We at Charlotte house , at all times, reserve the right of refusal to our guest house.  If anyone behaves in what we believe to be an unreasonable way, they will be asked to leave immediately with no return of any monies.

 

I’m afraid that we at Charlotte House can not accept any responsibility for the goods or possessions of guests on our premises.  Also, if any guest causes damage to our house or is responsible for any loss, that loss or damage will have to be paid for.  Possibly by directly charging any credit/debt card used to make the booking or the deposit for the booking in the first place. 

 

For the comfort of our other guests, we will refuse admittance to persons who arrive looking very dirty, dressed like tramps, and/or excessively drunk.  Obviously, people come to Brighton to enjoy pubs, clubs and night life in general.  What we’re referring to here are people who are so drunk they can’t stand or who are vomiting. We also ask that guests are aware of other guests’ comfort.  So please come down to breakfast properly dressed. We do take care of noise in general and especially at night.  As this is an ordinary house, noise travels very easily.  Therefore we can’t allow parties of any kind, and indeed we would ask that when guests come in after 11pm that they go to sleep.  We’d also ask, if anyone is keeping you awake, from inside the guest house, there’s a service bell on the ground floor by the big mirror.  Come down and let me know.  I can’t stop it, if I don’t know it’s going on.  Basically, I’m afraid that if you want to party after the pubs, it’s night club time.  If  longer than that, it’s down the beach. We would also ask that guest refrain from gathering together on the door step and drinking late at night.  This also keeps people awake.  If you do want to just sit and talk, the sea front, with benches, is just at the bottom of the road.  Or there’s a green at the top of the road.

 

During the course of a guest’s stay at our house, the cleaner will try to tidy your room every day, usually the morning.  This however is dependant on the room being empty at the time.  Obviously the cleaner can’t make your bed or empty your rubbish bin if you’re in the room.  Once the cleaner has finished for the day, she’ll go home, and from that point on I’m afraid we’re unable to tidy your room that day.

 

On the day of departure, we ask that all guest to leave by 10.30am.  10.30am is our official start of the new day.  If, after we’ve woken you up and asked you to leave, you say you’d like to stay another night, you will have to pay for that night.  We’re not Nazis, we won’t demand a full, further, nights payment if you stay an extra twenty minutes, but if you stay longer than that, especially if you stay after the cleaner has left, you will have to pay for a full extra day.  I’m afraid under no circumstances whatsoever will we accept you coming up to us at lunch time, or the early afternoon and saying.  “We’ve changed our minds, we’re off now.”  And expecting not to pay for the day.  The fact that you’ve only occupied the room for a couple or three hours will make no difference to the fact that you’ve had the room for ‘part of the day’, so you will have to pay for the whole day.

 

We always treat our guest politely and with respect, and we expect the same courtesy in return.  We will not accept bad or foul language under any circumstances.  If you think you have a problem, or an issue that has to be addressed, by all means come and have a word with us, but politely. We let our rooms to a specific number of people.  If guests ‘sneak’ people into their rooms,  they should be aware that if found out, they’ll be asked to leave immediately, day or night, with no return of any monies. Also, we’d ask guests to remember that Charlotte House is a guest house, not a hotel.  Therefore the general rule is that visitors are not allowed, especially at breakfast time.  Obviously a degree of latitude will be given, especially to ‘pop-in-pop-out’ visits, helping with luggage, and “We’ll meet you at Mum’s at 1.00pm” or what ever, but we’d ask guests to remember that this is bed and breakfast, not furnished accommodation.

 

Once a booking is made and agreed upon, it may not be altered.  An alteration constitutes a cancellation of the original booking.  It is then possible for you to ask for a different booking, but, and this is important, we are under no obligation whatsoever to accept the new booking. If, for instance, your booking consists of two couples, booking two double rooms, you must remember that this would be all one booking, and you are responsible for each other.  So, you’re unable to say, “Oh, the other couple aren’t coming, we’ll just pay for ourselves.”  In such a case, you’d either have to pay for both rooms, and leave one room empty, or cancel the booking completely and lose your deposit. Or, if you arrive and say “I was booked in for two nights, but my house has burned down, so I’ll only be staying one night,” the choices for you may well be: 1. Pay for two nights and just leave after one.  Or: 2. Cancel the booking completely and lose your deposit.  We might, repeat might, be able to work something out, but we can’t guarantee this.  So please, ask us, don’t tell us. Likewise, if you’ve already started a booking, you are not allowed to just come up to us and say.  “We’ve booked in for four nights, but I’m afraid our house has caught fire .  So we’ve decided to go home after just two nights, and therefore we want the rest of our money back.”  I’m afraid that once a booking has been made, it’s a legally binding contract and must be adhered to.  If you break that legally binding contract and cause us financial and/or personal loss and/or inconvenience, you, not us, will have to suffer the loss.

 

If a booking is cancelled for any reason, we normally only charge you the deposit paid (approx. one third of the total booking.)  We normally accept the remainder of the loss ourselves.  However, it must be understood that this is a good will gesture on our part.  It is intended to maintain as much good will as the situation will allow, and in no way whatsoever means that we are giving up our right under English law to be compensated for any loss that you have caused. If you decide to turn down our good will gesture by complaining repeatedly to us, credit card companies, other organisations ect.  Causing us in return inconvenience and to spend large amounts of time writing letters, emails and so on, we will withdraw that good will gesture and charge you the full cost of the loss that you have caused. It should also be remembered that in English law, it makes no difference whatsoever if we are able to let the room to somebody else.  The law makes no judgement on how much effort we have been put through to let that room for a second time.  If we have be put through extra cost and inconvenience the law states that that should not be considered.

 

It’s very important for guests to remember that they must not put the catch down on the front door at any time.  Other guest have right of access at any time, and if you do this, you’ll be locking them out of the guest house.  Also, please, never put the catch down on your the lock of your door with the bolt out.  What will happen is that the door will slam shut and, firstly, you’ll be locked out of your own room.  Secondly, I’ll have to climb in through the window using a ladder in order to unlock the door from the inside.

 

~ The bottom line is that we’re friendly, and fairly free and easy people, and all we ask is that people take care of our house as if it were there own, and treat us and other guests with respect and common courtesy.