Park Davis - The Complete Idiots Guide to Running a Bed & Breakfast

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Table of Contents

Publisher
Marie Butler-Knight
Product Manager
Phil Kitchel
Managing Editor
Jennifer Chisholm
Acquisitions Editor
Amy Zavatto
Development Editor
Doris Cross
Senior Production Editor
Christy Wagner
Copy Editor
Rachel Lopez
Illustrator
Jody Schaeffer
Cover Designers
Mike Freeland
Kevin Spear
Book Designers
Scott Cook and Amy Adams of DesignLab
Indexer
Amy Lawrence
Layout/Proofreading
Svetlana Dominguez
Daryl Kessler
Lizbeth Patterson

Foreword

You love to entertain. Arranging flowers, setting a lovely table, preparing mouth-watering meals are among your favorite activities. Being an inn-keeper would be the perfect way to make the most of these talents, right?

Youve taken an early retirement package from a Big Corporation and are ready to sell your house in the suburbs. Opening a bed and breakfast in the mountains would make the ideal change of pace, no?

Youre known as Mr. or Ms. Fixit. From leaky faucets to weird wiring, you can always get the job done. Stripping wallpaper and paint is a piece of cake. Who better than you to restore that ramshackle Queen Anne Victorian as an inn?

If you could answer yes to any of these or similar questions, and youve long dreamed of being a bed and breakfast inn-keeper, then this book is for you. Not only is it easy and fun to read, but its an excellent investment. If you decide to follow your dream, youll find its invaluable advice a great help. If you flunk the inn-keeper wannabe test in Chapter 1, youll be thankful that you purchased the book that saved your fantasy dream from becoming a reality nightmare.

Over the past 15 years, weve seen the bed and breakfast industry evolve from modest homestays where shared baths were the norm to todays sophisticated operations, where in-room whirlpool tubs, fireplaces, media centers, and telephone and Internet access are commonplace. Not long ago, not many Americans even knew what a B&B was, much less stayed in one. Today bed and breakfast inns are an accepted sector of the lodging industry, and are mentioned oftenand not just in adsin magazines, on radio and television, and in movies.

The widespread use of computers and the Internet has sparked the biggest change of all. Combining the high-touch world of innkeeping with the high-tech world of Web sites, online bookings, e-mail newsletters, and computerized property management software, is both a challenge and a tremendous opportunity; authors Park Davis and Susannah Craig do a great job of leading you through the maze of software and online options you now have open to you.

It used to take years to get listed in the best guidebooks; now it takes a month or two to be included in the top online directories. Inn-keepers who used to agonize endlessly about the expense of creating a lavish color brochure now can create an extensive Web site at a fraction of the cost, yet have thousands of additional readers. Print newsletters, which cost a small fortune to mail, can now be sent free via e-mail. All this informationand much moreis outlined by Park and Susannah, liberally salted with comments from experienced inn-keepers around the country, plus lots of helpful tips and thoughtful suggestions.

In addition to giving you all the technical savvy, hands-on practicalities and strategic planning advice, the authors never lose sight of the key quality that sets ordinary inns apart from the extraordinary onesthe inn-keepers themselves. These amazing folks can sense which guests need a little extra time and advice and which ones want only privacy. These inn-keepers have learned to create a gracious atmosphere where guests can be pampered, and they also know how and when to recharge their own batteries. Theyre able to keep their inn running smoothly, yet avoid having a long list of rules that would be more appropriate for a youth hostel than for a B&B. After you read this book, youll either be on your way to becoming just such an inn-keeper, or, if you decide not to quit your day job, were sure youll have a new appreciation for the challenging job of running a B&B.

Eric Goldreyer and Sandra W. Soule

Eric Goldreyer is the president of BedandBreakfast.com, which he founded in 1994. In a few short years Goldreyer has made BedandBreakfast.com the leading online publisher in the B&B industry, with information on more than 23,000 bed and breakfasts and inns throughout the United States and internationally. In 1999, Goldreyer formed a partnership with WorldRes, Inc., the leading online hotel distribution network connecting hotels to leisure travelers.

Sandy Soule published Americas first B&B guidebook in 1982. Shes gone on to write her own guidebook series, inaugurate the Internets first inn directory, establish her own Web site, and tour hundreds of B&Bs. At BedandBreakfast.com, Sandy writes the BedandBreakfast.com Report for consumers, the Innkeeper News for inn-keepers, and has led workshops at dozens of inn-keeping conferences.

Introduction

Its 8:45 A.M. Saturday morning. You slowly wake up to the sound of bluebirds and the warmth of summer sun. A few yawns, a good stretch, and thats all you need to start your Saturday, your day off. No work, no plans, a day all to your wait a minute, its 8:45 A.M.! You have guests waiting downstairs for an 8:30 A.M. breakfast. You have three rooms to get ready before 1:00 P.M., and seven loads of laundry to finish. Your housekeeper is still out sick. The phone rings. Its your great Aunt Thelma calling to say that she and Uncle Henry will stop by today, say around 1:00 P.M., dear?

Okay, you get the idea. Running a bed and breakfast is not all hearts and flowers. Our preceding scenario certainly is not meant to discourage you; instead, think of it as your B&B wake-up call. If youve stayed at a few B&Bs and have met owners who seemed calm and pleasant, you might have thought, Wow! What a dream job. I can do that! Youre rightwith a lot of hard work, some cash flow, and an endless pantry of perseverance, you can do this. Just remember, theres a lot more to this business than serving coffee, cake, and tea. The pleasant B&B owners youve met dont have it easy; theyre just doing their jobs right by keeping any behind-the-scenes mishaps from being visible to their guests.

Our goal in writing this book was to give you the real scoop on the small-time accommodation business. Opening a B&B is fast becoming the dream of many couples, retirees, small families, and singles. Whatever category you do or do not fit into, we wrote this book to help you fulfill that dreamand alert you to some of the possible nightmares you could have along the way. Weve tried our best to pack it with information that you cant get anywhere else. We petitioned dozens of real live B&B, inn, and guest house owners for their best advice and anecdotes so you could get a taste of the real thing.

Its important that you find out as much as you can about the B&B lifestyle before you take the plunge. If you havent stayed in many B&Bs, you have some homework ahead of you. Find a few spare weekends, some spare spending cash, and some B&Bs in areas youve never stayed in before (see a list of contributing B&B owners later in the Introduction and some Web sites that list B&Bs in Appendixes B and C). If you already know what type of B&B youre interested in opening (historical, ranch, seaside) try to stay at similar establishments. Take this book with you, along with your best observation skills. Make notes about everything you like and dont like. Ask the owner if he or she has some spare time to talk with you and share some experiences. If you have a not-so-great time, dont give up; try staying at another B&B.

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