For many years, I dreamed of operating a bed and breakfast. A quaint little home in a beautiful little downtown manageable by myself alone with 3-4 guest rooms and a little tea room for luncheons and special events. Dreaming and scheming, I would escape the kids by locking myself in the bathroom with a hot bath and pencil and paper. I would draw, design and take notes. Lace curtains here. Vintage china there. Fancy cookies and tea upon arrival. I clipped recipes. Saved magazine articles of bedroom designs that made me feel good, that I thought others would enjoy. Hospitality all around. I believed that this was all doable and that it would all be profitable. Be very careful what you wish for.
I eventually landed in a position of being the assistant to the general manager of a "resort" property in coastal NC by way of one of my many stints at waiting tables. While not a B&B or a 5 star resort, the logistics of operating this multi-faceted property was an education in itself. With a restaurant and bar, a 30 room motel and a marina, it was a big learning curve in the overall tourism business but not so much the hospitality business, at least not the little intimate one that I had spent years imagining but... I learned a lot.
Life changes directions and it was another 10 years before I was to have my bed and breakfast. It was a historic Victorian in the tiny mountain town of Independence. Technically in town but not on Main Street as in my vision but when I saw the wrap around porch, I was sold. Actually, my husband had already made the commitment on the financial end but the house itself won my heart. A beautiful property with a ton of history. The sale of our house in FL would cut the mortgage in half. Didn't happen but another story for another time. My brother-in-law, who had recently lost his wife was a chef and we hoped that the restaurant, that was part of the deal, would give him a new focus. Ok, so much for my intimate little, manageable by myself, B&B. We now owned, mortgage and all, 10 acres, a 40x40 carriage house and a huge house with a parlor, 3 dining rooms, kitchen areas and 5 bedrooms on the second level and an unfinished 3rd floor area. There was no way this would be managed by one or two people.
First off, even if we hadn't opened the restaurant and had just operated as a B&B, 4-5 guest rooms does not a financially successful property make. Lenders and business professionals will not consider you a real business unless you have at least 8 guest rooms. So, either stay at 2-3 that you can handle the cleaning of the bedrooms, scrubbing of the bathrooms, cooking of the breakfast (and the fancy cookies), washing of the linens or, shoot for 8-10 so that you can realistically afford to hire staff and give them enough hours that they stay with you long term. Little is worse than having to train new housekeepers on the perfection that you and your guests expect every month or so. Bringing jobs and careers to a community is a great thing, if you can financially afford it.
If you have a spouse or partner with a career or job that they can work to afford health insurance and the basics, you can probably make a go of a 2-3 room bed and breakfast and contribute to the financial obligations. All of course dependent upon your occupancy percentage rate which is dependent upon way too many factors.
If you are looking to operate your dream B&B in your home town, then you probably know the political, financial and tourism mindset. If buying into a new area, check it out. Check it out well. Does the people of the area believe in tourism? Is there an active tourism department or at least a tourism director on the payroll? Is there a well staffed visitors center or chamber who will make referrals? Are there attractions to the area? Who will be your clients?
With this little bit of food for thought to start you off on your journey to innkeeping, let me recommend one more thing...read Herman Wouk's "Don't Stop the Carnival" and come back to see me weekly for more ideas, strategies, funnies and warnings on the logistics of Innkeeping. ttc
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