Making your home a B&B might initially seem simple. After all, you wouldn’t need to implement the kind of large-scale infrastructure required by a major hotel. However, you could still inadvertently deceive yourself about how many changes you need put in place before opening that B&B.
Then there’s the question of running that B&B in a way that keeps visitors – and, thus, much-needed revenue – arriving in large numbers. Here are some tips and tricks particularly conducive to success.
Objectively assess your home’s suitability as a B&B
You might love your own home, but you need to be as objective as possible when judging whether it would make a good B&B. One way you could do this is, as advised by TripSavvy, sleeping in each room for a night. This can help you discern how different guests would feel when using your B&B.
In spending time in those rooms, you could notice nuisances – street noises, perhaps, or a poor view from some of the windows – that would trouble guests, but to which you have become immune.
Check the quality of the furnishings
Guests will take issue – in online reviews, for example – if your home’s furnishings have largely deteriorated in condition. Therefore, remember to thoroughly vet the condition of those furnishings.
So, do those pillows look good? Are the beds sagging – and, apparently, in need of new mattresses? Meanwhile, if the floor feels cold to the touch of your feet, you might want to cover some of that surface with a small rug. Little additions like this can go a pleasingly long way.
Allow for en-suite baths wherever possible
In B&Bs, it’s customary for guests to have a bath that is not only private but also en-suite – in other words, located where a guest can reach it without needing to go through a space shared with other guests. A bath can be private but not en-suite if it is based outside a guest’s room.
However, don’t worry too much if you can’t find a way to allocate a private bath to each room. Guests might not be concerned as long as a bathroom can still be shared adequately.
Take measures to rein in health or safety risks
It would definitely blight your B&B’s reputation if, due to slackening on the hygiene front, that establishment sees food poisoning break out. Fire is another risk to a B&B; therefore, remember to check what fire regulations apply wherever your B&B will be located.
If a fire does flare up at your B&B, this could cut your electricity and, thus, plunge the building into darkness. Saga provides advice for how you could implement emergency lighting beforehand.
Think about how you will promote the B&B
Once your home has been kitted out for use as a B&B, how can you draw people to it? There are various promotional channels open to you – and don’t overlook how much a channel manager from eviivo can help B&B owners to effectively utilise many of them.
Images: Pixabay and Kaboompics