Too many bed & breakfast locations fail even though the
owner’s have worked hard to make it a beautiful place to
stay. Even though they are popular places for people to stay
in, some of them just don’t have what customers are really
looking for. If you own a bed & breakfast or you are
thinking of investing in one you really need to pay close
attention to this information. It can make a significant
difference for the course of your home based business.

Make sure everyone of your guests feels welcome from the
second they talk to you. Many people call to make a reservation instead of doing it online so that
they can talk to a real person. If they don’t feel like they
are important during that phone conversation then they are
likely not going to proceed with booking it. They want their
experience at a bed & breakfast to be personal and
enjoyable. They aren’t going to spend their money in it if
they don’t think they are going to get it.

It is a good idea to stay at various
locations yourself. Pay attention to what it working well
for you and what is missing. This will teach you areas that
you need to focus on for your own bed & breakfast business.
Interact with other guests and find out what they like or
don’t like about their experience there as well.

You will find a vast amount of free information about what
customers want from you online. Plenty of
people write reviews about their experiences. They also post
information on the various blogs and forums out there. You
will find valuable information on these sites and it doesn’t
cost you anything to read the information. You will find
many of the issues they discuss aren’t specific to any one
particular location. Instead they apply to
the entire industry so you can learn how to effectively
operate your b&b from this type of information.

Use the power of the internet to help you get information
about what customers are saying about B&Bs. The
information isn’t a secret so don’t guess – go right to the
sources. You can access blogs and forums online that have
information written by actual customers. You can easily find
out what they are looking for and what type of experiences
they have had trying to find it. Look for constant themes
that offer good information on what you definitely need to
be offering and what you need to stay away from. Look for
common pitfalls that could destroy your establishment if
you don’t prepare against them.

You have the opportunity to keep each of your customers very
happy when you operate a bed & breakfast. You need to be
dedicated to offering them the best possible experience.
Remember that needs to be evaluated from their point of
view, not yours. Always anticipate any needs that your
guests may have. They may need a service that isn’t
generally associated with a b&b such as
transportation to a meeting or for you to offer a weather
report for their outing that day. These small details will
really place your cozy retreat on a pedestal in their
minds.

Always follow up with those that have stayed at your bed &
breakfast. You want to build a quality relationship with
them so that they will stay again in the future. You also
want them to recommend your location to other people. There
is a good chance they will mention your establishment
online too in the forums and blogs. You want that
information to be very positive as it is free advertising
for you. When you follow up with your guests, thank them for
staying at your bed & breakfast. Ask them to evaluate their
stay as well so you can find out where you stand with your
customers.

If you find that a particular customer had a terrible
experience at your B&B, don’t ignore it. Take
the time to contact them and express your sincere
disappointment in the situation. Ask them what could have
been done to make the situation better and then listen to
what they have to say. You may want to offer them a free
stay at your establishment, so you can make it up to them or
even refund their money. Customer service is a very
important part of ensuring your place will be
successful. Pay attention to what customers are saying as
they will offer you very valuable information.

Patti Rob has some new, profitable ideas for starting a Bed and Breakfast This information might give you a foot up when you consider buying a B&B

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patti_Rob

Bed & breakfast hotels! Does it sound weird to you? I hope not. It is probably the best accommodation as per the facilities provided in this case. Traveling and accommodations are two words that always come together. You can’t imagine traveling without thinking about accommodations.

Accommodation is one of the most important prerequisites for any tour or travel. Once you decide going out somewhere you must inquire about the kinds of accommodations available at that particular place. Traveling may have different reasons and purposes behind but what remain same are the requirements to accomplish the purposes and accommodation is one such essential requirement.

There are several accommodation options available but bed & breakfast hotels seem to be the most impressive and beneficial out of all the available options. Bed & breakfast hotels are the ones that charge people as per their stay in the rooms. Such hotels provide bed and meals to the tourists and charge accordingly. They don’t charge people for the entire day. So, in this case the tourists are on a safer side as far as the finances are concerned.

Given below are some of the benefits that are offered by the bed & breakfast hotels and that would help you know how it differs from other hotel accommodations:

o Feel like home: The bed & breakfast hotels are usually smaller and they have just a few rooms for renting each of which is distinctively decorated and they are very different from the rooms of regular hotels.

o Good food: As everybody knows that bed & breakfast hotels offer you the first meal of your day. This breakfast is of supreme quality.

o Economical: these hotel accommodations are much more economical than others. You are charged just for the breakfast and your night stay so it definitely saves a lot of money.

No matter at what part of the country you are, bed & breakfast hotels offer you the most comfortable night stay. Usually when people go out to some new place, they go with an intention to explore that place in every possible manner and for this they need to visit the place entirely. So, when you go out and stay in some hotel you pay for the entire day but this doesn’t seem economical as most of the time you stay outside in order to know the place where you have gone. But hotels have nothing to do with the time period of the day that you stay there, they would charge you for the full day even if you stay there just for a few hours.

So, it’s understood that if people would get options like bed & breakfast that are more feasible to them and appear much more beneficial then definitely they would prefer them over the other hotel accommodations. There is no doubt about the fact that everybody wants to go for a better and profitable option and options like bed & breakfast hotels seem quite beneficial in terms of convenience as well as savings.

Read more: http://www.tophotelsofindia.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Seema_Mamgain

Instead of your usual dinner and a movie this Valentine’s Day, why not go the extra mile and present a gift that any lover will enjoy – a weekend getaway to Florida’s gorgeous St. Augustine. While in St. Augustine, enjoy the fabled Fountain of Youth, marvel at historical monuments, and dine at some of the best seafood restaurants in Florida.

If you are looking for a nice quite bed and breakfast to take a sweetheart this Valentine’s Day, try a bed and breakfast in St. Augustine. As one of the oldest and most historic sites in Florida, St. Augustine offers a bevy of full service bed and breakfasts to make a romantic trip turn into a slice of heaven.

Casablanca Inn Bed and Breakfast – Situated on the pristine Matanzas Bay, this inn offers all the comforts of a modern bed and breakfast with many additional features. Each guest room features a private deck overlooking the water. Watch the water traffic at sunset and then head inside for live jazz in the evenings. Alexander
Homestead Bed & Breakfast – Originally a Victorian mansion built in 1888, it has since become a popular St. Augustine bed and breakfast. The inn contains five guest rooms with individual porches, and the concierge service includes coffee delivered each morning, fresh flowers on the mantle, and brandy for bed.
Centennial House Bed & Breakfast – One of the larger bed and breakfasts in St. Augustine, this eight room inn provides extra large bedrooms and luxurious private bathrooms. From the Tiffany glass in the dining room to the magnificent rotunda, this inn exudes turn of the century splendor.
Casa de Suenos Bed & Breakfast – This charming bed and breakfast in St. Augustine is a Mediterranean style inn built around 1904. Situated along the carriage route where horse drawn buggies pass each day, the inn is conveniently located minutes away from St. Augustine shopping, restaurants, and beaches.

Before booking your Valentine’s Day getaway to Florida, visit the St. Augustine Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.getaway4florida.com to get a free map and visitors guide, and let them help you plan the best trip to St. Augustine possible.

Robbie Foglia writes for Ciniva Systems, an award winning Virginia web design company and internet marketing agency. St. Augustine CVB is the official website for business and tourist info for St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and The Beaches in Florida.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robbie_Foglia

The first time I stayed at a bed & breakfast was when my wife and I went on our first anniversary vacation weekend. We knew we wanted to go away, we just were not sure where or what we wanted to do.

A colleague of hers showed her a book of bed & breakfasts’ around the United States. She brought the book home to me to take a look to see what I thought about going to one of them for our anniversary. With zero experience (at the time) and zero knowledge of bed & breakfasts’ I was a bit skeptical. Do I really want to spend my weekend staying in someone’s home?

The more I read about the bed & breakfast lifestyle, the more I became intrigued, until finally my wife got hooked and we booked a bed & breakfast in upstate Vermont. I can honestly say it was a great time. The bed & breakfast owners treated us like royalty, waited on us like we were a king and queen, and the food (that was included in our purchase price) was simply unbelievable.

Since then my wife and I have been to two other bed & breakfasts, one in Williamsburg, VA and another in upstate New York near Seneca Lake. Although the concept of each bed & breakfast were similar, they were different in a variety of ways. For instance in Vermont at breakfast and dinner (both of which were included) we sat at our own table in the adjoining restaurant. In NY and VA we ate a big table with all of the other guests. In VA the owners took care of everything, well them and their kids. In NY and VT the owners ran the place but also had help to get rooms ready and keep the place clean. In VT we had our own outside entrance to our room as if the room was our own house. In NY and VA you had your own bedroom in the same house with the other guests.

Regardless of whichever style you choose, if you have never stayed at a bed & breakfast you should. Each one was wonderful and you really felt like you were part of the owner’s family while you stayed there.

I would recommend first pick a place where you know you would really like to stay. Do you like the mountains? How about the sun or a tropical island? Once you understand what you really want to do, then look up the bed & breakfasts in the areas that you have targeted and start reading up on them. Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other book stores have a variety of books you can look at without purchasing to obtain this information. You can also go to your local library or look for a bed & breakfast directory online.

Once you have the location and have it narrowed down to one or two possible bed & breakfast choices, start pricing them out and see if they are in your budget. I will tell you that they are a bit pricier then a normal hotel room (some of them anyway). However verify what kind of amenities you get for your price. Most come with breakfast, otherwise it would just be called Bed & get out of my house in the morning. You get the point. Some also serve dinner and offer afternoon tea & snacks. Find out what you get for your money. It will definitely help with your decision.

About the Author:
Mr. Tucker is the senior editor for Vacation Nation, an online vacation resource where you can learn about various destinations and travel tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bruce_A._Tucker