Curfews at B&Bs ? Michigan Innkeepers Debunk the Myth!

Curfews at bed and breakfast inns? Hey, B&B’s are inns — not Grandma’s house! Read on as our Michigan Lake to Lake Bed and Breakfast Association innkeepers bust this myth wide open.

The California B&B Association recently identified five common misconceptions travelers harbor about staying at B&Bs. So far, we’ve debunked the myth on decor, the myth on shared bathrooms and the notions that guests are forced to eat breakfast with strangers and have no say in what’s being served. This week, we tackle the myth that suggests you must abide by a curfew set by the innkeeper.

Au contraire, my friends.

When guests tell of staying out ’til the wee hours at the Point Edward Charity Casino in Sarnia or enjoying a beach fire under the stars, Nicholas DeGrazia of Adventure Inn in North Lakeport says it always make him smile.

“My parents, who lived here before we did, were the quintessential party people. I love it when guests uphold the traditions of the house.”

Newcomers to Adrounie House B&B in Hastings often ask about “curfew,” says Innkeeper April Tubbs. We tell them we don’t have one, but that Don, my husband, usually locks up when he is ready to go to bed — about 11:30 p.m. Then Don jokes, “If you are later than that, it’s okay for you to sleep on the porch swing.”

“Truthfully, we don’t care what time they come in. If they’ve already checked in, they have a key and know where their room is located.”

If it can’t be avoided, Don or April will also accommodate late arrivals for corporate business, staying up as late as 3 a.m. to receive guests by prior arrangment. Nobody has to sleep on the porch swing.

Innkeepers Michael and Kathy Henry say their newlywed couples and even those more mature giggle when they are handed keys to Crimson Cottage Inn the Woods in Holland and told, “Stay out as late as you want. We’ll leave the light on for you.” Kathy notes that few guests stay out late even though they can. She says they want to get back to their cozy rooms and enjoy the time away from home. “But they know they have the option.”

Prairieside Suites in Grandville, just outside Grand Rapids, uses keyless entry codes so guests can easily come and go as they please. Ditto Castle in the Country in Allegan. The Sheridan House in Fremont provides each guest with a key and makes sure they know they are free to come and go. The same holds true for the Parish House in in urban Ypsilanti.

Janice and Bill Duerr, innkeepers at The State Street Inn in Harbor Beach along Lake Huron, make sure their guests understand “we are not their parents.” Each guest receives a key at check in and are told they are welcome to come and go as they please.

“There is no curfew at all,” Janice promises.

With this absolute and across-the-board debunking of the myth, you have to wonder where it came from. Who started this rumor? We may never know for sure, but it’s certain that when you next stay at a B&B — in Michigan or anywhere across the continent, you’ll have your very own key.