Bed and Breakfast Owners

Most of the bed and breakfasts across the country are housed in historical structures: the Victorian houses of Cape May, New Jersey; Brooklyn brownstones; a house in Illinois designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Many are furnished with antiques. As a result, bed and breakfast owners sometimes double as guides to their area's history and historic sites, but their primary work is attending to guests and maintaining the property.

As the name "bed and breakfast" suggests, a good homemade breakfast is an essential part of any inn stay. Most bed and breakfast owners start their day as early as 5 A.M. to begin preparing breakfast. After serving guests breakfast and cleaning up, there are business concerns to address, such as answering e-mail and text messages, calling prospective guests, and taking reservations. Once the guests have left their rooms, a bed and breakfast owner can clean the rooms and do some laundry. This may be followed by grocery shopping, bookkeeping work, preparing brochures for the mail or e-marketing, writing and publishing social media posts about their B&B, or other routine tasks. Among all the daily tasks, bed and breakfast owners must reserve some time to get to know their guests and make sure they're enjoying their stay. It's important to learn likes and dislikes, give them sightseeing suggestions, restaurant tips, and other helpful information. It is such close attention to detail that makes a bed and breakfast successful. The guests of bed and breakfasts are looking for more personal attention and warmer hospitality than they'd receive from a large hotel chain.

The owners of bed and breakfasts give up much of their privacy by allowing guests to stay in the rooms of their own homes, but they do have their houses to themselves from time to time. Some bed and breakfasts are only open during peak tourist season, and some are only open on weekends. And even those that are open year-round may often be without guests. For some owners, inconsistency in the business is not a problem; many bed and breakfasts are owned by couples and serve as a second income. While one person works at another job, the other person tends to the needs of the bed and breakfast.

There are different kinds of bed and breakfasts. A host home is considered a very small business with only a few rooms for rent. Because of its small size, the owner of a host home may not be required by law to license the business or to have government inspections. Without advertising or signs, these homes are referred to guests primarily through reservation service organizations. A bed and breakfast and bed and breakfast inn are classified as having 4 to 20 rooms (although some B&Bs have more rooms). Typical B&Bs usually have between 4 and 11 rooms, with the average being 6 rooms. They adhere to license, inspection, and zoning requirements and promote their businesses through their Web sites, social media, brochures, print ads, and signs. A country inn is considered a bit larger, with 10 or more rooms, and it may serve one meal in addition to breakfast.