How Big is too big for One person?

[Penelope]

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

Thank God for my dh!!!!
=)
Kk.

Amen

 

[Country Girl]

I am coming really, really late to this thread. I have 3 rooms, and could possibly do 4. My husband helps on the weekends but during the week he works in the "real" world. He does all the maintenance on the house and this is an OLD house, and all the yard work, except gardening. I do all the cooking, cleaning, marketing, etc. on my own. When we are out straight busy it's fine for a few days but then I start to really feel it; physically and emotionally. After about a week of non-stop guests I'm desperate for a break. But then once I've had a break, even a few hours to myself, I'm ready to go. We had friends that ran a B&B together. They started with 3 rooms and over the course of the next several years went to 8. They had full time help, inside and out, but still burned out after one year with the 8 rooms. They sold it just as they reached the point where they hated every minute of innkeeping.

 

[Penelope]

I am coming really, really late to this thread. I have 3 rooms, and could possibly do 4. My husband helps on the weekends but during the week he works in the "real" world. He does all the maintenance on the house and this is an OLD house, and all the yard work, except gardening. I do all the cooking, cleaning, marketing, etc. on my own. When we are out straight busy it's fine for a few days but then I start to really feel it; physically and emotionally. After about a week of non-stop guests I'm desperate for a break. But then once I've had a break, even a few hours to myself, I'm ready to go. We had friends that ran a B&B together. They started with 3 rooms and over the course of the next several years went to 8. They had full time help, inside and out, but still burned out after one year with the 8 rooms. They sold it just as they reached the point where they hated every minute of innkeeping..

They sold it just as they reached the point where they hated every minute of innkeeping.

I wonder how you know when you've hit the point where that is the case.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

I'm also getting on this topic late in the game.
Unless you have small, simple rooms (no big tubs, etc), I just don't see how 1 person could do more than 3. Of course the other variable in the equasion is how busy is the place? We go from May through September without a single day off. That doesn't mean we're full every day, but we do have at least 1 of our 4 very large rooms filled and in July & August we're in the 90-98% occupancy range. By October I can't even see straight. It's difficult to get out of bed because my body hurts. Doing this by myself? No way, no how.
In my opinion, if you're doing it solo it's better to stay smaller and spend your time trying to fill those rooms that you do have. Otherwise, it's a recipe for a quick burnout. Also, if you're thinking of doing it alone (or even with someone else) you MUST get hands on experience before you make your committment. That's really the only way to know if you will be spending your money wisely. IMHO

 

[DaisyMae]

we have a 5 guestrooms. we are in an area of our state that is considered a "hotspot" so summers are quite busy. it's a very seasonal area so winters are not too busy. DH works an outside job from 11am - 8 pm 5 days per week. I pretty much run the inn myself with a little help from 2 summer cleaning girls. a couple hours per day about 4-5 days per week. that extra set of hands is nice but really when all is said & done, i still do much of the work myself. main reason being is because i am a control freak and it's not done right unless i do it. i always go behind the girls and double check that things are just so. i have had days though where i have had all 5 rooms coincidentally checking out on the same day and i am working by myself.
bless anyone who feels thay are able to run an inn twice the size of mine by themselves. i sure could not. 5 is perfect for me & even then i am exhausted at the end of the day. when DH & i purchased our inn 2 years ago i was 29 & he was 35. our past lives consisted of 2 jobs each with each of us putting in about 90 hours a week. no exaggeration, the most i worked in 1 week was 96 hours. my point is that even though we are younger, full of energy & familiar with long work weeks, it still does not compare to the inn.
our friends & family are pretty surprised, when they visit, just how much of our day i seaten up by the inn. and they only think it is like it tthat day they are there. well, it's everyday. i rise at 6 am and am in bed about 11:30 each night. just when you think you are finished there is always one more thing that you have to do.
ultimately, noone ever really realizes just how physically & mentally taxing running an inn is
Oh, and if i hear one more of my friends or family tell me that running an inn must be "so much fun" i seriously will poke them in the nose.

it looks like "fun" to them because they do not see me on the days when i am running around with a toilet brush, trying to answer the phone & doorbell at the same time, and the oven timer is going off because the brownies are done, and 3 check ins just arrived at the same time, (early of course!) and i have not had a chance to change my shirt that got something spilled on it, and i am on the verge of a mental meltdown.
then everyone gets checked in and i have told what restaurants to go to, and they are munching cookies or dipping stuff in fondue and telling me how great everything is and how they appreciate how much trouble i have gone to for them, i say (with my game face on

) "oh, don't be sillly, it's no trouble at all, really!"

 

[happyjacks]

We also have 5 guest rooms, in an area with seasonal ups and downs. I could do it on my own as far as cooking, cleaning, guest management, marketing, and paperwork. I pretty much do that now since hubby has his own business. He helps out with serving and kitchen cleanup when the B&B is busy (and when his own workload allows) but I've also done fine when he hasn't been able to help with these things.
But if I would have to do this entirely on my own, I'd have to hire out the things that hubby does now: the outdoor stuff (mowing, snowblowing, shovelling, firewood) and maintenance/repairs. He works from home, too, so he's good at fitting these into his day.
If I was solo, I would have to have some sort of backup help lined up in case of unexpected fill-in-the-blank. That could mean having a cleaning contractor available on-call to come and clean for me; freeing me up to deal with the plumber or mechanic or vet or porcupine removal expert.
Oh, and if I did this solo, I could NOT do dinners except during the slow seasons. Not if I expected to sleep.

 

[EmptyNest]

I am coming really, really late to this thread. I have 3 rooms, and could possibly do 4. My husband helps on the weekends but during the week he works in the "real" world. He does all the maintenance on the house and this is an OLD house, and all the yard work, except gardening. I do all the cooking, cleaning, marketing, etc. on my own. When we are out straight busy it's fine for a few days but then I start to really feel it; physically and emotionally. After about a week of non-stop guests I'm desperate for a break. But then once I've had a break, even a few hours to myself, I'm ready to go. We had friends that ran a B&B together. They started with 3 rooms and over the course of the next several years went to 8. They had full time help, inside and out, but still burned out after one year with the 8 rooms. They sold it just as they reached the point where they hated every minute of innkeeping..

They sold it just as they reached the point where they hated every minute of innkeeping.

I wonder how you know when you've hit the point where that is the case.
.

Believe me...YOU WILL KNOW IT...when you dread going to the door to let in the guests...then it is time to quit

 

[One Day]

Thanks all......great thread

 

[JBloggs]

Had an interesting conversation with an Aspiring Innkeeper today. Given the following parameters, what is the highest number of guest rooms you would personally want to deal with on your own day in and day out in a fairly busy area.....let's say, for arguments sake, 50% annual occupancy with some seasonal fluctuations.

• minimum help from Sig other or spouse
• no staff at all

That means breakfast, cleanup of kitchen and dishes, cleaning rooms, laundry, yard or garden work, shopping, greeting and checking out guests, taking and dealing with reservations, all marketing, everything.
What is the maximum number you could handle and still stay sane?

MAINTENANCE.
If you own an historic home there is added maintenance on top of the regular day to day BnB maintenance. People have no clue. If you are a single innkeeper you will have to hire out all of these jobs and you better be sure you know what you are doing or you will encounter corners cut and crappy workmanship.
There are two of us here and we do it all ourselves. BnB's used to be something that a couple would take on where one is a handyman and the other can run and operate the day to days of the business. If you hire it all out, then fogettaboutit. Those are my 2 cents worth on the subject. The rooms and occupancy is the gravy, imo. You can always hire a housekeeper/cleaner, there is not much of an issue with that.
Lawncare/gardens and all of that is highest when you have the most guests - when the green things are growing the guests are also here.

 

[Proud Texan]

6-8 would be about right for us.

We have 4 and at our age I wouldn't want any more than that. We barely have enough energy when all 4 are filled for 5 nights straight like we just had last week. I've got one room (2 people) now for a couple of days. Nice.

.

We have 4 and at our age I wouldn't want any more than that. We barely have enough energy when all 4 are filled for 5 nights straight like we just had last week. I've got one room (2 people) now for a couple of days. Nice.

Were these all 5-night stays for four couples or 4 different couples each 5 nights?