Learning about the B&B business from a book?

[Deanna]

Can anyone recommend any of the B&B learning books that are really worth the money. Once I get something in my noggin .......

 

[gillumhouse]

This Forum is better than any book you will find.

 

[inncogneeto]

this forum
I felt these were helpful:
How to open and operate a bed and breakfast
Complete idiot's guide to running a bed and breakfast
These may not be the bible of B&B business but they are helpful and give food for thought...
Do a search on Amazon.com and look at the reviews....

 

[Morticia]

Do you want to learn everything? Just some parts? Quite frankly, I read a lot of books when we were researching, but the best info I got was from real, in the trenches innkeepers, not folks writing books. Books are a good start, you'll be able to formulate the questions you need answered by starting with books.
Edited to add that I have never opened one of those books again. What you REALLY might want to check into are newsletters for innkeepers. Those will be up to date info, moreso than a book, maybe written 2-3 years ago or more.
If you've ever seen Fawlty Towers (and if you haven't, watch that for how NOT to run a B&B!) then this paraphrase will reasonate:
'I can run a B&B, I learned it from a booook.'

 

[YellowSocks]

My first phase of research was to go to the library and read every book they had. I don't remember the titles, but the ones above seem familiar. Then I found this forum and never looked back.
The single most useful thing I learned from a book (as I've shared before) were the five target markets for a B&B... you need a minimum of one, prefereably 2-3 if you want to have reservations:
Tourists
Romantic getaways
Business travelers
Long-term hospital stays
University visitors
We get lots of people here for weddings, reunions, etc. I'm not sure which group they'd be considered... regular ole travelers?
Anyway, we used that advice to select a focus... a plan for what we were looking for (university/tourism/biz), which was very helpful when selecting where to live.
=)
Kk.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

We have all read them. I found quite a bit of information in the how to open and run a B&B books to be false. Not just the writer's persepctive, but just not accurate facts. So take them with a grain of salt, and check back here where the real innkeepers reside to verify anything that seems a bit off.
I would read as many as you can to get a taste for it, then utilize this forum. You can't ask a book questions - here you can!

 

[Deanna]

Thanks all. I've found alot of helpful info on here, some things I just never would have thought of. Also spend hours browsing the net, checking out other inn websites to see how they decorate etc. Now if we could only sell the house we are in so we can finally get on with our journey. I'm anxious to start searching for a "new" home. You were mentioning target markets. Hubby is in to motorcycles and I understand the Maritimes are big for that, university business check and hospital visits check. I'm also an RN so maybe somehow that may come in to play. So I may not contribute much for now but don't mind me lurking around.

 

[EmptyNest]

Thanks all. I've found alot of helpful info on here, some things I just never would have thought of. Also spend hours browsing the net, checking out other inn websites to see how they decorate etc. Now if we could only sell the house we are in so we can finally get on with our journey. I'm anxious to start searching for a "new" home. You were mentioning target markets. Hubby is in to motorcycles and I understand the Maritimes are big for that, university business check and hospital visits check. I'm also an RN so maybe somehow that may come in to play. So I may not contribute much for now but don't mind me lurking around..

Well unfortunately..due to economic conditions..the likelihood of a seller appearing is slim to none right now. And ...you are going to need some $$$$ and a big down payment if you are looking to finance. This is a good time to just stay put and SAVE!!!!!

 

[Morticia]

Thanks all. I've found alot of helpful info on here, some things I just never would have thought of. Also spend hours browsing the net, checking out other inn websites to see how they decorate etc. Now if we could only sell the house we are in so we can finally get on with our journey. I'm anxious to start searching for a "new" home. You were mentioning target markets. Hubby is in to motorcycles and I understand the Maritimes are big for that, university business check and hospital visits check. I'm also an RN so maybe somehow that may come in to play. So I may not contribute much for now but don't mind me lurking around..

Nice area to be looking! There is a big market for motorcyclists. They have a few 'wants' that other guests don't, tho...covered or locked parking, lighted parking, paved parking, a place to wash off the bike and towels to dry.

 

[gillumhouse]

Thanks all. I've found alot of helpful info on here, some things I just never would have thought of. Also spend hours browsing the net, checking out other inn websites to see how they decorate etc. Now if we could only sell the house we are in so we can finally get on with our journey. I'm anxious to start searching for a "new" home. You were mentioning target markets. Hubby is in to motorcycles and I understand the Maritimes are big for that, university business check and hospital visits check. I'm also an RN so maybe somehow that may come in to play. So I may not contribute much for now but don't mind me lurking around..

I get a lot of motorcycle guests and they seem satisfied that I have off-street parking. But I am in a different part of the world than Bree. I am in West Virginia (considered Podunk by the rest of the world and we do not mind because it keeps the riff-raff out). Motorcycles want winding roads and scenery.
Are you Canadian? Why the Maritimes? We could use another B & B in my little city. Anyone opening here has the hard work already done for them. I have created the market and want someone to come help reap my harvest. Honest *****!! I am ready and willing to help a newbie in my town.

 

[Deanna]

Thanks all. I've found alot of helpful info on here, some things I just never would have thought of. Also spend hours browsing the net, checking out other inn websites to see how they decorate etc. Now if we could only sell the house we are in so we can finally get on with our journey. I'm anxious to start searching for a "new" home. You were mentioning target markets. Hubby is in to motorcycles and I understand the Maritimes are big for that, university business check and hospital visits check. I'm also an RN so maybe somehow that may come in to play. So I may not contribute much for now but don't mind me lurking around..

I get a lot of motorcycle guests and they seem satisfied that I have off-street parking. But I am in a different part of the world than Bree. I am in West Virginia (considered Podunk by the rest of the world and we do not mind because it keeps the riff-raff out). Motorcycles want winding roads and scenery.
Are you Canadian? Why the Maritimes? We could use another B & B in my little city. Anyone opening here has the hard work already done for them. I have created the market and want someone to come help reap my harvest. Honest *****!! I am ready and willing to help a newbie in my town.
.

Yup we're from western Canada. We have also been wondering about staying put for now until the economy settles but...............the housing market is higher out west than in the east. So we can sell high and buy lower out there. That is the plan anyway if god willing it should go according to!!! And besides I"m just too darn itchy now to sit still.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Thanks all. I've found alot of helpful info on here, some things I just never would have thought of. Also spend hours browsing the net, checking out other inn websites to see how they decorate etc. Now if we could only sell the house we are in so we can finally get on with our journey. I'm anxious to start searching for a "new" home. You were mentioning target markets. Hubby is in to motorcycles and I understand the Maritimes are big for that, university business check and hospital visits check. I'm also an RN so maybe somehow that may come in to play. So I may not contribute much for now but don't mind me lurking around..

Nice area to be looking! There is a big market for motorcyclists. They have a few 'wants' that other guests don't, tho...covered or locked parking, lighted parking, paved parking, a place to wash off the bike and towels to dry.
.

Nice area to be looking! There is a big market for motorcyclists. They have a few 'wants' that other guests don't, tho...covered or locked parking, lighted parking, paved parking, a place to wash off the bike and towels to dry.

Being able to see their babies. (from the Inn or room). FLAT parking.
We have "America's Favorite Drive" right here 469.1 mile long with ZERO stopping (meaning no stop signs - continuous travel), and winding road and vistas. We get some motorcycles, but we get more NON motorcycles.

 

[gillumhouse]

Thanks all. I've found alot of helpful info on here, some things I just never would have thought of. Also spend hours browsing the net, checking out other inn websites to see how they decorate etc. Now if we could only sell the house we are in so we can finally get on with our journey. I'm anxious to start searching for a "new" home. You were mentioning target markets. Hubby is in to motorcycles and I understand the Maritimes are big for that, university business check and hospital visits check. I'm also an RN so maybe somehow that may come in to play. So I may not contribute much for now but don't mind me lurking around..

I get a lot of motorcycle guests and they seem satisfied that I have off-street parking. But I am in a different part of the world than Bree. I am in West Virginia (considered Podunk by the rest of the world and we do not mind because it keeps the riff-raff out). Motorcycles want winding roads and scenery.
Are you Canadian? Why the Maritimes? We could use another B & B in my little city. Anyone opening here has the hard work already done for them. I have created the market and want someone to come help reap my harvest. Honest *****!! I am ready and willing to help a newbie in my town.
.

Yup we're from western Canada. We have also been wondering about staying put for now until the economy settles but...............the housing market is higher out west than in the east. So we can sell high and buy lower out there. That is the plan anyway if god willing it should go according to!!! And besides I"m just too darn itchy now to sit still.
.

Outside money goes a long way here....

 

[user 26]

i suggest you spend time at an old fashioned library where you can skim through the books ... so much written info can become outdated very quickly. it's really amazing how fast it changes.
they are good for referencing ...
but i learned a lot more from the seminars i took. especially shadowing the innkeeper at one place for a while. a lot of it you have no idea until you jump in and do what will come naturally and where you are lost ... forums like this are awesome.
i remember at the very beginning of taking reservations mentioning how i froze up when answering guest phone calls ... and how i felt like i was playing at innkeeping. was advised to have a sheet of questions to always ask and to have my policies and room rates handy. and that after a while, it would be second nature. that was exactly right.
the point is ... whatever question you have, whatever fear you have, whatever rant you have ... there is bound to be someone else on the forum who has been there, done that, seen that, felt that ... and it is the most helpful thing in the world to know you are not alone!

 

[rrh]

We bought a "package" from an area Innkeeper who offers consultation services. We have read and read and gone to our meeting and are enrolled in the upcoming innkeeper convention, taking all the aspiring classes but it seems like the printed info is kind of dated! Most current publication we have read is 2001

That's 7 yrs old already.....dw thinks I should be reading these books but I like the current dialog I am reading here

. I'll keep slogging through the hard copy just the same

 

[Morticia]

We bought a "package" from an area Innkeeper who offers consultation services. We have read and read and gone to our meeting and are enrolled in the upcoming innkeeper convention, taking all the aspiring classes but it seems like the printed info is kind of dated! Most current publication we have read is 2001

That's 7 yrs old already.....dw thinks I should be reading these books but I like the current dialog I am reading here

. I'll keep slogging through the hard copy just the same

.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

We bought a "package" from an area Innkeeper who offers consultation services. We have read and read and gone to our meeting and are enrolled in the upcoming innkeeper convention, taking all the aspiring classes but it seems like the printed info is kind of dated! Most current publication we have read is 2001

That's 7 yrs old already.....dw thinks I should be reading these books but I like the current dialog I am reading here

. I'll keep slogging through the hard copy just the same

.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.
.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.

My other half says "What does the forum say?" He now believes, with the exception of a few wingnuts, that the forum knows its stuff.

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

We bought a "package" from an area Innkeeper who offers consultation services. We have read and read and gone to our meeting and are enrolled in the upcoming innkeeper convention, taking all the aspiring classes but it seems like the printed info is kind of dated! Most current publication we have read is 2001

That's 7 yrs old already.....dw thinks I should be reading these books but I like the current dialog I am reading here

. I'll keep slogging through the hard copy just the same

.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.
.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.

Oh yeah like the way we made you redo a room photo while we all watched. Nice isn't it! LOL!

 

[Morticia]

We bought a "package" from an area Innkeeper who offers consultation services. We have read and read and gone to our meeting and are enrolled in the upcoming innkeeper convention, taking all the aspiring classes but it seems like the printed info is kind of dated! Most current publication we have read is 2001

That's 7 yrs old already.....dw thinks I should be reading these books but I like the current dialog I am reading here

. I'll keep slogging through the hard copy just the same

.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.
.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.

My other half says "What does the forum say?" He now believes, with the exception of a few wingnuts, that the forum knows its stuff.
.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.

My other half says "What does the forum say?" He now believes, with the exception of a few wingnuts, that the forum knows its stuff.

Wingnuts? Moi?

 

[Morticia]

We bought a "package" from an area Innkeeper who offers consultation services. We have read and read and gone to our meeting and are enrolled in the upcoming innkeeper convention, taking all the aspiring classes but it seems like the printed info is kind of dated! Most current publication we have read is 2001

That's 7 yrs old already.....dw thinks I should be reading these books but I like the current dialog I am reading here

. I'll keep slogging through the hard copy just the same

.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.
.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.

Oh yeah like the way we made you redo a room photo while we all watched. Nice isn't it! LOL!

.

Keep in mind that you can always ask here for help if something you read seems contradictory to common sense. Also understand that you will develop something of a comraderie here that your dw doesn't have (she should get on here if she's going to be the day to day ops!) and she may not want to believe us at first.
Altho, I have found that if I say 'X' and hubs argues, I come here and pose the question and 13 other innkeepers also say 'X' then he agrees to it.

Oh yeah like the way we made you redo a room photo while we all watched. Nice isn't it! LOL!

I asked for it. You know, I was shopping the other day and there was a sale at JCP on throw pillows and I actually stopped to look and said to self, 'Now THAT would have perked up the pic.' And then I walked away. Totally forgetting I could just put the dopey pillow IN the room anyway. But, I noticed that the pillows I got BOGO $1 are now BOGO $.88 so I may go back and get those throw pillows for BOGO $.88.
I want to finish up replacing the pillows and get all of the old ones out of here and off to the shelter. And I may get myself new pillows. The ones I got are nice. I'm going to test sleep one of them tonight...