Bryn Brooke Manor • About Us • The Rules

Bed and Breakfast Etiquette: The Rules of the House

If you find yourself scratching your head at any of the following rules, or if any sound harsh, please keep in mind that someone and some event inspired them. After ten years of operating Bryn Brooke Manor, we probably still haven't "seen it all," but we've certainly seen much, memorable for reasons pleasant and otherwise, that we could not have predicted!

Children: We request that all guests of Bryn Brooke Manor be at least 18 years of age. Not that we dislike the younger set, but minors around the pool play havoc with our insurance.

Our Pets: Bryn Brooke Manor is home to four remarkably lazy, frequently indulged cats. If you are highly allergic to felines, we can recommend other members of the Cooperstown Village Bed and Breakfast Association. We also have our much-loved mutt, Sully.

Your Pets: Animal lovers though we are, we regret that we cannot accept pets. Our last unfortunate experience with two reportedly "well-behaved, well-traveled, urban dachshunds" resulted in five hours of yapping, aggressive dogs that disturbed the stay of every guest and made the breakfast room uncomfortably tense the following morning. Attendant dogs and seeing-eye dogs are, of course, always welcomed.

Check-in/Check-out: Check in time is 3PM and checkout is noon. If you arrive early, you may park your car and leave your bags. If you will arrive especially late, please let us know so that we may arrange for someone to greet you.

Room Occupancy: The maximum occupancy of any guest room is three people, with a maximum occupancy of nine guests at Bryn Brooke Manor. We provide a bed for each of our guests and do not permit sleeping bags, air mattresses or sleeping on the floor, under any circumstance.

Smoking: Smoking is not allowed anywhere inside Bryn Brooke Manor. Smoking is permitted only on the exterior porches, not including the Breakfast Porch. Please make use of the ashtrays. Our disdain for cigarette butts in our flower beds cannot be adequately expressed in words.

Alcohol: We enjoy a premium vintage as much as anyone, but we expect you to be responsible, of course. Most of our damage and disruption over the past decade has been caused by unsupervised children or drunks. To quote my mother, "For Heaven's sake, act like you've got some sense." If you drive over our flower beds (2005,) spill a bottle of red wine and ruin an embroidered rug (2004,) break our furniture (2003 and 2006) or insult one of our friends while presuming to answer a private house phone (2003) you will most certainly be charged for any damages and, in some cases, shown the door.

Kitchen: Guests are not permitted in the kitchen. Bryn Brooke Manor offers more common areas than many bed and breakfasts, but the kitchen is excluded, especially during the breakfast hours. Kitchens are wonderful places that can also be dangerous; slick floors, hot fat, flames, and flashing knives. Not to mention, when things go awry (flat muffins, burned bacon, broken eggs) Brenda tends to swear; not pretty!

Swimming Pool: Our in-ground swimming pool is a rare find among bed and breakfasts and a lovely addition to our property. Registered guests of Bryn Brooke Manor only, please. Absolutely no glass is allowed in the pool area. Broken glass around the pool can be disastrous and expensive. Please use plastic, metal or paper containers (we can provide them). If you break glass anywhere in the pool area, you may be charged for emptying, repairing, cleaning, and refilling the pool. Please enjoy the pool safely and leave any glass on the porch.

Cancellation Policy: Bryn Brooke Manor requires fourteen days notice to cancel a reservation of two nights or fewer. Thirty days is required to cancel a reservation of three or more nights. If a cancellation for a reservation of two days or fewer is received with less notice, fifty per cent of the total fee will be retained, unless the room can be rebooked. If a cancellation is received fewer than thirty days prior to a stay of three or more nights, the entire fee is retained, less the nights the room can be rebooked. There is no adjustment for truncated stays. We cannot guarantee that rooms can be rebooked, especially on short notice, and suggest that if you are planning an extended stay with us that you consider travel insurance. All cancellations are subject to a $20 processing fee.