So what ever happened to the innkeeper?
He and his wondrous beard didn't go anywhere, don't worry! As we experts now know, the initial encounter with an alien creates a static time bubble, which becomes your reality (until you escape). Once you enter, you are out of sync with those around you – locked in that moment, whereas everyone else outside the bubble is going about time normally, passing you by (the jerks). The innkeeper was in the other room when the alien (led, we presume, by his dog) snuck up behind you, so the old guy avoided getting sucked into your bubble with you (lucky old jerk).