How Big is too big for One person?

[Samster]

What does busy mean - 35% occupancy, 50% occupancy - 100% for three months then 10% the rest of the year?
I can't imagine doing more than 2 or 3 with anything approaching 50% occupancy. Maybe more when I was in my prime but not in my current lack-of-physical-fitness..

Yeh, someone must be real young out there to do 6-8 solo.
.

Yeh, someone must be real young out there to do 6-8 solo.

I don't know - to do 6-8 you'd have to have a lot of linens and stock so you would not have to do any laundry on turning rooms - how would you physically change 6-8 rooms if they all check out and in on the same day? Our rooms are new and easy to clean, but we take at least 45 minutes to and hour to turn them.
So you feed them breakfast - and they don't all come on time - so you are stuck with them and in the kitchen until at least 10am (breakfast is served at 8:30 and you have the ones that waltz in around 9:45 to eat... unless you are strict about "after 9:30 we leave out continental breakfast")
So then if you have them all pay at checkin you don't have to worry about checkout, but you can't get into any of the rooms until check out time which is about 11am. And you leave the rooms that check out late until the last to turn (my latest so far was about 11:30)
Then with 6-8 rooms you are looking at around 6-8 hours. This gives you until 6pm at the earliest. How are you going to eat lunch and turn the rooms and be clean and cheerful to check them in when they arrive at 4pm, when you have not yet turned all the rooms? And have them register and give them directions and restaurant advice?
I don't think any one person alone can do 6-8 rooms without any help. They need a cleaning person. Ask SS!
RIki
.

45 minutes to an hour to turn a room?!?

What makes it take so long?
.

45 minutes to an hour to turn a room?!?

What makes it take so long?

Per room
400 square feet to vaccum and clean wood floors
King bed to make
whirlpool tub for two. Run the cleaning system for something like 10 minutes and then cleaning the tub
Spa shower all glass to clean and be sure to get all the hairs out
Rugs to vaccum
Wine fridge to fill with sparkling wine, sodas and water
Chocolates to put out
Flowers in room
clean drinking glasses and wine glasses and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
We are maybe more cleaning conscious with two large rooms than we will be when we have five. But we are only two years into this and may be slow.
But if you can whip a big room even in half an hour, 6 - 8 rooms after breakfast and check out will still have you cleaning until at least 4pm for 6 rooms, so longer for 8, so I still don't see one person running an inn by themselves that size.
RIki
.

Plus, cleaning your bathroom floor, dusting, cleaning mirrors, maybe cleaning a fan, the list is endless! I have tried and tried to get the cleaning time down on my 550 sq ft suite and it is just not possible. The best I can do is about 40 minutes and that is if the guests were super neat and didn't use robes or extras. You're not slow! It takes that long to do the job right!

.

Plus, cleaning your bathroom floor, dusting, cleaning mirrors, maybe cleaning a fan, the list is endless! I have tried and tried to get the cleaning time down on my 550 sq ft suite and it is just not possible. The best I can do is about 40 minutes and that is if the guests were super neat and didn't use robes or extras. You're not slow! It takes that long to do the job right!

Well thanks, it's DH doing it since I'm still stuck in the outside job and he is a bit slower than I would be. But he's getting better. But we now have a cleaning gal that comes in on Mondays to do the two flips with deep cleaning because he was getting stretched trying to care for the vineyard at the same time. And she has her own license as a cleaning company, so it's not an employee, yipeee
riki
.

Well, your dh is doing really well then. MIne gets distracted because he turns on the TV in the rooms. lol! It takes me much longer when he is helping me. Sad, but true...bless his heart. When my part-time cleaning gal is helping, we can sometimes get that room finished in under 30 minutes if she takes the bathroom, I take the kitchen & we meet in the bedroom/sitting room to change the bed together so we don't do that dance of going 'round & 'round. haha! But when it's the two of us gals, we are always doing extra cleaning too. Just because we can. I honestly do not know how I got all the rooms finished before I had her to help me a few days a week! It's a mystery.....

 

[Mary at Bridgewater Inn and Cottage]

I work full time 4 blocks down the street from my B&B... but I
have 2 cottages... so guest can come and go as they please
without me there all the time. When I retire 4 Cottages I
think would be my max ? I am a solo innkeeper but really
enjoy my little B&B. At 65.5 I will retire in a few....Mary

 

[wendydk]

I am the full time Innkeeper with 3 rooms, and dh works full time outside the house. He cooks brekkie, and leaves right after we serve it. I handle EVERYTHING else. I did, finally, break down and hire a lawn service, as mowing that 2.5 acres and tending all the flowers, etc was just too time consuming. I wouldn't mind trying it with one more room, but that might be pushing it, time wise and especially laundry wise.

 

[Samster]

I work full time 4 blocks down the street from my B&B... but I
have 2 cottages... so guest can come and go as they please
without me there all the time. When I retire 4 Cottages I
think would be my max ? I am a solo innkeeper but really
enjoy my little B&B. At 65.5 I will retire in a few....Mary.

Are your cottages primarily occupied just on the weekends? Or are you full all the time during the week and on weekends? I think this makes a big difference!
Even 2 cottages or rooms could keep you hopping, I'm sure!
Thanks for posting

 

[egoodell]

What does busy mean - 35% occupancy, 50% occupancy - 100% for three months then 10% the rest of the year?
I can't imagine doing more than 2 or 3 with anything approaching 50% occupancy. Maybe more when I was in my prime but not in my current lack-of-physical-fitness..

Yeh, someone must be real young out there to do 6-8 solo.
.

Yeh, someone must be real young out there to do 6-8 solo.

I don't know - to do 6-8 you'd have to have a lot of linens and stock so you would not have to do any laundry on turning rooms - how would you physically change 6-8 rooms if they all check out and in on the same day? Our rooms are new and easy to clean, but we take at least 45 minutes to and hour to turn them.
So you feed them breakfast - and they don't all come on time - so you are stuck with them and in the kitchen until at least 10am (breakfast is served at 8:30 and you have the ones that waltz in around 9:45 to eat... unless you are strict about "after 9:30 we leave out continental breakfast")
So then if you have them all pay at checkin you don't have to worry about checkout, but you can't get into any of the rooms until check out time which is about 11am. And you leave the rooms that check out late until the last to turn (my latest so far was about 11:30)
Then with 6-8 rooms you are looking at around 6-8 hours. This gives you until 6pm at the earliest. How are you going to eat lunch and turn the rooms and be clean and cheerful to check them in when they arrive at 4pm, when you have not yet turned all the rooms? And have them register and give them directions and restaurant advice?
I don't think any one person alone can do 6-8 rooms without any help. They need a cleaning person. Ask SS!
RIki
.

45 minutes to an hour to turn a room?!?

What makes it take so long?
.

45 minutes to an hour to turn a room?!?

What makes it take so long?

Per room
400 square feet to vaccum and clean wood floors
King bed to make
whirlpool tub for two. Run the cleaning system for something like 10 minutes and then cleaning the tub
Spa shower all glass to clean and be sure to get all the hairs out
Rugs to vaccum
Wine fridge to fill with sparkling wine, sodas and water
Chocolates to put out
Flowers in room
clean drinking glasses and wine glasses and I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
We are maybe more cleaning conscious with two large rooms than we will be when we have five. But we are only two years into this and may be slow.
But if you can whip a big room even in half an hour, 6 - 8 rooms after breakfast and check out will still have you cleaning until at least 4pm for 6 rooms, so longer for 8, so I still don't see one person running an inn by themselves that size.
RIki
.

Plus, cleaning your bathroom floor, dusting, cleaning mirrors, maybe cleaning a fan, the list is endless! I have tried and tried to get the cleaning time down on my 550 sq ft suite and it is just not possible. The best I can do is about 40 minutes and that is if the guests were super neat and didn't use robes or extras. You're not slow! It takes that long to do the job right!

.

Plus, cleaning your bathroom floor, dusting, cleaning mirrors, maybe cleaning a fan, the list is endless! I have tried and tried to get the cleaning time down on my 550 sq ft suite and it is just not possible. The best I can do is about 40 minutes and that is if the guests were super neat and didn't use robes or extras. You're not slow! It takes that long to do the job right!

Well thanks, it's DH doing it since I'm still stuck in the outside job and he is a bit slower than I would be. But he's getting better. But we now have a cleaning gal that comes in on Mondays to do the two flips with deep cleaning because he was getting stretched trying to care for the vineyard at the same time. And she has her own license as a cleaning company, so it's not an employee, yipeee
riki
.

Well, your dh is doing really well then. MIne gets distracted because he turns on the TV in the rooms. lol! It takes me much longer when he is helping me. Sad, but true...bless his heart. When my part-time cleaning gal is helping, we can sometimes get that room finished in under 30 minutes if she takes the bathroom, I take the kitchen & we meet in the bedroom/sitting room to change the bed together so we don't do that dance of going 'round & 'round. haha! But when it's the two of us gals, we are always doing extra cleaning too. Just because we can. I honestly do not know how I got all the rooms finished before I had her to help me a few days a week! It's a mystery.....
.

Well, your dh is doing really well then. MIne gets distracted because he turns on the TV in the rooms. lol! It takes me much longer when he is helping me. Sad, but true...bless his heart. When my part-time cleaning gal is helping, we can sometimes get that room finished in under 30 minutes if she takes the bathroom, I take the kitchen & we meet in the bedroom/sitting room to change the bed together so we don't do that dance of going 'round & 'round. haha! But when it's the two of us gals, we are always doing extra cleaning too. Just because we can. I honestly do not know how I got all the rooms finished before I had her to help me a few days a week! It's a mystery.....

Well yes, that TV and riding the tractor to mow the lawn are far more interesting to him than making the bed...that's why I say 45 min to an hour. 45 for me, a good hour for him.
Riki

 

[Morticia]

What does busy mean - 35% occupancy, 50% occupancy - 100% for three months then 10% the rest of the year?
I can't imagine doing more than 2 or 3 with anything approaching 50% occupancy. Maybe more when I was in my prime but not in my current lack-of-physical-fitness..

Yeh, someone must be real young out there to do 6-8 solo.
.

Yeh, someone must be real young out there to do 6-8 solo.

I don't know - to do 6-8 you'd have to have a lot of linens and stock so you would not have to do any laundry on turning rooms - how would you physically change 6-8 rooms if they all check out and in on the same day? Our rooms are new and easy to clean, but we take at least 45 minutes to and hour to turn them.
So you feed them breakfast - and they don't all come on time - so you are stuck with them and in the kitchen until at least 10am (breakfast is served at 8:30 and you have the ones that waltz in around 9:45 to eat... unless you are strict about "after 9:30 we leave out continental breakfast")
So then if you have them all pay at checkin you don't have to worry about checkout, but you can't get into any of the rooms until check out time which is about 11am. And you leave the rooms that check out late until the last to turn (my latest so far was about 11:30)
Then with 6-8 rooms you are looking at around 6-8 hours. This gives you until 6pm at the earliest. How are you going to eat lunch and turn the rooms and be clean and cheerful to check them in when they arrive at 4pm, when you have not yet turned all the rooms? And have them register and give them directions and restaurant advice?
I don't think any one person alone can do 6-8 rooms without any help. They need a cleaning person. Ask SS!
RIki
.

45 minutes to an hour to turn a room?!?

What makes it take so long?
.

45 minutes to an hour to turn a room?!?

What makes it take so long?

It takes us that long to fully clean a room and we don't have the fancy stuff Riki does. The blinds need to be dusted, the window sills have to be washed, everything has to be put back where it belongs and then all the usual 'stuff' that goes into the cleaning. 2 of us can get it done in 20 minutes if we cut corners. If the guest has gotten something stained, add on however long that takes.

 

[SecondAct]

Hi all,
You're right, I didn't answer the question properly. My answer was based on my dream inn situation. There are lots of threads that discuss the nature of this business for aspirings, what size inn you need in order to make money, etc., but this thread actually has hit the nail on the head as I'm finding all of you answering very straightforwardly on the amount of time and effort it takes for one person to manage a number of rooms. Our dream inn situation would have both DH and me working full time in the inn business and we've calculated that we would need that many rooms in order to generate the kind of income we feel we'd need. I may not be a contributor very often here but I'm always learning from all of you and I'm on this addictive website probably several times a day on most days. I appreciate that I'm able to participate some of the time even though I'm not a full-fledged innkeeper yet. Some day ... hopefully, some day ... )

 

[YellowSocks]

I'm chiming in late... been busy. :wink:
We have four rooms. Dh works full-time in a factory with the long-term goal of being full-time in the B&B. (Two more years and he's outta there!) We have twin five year old boys (the ds5x2) who can be helpful when they want to be... which isn't often enough or for long enough! My dh handles the coffee, including ordering, roasting, grinding, and perking. This week he had to work two 12-hour shifts so he made the coffee when he came home at 3:30 and put it in a caraffe for the 7:30 breakfast. He also handles lawn (grass... I do flowers), most of the vacuuming and floor cleaning, and helps clean rooms. Oh, and helps with the ds5x2, and dusting common areas, and window washing... So while the B&B is "my thing" he really does a LOT of work around here!
I think we could do at least five, probably six rooms if we were both at it full time. If I were all by myself I think I my personal max would be five... my dh is a lot of help, but he also requires my attention sometimes, as do my kids. I'm happy to stick with four and have my family, though!
Our occupancy is a little hard to say as we've only been fully open a year. 2008's occupancy (with two rooms opening half way through the year) was about 24%. This year we'll be above that, but I'm not sure where. June was 46%. Last year's July was 70% and I was absolutely beat afterward. (But I know that I work hard for the summer then have a break in late fall.) So, somewhere in the 40-50% range is probably where we'll end up eventually.
And yes, 45 minutes to clean a room sounds about right. When we work together it goes a lot faster, but if it's just me, and the room has a king-sized bed, it definitely takes a while. (Why a king should take exponentially longer than a queen is beyond me!)
If I were running a place alone I would definitely have LOTS of sheet sets (well, I already do, but even more!) so that I'm not doing laundry on days I have a lot of flips. Come to think of it, that's what I'm already doing... if I have to flip 3 or 4 rooms I'm not doing laundry, and on a weekend where I know it's going to be crazy (like the one coming up) I make sure the laundry is all caught up before the weekend hits.
=)
Kk.

 

[Samster]

I'm chiming in late... been busy. :wink:
We have four rooms. Dh works full-time in a factory with the long-term goal of being full-time in the B&B. (Two more years and he's outta there!) We have twin five year old boys (the ds5x2) who can be helpful when they want to be... which isn't often enough or for long enough! My dh handles the coffee, including ordering, roasting, grinding, and perking. This week he had to work two 12-hour shifts so he made the coffee when he came home at 3:30 and put it in a caraffe for the 7:30 breakfast. He also handles lawn (grass... I do flowers), most of the vacuuming and floor cleaning, and helps clean rooms. Oh, and helps with the ds5x2, and dusting common areas, and window washing... So while the B&B is "my thing" he really does a LOT of work around here!
I think we could do at least five, probably six rooms if we were both at it full time. If I were all by myself I think I my personal max would be five... my dh is a lot of help, but he also requires my attention sometimes, as do my kids. I'm happy to stick with four and have my family, though!
Our occupancy is a little hard to say as we've only been fully open a year. 2008's occupancy (with two rooms opening half way through the year) was about 24%. This year we'll be above that, but I'm not sure where. June was 46%. Last year's July was 70% and I was absolutely beat afterward. (But I know that I work hard for the summer then have a break in late fall.) So, somewhere in the 40-50% range is probably where we'll end up eventually.
And yes, 45 minutes to clean a room sounds about right. When we work together it goes a lot faster, but if it's just me, and the room has a king-sized bed, it definitely takes a while. (Why a king should take exponentially longer than a queen is beyond me!)
If I were running a place alone I would definitely have LOTS of sheet sets (well, I already do, but even more!) so that I'm not doing laundry on days I have a lot of flips. Come to think of it, that's what I'm already doing... if I have to flip 3 or 4 rooms I'm not doing laundry, and on a weekend where I know it's going to be crazy (like the one coming up) I make sure the laundry is all caught up before the weekend hits.
=)
Kk..

Your dh pitches in more than mine does. My dh does not help with the common areas at all. He's really good at cleaning the giant tubs though Also, doesn't really help in the yard. He does do maintenance....with a list.
My dh works a 40+ hour work week though and takes call, like now for the next several days (covering for a co-worker who went out of town for the 4th). Lots of time he'll get called several times during the night. Takes it out of him....

 

[Mary at Bridgewater Inn and Cottage]

I work full time 4 blocks down the street from my B&B... but I
have 2 cottages... so guest can come and go as they please
without me there all the time. When I retire 4 Cottages I
think would be my max ? I am a solo innkeeper but really
enjoy my little B&B. At 65.5 I will retire in a few....Mary.

Are your cottages primarily occupied just on the weekends? Or are you full all the time during the week and on weekends? I think this makes a big difference!
Even 2 cottages or rooms could keep you hopping, I'm sure!
Thanks for posting
.

Lots of mid week during the summer.... Right now have a Texas
couple and another from Germany. My neighbor will do a back
to back flip for me at times or my daughter on her off day from
work. Have a gardener 5 hours a month but I mow the 3/4 acre
yard on a riding mower. You have to be creative with your time...
gone home at lunch and fliped laundry in the machines. Sunday
after breakast is taken to their Cottages, I usually turn on the press
iron and iron till check out time or do yard work. Got to go.....Mary

 

[Willowpondgj]

What does busy mean - 35% occupancy, 50% occupancy - 100% for three months then 10% the rest of the year?
I can't imagine doing more than 2 or 3 with anything approaching 50% occupancy. Maybe more when I was in my prime but not in my current lack-of-physical-fitness..

Yeh, someone must be real young out there to do 6-8 solo.
.

Yeh, someone must be real young out there to do 6-8 solo.

I don't know - to do 6-8 you'd have to have a lot of linens and stock so you would not have to do any laundry on turning rooms - how would you physically change 6-8 rooms if they all check out and in on the same day? Our rooms are new and easy to clean, but we take at least 45 minutes to and hour to turn them.
So you feed them breakfast - and they don't all come on time - so you are stuck with them and in the kitchen until at least 10am (breakfast is served at 8:30 and you have the ones that waltz in around 9:45 to eat... unless you are strict about "after 9:30 we leave out continental breakfast")
So then if you have them all pay at checkin you don't have to worry about checkout, but you can't get into any of the rooms until check out time which is about 11am. And you leave the rooms that check out late until the last to turn (my latest so far was about 11:30)
Then with 6-8 rooms you are looking at around 6-8 hours. This gives you until 6pm at the earliest. How are you going to eat lunch and turn the rooms and be clean and cheerful to check them in when they arrive at 4pm, when you have not yet turned all the rooms? And have them register and give them directions and restaurant advice?
I don't think any one person alone can do 6-8 rooms without any help. They need a cleaning person. Ask SS!
RIki
.

45 minutes to an hour to turn a room?!?

What makes it take so long?
.

It takes me 40 minutes to do our smallest room, an hour to do the middle room (because of the bunks and glass shower jet tub) and 45 min for the big room. Some of the text sizes got messed up in cutting and pasting...
Here's why:
ALL ROOMS:
Clean all mirrors, glass.
Remove all soiled linens, towels, cloth bathmats and sheets, spray for stains and take to laundry room.
Replace towels, hand towels and washcloths
Put all Remote Controls back to normal spots.
Replenish Kleenex, pens, notepads as needed
Make all beds.
Empty trash replace bags, disinfect.
Empty recyclables, put in designated cans downstairs.
Collect any dishes/glassware, bring to kitchen.
Collect any guest belongings, put in Lost & found box, notify guests.
Check all drawers, closets and under beds for previous guest belongings.
Wipe down drawers, table tops and dresser tops.
Vacuum all rooms and closets, hallway and stair landing,
Dust all furniture, chair rails, window sill, stair rails and
baseboards in hallway/stair landing
Check all doors, walls for scuffs, marks, dust, magic eraser or wipe clean.
Straighten hangers in closet,
put luggage racks away.
Dust: all head & footboards
Blinds
Dresser tops
Window sills
Baseboards
Nightstands
Lamps
Close all windows
Bring any used extra bedding to laundry to be washed.
Water plants as needed (1x per week)
Bathrooms:
Vacuum hair/dirt from floors/tubs/sinks/drawers
Clean Sinks/vanities.
Clean toilets.
Wipe down faucet fixtures
Wipe down shower curtain
Clean all mirrors
Wipe down soap dispensers, countertop items, soap dish
Bathtubs: disinfect jets, clean tub surrounds
Wipe down towel racks, window sills and all flat surfaces
Replace bathmats, check for stains.
Empty trash, replace trash bags, take trash to outside trashcan.
disinfect trashcan, toilet handle and doorhandles
Replace towels, hand towels and washcloths, cloth mats
Replenish: handsoaps, toilet paper, Dixie cups, Kleenex
Wet Swiffer floor
Check to see if curtains have been soiled, if so, put in laundry first.
Check doors and walls for scuffs, marks, magic eraser or wipe clean.
Double hair check in bathrooms!

Big room:
Check to see if trundle or extra blankets were used, replace bedding if needed. Check daybed pillows for dirt/stains, clean as needed.
Middle room:
Check to see if bunks were used or extra blankets were used, replace bedding if needed. Put safety rail away. Dust bunk shelves.
Bath-Shower Glass inside and out
Dust all shelving
Wipe down little white table
Small room:
If robes have been used, put in laundry and replace with fresh robes.
Bath: Dust vanity and small table

When finished TURN OFF ALL AIR CONDITIONING, HEAT, LIGHTS, APPLIANCES, etc.

Downstairs:
Feather dust all furniture, flat surfaces, shelves, careful with artwork.
Vacuum, swiffer and wetmop if necessary
Clean up any cobwebs
Wipe down tables replace table cloths
Replenish glasses, cups, plates, and beverage service items
Check fridge for leftovers,
wipe down inside/out of fridge and microwave if needed
Empty trash, spray cans
Water plants if needed (1x week)
Fluffs:

Make bed
Empty trash
Wipe down sink and toilet
Replace stained towels and wet washcloths
Collect any dishes
Swiffer bathroom floor if it is very dirty or hairy
Replenish consumables if needed (Kleenex, TP, etc)

 

[Cathy]

We have 4 rooms, maximum of 9 people as one room has a futon and will sleep 3. I would be happy with just the 3 rooms to be honest and my PIC and I only have our B&B to run, do not work out of the house. We do have someone to come in when we have flips, but can do it (and have more often than not) on our own.
Would not even want to enter the thought of having to do this on my own in a busy or slow time.
We have a garden to maintain (we have a gardner come in to mow and trim the lawn), and a pool that at times I would love not to have.
I admire all of you who do this and so much more.

 

[user 26]

just want to add that ....
even when you are straight out ... running the place ... just doing the cleaning and the un-pretty un-fun stuff ... and you still need time for *you* just like crashing when you get home from a 9to5 .....
guests who are b&b people, that are looking for innkeeper interaction and warm and fuzzy times, are NOT happy when they barely get to speak to the innkeeper.
they want the illusion of innkeeping as ultimate dream job where the place magically runs itself. i'm not being snide or sarcastic ... many guests like to feel as though they have made a friend and they don't like to feel like party guests whose host and/or hostess runs around and never visits with them.
they want to feel as though they have found a place where the innkeeper is happy and loving having them there. along with the actual work of running the place, you have to build in time to be with your guests or available for your guests ... not just when you check them in and when you serve breakfast, but throughout their stay ~~ if your guests are anything like my guests, so much of their guest comments were about m.e.
you have to be 'in the zone' enough to gauge what each guest wants ~ how much interaction they want or if they don't want much at all.
during the times when there was so much physical work to do, i knew that i was having a hard time being a good hostess. so, sometimes, the front porch would be strewn with leaves or the dust bunnies were gigglling at me in not so secret corners in the library or the hall.
i'd be baking with an audience because i'd have to say 'i'm flying solo - come on in'

 

[happykeeper]

just want to add that ....
even when you are straight out ... running the place ... just doing the cleaning and the un-pretty un-fun stuff ... and you still need time for *you* just like crashing when you get home from a 9to5 .....
guests who are b&b people, that are looking for innkeeper interaction and warm and fuzzy times, are NOT happy when they barely get to speak to the innkeeper.
they want the illusion of innkeeping as ultimate dream job where the place magically runs itself. i'm not being snide or sarcastic ... many guests like to feel as though they have made a friend and they don't like to feel like party guests whose host and/or hostess runs around and never visits with them.
they want to feel as though they have found a place where the innkeeper is happy and loving having them there. along with the actual work of running the place, you have to build in time to be with your guests or available for your guests ... not just when you check them in and when you serve breakfast, but throughout their stay ~~ if your guests are anything like my guests, so much of their guest comments were about m.e.
you have to be 'in the zone' enough to gauge what each guest wants ~ how much interaction they want or if they don't want much at all.
during the times when there was so much physical work to do, i knew that i was having a hard time being a good hostess. so, sometimes, the front porch would be strewn with leaves or the dust bunnies were gigglling at me in not so secret corners in the library or the hall.
i'd be baking with an audience because i'd have to say 'i'm flying solo - come on in' .

This is such a great insight. It does occur to me how important this is when I read the answers on threads like this. Our primary focus is on our guests and we work hard to feed that illusion. This is what sends us into the "best place we ever stayed" category. We do make friends, we do make it look easy, and we absolutely do get whatever help we think we need to make that illusion a reality for our guests. Over and over our guests flatter us by asking if we are taking on help or if we need a live-in artist, or if we need a gardner.
Having said that, we also place a primary importance on taking care of ourselves. Closing the inn for a vacation, doing nothing for a few hours after our guests have popped out for the day, and having a room manager to handle 90% of the cleaning on the second floor where the suites are.
This allows us time to think about our cultural aspects and our marketing plan etc.
Two innkeepers- four roooms- could go to 5 or 6- good balance and a mix of retreat and b&b concepts.
Blah-blah blah I am running on

 

[gillumhouse]

just want to add that ....
even when you are straight out ... running the place ... just doing the cleaning and the un-pretty un-fun stuff ... and you still need time for *you* just like crashing when you get home from a 9to5 .....
guests who are b&b people, that are looking for innkeeper interaction and warm and fuzzy times, are NOT happy when they barely get to speak to the innkeeper.
they want the illusion of innkeeping as ultimate dream job where the place magically runs itself. i'm not being snide or sarcastic ... many guests like to feel as though they have made a friend and they don't like to feel like party guests whose host and/or hostess runs around and never visits with them.
they want to feel as though they have found a place where the innkeeper is happy and loving having them there. along with the actual work of running the place, you have to build in time to be with your guests or available for your guests ... not just when you check them in and when you serve breakfast, but throughout their stay ~~ if your guests are anything like my guests, so much of their guest comments were about m.e.
you have to be 'in the zone' enough to gauge what each guest wants ~ how much interaction they want or if they don't want much at all.
during the times when there was so much physical work to do, i knew that i was having a hard time being a good hostess. so, sometimes, the front porch would be strewn with leaves or the dust bunnies were gigglling at me in not so secret corners in the library or the hall.
i'd be baking with an audience because i'd have to say 'i'm flying solo - come on in' .

It is often the innkeeper interaction that brings them back. There is nothing fancy here - other than the way I set the table - but it is comfortable, relaxing, and my guests knowthey are the most important people in the world because I have told them they are. One reason I only have 3 rooms is so I have the time to give to my guests. Some want/need more than others so it works out.

 

[Morticia]

just want to add that ....
even when you are straight out ... running the place ... just doing the cleaning and the un-pretty un-fun stuff ... and you still need time for *you* just like crashing when you get home from a 9to5 .....
guests who are b&b people, that are looking for innkeeper interaction and warm and fuzzy times, are NOT happy when they barely get to speak to the innkeeper.
they want the illusion of innkeeping as ultimate dream job where the place magically runs itself. i'm not being snide or sarcastic ... many guests like to feel as though they have made a friend and they don't like to feel like party guests whose host and/or hostess runs around and never visits with them.
they want to feel as though they have found a place where the innkeeper is happy and loving having them there. along with the actual work of running the place, you have to build in time to be with your guests or available for your guests ... not just when you check them in and when you serve breakfast, but throughout their stay ~~ if your guests are anything like my guests, so much of their guest comments were about m.e.
you have to be 'in the zone' enough to gauge what each guest wants ~ how much interaction they want or if they don't want much at all.
during the times when there was so much physical work to do, i knew that i was having a hard time being a good hostess. so, sometimes, the front porch would be strewn with leaves or the dust bunnies were gigglling at me in not so secret corners in the library or the hall.
i'd be baking with an audience because i'd have to say 'i'm flying solo - come on in' .

The illusion is why having the housekeeper is so important to us. Last year those guests who wanted to hang out and talk until 11:30 were seriously cutting into the cleaning time and were getting short shrift from us. When we then saw that night's guests rolling into the parking lot and hauling out luggage, oh my. And it was always on those days that someone had dumped a bottle of some sticky, staining liquid on various surfaces and always in the last room we got to.

 

[mooseberry]

That sounds just like me....5 rooms...no more

 

[JBloggs]

Here is the real question:
Do you want to be a maid? Do you want to open an inn and clean up strangers pubic hairs off toilet seats? Being an innkeeper is not glamorous to put is slightly, if you can afford and find reliable help, then you should do it. We often forget the grunt work involved in operating a smaller BnB (meaning under 7 rooms). We still have to do or pay to get everything else done we cannot do or have time to do ourselves, the lawns MUST be mowed, the weeds MUST be pulled, the floors MUST be clean, the linens MUST be crisp, the food MUST be good. We typically open the inn because we like the guest interaction and all the business entails. We can't enjoy any of that when we are hands deep scrubbing showers day in and day out (me speaketh from experience), guests begin to annoy us and we just look at it as a monotonous task. Like someone would say "Why make the bed, I am just going to mess it up again" well that is innkeeping in a nutshell. Make everything perfect today - by tomorrow it is a mess and you have to make it all perfect again.
I saw 56 replies to this thread already on "how big is big enough" and had to laugh. This will be #57, that's pretty big.

 

[Penelope]

Chiming in a lot late here. But in what I've seen where I work, I feel as though 5-7 rooms would be comfortable for me as a not quite solo innkeeper. I have kids, like Willowpond's, who are old enough to be the Help, and a dh, who is on board with this idea as much as I am. If we tried to find a place that was big enough to to support our family, it would have to be 7 rooms (with their help). 4 or 5, I could do on my own with minimal help from the family. However, our whole family has the motto that: "We are a team." We also live by the creed that "many hands make light work".
I have seen the amount of time it takes to clean up after 18 people for breakfast...I couldn't do that on my own. However, 8 or 10 people takes a significantly smaller amount of time to clean up after, for some strange reason.
There is another thread out there about turnkey or starting from scratch. From the very beginning, dh and I thought we wanted a turnkey, but it seems like we are veering more toward a startup. I think it would be difficult to love someone else's dream as if it were mine. I have my own vision and my own dream that would not be appeased by buying someone else's past vision. It also seems to me that the cost of redoing the "stuff" in a turnkey so that it was MY b&b would be as much or more than starting with a slightly cleaner slate.

 

[YellowSocks]

After this weekend I'm rethinking my guess that I could do five alone.... Thank God for my dh!!!!
=)
Kk.