Innkeeper burnout in UK, Europe, Australia?

[JBloggs]

Burn out from the hard work? Burn out from the guests? Burn out from having people in your home all the time with no privacy? Burn out from not making ends meet? Burn out from already retiring and then opening an inn? Burn out from stress? Burn out from missing every special family occasion and celebration?
There are many reasons people leave innkeeping, it is not all burn out.
Example - four reasons within just one area of innkeeping that might wear you down quicker than anticipated:

• If you have but an attic room and nothing more for your own innkeeper quarters, that will quickly shrink and soon become a tomb.
• Or if you share areas with your guests, the lack of privacy will soon cave in on you.
• Or, you do have inn quarters but they are used to stockpile B&B materials and you are living as if in a storage space.
• Or, if you have adequate innkeeper quarters, but they are unfinished or not up to par.

So there are many variables.
The #1 being this is not a lifelong profession. If it is, then it is because a) you have plenty of help, hired or otherwise... or b) you have a couple rooms and low occupancy.

 

[Morticia]

Burn out from the hard work? Burn out from the guests? Burn out from having people in your home all the time with no privacy? Burn out from not making ends meet? Burn out from already retiring and then opening an inn? Burn out from stress? Burn out from missing every special family occasion and celebration?
There are many reasons people leave innkeeping, it is not all burn out.
Example - four reasons within just one area of innkeeping that might wear you down quicker than anticipated:

• If you have but an attic room and nothing more for your own innkeeper quarters, that will quickly shrink and soon become a tomb.
• Or if you share areas with your guests, the lack of privacy will soon cave in on you.
• Or, you do have inn quarters but they are used to stockpile B&B materials and you are living as if in a storage space.
• Or, if you have adequate innkeeper quarters, but they are unfinished or not up to par.

So there are many variables.
The #1 being this is not a lifelong profession. If it is, then it is because a) you have plenty of help, hired or otherwise... or b) you have a couple rooms and low occupancy..

I could never understand those places we looked at where the innkeepers' only 'private' space was their bedroom and many of them gave that up to make another $15k in season. Yes, a lot of money. The diff between make and break for a lot of people. But, still. Sleep in the cellar for 3 months? How can any reasonable person think that is a healthy lifestyle? Farm out the kids to their friends' houses and use their rooms, too? Egads.

 

[wendydk]

What torques me off is the idea that being "burned out" (or having your place for sale) is considered failure for an Innkeeper.

 

[One Day]

What torques me off is the idea that being "burned out" (or having your place for sale) is considered failure for an Innkeeper..

Only if you view the comment that way.
Only the individual knows why they want / are selling....Matters not what others think

 

[Joey Camb]

It isn't for example my neighbour who has a very successful place is selling to buy something bigger that is more of a challenge, another neighbour is selling to spend more time with her kids, another neighbour is selling to have a complete change and yet another is retiring none of the above businesses is failing in any way.

 

[Emily Spiers]

What torques me off is the idea that being "burned out" (or having your place for sale) is considered failure for an Innkeeper..

What torques me off is the idea that being "burned out" (or having your place for sale) is considered failure for an Innkeeper.

I'm on the outside looking in and that is the part that torques me off, too. All it is is changing jobs. One's not a failure if they go from being a nurse to being a teacher or a farmer!!
It's a life change.

 

[JBloggs]

What torques me off is the idea that being "burned out" (or having your place for sale) is considered failure for an Innkeeper..

Only if you view the comment that way.
Only the individual knows why they want / are selling....Matters not what others think
.

Only if you view the comment that way.
Only the individual knows why they want / are selling....Matters not what others think

See that is the thing. Arrogantly put that EVEN some on this forum are for sale...tisk tisk. Youbetchya! I can't wait for the next owners to take this beauty and love her! And ya know what I have my eyes wide open for what I am ready to do next. I have my toe in the tide right now.
I give 110% to any job I have, any thing I do, for that matter. That is why this thread bugged me. Because you see us electronically you have no clue what we do each day! When guests hug us and we make a difference in people's lives. That is the part that bothers me the most, trying to analyze this business, trying to analyze innkeepers. Each inn is totally different, different set up, circumstances where one inn may have a one room innkeeper quarters and a host who is a gourmet chef another might have a separate house and host who cannot cook worth beans.
WELL DONE TO ALL YOU INNKEEPERS who love what you do! Well done to those who move on to the next phase of their lives, this is not a life sentence, by any means...It is something you do.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

What torques me off is the idea that being "burned out" (or having your place for sale) is considered failure for an Innkeeper..

What torques me off is the idea that being "burned out" (or having your place for sale) is considered failure for an Innkeeper.

Maybe I'm being naive, but I haven't sensed that kind of judgement with the term, especially on this forum where we all truly understand the concept of the term "burnout".
I've experienced true burnout from my old profession. Never would I consider it a failure. Those that do exceedingly well (and I'm not talking $$) no matter what profession it is can and do burnout because we put everything we have into it. It takes a toll...It is not failure....it is a change. Change is good in most cases.

 

[One Day]

And yet it is true that some facilities are for sale........because the owners failed.
Failure is on so many levels.....worse thing to do is to ever think that a job/career change is due to ones failure. When in fact it wasn't
Some make a life long commitment to their career...others don't...who cares?
You did what you did for your reasons.....others do what they do for their reasons.

 

[Samster]

What torques me off is the idea that being "burned out" (or having your place for sale) is considered failure for an Innkeeper..

Little Blue, I kind of agree....or closing your place because your life situation changed is a failure.
But I think that I have self-imposed a failure label. We were going great guns but I realized that it was not the right way to be leading our life right now.
I'm coming to terms with not feeling bad about doing the right thing for our family at this point in time, but it is still a process. I just had someone today tell me that I should have kept our place open with fewer rooms. Did they walk in my shoes? No...... Still it's comments like that that make me think that maybe I just didn't hold on long enough or something.

 

[wendydk]

I spoke with a distant cousin who runs her own Inn in Southern Michigan yesterday. She is really struggling to hold it together with her mom being in the hospital, helping her daughter with her three sickly kids, the hubby working full time and a three room Inn in a popular location.
I feel bad for her, because I know just how she feels, but told her to be sure NOT to slight the family, and to take all the time she needs for them and for herself.
Gotta go...our NO are going to arrive with their loaded moving truck from CA any minute...and they've never even seen the Inn before, so will have to show them everything.
Gotta say, that selling right now does not feel like a failure for me.

 

[Breakfast Diva]

What torques me off is the idea that being "burned out" (or having your place for sale) is considered failure for an Innkeeper..

Little Blue, I kind of agree....or closing your place because your life situation changed is a failure.
But I think that I have self-imposed a failure label. We were going great guns but I realized that it was not the right way to be leading our life right now.
I'm coming to terms with not feeling bad about doing the right thing for our family at this point in time, but it is still a process. I just had someone today tell me that I should have kept our place open with fewer rooms. Did they walk in my shoes? No...... Still it's comments like that that make me think that maybe I just didn't hold on long enough or something.
.

Samster, you are not a failure, you are a hero. The choices you made were for your family and there's nothing more important. I admire you and your decision.

 

[Joey Camb]

In some ways Being Burnt out can be seen as a sign of success LOL

 

[JBloggs]

I spoke with a distant cousin who runs her own Inn in Southern Michigan yesterday. She is really struggling to hold it together with her mom being in the hospital, helping her daughter with her three sickly kids, the hubby working full time and a three room Inn in a popular location.
I feel bad for her, because I know just how she feels, but told her to be sure NOT to slight the family, and to take all the time she needs for them and for herself.
Gotta go...our NO are going to arrive with their loaded moving truck from CA any minute...and they've never even seen the Inn before, so will have to show them everything.
Gotta say, that selling right now does not feel like a failure for me..

I spoke with a distant cousin who runs her own Inn in Southern Michigan yesterday. She is really struggling to hold it together with her mom being in the hospital, helping her daughter with her three sickly kids, the hubby working full time and a three room Inn in a popular location.
I feel bad for her, because I know just how she feels, but told her to be sure NOT to slight the family, and to take all the time she needs for them and for herself.
Gotta go...our NO are going to arrive with their loaded moving truck from CA any minute...and they've never even seen the Inn before, so will have to show them everything.
Gotta say, that selling right now does not feel like a failure for me.

I AM DREAMING OF STANDING THERE WHERE YOU ARE WITH A MOVING TRUCK ROLLING IN LB. HAVE FUN TODAY!!!!!!

 

[One Day]

LB
Congrats on the previous successful 7 years. From sratch, the attraction your establishment has become. To the handing over of the keys of the establishment.
It is with hope that this aspiring achieves the success and joy that you have portrayed over the many months I have been a part of the innspiring family.

 

[wendydk]

LB
Congrats on the previous successful 7 years. From sratch, the attraction your establishment has become. To the handing over of the keys of the establishment.
It is with hope that this aspiring achieves the success and joy that you have portrayed over the many months I have been a part of the innspiring family..

LB
Congrats on the previous successful 7 years. From sratch, the attraction your establishment has become. To the handing over of the keys of the establishment.
It is with hope that this aspiring achieves the success and joy that you have portrayed over the many months I have been a part of the innspiring family.

Awww shucks.....thanks one day....very sweet of you to say!

 

[JBloggs]

Isn't that funny. This is why it is all apples and oranges, I find absolute fondness and admiration in the success of LB, in her selling as well, I see a job well done! I suppose I will feel the same from my own standpoint when this B&B is sold, a golden moment, it is an accomplishment passed on to another eager new innkeeper! I revel in this thought.
Thank you all for helping to express why this thread bothered me, insinuating failure and poor innkeeping, it is not that way at all!
Back to the Butter Pecan Cake for guests check in! Because I have to? Nope, because I innjoy it.

 

[toddburme]

"Maybe I am a little to cymical but I doubt there has been any big study on this. " Clearly i resemble that statement as yes there was a study - http://www.infor maw orld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a903862313~frm=abslink take out the spaces.

 

[Arks]

Isn't that funny. This is why it is all apples and oranges, I find absolute fondness and admiration in the success of LB, in her selling as well, I see a job well done! I suppose I will feel the same from my own standpoint when this B&B is sold, a golden moment, it is an accomplishment passed on to another eager new innkeeper! I revel in this thought.
Thank you all for helping to express why this thread bothered me, insinuating failure and poor innkeeping, it is not that way at all!
Back to the Butter Pecan Cake for guests check in! Because I have to? Nope, because I innjoy it..

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[Arks]

removed.

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