Rooms & Small Luxuries

[user 26]

Hello.
I would much prefer a chair to a bureau or dresser. I never put my clothes in one although I do use the closet. Many of my rooms did not have a bureau but I did find some great comfy chairs in the local used furniture stores to round out what I had. I put one in each room and a footrest - in one small space, the footrest slid under the chair. Must you have bureaus?
TV's in all the rooms, wall mounted, yes. Sorry to say since you don't like it --- but people like their shows and their sports and the weather --- I can see pretty much all that on my cell phone, tablet or laptop (which I no longer bring when traveling) but prefer a larger screen! I recently stayed in a place with TV in the common area. It rained (I mean RAINED so bad you couldn't go out due to street flooding) and there wasn't agreement about what to watch on that TV. Then the power went out and along with it the cable. They had a generator so we had lights, and plugged in an old vcr and it was fun to see their old movie collection. I curled up with a book in my room.
Hot tub, I personally wouldn't use but I love a fire pit or chiminea. Yes, it takes watching.
To echo those who've spoken before me, I did my best to provide the amenities guests ask for. If they ask 'Do you have tv in the rooms?' you'll know it's wanted. Some will be fine without, some will go elsewhere.

 

[Lee2014]

At the one place we have TVs in all the rooms but at the other place which is more luxurious only three rooms have TVs. You want a TV, book the room with one. They aren't the most popular ones at all...

 

[Generic]

At the one place we have TVs in all the rooms but at the other place which is more luxurious only three rooms have TVs. You want a TV, book the room with one. They aren't the most popular ones at all....

Personally, we don't book a room without a TV. But we end up complaining because so many don't allow you to hook into the HDMI, which is what we want to do. We aren't interested in the cable TV.

 

[Lee2014]

At the one place we have TVs in all the rooms but at the other place which is more luxurious only three rooms have TVs. You want a TV, book the room with one. They aren't the most popular ones at all....

Personally, we don't book a room without a TV. But we end up complaining because so many don't allow you to hook into the HDMI, which is what we want to do. We aren't interested in the cable TV.
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Remember to ask before booking whether you can hook into their HDMI, then you can be happy!

 

[Generic]

At the one place we have TVs in all the rooms but at the other place which is more luxurious only three rooms have TVs. You want a TV, book the room with one. They aren't the most popular ones at all....

Personally, we don't book a room without a TV. But we end up complaining because so many don't allow you to hook into the HDMI, which is what we want to do. We aren't interested in the cable TV.
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Remember to ask before booking whether you can hook into their HDMI, then you can be happy!
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Have 2-in-1 laptop now, so we can turn the screen over if we are stuck. But it's annoying. Almost as annoying as having 1080p TVs and having only 480p TV decoders. In fact, I now note any hotel that I stay with that doesn't have HD channels when they have a HD TV. What's the point of having an HD TV if you are going to give me the same crappy picture.

 

[A Neat Place]

2 comfortable chairs and reading lamps. I hate when the only place to sit is the bed.
Hot water for showers.
Heat in the winter, controlled by moi.
Cooling in the summer, ditto on controls. Even if that involves opening a window and turning on a fan.
Enough pillows to sit up in bed.
Some semblance of sound deadening. Even if all that means is runners in the halls so you don't hear someone's pointy shoes clomping thru the building.
There you have my peeves.
Do I care about TV? No. Specialty soap? No. Water in a fridge? No. The fridge itself? No.
You'd be amazed how many places skip the important details, but have luxury linens and precious decor..

Ah, I am sad for the small rooms. LOL -- no room for comfy chairs. I agree, they sure would be nice to have.
I'll add a runner in the hall, for sure.
At present, only one bedroom has a small rug (5x8). I was thinking they all should, just the woven washable flatweave type that is style at present, with a good non-skid under it, for additional sound deadening. Overall, it's a pretty quiet house.
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We are also by a wooded area, a great local bike trail, and one of the amazing great lakes. No TV's in the rooms ever... Only one in a common space. Most of our guests are here to go and do and be outdoors. I don't want to facilitate the ****-toobers. We have bookshelves full of books, puzzles and internet. Most guests are at least courteous of other guests and don't dominate the one TV that is available (plus we have an 11 pm quiet time posted).
We can't stand the noise either - had one guest here for 4 days, didn't go anywhere and was hard of hearing. All we heard from the 2nd floor for those 4 days was news commercials and ridiculous shows. I never enjoyed so much peace and quiet when they checked-out.
I love your idea of the yoga mats and coordinating the area tours/explorations. We partner with an equipment rental place in town that gives our guests discounts on bikes, kayaks, sups, and wine tours! There's always something to do in the area and where we live is "the destination" so our B&B doesn't have to be! We saturated everyone with hospitality and comfy beds for sleeping and gourmet food for eating!
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I love this! There's lots to do in the nearby city, and I am sure we could partner with the standing paddleboard folks and such. Everything outdoors to do is here, unless it has to do with snow or deep sea diving. The hanggliding place is just down the road, maybe we could work out something with them as well.
The B&B I took care of one summer had only one TV, in the common area. Other than the occasional guest turning it on for news after breakfast, most never looked at it. Some watched a movie at night. That inn is also in a wooded area, tucked in a neighborhood but sitting on three acres. Lovely old home.

 

[A Neat Place]

Know your clientele. What sort of people will be staying with you?
You say, "TV: we have one in the common area, though I truly hate even having that."
I would just suggest that you consider, the amenities are not for YOU and what you want. The amenities are for them, and what THEY, the guests, want.
If your clientele are younger, then yes, many or most will have their tablets and phones and do fine as long as you have a fast Internet connection with enough bandwidth to service multiple users at the same time.
If your guests are mostly older, they'll probably expect and appreciate a TV in the room. TV's have become pretty cheap. Flat screens take up very little space, especially if you mount them on the wall..

Y'all are right and it's not all about ME and my relationship with TVs. I think they are ugly, noisy intrusive things that distract people from the important things in life. I sound like a grumpy old hag... I'm in my 40s... soon as my hubby moved into my little apartment some 19 years ago, he brought a TV with him. Even 22 year old me didn't like that thing. *laughs*
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OTOH- We have intentionally operated for 13 years without TV. Nary a complaint and many compliments for not having them. On the rare day when someone just has to see the Wimbledon finale etc., we send them to the local bar.
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So some folks say "yes must have" others say not so much. We are about to have a local bar, with plenty of TVs. Good thinking.
I'd really rather encourage folks here to enjoy the peace of the forest. Owlsong at night, crickets, foxes... just the quiet.

 

[A Neat Place]

Hello.
I would much prefer a chair to a bureau or dresser. I never put my clothes in one although I do use the closet. Many of my rooms did not have a bureau but I did find some great comfy chairs in the local used furniture stores to round out what I had. I put one in each room and a footrest - in one small space, the footrest slid under the chair. Must you have bureaus?
TV's in all the rooms, wall mounted, yes. Sorry to say since you don't like it --- but people like their shows and their sports and the weather --- I can see pretty much all that on my cell phone, tablet or laptop (which I no longer bring when traveling) but prefer a larger screen! I recently stayed in a place with TV in the common area. It rained (I mean RAINED so bad you couldn't go out due to street flooding) and there wasn't agreement about what to watch on that TV. Then the power went out and along with it the cable. They had a generator so we had lights, and plugged in an old vcr and it was fun to see their old movie collection. I curled up with a book in my room.
Hot tub, I personally wouldn't use but I love a fire pit or chiminea. Yes, it takes watching.
To echo those who've spoken before me, I did my best to provide the amenities guests ask for. If they ask 'Do you have tv in the rooms?' you'll know it's wanted. Some will be fine without, some will go elsewhere..

In some rooms, the bureau may actually fit in the closet. Two of the rooms have massive closet space, serious overkill. One room (the smallest) that was a porch does not have a closet, and has an old wardrobe in it instead. No room for a chair there.
I've been surprised at how many people do use the bureaus -- I generally don't, unless I am staying for several days. I tend to live out of the suitcase, and hang up the other items. I've met folks who "have" to unpack, even if it's one night. I don't get it, but differences make the world go round.
In the 2 years as a VacationRipoff host... only one potential guest asked if there were TVs in the room. Nobody has complained about only the one TV, and ... nobody has ever called me to ask how the Smart TV works. So, I think waiting to see what people ask about most, learning our clientele, is not a bad way to go.

 

[A Neat Place]

Okay, I'm the odd kid here, 8 room mom & pop motel in resort area, but share many common interests, more with folks here than with a large hotel. My comments reflect what we do and my personal choices if I were your guest.
Me, I love looking at the grand old homes, yet as a guest, I'm ordinary folks and would likely be a bit out of place in one of those GRAND places. Be yourself and cultivate guests that like you for who you are, then everyone is happy
Items we put in a room for the guest and things we do for the guest must be a balance between cost and use, ultimately the cost gets passed to the guest so the question is if there is a real value to every guest. We use a good quality soap/shampoo, yet it is a mass produced item. Question does offering wine require a license or put you in any danger? Don't burden yourself too much, we started in our 40's, but after nearly 30 years here, funny how you run out of energy, yet I don't want to retire away from what I enjoy.
We have TV's, expected for our operation, you can mount them on the wall and get the type where you can limit volume (we don't)
We have mountain well water, I don't see that advantage of bottle water over that which is available from the tap, we do put a few store brand colas in each room as a welcome offering. Rooms have tiny fridge, microwave and coffee.
Our rooms are decent size, country cabin look, I play with wood, so many items are created to fit my space, happy to offer thoughts if you like, my nightstand hangs from the wall to make cleaning under easier.
I would check out health department rules on a hot tub and insurance liability before adding as simple things at times get complicated.
Your best extras will depend on your guests, it takes time, what do guests request, make a note for the future, what negative does a guest mention in a review, can you meet that need in the future, what guest action gives you a headache, how can we/you change to avoid that problem, at least that's how I learn..

Your best extras will depend on your guests, it takes time, what do guests request, make a note for the future, what negative does a guest mention in a review, can you meet that need in the future, what guest action gives you a headache, how can we/you change to avoid that problem, at least that's how I learn.
I agree. It's been interesting to note the differences between VR_O and ABB. We have a solid 5 star on ABB. VR_O, with its exorbitant fees, I think makes folks grumpy. Or it's a slightly different clientele. The 4-star VR_O reviews never say anything negative. They just don't like to hand out 5 stars. We had one 3 star... there was a problem with the water but they never told us! I always check with the guest midway and they didn't reply. It was a simple fix, would have taken 5 minutes. Sigh. Part of the pressure to switch over to B&B... if we are here, we will know if anything goes wrong.

 

[JimBoone]

Okay, I'm the odd kid here, 8 room mom & pop motel in resort area, but share many common interests, more with folks here than with a large hotel. My comments reflect what we do and my personal choices if I were your guest.
Me, I love looking at the grand old homes, yet as a guest, I'm ordinary folks and would likely be a bit out of place in one of those GRAND places. Be yourself and cultivate guests that like you for who you are, then everyone is happy
Items we put in a room for the guest and things we do for the guest must be a balance between cost and use, ultimately the cost gets passed to the guest so the question is if there is a real value to every guest. We use a good quality soap/shampoo, yet it is a mass produced item. Question does offering wine require a license or put you in any danger? Don't burden yourself too much, we started in our 40's, but after nearly 30 years here, funny how you run out of energy, yet I don't want to retire away from what I enjoy.
We have TV's, expected for our operation, you can mount them on the wall and get the type where you can limit volume (we don't)
We have mountain well water, I don't see that advantage of bottle water over that which is available from the tap, we do put a few store brand colas in each room as a welcome offering. Rooms have tiny fridge, microwave and coffee.
Our rooms are decent size, country cabin look, I play with wood, so many items are created to fit my space, happy to offer thoughts if you like, my nightstand hangs from the wall to make cleaning under easier.
I would check out health department rules on a hot tub and insurance liability before adding as simple things at times get complicated.
Your best extras will depend on your guests, it takes time, what do guests request, make a note for the future, what negative does a guest mention in a review, can you meet that need in the future, what guest action gives you a headache, how can we/you change to avoid that problem, at least that's how I learn..

Your best extras will depend on your guests, it takes time, what do guests request, make a note for the future, what negative does a guest mention in a review, can you meet that need in the future, what guest action gives you a headache, how can we/you change to avoid that problem, at least that's how I learn.
I agree. It's been interesting to note the differences between VR_O and ABB. We have a solid 5 star on ABB. VR_O, with its exorbitant fees, I think makes folks grumpy. Or it's a slightly different clientele. The 4-star VR_O reviews never say anything negative. They just don't like to hand out 5 stars. We had one 3 star... there was a problem with the water but they never told us! I always check with the guest midway and they didn't reply. It was a simple fix, would have taken 5 minutes. Sigh. Part of the pressure to switch over to B&B... if we are here, we will know if anything goes wrong.
.

While we all need to have income we also enjoy the people that visit, I fear that without the people contact I'd just be the janitor and yardman and it wouldn't be much fun. I think you will enjoy operating as a B&B

 

[A Neat Place]

Okay, I'm the odd kid here, 8 room mom & pop motel in resort area, but share many common interests, more with folks here than with a large hotel. My comments reflect what we do and my personal choices if I were your guest.
Me, I love looking at the grand old homes, yet as a guest, I'm ordinary folks and would likely be a bit out of place in one of those GRAND places. Be yourself and cultivate guests that like you for who you are, then everyone is happy
Items we put in a room for the guest and things we do for the guest must be a balance between cost and use, ultimately the cost gets passed to the guest so the question is if there is a real value to every guest. We use a good quality soap/shampoo, yet it is a mass produced item. Question does offering wine require a license or put you in any danger? Don't burden yourself too much, we started in our 40's, but after nearly 30 years here, funny how you run out of energy, yet I don't want to retire away from what I enjoy.
We have TV's, expected for our operation, you can mount them on the wall and get the type where you can limit volume (we don't)
We have mountain well water, I don't see that advantage of bottle water over that which is available from the tap, we do put a few store brand colas in each room as a welcome offering. Rooms have tiny fridge, microwave and coffee.
Our rooms are decent size, country cabin look, I play with wood, so many items are created to fit my space, happy to offer thoughts if you like, my nightstand hangs from the wall to make cleaning under easier.
I would check out health department rules on a hot tub and insurance liability before adding as simple things at times get complicated.
Your best extras will depend on your guests, it takes time, what do guests request, make a note for the future, what negative does a guest mention in a review, can you meet that need in the future, what guest action gives you a headache, how can we/you change to avoid that problem, at least that's how I learn..

Your best extras will depend on your guests, it takes time, what do guests request, make a note for the future, what negative does a guest mention in a review, can you meet that need in the future, what guest action gives you a headache, how can we/you change to avoid that problem, at least that's how I learn.
I agree. It's been interesting to note the differences between VR_O and ABB. We have a solid 5 star on ABB. VR_O, with its exorbitant fees, I think makes folks grumpy. Or it's a slightly different clientele. The 4-star VR_O reviews never say anything negative. They just don't like to hand out 5 stars. We had one 3 star... there was a problem with the water but they never told us! I always check with the guest midway and they didn't reply. It was a simple fix, would have taken 5 minutes. Sigh. Part of the pressure to switch over to B&B... if we are here, we will know if anything goes wrong.
.

While we all need to have income we also enjoy the people that visit, I fear that without the people contact I'd just be the janitor and yardman and it wouldn't be much fun. I think you will enjoy operating as a B&B
.

That's really how I feel now -- like all I do is make a place spotless for people I meet for 5 minutes at check-in to tear up. I make everything pretty for them to enjoy, and I miss being here. We are in love with our place, and I have always envisioned it as a B&B. The garden walkways, the porch and deck and the welcoming kitchen/dining setup is all perfect for that morning socializing that I often enjoyed while managing my friend's B&B. Yes there are guests you wish would go outside and sit on the porch with their coffee rather than talk your ear off while you try to cook... but by and large, I enjoyed all the conversation.
I'm looking forward to it, for a host of reasons (pun intended).

 

[Bandbdirectory]

Welcome to The Bed & Breakfast Directory, your source for discovering the five-star bed and breakfast in Cambridgeshire. Reserve the best B& B accommodation online now that best suits your budget!

 

[Tom]

Know your clientele. What sort of people will be staying with you?
You say, "TV: we have one in the common area, though I truly hate even having that."
I would just suggest that you consider, the amenities are not for YOU and what you want. The amenities are for them, and what THEY, the guests, want.
If your clientele are younger, then yes, many or most will have their tablets and phones and do fine as long as you have a fast Internet connection with enough bandwidth to service multiple users at the same time.
If your guests are mostly older, they'll probably expect and appreciate a TV in the room. TV's have become pretty cheap. Flat screens take up very little space, especially if you mount them on the wall..

Y'all are right and it's not all about ME and my relationship with TVs. I think they are ugly, noisy intrusive things that distract people from the important things in life. I sound like a grumpy old hag... I'm in my 40s... soon as my hubby moved into my little apartment some 19 years ago, he brought a TV with him. Even 22 year old me didn't like that thing. *laughs*
.

OTOH- We have intentionally operated for 13 years without TV. Nary a complaint and many compliments for not having them. On the rare day when someone just has to see the Wimbledon finale etc., we send them to the local bar.
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Same. Wired cable to rooms, but opted to have only a big TV in guest lounge. Sports fans can hang out there. Everyone else is on tablet. I don't have to worry about TV left on too long or turned up too loud. If we have a guest with very limited mobility, I have a 30 inch TV I can put in a room on special request for a longer stay.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

We like a TV in our room, so we put them in. The PO did not have them. We pretty much run the place as a place we would love to stay. So, a refrigerator for the wine, a TV to check the weather, an extra set of towels, a seating area in each room and an information book.

 

[TheBeachHouse]

We have a hot tub, but no one knows about it. It is just for us.
Each house is different. We provide a front porch and a koi pond seating area - both of which have ocean views. So I don't think people miss the hot tub. I imagine if we were a skiing destination, we would want a hot tub.

 

[JimBoone]

We like a TV in our room, so we put them in. The PO did not have them. We pretty much run the place as a place we would love to stay. So, a refrigerator for the wine, a TV to check the weather, an extra set of towels, a seating area in each room and an information book..

I rather think that is the secret of a successful operation, not so much the items we put in rooms, but that we style and equip our rooms in a manner that we would personally enjoy and cultivate guests that think the same