Six Crows House Rules

What! Rules on vacation? Alas, we must. They’re mainly about courtesies and respect, for your hosts and housemates, and for the premises. We want every guest to feel relaxed when visiting our home. At the same time, clear expectations bolster everyone’s comfort level.

Please let us know your ETA. We will greet you and show you around. If you are in The Glamp, we will help haul your gear down to the lake in our lawn tractor cart.

Please leave your keys on the desk in your room when you check out. Take a final look around to make sure you have everything. Remember to check the bathroom too. Did you check the closet, dresser, and hooks behind the door? Put your bath linens in the hallway hamper, and just leave your unmade bed please. Say goodbye in person if we are out and about, or send us a quick text to let us know.

MINIMUM STAY

We have established a minimum stay policy in consideration of our turnover rate and the cleaning time and effort involved. It is eased off season when we’re not as busy and we expect more stopovers than vacations.

• IN SEASON – April 1-October 31
  • Private room: 2-day minimum
  • Suite: 3-day minimum
  • Glamp: 3-day minimum
  • Bubble: 3-day minimum
    • Exception for all – We release 1-2 day pockets between bookings, and for last minute cancellations, so it never hurts to check whether a shorter stay is possible; note that pockets generally occur mid-week (in season; weekends are usually booked weeks or even months in advance)
    • Discounts for all – 10% off 5-6 day bookings, OR 15% off 7+ day bookings
• OFF SEASON – November 1-March 31
  • Private room: 2-day minimum on weekends only
  • Suite: 2-day minimum
    • Exception – 1-day pockets between bookings and for last minute cancellations
    • Discounts – 10% discount off seasonal rates; + 10% off 5-6 day bookings, OR 15% off 7+ day bookings
  • Glamp: Closed for the season
  • Bubble: N/A without The Glamp

YOUR PRIVACY

Guest lodgings are on the lake side while Dave and Linda’s main entrance faces the road side. We do not intrude on guests’ privacy, and you may not see us at all after we check you in. Or you may catch a wave while we are working out front (road side) or in the veggie garden (behind the main parking area road side). We are as unobtrusive as possible when we refresh The Suite between guests (11 am-3 pm), and do afternoon trash and toilet runs at The Glamp.

We are usually nearby and just a text away if guests need anything.

CONSIDERATION FOR OTHER GUESTS

As a small resort of sorts, we go the extra mile to make Six Crows House a cozy, clean, cheerful, and fun layover, or a full-on vacation destination. See our Amenities page for details.

Guests who book a room in our housekeeping Suite should expect to share facilities and live in community with likely strangers. Although we have four bedrooms in the Suite, we never book more than 3 rooms at a time to individual guests, to prevent congestion. The 4th room is opened up for groups booking The Suite or The Bubble.

There are 2 full baths in The Suite. One is en suite and exclusive to our World Room, a luxury king, during individual room rentals. The 4th bedroom (available only during Suite rental) is also en suite to this bathroom from the other side. The 2nd bathroom is shared by the other 2 bedrooms. If you are sharing a bathroom, please tidy up, and don’t dawdle while others wait.

The bath linens are eclectic and thus easy to tell apart hung in the shared bathroom. Please reuse. There is storage for guests’ toiletries in both bathrooms, which ensures a tidy bathroom experience for everyone.

Unless there are no other guests, patrons in individual rooms are expected to keep the common areas cleaned up and free of clutter at all times. All personal items including visiting dogs – see Dog Visits for details – should be kept in your private room, and meal cleanup should be prompt and complete.

QUIET TIME

We are not about putting dampers on our guests’ best experience. There are no time restrictions on the hot tub or campfires so long as things are quiet by 11 pm. And if all guests are hanging out together, for example around a campfire, no worries, just be reasonable.

Guests are of course free to come and go at any hour. Be mindful about excessive noise inside The Suite after other guests have gone to bed. Please open and close the main and bedroom doors quietly. The dead silence of the night makes things like showering, cooking, and watching television seem noisier than you may realize.

Glamp visitors who reside at lake level, please note that noise carries much further over water than land. All visitors should take heed that the lake is really dark and unsafe for late night excursions. Please don’t try it.

HOT TUB AND FIRE PIT

As mentioned, there are no time restrictions so long as things are quiet as night wears on.

The hot tub is shared among all guests, so please keep this in mind and don’t hog. 20-30 minutes maximum at a time is the recommendation. Staying in too long can lead to dehydration, dizziness, and nausea. These symptoms can be made worse if alcohol is being consumed or if the person has not consumed enough water.

The 2 fire pits, located adjacent the patio off The Suite and down in The Glamp, are popular evening hangouts. Please keep the fire size reasonable. Guests building bonfires will have the privilege revoked. We keep a hose nearby each fire pit as a precaution.

PARKING

We have ample parking available for everyone. Parking spaces are assigned on arrival so as guests come and go, they are always assured the same space.

We can also accommodate larger vehicles such as campers, boat trailers, and oversized pick-up trucks, which we assign to areas a little further from the house.

We suggest you lock your car, but make sure you don’t lock your keys inside. (It has happened here more than once, and ruined getaways.) Six Crows House takes no responsibility for any lost items left in vehicles.

ROOM SECURITY AND KEYS

All guests get their own unique room keys. Please lock up when you go out. Six Crows House takes no responsibility for any lost items left in your room or on our premises.

If you should lose your keys during your stay, please alert us ASAP. There is a $10 replacement fee. Leave the keys on the desk in your room when you leave. If you should accidentally take our keys home with you, please let us know ASAP and immediately mail them back.

KITCHEN AND DINING

We prefer that you not take food and drinks into your bedroom, and especially not onto your bed. The World Room with mini fridge and table where a guest can sit to eat are the exception, although again, please don’t bring food items onto the bed.

We provide Suite guests with a fully-equipped kitchen, dining area, and breakfast bar, and a large picnic table and gas grill on the patio outside. The Glamp has outdoor dining and a grilll outside the camp kitchen. These are clean and tidy with everything in its place when guests arrive. We expect to find them the same after guests have checked out.

Cleaning up, washing the dishes, and putting things away are respectful to your hosts and especially of other guests sharing the space. There is a dishwasher, which we encourage guests to use in coordination with each other. Do not put dishes in the dishwasher without running it.

GENERAL CLEANLINESS AND CARE OF PREMISES

As mentioned, DO NOT eat on your bed. We refresh for every new guest, but stains left on linens create an illusion that the bedding is not clean. Even if they come out, the stains often require extra work bleaching, soaking, extra washes, dry cleaning in some cases, not to mention the extra wear. We have had to scrap sheets used only a couple times, as well as lovely coverlets, for this reason. We take pride in providing a beautiful space with clean and lovely bedding, and their loss is always a sad day here.

Along the same vein, we ask guests who wear fake tan to bring your own linens so ours are not ruined. Otherwise, please ask and we will provide an alternate set.

Leave the sheets on the bed, please. This makes it easier to inspect them when guests check out.

Our bath linens are plentiful and vary in size and absorbancy; several are long and plush, suitable for bath or hot tub. Some show a little wear but are clean. DO NOT use our bath linens for makeup removal or other inappropriate use. The likely result is trashing.

Please put your used bath linens in the hamper in the hallway.

The Suite is fully carpeted except for the kitchen and bathrooms. Please take care not to soil or stain the carpet or furniture. You won’t be happy about replacing a couch in the extreme. If an accident occurs, you must inform us immediately.

We are avid environmentalists. We provide recycling and compost bins alongside trash bins. There are detailed instructions posted inside the broom closet door. We take the subject very seriously, and expect our guests to do the same.

We are happy to host children. We expect them to follow the rules, and that their parents are in full control. Children should not be allowed to run around, jump on furniture, or bother other guests. Any toys and games used by the kids should be packed up and returned in to the Fun and Games closet in good order.

This applies to board and yard games, movies, and books. Put all games away tidily, DVDs back in their cases, and books back on their shelves. Please don’t make us sort through game pieces. These amenities are all privileges provided for guests, not exercises in creating more work for ourselves.

We don’t discourage merriment and frolic, just the opposite. When booked as a unit, Six Crows House comfortably accommodates 12 guests in essentially 5 bedrooms, plus 2 more in nice tent cots if needed. We expect a large group vacationing together to be in party mode, while respecting the premises.

We have yard games to keep things light, and for rainy days in The Suite, dozens of board games, movies and books. We delight in guests making music by firelight. Alcohol and cannabis, legal in Michigan, are acceptable in moderation.

We have hosted families and family reunions, birthday and anniversary celebrations, guys’ getaways, gals’ getaways, bridal gatherings, retreats, and educational programs.

We have also hosted intimate wedding ceremonies and celebrations in our sacred Medicine Wheel. We have plenty of tables and chairs and a large canopy that meet the needs of a small reception. Linda is licensed to perform wedings in Muskegon County, and can write and plan a meaningful and personalized ceremony. There are separate fees for events that include outside guests visiting for the day/evening, as well as for Linda’s services. Contact us to discuss.

Moderation is key. The joyful gathering of friends and family gladdens our hearts. We have zero tolerance for overindulgence that leads to obnoxious behavior or drunken brawls and destructiveness. Out of control guests are asked to leave immediately, and if necessary, police will be called to assist.

UNREGISTERED GUESTS VISITING GUESTS

We don’t mind occasional guests of guests stopping by, so long as they are not intruding on other paying guests. We would not expect guests of guests to use intimate facilities such as showers and kitchens, or be underfoot in The Suite. For guests booking the whole place, we are willing to accommodate a group of additional day guests where advance planning and permissions are in place.

MISCELLANY

• ABSOLUTELY NO WEAPONS are permitted to enter Six Crows House. We prefer they not be on our property at all, but if you do have any with you, they must be left in your locked vehicle.
• NO SMOKING inside The Suite, or in the Cabin and Camp Kitchen in The Glamp. Outdoors only. Anything legal is allowed. Please respect Mother Earth by saving your butts for the trash can.
• PLEASE REMOVE YOUR SHOES upon entering The Suite. There is a shoe rack by the door that we ask you to use to prevent chaos building up in the entryway. This is not necessary in The Glamp.
• CLOSE THE DOOR in The Suite. We appreciate guests wanting to enjoy the fresh air in season, but we ask you to do it outside, and not leave doors and windows open, sucking out the central air and letting in the bugs.
• DO NOT MOVE THE FURNITURE without permission. A dining chair is one thing, a dresser or bed is quite another (believe us, it happens).

LIABILITIES

Please take care of our premises. A small operation like ours has a modest profit margin. Frequently replacing linens or cleaning up spills on carpets and furniture are costly and time-consuming. The many amenities, equipment, and decor we provide for our guests’ enjoyment are also very personal to us in many cases. We expect you will treat our home with the same respect you treat your own home.

Every year we come up a dozen towels short, and we have even had people take blankets and pillows. Things happen, and we let little things go, but we reserve the right to charge guests for repairs or replacements, or for missing items.

We expect our guests to use common sense around the property and in the use of our amenities, including hot tub, fire pits, and watercraft. We assume no responsibility for guests’ personal injury, or for the loss or damage of guests’ personal property.