Naming the Bed and Breakfast

[YellowSocks]

As JBJ mentioned, be aware that people will abbreviate whatever name you come up with. My sister visits her in-laws a the 'tel (hotel), and people have posted that they liked staying at the College (skipping the entire rest of my name).
When you first started posting I was telling my dh about something that was being discussed and I mentioned MT Lodge (since I didn't look closely enough and wasn't sure I even had it right). He said, "Empty Lodge?!"
=)
Kk.

 

[gillumhouse]

Whatever the name chosen, KEEP IT SIMPLE! Say it 100 times - slowly, fast. Driving to work pretend you are answering the phone with the name you are considering (Thank you for calling Schmidt House Bed & Breakfast..). When you think domain name, write it down and the look at what the letters spell ( this is a real domain - Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company www.powergenitalia.com)
Remember a limited number of characters are allowed with many listings, promo item printing, etc. My advice is keep it short as possible and as memorable as possible. And after you choose your name and domain name, use whatever@yourdomain as the e-mail contact - it is more proffessional and will brand you.

 

[EmptyNest]

As others have already said, keep it short and simple, easy to remember and easy to put into a URL for your website. Many times folks play the alphabet game so they can be at the top of a listing...sometimes it doesn't work that way

 

[EmptyNest]

Keeping your region and your market in the name is good. So "Mark Twain Lake" is good and so is Buck and Duck ..though I might suggest Deer and Duck to avoid YellowSock's name game
The Lodge vs B&B is an interesting one. If you are catering mainly to hunters and fishers without their wives, I would lean toward "Lodge". If you are hoping to cater to hunters and fishers with their wives, I would lean toward "Bed and Breakfast" No scratchin, belchin manly man wants to tell his buddies he is going to a B&B. But a more sophisticated man who is in the company of a good woman will be able to use B&B as a selling feature. When you pick one, be sure to work the other into the text of your marketing several times.
Keep in mind as we've said before, it is hard to be all things to all people, so you have to decide a bit. It is hard to be the place that totally caters to hunters (with deer hanging in the side yard or fishing coolers positioned near the entrance) and at the same time try to make it a nice place for romance. Those two things may be incongruous. However if you want to merge them, you can..you just have to work hard to do it....come up with things for the non-hunting significant other to do ... find ways to keep the blood and guts invisible. Have places to store the guests firearms and equipment that is not in the guestroom.... and other things like that..

Let me tell you alittle about the place, we have 5.2 acres We are building a house with a loft and that will be the only bedroom in the house used for the B&B. (Other then our space) In the very near future we will add another building with 3 bedroom.
Got to go quitin time! LOL
Thanks
.

A loft bedroom for a B & B...sorry, not my idea of a B & B. I want a room with walls and privacy. You may want to rethink this, as I am sure many others will feel the same way. Why would they want to stay in a loft open to the rest of your house???

 

[YellowSocks]

I agree about the alphabetical. Even though we're not in the yellow pages, we're on directories, and those tend to be alpha. I smile every time I see myself at the top of the list because I'm a "C" name and the next one's a letter further down the alphabet.
=)
Kk.

 

[Morticia]

Others have mentioned saying the name of the B&B many times. What I would also suggest is that you try it out on other people. Saying it out loud to them. Do they have any idea what you are saying? How about on the phone?
I say this because I regularly refer guests to another inn near me and when I say the name on the phone EVERY SINGLE guest has said, 'What? How do you spell that? Can you repeat that?'
I know I talk fast so I deliberately slow down when I say their name. Makes not a bit of difference. I have to spell it each and every time. And it is NOT a short name.
So, practice saying it to people on the phone. See what sort of response you get. Like everyone has said, guests will shorten it. And I can tell that by my web stats. They way guests find my website using combos of the words in my B&B name is amazing. And guests find ME who were looking for another inn with a similar name in another town. So keep that in mind as well.

 

[Morticia]

I agree about the alphabetical. Even though we're not in the yellow pages, we're on directories, and those tend to be alpha. I smile every time I see myself at the top of the list because I'm a "C" name and the next one's a letter further down the alphabet.
=)
Kk..

I agree about the alphabetical. Even though we're not in the yellow pages, we're on directories, and those tend to be alpha. I smile every time I see myself at the top of the list because I'm a "C" name and the next one's a letter further down the alphabet.
=)
Kk.

Yeah, I am firmly holding down last place on every alpha listing in the state. I think there is one other place that beats me out for last place on some of the listings. We had a guest who said we should tack an 'A' onto the front of our name but that is the 'tackiest' way to get to the head of the list. And I still wouldn't be, because of all the other places that have done that already. So, I'd still be at the end of the 'A something or other B&B' list!

 

[JunieBJones (JBJ)]

Others have mentioned saying the name of the B&B many times. What I would also suggest is that you try it out on other people. Saying it out loud to them. Do they have any idea what you are saying? How about on the phone?
I say this because I regularly refer guests to another inn near me and when I say the name on the phone EVERY SINGLE guest has said, 'What? How do you spell that? Can you repeat that?'
I know I talk fast so I deliberately slow down when I say their name. Makes not a bit of difference. I have to spell it each and every time. And it is NOT a short name.
So, practice saying it to people on the phone. See what sort of response you get. Like everyone has said, guests will shorten it. And I can tell that by my web stats. They way guests find my website using combos of the words in my B&B name is amazing. And guests find ME who were looking for another inn with a similar name in another town. So keep that in mind as well..

Others have mentioned saying the name of the B&B many times. What I would also suggest is that you try it out on other people. Saying it out loud to them. Do they have any idea what you are saying? How about on the phone?
I say this because I regularly refer guests to another inn near me and when I say the name on the phone EVERY SINGLE guest has said, 'What? How do you spell that? Can you repeat that?'
I know I talk fast so I deliberately slow down when I say their name. Makes not a bit of difference. I have to spell it each and every time. And it is NOT a short name.
So, practice saying it to people on the phone. See what sort of response you get. Like everyone has said, guests will shorten it. And I can tell that by my web stats. They way guests find my website using combos of the words in my B&B name is amazing. And guests find ME who were looking for another inn with a similar name in another town. So keep that in mind as well.

There is a place 45 mintues from us who have a name I can never remember. Even now I can't recall it. It is a word that noone has heard of, but has a certain meaning. Oh wait, see now I remember. When I refer guests they cannot even SPELL IT as they write it down and make me repeat it 5 times! In fact, some think it is a weird place or something, and it isn't. Just the name sounds different.

 

[EmptyNest]

I agree about the alphabetical. Even though we're not in the yellow pages, we're on directories, and those tend to be alpha. I smile every time I see myself at the top of the list because I'm a "C" name and the next one's a letter further down the alphabet.
=)
Kk..

Folks used to and probably still do put " A B & B at XXX" to get to the top and now they are doing 1892 B &B Inn. Numbers before letters

 

[Morticia]

I agree about the alphabetical. Even though we're not in the yellow pages, we're on directories, and those tend to be alpha. I smile every time I see myself at the top of the list because I'm a "C" name and the next one's a letter further down the alphabet.
=)
Kk..

Folks used to and probably still do put " A B & B at XXX" to get to the top and now they are doing 1892 B &B Inn. Numbers before letters
.

Folks used to and probably still do put " A B & B at XXX" to get to the top and now they are doing 1892 B &B Inn. Numbers before letters

Absolutely. We used to have one here that still shows up better in searches than most of the currently operating B&B's. You open the site and there is a big 'FOR SALE' sign pasted over it.

 

[cbenson21210]

Yep, a lot goes into the name game. I personally like the first choice the best. I don't like any of the Duck, Buck, or Bass options. Say them too fast and they become tongue twisters and if you drop a letter and change a letter in a couple of them you get all sorts of...ahem...inappropriate names.
All of the suggestions you received are good ones. Placement on directories is important but someone is always going to be last and doing little tricks to get a higher listing kind of annoys and bugs me. I would check URL availability as that could be a biggie. If you go with a longer name, you may end up using a shortened version for the URL. We debated our business' name for several weeks....and I get a lot of checks made out with one error or another in our name.
For me, a Lodge has some sort of connection with or to nature but definitely doesn't have to be rustic although I do think there are some regional variances in different types of names (cottages, cabins, camps (in some places this means no running water), lodges, B&Bs, Inns, etc).
We've stayed at a number of "lodges" while traveling some more "lodgy" than others. Here are a couple that illustrate the broad variety: Spruce Moose Lodge (NH), Savage River Lodge (MD), Salish Lodge (WA, I see they've added "spa" to the name, ugh!), Two Dog Lodge (VT-No longer in business), April Point Lodge (BC, looks like the name is now AP Resort and Spa, a stretch IMO, I liked lodge better). Some of these places were big, some small, some very luxurious, some not quite as luxurious. Some included breakfast and some did not.
We've stayed at some other places that could have had lodge in the name but didn't. The one that comes to mind the most strongly is the Wickaninnish Inn in BC which has an amazing connection with nature. One down side of that name, setting aside the lodge v. inn v. b&b debate, though, is the tough spelling which even I couldn't remember just now (and being from Seattle I can usually spell the native names used to name places like issaquah, snoqualmie, salish, etc.). I would note that their url is wickinn (an obviously shortened and easier to spell version).
My two cents for what it's worth.

 

[Penelope]

Coyote Hill is the name of a Childrens home just north of us. I don't think it would be a good name for your B&B.
Just thought you'd want to know..

Inn at Mark Twin Lake sounds both outdoorsy and romantic to me. It has a nice flow to it also. Just my opinion but the other names you suggested are kind of choppy and easily forgotten.
Good luck with your B&B plans, it sounds wonderful. You will know when you finally come up with the right name.
AdaBWeeks
.

I like the Inn at Mark Twain Lake, too. It flows nicely. It would also be toward the top of the alpha list.
Good luck

 

[Copperhead]

The house plan sounds more like a lodge to me than an Inn, but my mind was drawn to a rustic thought with all the other names you through out to the mob. If your plans, both architectural and decor, are leaning to a rustic style I would go with Lodge in the name. Then add lake name or town name, something that blends the place to the area.
I agree with an earlier post about the loft idea. Maybe I read it differently than you intended. Will your family be living in the same house as the loft bedroom or will this be a totally seperate 'cabin'? Also, your plans are to build another building.
One thing to stay away from is having a similar name to another lodging place in the area. If someone in the area is already using Mark Twain Lake in their business name, you should not use it. It becomes too confusing to guests.
Good luck. You do don't need to worry about making a hasty decision as you have time on your side and a good group here to bounce it off of!

 

[Morticia]

sorry, didn't notice the date of the original post.

 

[toddburme]

Whatever the name chosen, KEEP IT SIMPLE! Say it 100 times - slowly, fast. Driving to work pretend you are answering the phone with the name you are considering (Thank you for calling Schmidt House Bed & Breakfast..). When you think domain name, write it down and the look at what the letters spell ( this is a real domain - Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company www.powergenitalia.com)
Remember a limited number of characters are allowed with many listings, promo item printing, etc. My advice is keep it short as possible and as memorable as possible. And after you choose your name and domain name, use whatever@yourdomain as the e-mail contact - it is more proffessional and will brand you..

Whatever the name chosen, KEEP IT SIMPLE! Say it 100 times - slowly, fast. Driving to work pretend you are answering the phone with the name you are considering (Thank you for calling Schmidt House Bed & Breakfast..). When you think domain name, write it down and the look at what the letters spell ( this is a real domain - Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company www.powergenitalia.com)
Remember a limited number of characters are allowed with many listings, promo item printing, etc. My advice is keep it short as possible and as memorable as possible. And after you choose your name and domain name, use whatever@yourdomain as the e-mail contact - it is more proffessional and will brand you.

That is a truly amazing post. Thank you for the words of wisdom.
I like the idea of using Inn as a lodge is a definitely woodsy theme where I am from. Stuffed moosehead over the stone fireplace type of thing.

 

[toddburme]

sorry, didn't notice the date of the original post..

oops hahaha. Just for the record I change my preference to Resort. That says upscale outdoorsmen to me but certainly lacks the romance factor.

 

[Joey Camb]

I like Lodge at Mark Twain Lake which would pull you up in a lot of searches also it rolls off the tounge well. But also need to thing about how it will look on your sign, web site, stationary etc for example does it abreviate well as you don't want to be a word and is there anything with a similar name close by as we have a night mare with the Camberley and Kimberley which when written look different but when said are very similar. Just things to consider.

 

[JBloggs]

Pls note this thread has reappeared due to SPAM being flagged on it, note the date was 2 years ago. This is not an active question, her place has been named already.
I see many old threads are back up again, we have been hit by spammers folks.

 

[MTLLodge]

I know what happen. I did a link search and this came up so I edit it. Looks like when you do this it brings it to the front. Sorry
Joey- That earring line is great! you go girl!!

 

[JBloggs]

Yes edits bring it back up again as well. Also someone posting their LINK on every flippin' thread on this forum (which happened yesterday too!).