The Ethics of Innkeeping

One aspect of innkeeping that I didn't anticipate is the ethical questions that come with the job.

Some things of course are cut and dried. Yes, I pay taxes on all payments I receive, even if you pay me in cash. No, I won't let you put six people in a standard room even if that's the only way you can afford a ski vacation.

Other situations linger in my mind and leave me second-guessing myself.

Should I discount a room for the local family staying at the inn because their pipes burst? How much? What about the woman and children staying at the inn because they are avoiding violence at home?

Do I have to rent a room to the couple having the extra-marital affair?

Should I bend the no-personal-checks rule for the young couple with the hard-luck story? Even if the last such person's check bounced, leaving me with a $60 bank fee on top of providing a heated room, hot shower, and breakfast for free?

Should I let the young family sleep in the breakfast room if I'm full and they will otherwise have to sleep in their car? Even if the door separating the breakfast room from our living space has a very inadequate lock? What if it's winter and their car is out of gas?

Should I make a room available for the local church to house a homeless family because the shelter is full? Does the answer change if one of the parents has a criminal record?

When mercy and common-sense disagree, how do I choose between them? It's one thing to sit in church and agree that Jesus calls us to radical hospitality. It's another entirely to realize how radical that hospitality can be.