Make Your B&B Perfect for a Romantic Getaway

B&Bs are huge draws for coupes seeking romantic getaways, whether for Valentine's Day, an anniversary, or just a quiet escape from the kids. Want to appeal to these travelers? Offer these amenities and describe them on your BedandBreakfast.com listing and website to make sure your inn stands out as being ideal for couples.

• A lovely setting. Offer rooms with a porch or balcony offering views of the water, mountains, fields of flowers, or twinkling city lights down below.

• A quiet room. The roar of truck traffic is not conducive to a romantic escape, let alone a good night's sleep. Good sound-proofing is equally important; nothing is less romantic than listening to the couple in the adjacent room being intimate.

• Appealing decor. Handsome, uncluttered, distinctive furnishings, with a big, comfortable bed go a long way. A cozy fireplace and double Jacuzzi or soaking tub are definite enhancements.

• A private breakfast, served at their convenience. They may be interested in starting the day with breakfast in bed, or at a cozy table for two. Family-style breakfasts with lots of group interaction are not as conducive to intimacy.

• Adult atmosphere. Romantic travelers prefer unobtrusive innkeepers who respect their privacy, yet are available for questions. If your focus is on attracting couples on a romantic getaway, you may want to consider not allowing children; cranky toddlers and whiny kids are not what these travelers will want to hear.

• A romance package or add-ons. Packages can increase your revenue, and couples seeking romance often appreciate packages or add-on options such as cold champagne, fresh roses, handmade chocolates, bubble bath, or couples massages.

We suggest you explore the winners of our Top 10 Romantic Inns of 2013 award to see some examples of B&Bs that excel at this category.

Have you found any special ways to bring in couples seeking romance?

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A Blueprint for Buying an Established Bed And Breakfast

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

Ready to become an innkeeper? There are a number of advantages to buying an established inn rather than converting a home into a B&B:

• You have a revenue stream from already-booked guests right away
• You will have a good idea of the cash flow for the business
• You know what the operating costs of the business are
• The key systems are already in place to run the business
• Suppliers have already been sourced
• Most sellers will be glad to help you with some sort of training/support after the sale

However, there are some key steps for making sure you purchase the bed and breakfast that is going to suit you best, even before contacting an inn-broker. Here are my four steps to create the blueprint for your search.

Step 1: Understand year ideal bed and breakfast

The first step is to get very clear on the type of bed and breakfast you wish to purchase.

• Clarify what the perfect bed and breakfast would look like. Think about things like location, size, décor, the type of guest you would prefer, seasonal or year-round business, etc.
• Get very clear on the amount of revenue it needs to generate in order to maintain the lifestyle you envision having while owning the bed and breakfast.
• Get some sense of the personal financial investment you can make. Have discussions with your financial adviser and banker. Be prepared; they will try to talk you out of it and present the worst-case scenarios, but it is important food for thought.

Step 2: Narrow down the location

Now comes the time to narrow down your search area.

• The larger the area, the more opportunity for finding the best fit. It might be a city, region, or state/province, or even an area of the country you would like to be located in. Base the location on the “vision” you created above.
• What attractions, events, and activities does this area offer to draw people in?
• Compare the types of people who come to do those activities with the reasons your ideal guest would come--are they the same?

Step 3: Research and engage the services of an inn-broker. 

Many of these specialty real estate agents have owned bed and breakfasts themselves, so they have the knowledge to really understand the industry. I recommend you take the time to speak with several agents; it is important that you feel heard and understood and that they grasp what it is you are looking for. A lot of the time, that comes down to communication styles.

As you carry on with the next steps, it is important you keep your broker in the loop with the information you uncover during the next steps. Remember that it is important that you do the next steps, whether they think you should or not.

Step 4: Put the opportunities into perspective

Any purchase is going to come with trade-offs--it’s a fact of life. However, having a clear vision of your idea bed and breakfast combined with an understanding of the local marketplace will aid you in determining which trade-offs you are willing to make.

• Start researching the competition in the area so you can compare the property you are looking at against these other lodgings. This will help you understand the uniqueness of the property you are considering, whether there are under-served target markets in the area, and if the current room rates are appropriate.
• Once you have narrowed down your search to one or two properties, identify the opportunities that each property offers to increase revenue. This is essential, because lenders will want to see you can carry the additional costs of a mortgage or loan. It is also wise to check with the local municipality that you can actually implement your ideas (now or in the future).
• Have a serious discussion about the pros and cons of each property with the real estate agent so you can get a true feel from someone who has industry experience about how realistic your plan is.

Having a clear understanding of what type of property you need and can afford will save everyone a lot of time and effort. Engaging the services of an inn-broker will assist you in finding viable properties; quite often they know of lenders who understand this industry and are more sympathetic to your application than a regular bank may be. Doing your research for individual properties will provide you with the opportunity to understand the current marketplace and the trade-offs you need to make, as well as the opportunities to expand the business.

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.

Pictured: Cliffside Inn in Newport, RI

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How to Be a Good Host and Stand out From the Rest

As an innkeeper, nothing is more important than the happiness of your guests. But in order to get them in the door, you have to stand out from other B&Bs in your area. In our brand new video, learn how to capture the attention of potential guests and offer a unique experience they won't find elsewhere.

What do you think of our new video? Do you have any tips to add?

We recommend you also watch our new video for travelers that debunks the myths about B&Bs!

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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Survey Says: Traveler Winter Trends

Each fall, we survey travelers to learn about their winter travel plans. Here are the results of our survey of 2,451 travelers, which we think you might find interesting as an innkeeper!

When it comes to winter travel, three out of four travelers (75%) are planning one or more weekend getaways, while only 40 percent will take a week-long trip. Of those planning weekend getaways this winter, nearly three out of four seek value and affordable accommodations (72%) and plan to return to a destination they have visited previously (74%).

The top 10 winter destinations for bed and breakfast travelers who plan to travel between December and February include:

1. New York City
2. Boston
3. Charleston, SC
4. Chicago
5. Asheville
6. New Orleans
7. Key West, FL
8. Fredericksburg, TX
9. London
10. Washington, DC

For their winter travel, nearly half plan to stay in a bed and breakfast, with two out of three planning to stay in a different B&B for new experiences.  Three out of four (76%) say bed and breakfasts, which generally offer free breakfast, parking, WiFi, and other amenities, provide more value than hotels.

Looking back over the past year, the survey also found more than a quarter of travelers (27%) have stayed in more B&Bs this year than last. 

When asked about their most favorite part of the B&B experience, and 51% said it was being at a unique property with indivudally-decorated rooms. After that, 17% selected "staying with innkeepers that are local experts," 16% saidit's the homemade breakfasts, 9% said it's the great value, and 7% said it was the interaction with other guests.

Do any of these findings surprise you?

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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Submit Your Best Dish for Our Breakfast Tournament

It’s time to get ready for our second annual Best Breakfast Tournament! This Facebook contest launches on March 25 and works in brackets, just like college basketball’s March Madness.

How does it work?
Submit your best breakfast recipe, and our Facebook fans will vote on their favorite. They will be narrowed down in a bracket of sweet vs. savory until we have one winning recipe. The recipe must be for one dish, like a French toast dish--not a full plate with multiple dishes. Recipes will be judged on uniqueness, creativity, and appeal; we will factor in the recipe itself in addition to a photo of the dish.

Pictured is last year's winning dish, bittersweet chocolate waffles topped with mint buttercream and strawberry sauce from Lyttleton Inn in Littleton, MA.

What is the prize?
One lucky voter will win a $500 BedandBreakfast.com gift card, and the winning B&B will win bragging rights and publicity! Last year, we scored our winner and runner-up stories in several publications, including USA Today and Budget Travel.

This year’s guest judges are Anne Banas with Smarter Travel, Adrien Glover with Travel + Leisure, and Susannah Chen with YumSugar (and possibly another writer from a large publication), so we expect that the winner and possibly runner-up will also get great publicity this year.

How do you enter?

1)      Add your recipe on BedandBreakfast.com. To do this, first log in to your Home Base.

2)      Under the ‘Listing’ tab, select ‘Recipes.’ Then click ‘Add New Recipe.’

3)      Add the ingredients and steps. Our system currently only allows for five steps, so if your recipe has more steps than this, please combine some of them (we hope to have a better system next year!). It may not appear on the site immediately, so don’t worry if it takes a little time.

4)      Once added, please email Emily Gerson at EGerson@BedandBreakfast.com with this information to enter:     

a.       Your inn’s name and location

b.      The name of your recipe

c.       Whether your recipe is classified as sweet or savory

d.      At least one great photo of the dish; it must be well-lit and high-resolution since it will be presented on our Facebook page

The entry deadline is January 31, 2013. The BedandBreakfast.com marketing team will narrow the entries down to 32 finalists, and a group of guest judges will narrow it down to 16. Starting on March 25, our Facebook fans will vote on each bracket until we have a winner! We hope you will participate.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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How to Improve Your BedandBreakfast.com Listing

The appearance of your BedandBreakfast.com listing can make or break a potential reservation. It’s important to spend some time maximizing your listing so it’s attractive to travelers. We also encourage you to keep search engine optimization (SEO) best practices in mind as you create or edit your listing.

Here are some of our top tips for improving your listing and maximizing your SEO:

• Make your inn’s description as unique and personalized as possible. Your SEO can be penalized for using identical content on multiple websites, so please do not copy and paste a description from your website or listing on another site.

• When writing your listing, include detailed information about your property, such as your B&B’s unique features. You should also describe your location and attractions near you.

• Take advantage of all of your photo slots. Our surveys show that photos are extremely important to travelers in the booking process, so please use all of the slots that come with your membership.  Bronze members get one photo, Silver get 10, Gold get 15, and Platinum and BedandBreakfast.com Diamond Collection™ get 25. Ensure that they are high-quality and high-resolution; blurry, small, outdated, or poorly-lit photos are a major turn-off to potential guests. Please note that we can only feature B&Bs with excellent, high-resolution photos in our PR and marketing. For more info, read our list of 10 photo mistakes to avoid.

• Add unique captions to each of your photos so potential guests know what they are seeing. This can also help your listing’s SEO.

• Use keywords sparingly. We already optimize property pages for terms such as “{name of city} + bed and breakfast.”  Keyword stuffing is only going to hurt your property page, so please do not add many extra keywords like this to your listing.

• Post a Hot Deal, which is a free feature for Silver members and higher. This gives you the opportunity to list a weekly last-minute deal, which travelers can search on our site or subscribe to via email.

• Update your listing from time to time. Do you have any new seasonal photos to add? Have you added any new amenities? Did you win any awards or special recognition? Don’t forget to keep your listing updated.
 

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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Which Type of Aspiring Bed and Breakfast Owner Are You?

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

Over the years of working with many bed and breakfast owners, I have found that most owners fall under one of two categories. The first are the owners who run their bed and breakfast like a hobby; the others are people who want to own a bed and breakfast business.

Neither type is wrong, and typically, the reason both want to own a bed and breakfast tends to be the same--they love to meet new people, cook, and entertain. A guest staying at one or the other would not know the difference. It’s the outcomes at the end of the year that reveals the difference. A hobbyist owns a bed and breakfast because they love what they do; the other in order to make money doing something they love. 

To determine which type you want to be, ask yourself the following questions:
1. Have I/am I planning to discuss this idea with my financial adviser?
2. Have I/am I planning to make inquiries about accountants and the income tax implications of owning a business?
3. Have I/am I planning to speak to a lawyer about the options for setting up my business?
4. Do/will I have a business plan?

If you answered no and have no intentions of following up on those tasks, then I would respectfully suggest that you fall into the hobbyist category. You will reap the benefits of your bed and breakfast by the wonderful people that come your way, and may or may not break even financially at the end of the day, depending on the amount of money you choose to invest into marketing your B&B.

If you have answered yes to the majority of those questions, then you are definitely not a hobbyist. However, a word of warning: a business plan is essential for every business owner, whether you plan on seeking financing or not. A business plan is essentially a road map for how you will start and run your bed and breakfast for the first couple of years. It is also a marker for you to compare your original ideas with the reality of the marketplace, such as who your customer is and what that customer is looking for.

There are specific topics a bed and breakfast business plan contains:

•  Description of the bed and breakfast business, including a physical description of the property, number of rooms and long- and short-term goals for the business.
•  Products and services you will be offering. For instance, will you only be offering bed and breakfast? Are you planning to work with local partners to provide other services, such as a spa? Gift shop? Restaurant? Etc.
•  An overview of the industry. What are the trends for the bed and breakfast industry?  Try to create an understanding not just from the B&B point of view, but also who typically stays at B&Bs. What are travel trends that influence where and how people stay? Think national, state and regionally when collecting your data. BedandBreakfast.com conducts traveler surveys twice a year, and The Professional Association of Innkeepers International often has great data on trends.
•  The competition. Don’t limit yourself to just other B&Bs. Anywhere people can stay is potential competition for you. (As an example, the region where my B&B is located recently released a study that said 52% of visitors to the area stayed in campgrounds and/or RVs).
•  A marketing plan. This will not only help in getting the word out about your bed and breakfast, but it will help you create your budget, provide an understanding of how technology will impact on how you market your business, and serve as a tool to monitor where your investments in marketing pay off the most in the future.
•  Information about the owners/management. Figure out all the skills, talents and expertise you have to offer your business. Are there things you’re lacking?  Is it something you can learn? Is it something you will have to hire someone to do for you? Again, not only will it help you plan your budget, but help you determine how vulnerable your bed and breakfast might be from a business point of view.
•  What are the issues that could impact the business? Think not only internally, i.e. if you get sick or if something breaks, but also externally. There are always things that you can prepare for, but may not be able to influence, like the weather, gas prices, or the economy.
•  A risk analysis. The most common analysis is called a SWOT: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Strengths and weaknesses tend to reflect the internal workings of the business, while opportunities and threats are from the outside of the business.  This exercise is great in helping you identify the issues that may impact on your business.
•  The implementation plan, which is commonly overlooked.  However, having your implementation plan in writing helps you to stay on track and keep to your timeline. It is also a great tool to use when planning your budget, as it identifies what expenditures you will be making and when.
•  The financial plan is the most crucial component of your bed and breakfast business plan.  It typically contains a balance sheet (your net worth), a projected annualized profit and loss statement, and three years worth of monthly cash flow statements.  Cash flow statements show when monies are coming in and being spent. Since most B&Bs have cyclical income, cash flows are the key to making sure your business stays afloat in the first few years.  

Creating a business is a lot of work, but will pay off in the long run.  It increases you chances of success by:
•  Identifying potential risks that may occur
•  Organizing budgets and timelines to keep you on track
•  Getting an excellent understanding of how to manage your money

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.

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Three Fundamental Factors Aspiring Innkeepers Need to Consider when Choosing a Property

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

It took me three years to find the right property for my bed and breakfast.  Why so long? Not only did I need to find right property in the right location for the right price, but it also had to meet my business criteria. 

Here are three fundamental factors I strongly recommend you consider when viewing properties.

1.  Is the property large enough to meet all your needs? 

In their excitement, many people overlook the fact that the property they are considering is expected to be both their home and their business. It is essential to not only have a dedicated space for yourself, but one that you enjoy and are comfortable in.  To determine space you need for your own living quarters, ask yourself:

• How many people will be living in the owner’s quarters on a regular basis?
• Will you need additional space to be able to accommodate visiting family or friends, or will you give up revenue from the B&B portion to accommodate them?
• How many bedrooms do you need?
• How many bathrooms do you need?
• Where will you eat your meals?
• How much “family” living space do you require? (Think indoors and out.)
• What renovations/re-configurations, sound-proofing etc. will be required to this property to meet your personal and business needs?

Once you eliminate your personal space, does it leave you enough space to have the number of bed and breakfast bedrooms you budgeted for?

2.  Is the property zoned in such a way that it can be used as a bed and breakfast?

Zoning varies depending on your location and the type of establishment you wish to run.  Zoning typically covers anything that pertains to land use; it is a by-law and in some cases can be amended or changed.  For example, on the street I am located on (in a seasonal tourist town) there are a variety of zoning types:

• commercial use
• residential use only
• home-based business (requires the owner to live on the property)
• seasonal business usage (may or may not require the owner to live on the property)

Needless to say, the type of zoning will also affect your tax rate.

 Don’t take anyone’s word that the property is zoned for a B&B – insist on proof.  If you wish to make changes in order to use the property as a B&B, find out what the requirements are ahead of time.  The process to change the zoning can be a lengthy and expensive one – in the small town where I am located, if everything goes smoothly it can take a minimum of three months for a zoning by-law amendment, and there is no guarantee that you will get the amendment you need.

3.  What else is required to make your bed and breakfast “legal”?

As with zoning, depending on where you are located, there may be requirements at the federal/national, provincial/state, regional/county and local levels.  These can include permits, licenses, certificates and other regulations.

Typical requirements can include:

• Business registration and licensing
• Permits (signs, serving and selling alcohol, building if you are making changes to the property)
• Taxation numbers
• Training and certification (smart serve, food handling)
• Inspections (fire, health & safety, B&B standards)

The list can be fairly lengthy, or it may not be an issue at all! My recommendation is to speak with local bed and breakfast owners – someone who has been through it and knows the local situation – to be able to determine what it can be like trying to own a bed and breakfast in the area you are considering.  Listen to their stories and advice and weigh all that information against your dreams and desires.

Then, in order to make sure you have everything covered and positioned properly to meet your goals for owning a bed and breakfast, both long and short term, it is well worth the money to speak with a knowledgeable lawyer and accountant.

While making sure that the appropriate amount of space and compliance that is required for zoning, permits, and regulations may not seem fun, these factors will ensure that once you open for business you won’t have any sudden surprises that can close your bed and breakfast down. 

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.

Pictured: Chambered Nautilus Bed and Breakfast in Seattle, WA

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Earn Extra Income: Sell Gift Cards!

Did you know we offer 20% commission to affiliates who sell our gift cards? When you sell BedandBreakfast.com gift cards on your website, we will give you 20% back with no work required from you!

If a guest uses the gift card at your property, the cost of accepting them is offset for you. If they use it at another inn, you just keep 20% commission! You don’t have to do any fulfillment work, and these cards are valuable to travelers since they can be used at over 4,000 inns.

How do you sign up?
We use Commission Junction as our affiliate program. To sign up, go to this link. Become a publisher in Commission Junction and provide us with your Commission Junction “PID” by emailing publishers@BedandBreakfast.com so we can give you the 20% rate.

Your commission is automatically deposited into the account you indicate in the affiliate program.

Will I really earn money?
Yes, you really will earn passive income! Here is a testimonial from an innkeeper in Colorado who became an affiliate less than three weeks ago and has already made over $500 in commissions. All he did was add a small banner ad to his homepage (screenshot below).

“Hosting the graphic banner on the webpage is the key. However, we are very vocal with our guests about purchasing gift cards and in fact mention it to everyone when they arrive and leave. We also have placards in the room and gift shop reminding guests to purchase a gift card. Occasionally we will include gift card ‘lingo’ in a reservation confirmation or invitation.”

Here are some of the banners available:

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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How to Cook Efficiently for a Large Group

The following guest post is by Andrea Hundley, a B&B owner and blogger at bedandbreakfastbusiness.org.

If you are like me, there are several weekends a year that I know I’m going to have a big crowd for breakfast.  The trick on these days is to make something that is:  1) delicious, 2) easy, 3) can be prepared mostly ahead of time and 4) inexpensive.

Inexpensive
I’m going to start with the last criteria first: inexpensive.  Unlike a lot of B&Bs, I almost never serve a continental breakfast.  I have found that when I do, people ALWAYS put more on their plate than they will eat, and I end up having to prepare twice as much food.  I also find that more is wasted because you don’t want your serving table to look empty.  I serve a plated breakfast.  I always offer seconds, but I have found over the years that there is much less food thrown in the trash with a plated meal. 

I’ve also found that the more choices people have on a continental breakfast, the more people I get who ask, “Do you have any of this?” which is always something that I don’t have. For example, I serve a continental breakfast with four choices including scones, yogurt, homemade granola, fresh fruit.  Inevitably when I do this I have someone ask for something they don’t see, like bagels. They are much less likely to ask this if they see you passing out plates of french toast, bacon, and fresh fruit where everyone is getting the same thing.   

Easy
For large groups, it is even more important to make something that is pretty easy to prepare, because you will almost always have an audience (unless your kitchen is off limits).  You will want to make it something that you can prepare without thinking and something that is well-tested in your kitchen. Have you ever made something that turned out just so-so?  You don’t want this to happen when you have ten potential reviewers sitting at the table. 

Can Be Made Ahead
I like to prepare main dishes that can be made ahead of time. This gives me time to spend the morning of setting up the coffee, cutting fresh fruit, and cooking the meat. I normally use one of my go-to stratas or baked French toast recipes. I have four to five that I have made countless times, and I know they are good because people have asked for the recipe. These can be made the night before and baked in the morning. This takes a lot of the pressure off of cooking for a large group and gives you time to visit with guests without feeling the stress of getting the food out. 

Delicious
Last but not least, it has to be something delicious enough that it has mass appeal.  This is a matter of opinion, BUT these are the breakfasts that have worked for me:

•    Crème Brulee French toast, bacon, broiled grape fruit (which is a surprising hit every time).
•    Mexican strata with roasted turkey, corn, green chili and cheese.  I serve this with cinnamon rolls and fruit
•    Stuffed french toast (stuffed with cream cheese and marmalade), sausage and fruit
•    Quiche. I like caramelized onions and cheese. I usually serve this with a sweet bread like pumpkin or lemon bread and a meat.  Quiche is nice because it can be held well in a warm oven.

I have not had as much luck with serving pancakes to large groups, but a baked French toast is ideal. 

If you have ideas about how to serve a big group, we would love to hear them!

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