Seven Vital Questions to Ask if You Want to Turn Your Home into a B&B

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The following guest post is by Susan Poole, B&B coach and innkeeper of an Ontario B&B.

This summer I was contacted by Martha Stewart Living Radio Morning Show to discuss what people needed to do in order to turn their home into a bed and breakfast.  Here are the questions I recommended that people ask themselves before they even start their journey.

1. Why do you want to own a bed and breakfast? 
If you are just seeking personal fulfillment, your approach is going to be very different than someone who is hoping to create a revenue stream using their home.

2. What the requirements are for legally using your property as a bed and breakfast?
There is no one-stop shop for finding out what the requirements are where you live, and there may be federal, state and local regulations that will apply – all the way from tax implications to health and safety (e.g. food handling) to zoning, sign permits, and parking issues.

3. What is going to attract people to your bed and breakfast? 
The bad news is that people don’t decide to go to stay at a B&B (unless it is a destination in and of itself) and then look for things to do; they find something they want to do, decide they want stay over and require accommodation, and then look for somewhere to stay. 

4. Who is your competition? 
If you want to be financially rewarded for your efforts, you need to find out if there is a need for another bed and breakfast in your area.  In addition, you need to look at the other accommodations; studies show that 80% of hotel guests say they never even considered the idea of staying in a B&B as an option.

5. Who do you want as your guest?
In May 2012, BedandBreakfast.com did a survey on travel trends impacting on B&Bs, and found that three quarters of guests are couples between the ages of 35 and 65.  Are these the people you pictured yourself serving in your bed and breakfast?

6.  Will you be able to offer the amenities that potential guests want?
From a summer 2012 traveler survey by BedandBreakfast.com*, B&B guests said the following amenities were either very important to them or they wouldn't book without them:
• 91% want private bathrooms and 71% free, on-site parking.  Do you have the space to be able to put in extra bathrooms and parking spaces?
• 60% expect free breakfast – are you prepared to deal with special diets?  Do you have consistent access to high quality foods and beverages?  Where and how are you going to seat your guests for breakfast?
• 38% demand free cable or satellite TV and WiFi a must-have these days.  The good news is that technology is constantly progressing, making it easier to provide these types of services at a lower cost.
• 57% want flexible check-ins. You need to qualify what a “late check-in" is, how much disruption it might cause to your personal life and schedule, as well as how it might disturb other guests.

7.  What are the financial implications of owning a bed and breakfast?
One of the key benefits of owning a bed and breakfast is the potential for tax write-offs and the ability to improve your property. However, you need to weigh that against the additional costs you will incur through investing in upgrades, increased utility and food bills, and property tax increases.

Making the decision to use your home as a bed and breakfast requires thought and research. Here are my recommendations for getting started:
• Visit your local municipal government to discuss what might be required
• Be realistic about your current property and its ability to provide the services and amenities bed and breakfast guests are looking for
• Talk to an experienced bed and breakfast owner who can give you insights on  additional things you need to consider, provide valuable contacts, and give you some ideas about your potential guests
• Do some rough math to figure out whether you can make enough money to make your feel adequately compensated for your efforts
• Find some courses put on by actual bed and breakfast owners to continue your exploration

Running a bed and breakfast in your home is a great lifestyle if you are prepared for the reality!

About the author:
Susan Poole, The B&B Coach is the owner of the award-winning 40 Bay Street Bed & Breakfast. Her 3 step system has been created to help people figure out if owning a bed and breakfast can produce the income and fulfillment then envision. After completing the "How to turn your passions into a thriving bed and breakfast business" system, people will know how much income they can create, how much work it will be and what the risks are for them.

*Survey in summer 2012 consisted of 992 traveler responses

Guest Post: The First Step Every Aspiring Bed and Breakfast Owner Needs to Take

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The following guest post is by Susan Poole, a B&B coach and innkeeper of 40 Bay Street Bed and Breakfast in Parry Sound, Ontario.

As a bed and breakfast owner for over seven years now, I have had a lot of guests sit around my breakfast table and tell me that they think they would like to own a bed and breakfast. 

As the discussions progress, one of the biggest things I’ve realized is that most people have no idea of what’s involved in owning a bed and breakfast.All they see are the fun parts – like getting to meet new people and having an appreciative audience to enjoy the cooking and decorating.  However, there is a lot more to owning a bed and breakfast than that!

To really understand what the pros and cons for you as an aspiring bed and breakfast owner might be, consider the following questions:

Do you have the personality to be a good bed and breakfast owner?

Having the right personality is one of the biggest success factors any bed and breakfast owner can have.If you read online reviews on sites like TripAdvisor or BedandBreakfast.com, you will see that a lot of reviews contain feedback about the B&B owners.Therefore, besides the usual cooking, decorating and meeting new people, you need to:

• Be flexible. Most people choose a bed and breakfast because they like the personal connections they make with the owner and other guests.Therefore, being able to provide that personalized attention in a timely and meaningful way to each guest is really important.

• Know and be able to maintain your boundaries.Personal boundaries are important as they protect you from allowing your guests to take advantage of you and your business.

• Learn new things.The world is constantly changing, which means bed and breakfast guests are, too.Different cultures, languages and foods, special diets and environmental sensitivities are all things that keep bed and breakfast owners on their toes.

Are you prepared to run your own business?

Successful bed and breakfast owners are also successful business owners.Like most new businesses, you need to understand:

• What is the marketplace like?Is there a need for another B&B in this area?

• It will take a while to build your brand and reputation.Are you willing to invest time and money to do that?

• Are you prepared to give up weekends and holidays to run your business?These are the most popular times for people to travel.

Are you prepared for the amount of work required?

When I started my bed and breakfast, everyone warned me how much work it would be.While attitude plays a big role in how you approach all the work that is required (for the first time in my life, someone is paying me to cook, clean and do laundry!) what I hadn’t realized was that most people don’t stay for that long. 

In order to stay on top of everything, I have a daily to-do list that includes 15 daily tasks that take 15 minutes or more to complete.  The tasks I spend the most time on are:

• Breakfast takes three hours from starting to prepare to finishing the clean-up
• Each bedroom and bathroom plus laundry takes one hour
• Ensuring that my rooms are booked requires takes up a lot of time (and must be done when the requests come in – not when I want to deal with them)

 In addition, I have a list of seven things that have to be done on a weekly basis that take me a minimum of two hours each.Tired yet?

Do you have the support you need to be able to run a bed and breakfast?

There is nothing a like owning a bed and breakfast that entwines your personal and business life together.If there are other people living in your house:

• What impacts will running a business in your home have on your family?

• How supportive are they of the idea of having a bed and breakfast?

• If you get sick, are they willing and/or able to pick up the workload?

Understanding what the pros and cons are while you are still at the aspiring bed and breakfast owner stage means that you will be aware of areas that you need to explore further.This information is also vital when planning your B&B – right from budgeting through to the layout of your property and the type of guests you want to attract.Doing your homework can save you a lot of money and heartache.

About the author: Susan Poole, The B&B Coach is the owner of the award winning 40 Bay Street Bed & Breakfast. Her three-step system has been created to help people figure out if owning a bed and breakfast can produce the income and fulfillment they envision. After completing the "How to turn your passions into a thriving bed and breakfast business" system, people will know how much income they can create, how much work it will be and what the risks are for them.