Nov
19
2012
Aspiring innkeepers // Feature Articles

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

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

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Nov
12
2012
Feature Articles

Facebook Marketing Basics for Your B&B

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

You can’t turn around these days without someone talking about “social marketing.”  This can mean lots of different things, but without a doubt one of those is Facebook.  If you are going to use social media to market your B&B, you need to build a fan page for your business.  A fan page is a Facebook identity that is not linked to your personal information. You want your business to be separate from yourself because that way when you post personal information, you don’t need to worry about all of your customers seeing it. 

When I was doing my research for this post, I found several different resources that I list at the end of this post for more information. The page itself is pretty easy to create. You go to this location to start.  Make sure to put in photos, contact information and videos if you have them.

The tricky thing is that you can spend a lot of time building your fan page, but unless you have followers, no one will see it.  You need people to become fans in order to be able to communicate with them, which is your primary goal.  Getting people to follow your fan page is all about spreading the word.  I like to do this when I send a review request. You can ask people to write a review and in the same email ask them to follow you on Facebook to see special offers.  It is also critical to put a Facebook “like” button on your web site so it will make it easy for your customers to like you without sending them an email. 

For help on how to make a successful fan page, let’s take a look at a few B&Bs that have done just that.  I find this helpful myself because it seems like a daunting task but if you have an example to follow it makes the idea easier:

 

These B&Bs post pictures about what is happening in their area and about events that are coming up.  Another idea is to post deals that only your fans can see, which gives them an incentive to keep following you and spread the word to their friends.  You can also generate videos and post those to your wall.  Too much communication and your fans will stop following you, so I believe it is a good idea to post in moderation.   

You’ll need to make Facebook a regular commitment to be successful.  Set aside time once a week to post something and try to generate fans.

You might notice when you look at other fan pages that they don’t look like the one you created.  That’s because you can customize the page within Facebook.  There are people who can do this for you or resources you can use to do this yourself if you are unhappy with the way your page looks. 
 
Facebook advertising is another aspect that I haven’t touched on.  Facebook has click ads that appear on the right side of the screen.  I had a firm that contacted me to build my fan page and run click ads.  I tried this out for two months and I didn’t get a single reservation.  My initial reaction is that people don’t like to see ads on Facebook and that while it takes longer and is more painful, it is better to build a fan page slowly and with real fans than to try and do it with ads.  If you have had other experience please post a comment to this blog, I’d love to hear from B&Bs who have had more success. 

Resources to check into:


If you are looking for other marketing ideas please visit our website, or if you have more questions about Facebook marketing, email me at info@bedandbreakfastbusiness.org.

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Nov
9
2012
General

Announcing our 2012 Best of BedandBreakfast.com Award Winners

Yesterday, we announced the winners of our eighth annual Best of BedandBreakfast.com awards! These awards recognized 30 of the top guest-reviewed inns around the world; 10 in the U.S., 10 in Canada, and 10 internationally. They were selected through an analysis of the quantity and quality of the traveler reviews received in the past year. We chose inns that had a nearly perfect overall rating and over-the-top traveler reviews that showcase why the inn is so special.

With only 30 awards, many top-notch B&Bs that weren't able to be recognized. This is why we do monthly awards, which give other inns the opportunity to be in the spotlight. Check out our publicity opportunities page to see the upcoming awards and information on how to contact us if you think you might qualify for the topic.

Top 10 B&Bs in the United States

Top 10 B&Bs in Canada

Top 10 International B&Bs


By Emily Starbuck Crone

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Oct
31
2012
Aspiring innkeepers // Feature Articles

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

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.

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Oct
26
2012
Feature Articles // Media

How Do You Know if a Travel Writer is Legitimate?

Many inns are approached by travel writers and bloggers who want a free stay in exchange for writing about the property. But how can you know if the person is a serious writer or someone just wants to score a free trip?

Here are a number of steps you can take to determine if a travel writer is legit:

1. Check on the writer's credentials via a Google search. Your CVB or chamber of commerce may be members of a travel writer's association and can check to see if a writer is credentialed. If possible, sign up to provide lodging for visiting writers whose credentials have been established.
2. Ask the writer for a letter of assignment from the publication they claim to represent.
3. Ask for copies of previous articles or clips.
4. Ask when the story will be published.
5. Most importantly, ask if your property will be included in the story and how. Be sure to mention that your phone number and/or website should be included.

Other important things to know:

Stuff happens: Sometimes a writer will research and write a story, it’s accepted for publication, and then it gets canceled or postponed due to breaking news or budgetary concerns. Even to the writer, this is a huge disappointment. Please understand that there is no guarantee that if you host a writer the story will definitely appear. Circumstances out of the control of the writer can occur to preclude the story from appearing.

Media policy: Establish a media policy that you can fall back on when questionable requests are received. For example, decide that a writer may bring only one guest and rooms will not be available to travel writers during peak times. You can always make exceptions, but it will give you a baseline to work from.

Comps: We encourage you to offer free rooms to legitimate travel writers on a space available basis. Although paying guests are always the top priority, putting a travel writer in a room that would otherwise go unsold is a risk-free way to get publicity. Only a tiny number of writers are prohibited from accepting comps, and they won’t be insulted by your invitation. Professional travel writers will never ask for the whole inn, and will usually be flexible about staying when you have openings. Only a handful of writers have expense accounts that enable them to travel anonymously – they are prohibited by company policy from accepting free or discounted rooms. Best to remember this advice from Monty Turner (Run of the River, Leavenworth, WA): “Treat all guests like travel writers; treat all travel writers like guests.” If you can't take the financial hit, consider offering a discounted media rate instead.

Rule of thumb: If you have an available room that you’re unlikely to sell, host a travel writer. While nothing may come of it, many times a story will eventually appear that will feature your inn.

Updated by Emily Starbuck Crone

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Oct
18
2012
Media

Seeking Festive Holiday B&Bs

Last year, we gave a monthly award recognizing 10 B&Bs with the most extravagant holiday decorations, special meals, and festive holiday events. We're going to do this again next year, and we are ready for nominations for 10 new winning inns!

The winning B&Bs get featured on our website, in emails to travelers, on social media, and in our pitches to the media.

If you think your inn might qualify, please email our Marketing Communications Manager, Emily Gerson, and explain what you do at your inn that makes it special for the holidays. View our list of the top holiday B&Bs from last year to get an idea of what you're looking for.

Pictured: One of last year's winners, South Court Inn in Luray, Virginia.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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Sep
26
2012
Feature Articles

How to Accommodate Business Travelers

Jetting here and there on business may sound glamorous to those with jobs that don't involve travel, but weary road warriors often disagree. Motel and hotel rooms can be so much like the other that it’s hard to tell if you're in Atlanta or Albuquerque, Boston or Boise, Charlotte or Chicago.

Business travel extends far beyond the major cities; innkeepers in hundreds of small towns go out of their way to host the sales people, engineers, government workers and others whose jobs take them across the America, combining welcoming hospitality and the comforts of home with the modern conveniences travelers require.

How can you cater to business travelers seeking accommodations with more personality? Offer the following amenities:

1. Flexible cancellation policy
2. Acceptance of all major credit cards
3. Special midweek rates for business travelers
4. Free Wi-Fi
5. In-room telephone with free local calls/data port with fax machine availability
6. Well-lit, in-room table or desk with appropriate seating
7. Well-lit private bathroom with hair dryer
8. Flexibility on late check-ins
9. Early and/or healthy breakfast options; private table if preferred
10. In-room television
11. Real-time online reservations or availability calendars

Another way to add value is to offer concierge services such as laundry, errands, weekend luggage storage, and gift certificates to return on pleasure trips.

Additionally, a past study commissioned by Travelocity revealed that comfortable bedding tops the list of amenities that matter most to business travelers.

If you offer these amenities, be sure to write about them on your BedandBreakfast.com listing and personal website and emphasize that your inn is great for business travelers.

Updated by Emily Starbuck Crone

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Sep
12
2012
Speak Out

Members Speak Out: Do You Host Weddings?

This month's question comes from an innkeeper who would love to hear how other innkeepers make weddings work.

The question:
Do you host wedding ceremonies or receptions at your B&B? Many B&Bs offer this, but there is little information on how B&Bs can provide a unique and intimate venue for weddings and receptions.

Speak out by leaving a comment below, and be sure to mention your inn's name. We'll give you $50 in free Featured Property credit simply for answering by the end of September! The deposit is usually made within one week.

Pictured is a wedding ceremony at The Lakehouse Inn in Geneva on the Lake, Ohio.

By Emily Starbuck Crone

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An article by Admin 31 Comments
Aug
31
2012
Feature Articles

Marketing Tips: How to Get More Reservations

Here are some key steps that can easily, affordably, and effectively increase your reservations. Best of all, they are free or don’t cost you anything unless they put heads in your beds.

Online reservations: If you don’t have online reservations on your own website and don’t use BedandBreakfast.com Online Reservations, you are losing out on approximately half of your potential reservations. If you’ve been thinking about adding the RezOvation Booking Engine to your website, and/or signing up for BedandBreakfast.com Online Reservations, there’s no better time than right now. You don't pay anything unless we get you a reservation.

Reviews: When dollars are tight, travelers want to be sure that they are picking an inn they’ll love. Study after study demonstrates that the way they do this is through reviews, and traffic patterns on BedandBreakfast.com confirm it. Email past guests to thank them for staying with you, then encourage them to return and to post a review. Be sure to give them the link to your review page on BedandBreakfast.com, and to distribute the review reminder business cards and postcards; contact us if you need more at Support@BedandBreakfast.com or 800-GO-B-AND-B.

Gift cards: BedandBreakfast.com gift cards are an incredibly popular present for weddings, anniversaries, and so much more. You get great extra exposure, and you pay a commission only when you get a reservation, and only on the amount of the gift card. If you don’t already accept them, log in to your Home Base and hover over Cards/Certificates in the top menu.

Photos: If you can afford to hire a pro who’s an expert at shooting B&Bs, we strongly encourage you to do so. Our surveys show that photos are extremely important to travelers, and you will see the ROI almost as soon as the photos go live on your website and on your BedandBreakfast.com listing. Can’t afford that right now? Read our photography article for great advice on improving your own shots, then add them to your website and your BedandBreakfast.com listing ASAP. Don’t forget that your membership includes 10 photos at the Silver level, 15 at Gold, and 25 at Platinum, plus a free video!

Recession-proof your marketing: Incorporate these themes into “affordable luxury” messaging on your website, in your emails, and in your publicity:

* Isn’t it time you were spoiled rotten? No beds to make, no dishes to wash, no laundry to fold, just kick back on a porch rocker, and we’ll bring you homemade iced tea.

* Isn’t it time you had a personal concierge? Want dinner and/or theater reservations? Advice on the best boutiques, antique shops, flea markets? Need help planning a bike ride, picnic hike, float trip, or a tour of local wineries/cheese makers/micro-breweries? Just ask your innkeeper!

* Isn’t it time you spent your limited vacation days on vacation instead of in transit? A great B&B getaway may be just a one-tank trip away, so you can measure your travel time in hours, not days, and save money on airfare and car rental to boot! Use the money you save on transportation to splurge on a gorgeous guest room with a double whirlpool tub, fireplace, and more.

* Isn’t it time you spent a night, not a fortune? B&Bs offer affordable luxury, where you’re not nickel-and-dimed for every little thing, and extras like soft drinks, snacks, and Wi-Fi are included in the reasonable rates.

Updated by Emily Starbuck Crone

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An article by Admin 1 Comment
Aug
27
2012
Feature Articles

Groupon-type Deals Can Work for Your B&B

The following is a guest post from Andrea Hudley (pictured right), the innkeeper at Bailey's Uptown Inn in Dallas, Texas and a B&B marketing expert. Thanks for sharing your tips, Andrea!

Have you been receiving lots of calls from Groupon, Living Social or Google Offers? They have gotten a lot of bad press from small businesses which can make you think twice, but they reach a huge audience of people that might not even know you exist. 

My name is Andrea, and I’ve owned a B&B in Dallas for 9 years. I also have a website that helps B&B owners learn to market their own B&B, bedandbreakfastbusiness.org. I have worked with Groupon and Living Social three times in the past year, and it has generated $38k of incremental revenue for me. I think it CAN work for bed and breakfasts if you follow some important rules. 

1) Always add something to the deal to increase the “value” of the deal. This increases the amount you make from each coupon. For example, wine and chocolates in the room for $70, flowers for $50, breakfast in bed for $40. By adding something to the price you increase how much you make on each coupon.  I added wine and chocolates, my cost was about $7 but the “value” was $70. 

2) Always limit the number of rooms that can be booked with the coupon.  I have five rooms and I limited the deal to two to three rooms. That way I wasn’t full every weekend with discount people, but I was full.  If you have empty rooms you can always allow them to book the other rooms, too. 

3) Run the deal when you are slow. Most people stay within 90 days. I ran one in January, which is normally slow, and another in June because the summer is slow. 

4) Be sure to block out popular weekends or weeks around popular holidays like Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve.

5) Be sure to be by the phone for the week that the deal is going. You will get a lot of phone calls from people wanting to check dates before they buy one.

6) If you don’t have housekeeping help, you can make the deal for two nights only. This may reduce the total number you sell but it will eliminate one-night stays if you have problems keeping up. 

7) Make them pay the credit card processing fee. They will do that and it saves you another 3%. 

8) Collect the taxes. Unfortunately, it is the B&B’s responsibility to collect and pay the taxes.   

Let me explain how the deals work. They are usually available for people to buy for one week. There are a number of different payment options they offer. I like the one that paid 50% up-front and 50% 60 days later. If you run a deal that is $200 face value, you will collect $65-$70.  The customer gets 50% off, Groupon gets 30% and you get the rest. My deal was $289 and I made over $100 per coupon. 

If you are looking for other marketing ideas please visit our website, or if you have more questions about how these deals work, email me at info@bedandbreakfastbusiness.org.

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Welcome

Welcome to Innkeeper News from BedandBreakfast.com, the most comprehensive global directory of B&Bs. Please email our marketing team if you have suggestions for content.

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