A bed and breakfast offers a different experience to other more expensive accommodations. It is more personal; the charm of staying at a bed and breakfast lies in its ability to make its guests feel at home.
Opening your doors to travelers and honeymooners will not be easy. If you want to turn your real estate property into a bed and breakfast, here are a few things you first must consider:
What Amenities Can You Offer?
Although a bed and breakfast is not a hotel, guests expect some important amenities from their accommodation. In a survey conducted by BedandBreakfast.com, 94.7% of guests want their own private bathrooms.
Even if you cannot afford to provide a private shower and toilet for each guest, you should try to expand the available bathroom, especially if you plan to welcome multiple guests at a time. You can find cubicle partitioning, toilets, and bathroom vanities for sale online and across New Zealand.
Guests also expect free on-site parking from their bed and breakfast. Make sure that your property will be able to take in several cars and all guests who have booked a room will have somewhere safe to leave their vehicles.
Do You Follow Safety Regulations?
Your property needs to comply with local laws and regulations regarding the safety of your guests. Although you may think that your property already follows measures that protect its residents, you should identify areas that need to be addressed to prevent any danger.
You may invite a local fire brigade to assess the building and advise what else you can do to make your property safe for visitors. You should also consider adding an additional source of electricity (solar, for example) or, at least, emergency lighting that does not rely on the grid in case power goes out. This will avoid panic and make the stay still feel worthwhile to your guests.
Do You Live Near a Tourist Attraction?
Sometimes, guests go to a bed and breakfast for a brief change of pace or to get away from their regular life. Most of the time, however, they want to see a nearby tourist attraction. Make it a part of your service to give guests a tour of the nearby destination or list down all nearby activities that they can enjoy in your brochure and website.
What are the Kitchen Rules?
Your guests expect to be served breakfast when they wake up in the morning. When you have to feed multiple people, you need to be extra careful when preparing food. A bout of food poisoning can kill your business.
Observe proper hygiene in the kitchen. Wash your hands before handling food and utensils. Disinfect surfaces regularly. Thoroughly clean your refrigerator. Handle meat and vegetables carefully. More importantly, make sure that food is fully cooked before you give it to your guests.
Hopefully, you already have a dining room that can accommodate several people at once, but there should be available smaller tables for those who want to eat in private if you have the space.
Finally, you will need to make your bed and breakfast official. Submit the required documents and earn permits so you can accept guests without breaking the law.
