Have any of you ever worked at, currently work at, owned, or currently own a bed and breakfast? Or at least stayed in one?

Stayed in them numerous times, both here and in Europe.

First, as a male, I must complain about the decor. All but one of the B&Bs I stayed at were all frilly, artificial Victorian construction, and the rooms were all overdone with cute little decorations that may have appeal to women, but were utterly off-putting to me. If I stay at a B&B I want to feel like that they want my demographic, not the cutesy gingerbread house type of person.

Rooms – all over the place. One in Wisconsin was huge. Others (California) were tiny. My two cents: the bigger the better.

VIEW is everything. One that I stayed at in Northern California had a view of the river channel going out to the ocean (Fort Bragg, CA). Great view, you could see all the boats. A different one, in Wisconsin, looked out on a large meadow with cows. (This was a farm B&B). One of the worst I stayed at was in Washington state – all I saw was the house next door.

Private bathrooms are nice to have, but not required.

Beds should be large enough for two adults. So many B&Bs have tiny little beds to be cute.

Finally, don’t skimp on breakfast. You’re selling yourself on charm and grace. Cornflakes do not fill the bill.

The biggest part of your project should NOT be “design of the space” and “amenities” and “cute food offerings” and the like.

Where you should spend the most time is on the business plan. What is your upfront investment cost to begin the venture? What assets do you bring to kick it off? What are your expected fixed and variable costs? What are your administrative and advertising costs? What about property and liability insurance issues and limits? What are B&B comps in the area worth? Where will your clients come from? What figure are you using for an occupancy rate to make a go of this? When do you you expect to reach break-even, and do you have adequate reserves of cash to maintain the venture until that point is reached? What are the seasonal variations in visits to such ventures in your area?

Your investors – assuming you will have some – will need answers to these kinds of questions (or at least a realization that you have considered them and have plans and backup plans in place to address all likely contingencies) before they put up money to even get the thing off the ground. If you’ll be depending on a mortgage for the facility in the first place, as well as additional investment for the B&B add-ons, then your lender has a lot of skin in the game. That person or entity will need assurance that the investment is not at serious risk, especially unconsidered risk.

In other words, spend more time working on the financials than on the cute stuff that you probably enjoy more. There will always be more ideas, more recipes to try, more sightseeing trips to offer your guests, and all of that. Everyone likes that. But if you’re not making enough money to make this a sustainable venture, then it all comes to naught and ends in tears.

You absolutely must focus on the financials above all else. Obviously, you can’t ignore your guests, shortchange or cheat them or chisel every nickel that you can out of them. But let’s take it for granted that you already have a mindset that wants to show your guests a great and pleasantly memorable time; you still need to make it work in terms of cash flow, return on investment and capital accumulation for future renovations, improvements, expansion, etc. And you and your staff need to earn acceptable salaries to maintain your own (and their) interest in going back to work every day.

When you take care of the finances, the rest has a chance to work itself out.

Without addressing those issues, this is not much more than an art project. It may have value as an art project – I like art, too! – but not as a business.

@CWOTUS I’m studying interior design though…

Okay, so it’s an art project. Never mind, then.

If it’s an interior design project then you might want to look at color schemes and color psychology. Certain color combinations can cause unrest in people. If it’s a bed and breakfast you’d want it to be a calming, nice, welcoming space (I would think) so calm colors, blues, greens, purples. same with the furniture, paintings/flowers/any decorations. You don’t want it all to be the same color scheme and boring, you do want it to be a bit of a variety. But you don’t want anything jolting. Don’t have to many flowers or paintings. Just enough to make it not boring.

I’ve stayed in them and had a friend who owned an 18 room one. I would say the biggest disadvantage to owning one is that you’re very tied down unless you can afford really responsible “innkeepers” in your place. The other disadvantage is that people feel they have the right to criticize everything and if you are sensitive, that can hurt (although that can be true in any business.)

As for the rest, cleanliness is primary, good decor (whatever that means to oneself), nice, clean private bathrooms – luxurious if possible, bathroom amenities such as luxury toiletries and fluffy towels, and a good breakfast. A good soaking tub in addition to a shower stall or in-tub shower head. A friendly face at the front desk is also expected – people stay in B&Bs partly for the human touch.

Gas fires, reading chairs and eaves and/or window seats add to the coziness that people seek.

Since you mention lighting, good overhead lighting in suitable decor with additional lamps is a must and often not found in hotel or inn settings.

The nicest B&B we stayed in was decorated in simple Shaker style and I loved it.,

I’ve never been to one but I know people who have and the biggest complaint I’ve heard is complaints about colors, furniture, and decorations being tacky/not making sense. I’m assuming if you are a senior you have software you are using but if you don’t Autodesk Homestyler on the computer is a free program that’s great for interior design. Maybe you could draw up an idea with colors and such and post it here. And it can be your way of getting drafts/feedback.

To answer your question more, having a bed and breakfast would have a lot of challenges. Because not only do you have to make it visually appealing right when the person walks through the door, to have a good first impression, you also have to have good hospitality, food, a clean space, and rooms that aren’t too small/cozy. It’s basically owning a mini-hotel.
If your project is only interior design you might not have to worry about all the besides the decor.

You definitely want to pick a theme and stick with it throughout the whole place. If it’s going to be a 50s style place, everything has to fall into that. Having a modern themed bathroom wouldn’t make sense in that.

I stayed in one small town B&B once. They hadn’t changed the bed sheets!

@SergeantQueen As an interior designer I have to worry about a lot more than just the decor…so many people think all we do is pick out paint colors and make things “look pretty” (that’s an interior decorator by the way, not designer), which I’m pretty sure is why @CWOTUS thinks this just an art project. We have to think about building codes, fire codes, egress (travel throughout the space), the appropriate types of finishes for the specific construction type of the building so in the event of a fire the people inside have at least more of a fighting chance to get out alive, the best place to put plumbing in order to avoid having too many plumbing walls, sun analysis to make sure we can take the best advantage of natural daylight in order to conserve as much energy as possible, the best type of lighting to use in a given space, and a lot more. Really sorry if this comes off as snappy, but interior design is way more than what HGTV makes it look like…

ooooh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware. I got the two confused, as you can tell. I can’t comment on most of that stuff.
Are you able to visit B&B houses? You don’t have to stay a night or spend money just check it out and compare. Maybe visit hotels too. They are basically larger scale B&Bs. I’m sure if you tour around a bit you can find things. Maybe do an interview with someone and see what they do for the plumbing, electricity, etc.

Lots of those things I would think you would need to talk to an owner of a place for. Because I’ve never asked/seen how places do plumbing or electricity. Plus, the way you worded your question it seemed to be specifically about decor and space, so you can understand my confusion.

Social areas in the main floor, for reading, TV watching (separate room) and a self-serve coffee area.

United States – I’ve stayed at B&Bs just a few times, and only when there were no hotel rooms available nearby. I didn’t enjoy the experience and prefer to avoid it.

Europe – I’ve been to numerous B&Bs and been very happy.

The difference? U.S. owners seem to force the quaint and charming ambience. As some other Jellies have mentioned, B&Bs can be overly decorated with cutesiness, giving the places a fake, theme-park feel. Also, the hosts often try too hard to be warm and welcoming and end up being intrusive.

Another difference? I’ve never stayed in a European B&B without en suite bathrooms. U.S. rooms are more hit-or-miss. A shared bathroom might not be a deal-breaker for some people, but I want my privacy.

@Love_my_doggie My experience has been the opposite. American B&Bs have had en suite bathrooms while many in England at least some years ago were more like tourist homes with shared bathrooms.

I have never stayed in a Bed and Breakfast, because I have certain ideas about privacy and private time that I think wouldn’t work very well in a B&B. If you could solve those problems, that would be useful.

I would not want to have to share a bathroom with any family members (who live at the residence) nor would I want to share a bathroom with any other guests.

I would not want to have to walk through the owner/family’s private areas to get to the bathroom, or to the dining area, or to go outside. If you could have a building in which these areas were separate, that would be a good idea.

I also would not want to be “put on a specific schedule” so it would be nice if breakfast could be served without everyone being specifically made to come down and eat if they don’t want to.

I would not care to participate in games or other activities with the host family, other than a nodding acquaintance at breakfast or while coming or going. I’m not there to socialize with the host family, any more than I would with the owner of a hotel.

I would be grateful if there was free high speed wifi.

It would be nice to have a large common room (that is kept very clean and comfortable and not part of the host family’s private area) for sitting, or having a cup of coffee, or watching TV. I don’t mind sharing that area with other guests, I just don’t want to feel like I am intruding on someone’s actual home. The host family’s private areas should be just that, private. It would be nice if the entrance to the B&B was in this area. I don’t want to have to walk through anyone’s private residence area.

I don’t care for cutsie decor. I would prefer clean, and simple, but I want to have enough towels (this is always a problem in every hotel I’ve ever stayed at, and the one time I stayed in a house from Air B&B.) Women most often need 2 towels, one for their body, and one for their hair. So 2 towels per person is a must. And a towel-style bathmat. No carpet-style bathmats. I always think those things are full of other people ick. The bathmat should be laundered as often as the towels.

I want to have some assurance that the sheets and blankets and bedspread are washed after (or during if that’s how it’s set up, like in a hotel) each guest’s stay (or before a guest arrives). The idea of re-using any unwashed bedspreads/duvets/blankets/pillow cases is horrifying to me, so if there is some type of nice little printed up card that mentions this, I would be grateful.

Also, I want the place (the bedroom, the bathroom, the dining room, and any common rooms) to be clean, clean, clean, and un-damaged. No fraying rugs, bent window shades, broken lamps, cords laying around in heaps etc.

For my own personal preference (regarding the food) I don’t need anything elaborate, but I would like at least one vegetarian (which could be vegan if that’s easier) option. Otherwise, it would defeat my whole purpose of staying there and eating there, because I am a vegetarian.

If the place is specifically catering to vegetarians and vegans (which for me, is not an issue as long as they have a vegetarian/vegan option) they should make all attempts to cook the meals on separate cookware, so as to not have any chance of cross contamination. This would only be necessary if the place was specifically catering to vegetarians and vegans. And the ingredients and menu should reflect this too. The ingredients should be made very clear. If you need more info about this particular issue, you can ask another Q about it, or you can PM me. Like I said, for me I just need one vegetarian option, but some folks who are looking for a vegetarian/vegan “experience” will need much more assurance.

It would be nice, if in the common area, there was a kitchenette that had a coffee maker, or place to make a cup of tea. Sometimes, people like to sit and have coffee or tea, outside of the regular “breakfast” time.

Another thing that would be useful, is to make sure there are enough electrical outlets, either in the bedroom, or in the common area. These days everyone has lots of stuff that needs to be charged.

And make sure there is lots of extra toilet paper.

Make it easy to contact the host if need be. The one time I stayed in a house (an Air B & B) that was very nice, we found out the first night (late at night) that the toilets didn’t have enough water pressure, so one of the toilets overflowed. We had no plunger, no towels to use to clean up the floor, and the owner, who was in another city, could not be contacted immediately. We ended up having to go out in the middle of the night, to a grocery store that was open 24 hours, to buy a plunger, and a million paper towels. That was not fun. So I guess what I am saying, is there needs to be contingency plans in place, before something like that happens. Someone needs to be a contact that can be reached immediately.

I want to know that upstairs bedrooms are safe, regarding having to get out in an emergency, such as a fire. There should be a fire ladder that is in a box, and it should have an easy way to attach (to wherever and whatever it needs to be attached to) and the host should go over that information before anyone gets settled in. I have one of those ladders in my own house. There should also be smoke alarms and CO2 alarms in every room. Those are mandatory in CA, but I don’t know if they are in other states. And those items should be inspected regularly to make sure they are functioning properly. And there should be fire extinguishers in every room, that are inspected regularly.

The food doesn’t need to be fancy, but it needs to be delicious, and fresh. There doesn’t need to be a lot of choices, but the choices should be items that most people will like. I’m not sure how the meals are planned in B&B’s, but there should be some sort of reasonable accommodations made if people have allergies (which you should ask about before people even arrive. Just ask when the reservation is being made, example: “Please let us know if you have any food allergies or preferences and we will we make every effort to accommodate you”) It would be very useful if the chef learned how to make certain dishes that are delicious for everybody (that also happen to be vegetarian, or gluten free or whatever) so that it is easier to accommodate multiple people, with one dish. The chefs should try out lots of recipes on “test audiences” to see what dishes work well. The chef should have a large repertoire of recipes to work with, although there really only needs to be a limited amount of dishes that are served at any one breakfast. It just makes it easier if the chef knows how to make things that fit multiple categories, and knows how to improvise if the need comes up.

@janbb Very interesting. I’ve stayed at B&Bs throughout France and the British Isles, all with private baths. They were more like conventional inns or small hotels, but with the added amenity of breakfast. Maybe I’ve just been lucky…

We have stayed in quite a few. I would say that what we look for most is not “charm” but how the place fits in with the rest of its environment. Does it blend in? Does it stand out like a sore thumb? Is the interior warm and welcoming no matter what the style. Does it match the rest of the home or is it just a money-making addition. I am not looking for something that reminds me of my home but something that says that I am on a journey of discovery.

The last one we stayed in was in the Queen Anne district in Seattle. Wonderful old multi level home built in the early 1900’s Stylish? Modern? No to both but clean and comfortable and obviously well cared for over the years. A nice garden in the back with tables for our use and a small front patio overlooking the docks and coast where we had breakfast.

Meals, try to add some local flavor. One of my kids favorites was in Scotland where, along with the full English breakfast we were treated to authentic Scottish porridge including a splash of the local Whisky. That and the homemade scones piled high with marmalade and butter made it very a very memorable experience.

Privacy between the guests and the owners is always a plus.

Much of our time is spent consulting maps and brochures and bus schedules so having a pleasant, well lit place to sit and spread out your trappings is a real pleasure.

Tubs are a welcome addition but most have showers and that is ok too.

Baggage is always a concern. It is nice to have somewhere to stash your stuff if you get there earlier than the proscribed check in time a big hall closet or under the stairs. And then when in the room, plenty of closets and drawers in which to empty your things.

@VirgoGirl826 it’s good to see that your project includes more than the “flash” of colors, fabrics, furniture choices and placement, etc. – that is, that this isn’t “just an art project”, and does include structural (i.e. building code and other design) considerations, capacity, fire codes, interior traffic patterns and the like. That’s helpful. (And it wasn’t clear from the question, so my apologies if I came off as dismissive; obviously you have considered more than the superficial appearance aspects of this.)

Since you’re looking at this with respect to more than just superficial considerations, then may I also suggest that you “look wider” than the building and lot themselves. That is, consider the neighborhood, nearby exterior traffic patterns (including aircraft and powerboat traffic, if those are likely considerations for the area), other noise sources, wildlife and other outside considerations (such as parking, shopping, restaurants and other activities, for example).

And “business considerations,” as I noted above with others, are paramount in any business venture.

I stayed at one in Jasper National park and the sheets were super soft and the bathroom had a sunlamp to dry off faster.

There is a show in the UK where B&B owners stay in each others places and rate them. It is actually a pretty good show and you could probably learn a lot from it. It is called Four in a Bed. They critique haaaard.

Some episodes can be found on youtube like this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s7e2qkvkCk

Send me a PM if you want access to hundreds more without the crap youtubers pull.

I’ve stayed at several over the decades. Now I try to avoid them. I’ve generally found them heavy on visual fussiness and low on comfort/function.

Give me the very best mattress you can afford, good lighting and clean everything. Simple furnishings with clean lines make me much happier than anything fussy. The same thing with the food. Good quality simple food will make me happier than fussy things done not quite right. Don’t make eggs benedict if you can’t make good sauces from scratch. Give me a really good boiled egg with good bread and fruit/yogurt before you bake some fancy thing that’s iffy.

Give me a perfect shower stall in a sharp clean bathroom with really good quality soaps and towels. Keep your curvy legged tub for someone who likes fussiness.

I really hate bedspreads. A good quality duvet with an often-cleaned / changed cover is much better.

@BellaB I agree. I would say a good, fluffed duvet beats a bedspread any day but I hate to make blanket statements like that.

@rojo… blanket statements. POOR!!!!

I’ve stayed a B&B in Kona, Hawaii. There were four suites on the second floor, one in each corner. There was a common area in the middle.
The manager’s living area was separate downstairs, the kitchen/dining area was on the first floor also. The manager was a vegetarian and cooked great vegetarian meals, she would make a lunch to go if you asked for one the day before. There was a lap pool and a hot tub on the front lanai overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
There was off street parking for 7 cars.

@rojo – groan!