Running a bed and breakfast may seem like the perfect career for some people. But owning a B&B is not a dream job, it’s a business that needs to be run professionally. If you are not a people person or dedicated to run a B&B 24/7, then you may end up feeling like you are in a nightmare instead of a nice pleasant dream. Here are some guidelines that can help you be a better innkeeper. Hopefully they will also help you make more profit too.
1. Before doing anything else, find out if you have what it takes to be an innkeeper. Someone who runs an inn should have an outgoing personality. Being friendly and upbeat is an important trait for a bed and breakfast owner. A good tip is to talk to other B&B owners and see what their life is like. If you like what you hear, then maybe you would enjoy running a bed and breakfast business.
2. If you will run an inn or own one, you will likely have to live on site. If you haven’t found a location for your inn yet, you might want to consider a place near a tourist spot. Other good places are near the fringe of a business district. Sometimes out-of-the-way places also get a good number of customers if you have something interesting to offer your guests, like a romantic setting or a very homey and quiet surroundings which some travelers prefer.
3. Before deciding on a location, get a copy of the zoning laws first. Some communities don’t allow B&Bs. If B&Bs are allowed, get a copy of the zoning laws and have a lawyer review them. Look for things that could negative effects on your business and if you find something that may restrict your operations, you may want to consider looking for another location.
4. Before you start running a bed and breakfast write a business plan that outlines your duties and things that need to be covered like budgeting, management, marketing, and construction. A business plan should contain everything that you will need to do and buy. Making a business plan is also beneficial if you need to borrow money from a bank or investors for capitalization.
5. Spy on the competition. You can do this by checking into your competition’s inn and pretending to be a customer. If you ask them straight out, they may not tell you everything. Of course, why would they want to give you their secrets if they know you will be competing with them? Find out what they do to attract more travelers into their inn. Observe what kind of promotional gimmicks they offer and try to do better in your own establishment.
6. Planning a marketing strategy is also a big part of running a bed and breakfast. Marketing will bring in more travelers into your inn and let you earn more. There are several ways to market a B&B like traditional advertising in the newspaper, listing in the yellow pages and more innovative strategies like putting up a website. Everyone these days will surf the net to find what they need, including out-of-town accommodations.
There are many tools and methods that can help you run a B&B profitably like subscribing to a reservation service agency, joining B&B associations is also beneficial. Running a bed and breakfast is hard work but can also be gratifying once you get things running smoothly and start earning a lot. Many successful B&B owners swear that it is the best business they can think of getting into. Get more tips from these people who have experience in making their B&B successful.