Starting a Bed and Breakfast and Types of Bed and Breakfast Operations

Are you thinking of starting a Bed and Breakfast? Opening your home to travelers from all over the world broadens your cultural horizons, provides a useful and sought-after service, and can generate some additional income.During an economic down-turn vacationers are naturally more cost-conscious. Often they attempt to save money in their vacation-budget by moving funds from the “Lodging” column to the “Attractions” column. In other words, some would prefer to spend dollars on seeing the sights and eating well rather than on a big fancy hotel. Staying in a bed and breakfast is one economical way to meet those objectives.Bed and breakfast establishments have their roots in early times, mostly in the countryside locations where the tired traveler either could not afford to stay in a public inn, or found that they were too far away. Families would take in a weary traveler to use their spare room often sharing a common bath. The next morning they were served a family breakfast, and the fee would be nominal.In the last several decades bed and breakfast establishments have become increasingly popular in North America, particularly in the United States. Many start up because B&B hosts see an opportunity to accommodate the aforementioned tourist who is looking to save money on lodging during an economic down-turn. And some traveler-surveys indicate that the tourist is also looking for the home-atmosphere, which is especially congenial to a stranger visiting from another country.Here are a few distinctions between types of B&B:The Bed and Breakfast Inn
Open to the public
Has outside sign
Often has more than ten bedrooms
Depending on size can require a staff to operate
Licensed by the state
Usually required to meet health department standards
Adheres to state and local fire regulations
Operation requires diverse strategies to maintain maximum occupancyPrivate Home Bed & Breakfasts
Often located in residential zoned areas
Has one to five bedrooms
Usually no sign out front
Usually belongs to a reservation-service
Small web-development/advertising budget
Personality and warmth of host is key to repeat-business
Usually few, or no staff, other than the hostIf you are considering operating a bed and breakfast in your home there are vast resources online to help you get started. Bed and breakfast books on the subject range from step-by-step business-guides to full-narratives about the host-experience. Read everything you can get your hands on before making the leap. Remember that while operating a B&B is a lot of fun, and you are certain to make life-long friends from all over the world, you still need to run it like a business.