Random Posts – Millstone House and Four in a Bed

Since I don’t really ever watch TV, I never much mention it, but we live in strange times and I’m catching up on a backlog of several years of Four in a Bed. It’s the programme where B&B owners visit each other’s properties, then review them and leave what they feel is a fair price for their stay.

I never quite understand the strategy of some B&B owners who go on here. By far the best approach is to be genuinely nice (or pretend if they’re not nice people), overpay where at all possible and leave the public rooting for you, even if you don’t win. Actually, there really isn’t any alternate strategy that leaves the owners with a decent reputation.

Millstone House took an almost suicidal strategy this week, underpaying everyone to a ridiculous level, seemingly unaware that they were being filmed. I felt quite sorry for that really pleasant Blackpool B&B owner, when they left him just £35 for their night’s stay and breakfast. So Millstone House won, which must have delighted them, but then none of the other hosts acknowledged them and two refused their payments.

A bizarre strategy, they’ll be swamped with negativity now. And indeed, it’s already led to this on TripAdvisor after just a few hours:

“Message from Tripadvisor: Due to a recent event that has attracted media attention and has caused an influx of review submissions that do not describe a first-hand experience, we have temporarily suspended publishing new reviews for this listing. If you’ve had a firsthand experience at this property, please check back soon – we’re looking forward to receiving your review!”

But, of course Four in a Bed will be repeated for years to come. And people will leave the B&B a negative review for ever more, to the point that the business will perhaps never recover its reputation. I’m genuinely confused why any B&B owner thinks that coming on this programme and being so brutal with payments is a sparkingly good idea. The B&B had excellent reviews before the stay, so it’s not as though they were clearly weren’t doing something right.

Anyway, that’s of no relevance to anyone, although I suspect that a stay in Trevor Sheard’s Hotel Vienna in Blackpool would be an amazing experience and I hope that his B&B fills up after his appearance on the show.