Is That Old Bed & Breakfast Worth Investing In?

It seems like more and more for sale signs are cropping up in front of bed & breakfast locations these days. That is sad to see that someone has likely lost their dream of having a successful business in this market. Sometimes a bed & breakfast is for sale due to the owners retiring but that isn't the majority of the cases. You definitely don't want to invest your time and money in a bed & breakfast that is for sale without carefully considering your options.
First, you need to find out exactly why the bed & breakfast failed for the previous owner. If it is the location then there is absolutely nothing you can do about it. If is was how they took car of the place or the quality of the service available then you can make some significant changes that will be appealing to customers. Take a look online and find out what people have to say about the bed & breakfast and you will learn plenty of the issues you face.
There are plenty of things you can do to update the look of an older bed & breakfast indoors and out. Many of them don't take too much time or money either. A couple of good coats of paint for the interior and the exterior can really make it look more appealing. Consider adding a nice fence to the yard if there isn't one in place. If a fence already exists then you need to consider fixing any bad spots and then painting it if it is made out of wood.
You should look for things that need to be done both inside and outside. The appearance of the outer part of your bed & breakfast will either attract people or turn them away. They want a comfortable and calm atmosphere so make sure you give it to them. They will love some flowers in the yard and a nice porch swing. The inside of the bed & breakfast will likely benefit from some new curtains, the furniture being updated, and some modern day comforts being added. You can add some personal touches such as a lovely note to welcome each guest or a fruit basket in their room along with a bouquet of fresh flowers.
Since the kitchen area is going to definitely be a place where the guests gather at your bed & breakfast you may want to give it a face lift as well. A nice table with comfortable chairs is a good place to start. You may want to redo the counters and the cabinets to update the look as well.
After you have the bed & breakfast all ready to go, you need to take some great photos. Make sure you get various angles and that you cover both the inside and the outside of the business. You are going to have to create a desire for people to want to stay there. You will also want to appeal to those that have gone before but have no intention of going back.
Your information needs to emphasize that the bed & breakfast has been redone. You also need to advertise that it has new owners. Once people see for themselves what you have done they will be very impressed. Maybe you can hold an open house locally with a drawing for a free weekend stay there. The more people you can get to provide a positive response to your bed & breakfast the better off it is going to be.
Don't forget to advertise your bed & breakfast online too. You definitely want to reach potential customers that will be coming to town for business, fun, or to visit other people. Pay close attention to the online reviews that your business gets from consumers. They will help you to see what you are doing right and where you need to tweak a few things.

About the Author

Patti Rob writes about the Bed & Breakfast business. The challenges, myths and emerging trends for buying, running and operating a profitable B&B. You can get a unique content version of this article.

by: PattiRob
Total views: 61 Word Count: 666 Date: Thu, 27 Dec 2007 Time: 12:22 PM 0 comments