best Way to Return Left Behind Items?

Post: Debating 7 vs. 9 Guests for My STR’s Peak Season to Pay Off Startup Debt