Kids - Can you really not allow them...?

I see some forum discussions on kids, and see that some B&Bs do not allow kids. (When we open), I was thinking maybe having some weekends that allow kids and some to only have adults, to capture different parts of the market. Obviously a new B&B is trying to fill up as much as possible.
However, I am concerned about the legality of this. Some vacation rental sites have pages to the effect it is illegal to disallow kids (fair housing, etc.), so I am concerned about getting in trouble for only allowing adults. I had a couple pages to point to, but trying to copy a link here seems not to work...
Are B&Bs adults only because this is legal, or because they are under the mistaken impression it is legal? Cannot find regulatory clarity on B&Bs and kids...

Depends on where you are and your licencing authority. For example, I'm not required to be handicapped accessible, but I must allow a service dog, even though I am allergic. But, in my jurisdiction, I am legally entitled to ask for paperwork for the service animal, while in other jurisdictions you can ask what the animal does, but not what service it provides. (I am not in the US, so the ADA doesn't apply.)
I legally can't discriminate, but we discourage young children. We usually find that when we explain the reasons and ask them to sign for the risks they usually don't want to live with our rules (we hold them responsible for losses if they disturb others, which is legal.)

The answer is yes and no. It depends on your location. In my state, it's legal to refuse a minor (less than 18). In other states it can be illegal. The best thing to do is to contact your state association and ask if they know the statute.
Another way innkeepers can stack the deck is to have a maximum occupancy as 2. More than likely, the child makes 3 and you can refuse them. Even infants are people. They count.
Another way is to word it is to say "Children under 12 years of age is not appropriate at XYZ B&B". It will discourage most, but not all.
I would caution you about allowing children some weekends and others not. It's too confusing for the guests. You'll have guests bring children because they saw it was ok on your website...even if it's not the kids weekend you allowed them.

i second the comments above. check the laws where you are. don't rely on word of mouth ... check the state law.
search on this forum for discussions about children - we've gone back and forth about that issue.
where i was, i could not prohibit children. i did not encourage them, that was all i could do.
most of my rooms had maximum occupancy of two but people still would bring a child and put it between them in the bed or a baby in a pack n play without saying a word to me. babies cry, toddlers yell and cry, children run around and yell and cry. i had kids, i know this. guests would tell me it would be 'no trouble', i knew different. that's about all i am going to say.

I think the legality is not a big thing. Much more important is to know who your guests are going to be. Take all comers to be busier and suffer the consequences. Know your markets and stick to them and reap the benefits.

That rule is driven by your state and town/county.You absolutely have to check with them.
We can't say no to kids where I am located but I don't have to provide beds for them so I don't.
1 bed = 2 guests only. No cribs, sleeping bags, inflatable mattresses, etc.
1 adult + 1 kid I have to take. 2 adults + 1 baby? Nope. Not unless they take a room with 2 beds. Which I have arranged to be away from all the other guest rooms.
Only put 1 bed in each room and don't allow sleeping on the floor or cribs.

I honestly do not know what the rule is in my State (WV) because I do take the 2-legged animals (I do NOT take 4-legged unless they are horses that are going to the stable - dogs either stay at the stable, in the trailer, or in the vehicle). Service animals are not in this category.
I have had babies who fussed all night - one advantage to being small is that no one else was here at those times. I have had more damage and broken items from adults than from kids. I really DO understand the desire to escape from ALL things 4 ft and under as we had 6 of them but I also traveled with at least 4 or 5 of them until they started leaving home and I could do the Victory Dance. We take them but they do not come often.

~

We live in Spain, so rules are slim. When we first opened we had a policy of no under 12 year olds due to us living on a working winery (a few tractors around the place).
It soon became clear that our target market was young couples without kids touring our region, so we upped the age limit to 16year olds (it suited our market, but we still had one or two families with young children turn up, and lots of cancellations from families that didn't realize). Eventually book ing.com telephoned us and asked us if they could change our name to "..... Adult only retreat". Hey presto, no kids ever since. I have had guests watch cars arriving to check there are no kids in them. I have also had parents and teachers so pleased that there are no screaming kids.
Don't get me wrong, I love kids but I couldn't eat a whole one!

Stu said:

We live in Spain, so rules are slim. When we first opened we had a policy of no under 12 year olds due to us living on a working winery (a few tractors around the place).
It soon became clear that our target market was young couples without kids touring our region, so we upped the age limit to 16year olds (it suited our market, but we still had one or two families with young children turn up, and lots of cancellations from families that didn't realize). Eventually book ing.com telephoned us and asked us if they could change our name to "..... Adult only retreat". Hey presto, no kids ever since. I have had guests watch cars arriving to check there are no kids in them. I have also had parents and teachers so pleased that there are no screaming kids.
Don't get me wrong, I love kids but I couldn't eat a whole one!.

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We have been edging the age up as well. May follow your lead at some point.

If you make it kid friendly you will get families.
If you make it one bed per room then it is unlikely you will get kids. If you do, you may have a mother-daughter getaway and then they are well behaved and it is very special and love everything.
I can't drive 55 may apply to this rule. If someone calls you onit then allow that kid, with one parent to stay in the one room. Make a rule of no children in a room by themselves.
This is for NOT accepting little rug rats. If you want to accept them then by all means make it something they would enjoy too!
The term B&B in America has a romantic intonation, this means a special getaway. Most kids are not interested in a special romantic getaway. They would rather splash in a pool or go to a theme park or the beach. Run up and down the halls, get ice from the big ice machine and go up and down in the elevator.
This is our business, we do what we wish to do and set it up for our preferred guest demographic. Each one of us does this, if we are near Disney then we better make it kid friendly.

Breakfast Diva said:

The answer is yes and no. It depends on your location. In my state, it's legal to refuse a minor (less than 18). In other states it can be illegal. The best thing to do is to contact your state association and ask if they know the statute.
Another way innkeepers can stack the deck is to have a maximum occupancy as 2. More than likely, the child makes 3 and you can refuse them. Even infants are people. They count.
Another way is to word it is to say "Children under 12 years of age is not appropriate at XYZ B&B". It will discourage most, but not all.
I would caution you about allowing children some weekends and others not. It's too confusing for the guests. You'll have guests bring children because they saw it was ok on your website...even if it's not the kids weekend you allowed them..

Click to expand...

Breakfast Diva said:

I would caution you about allowing children some weekends and others not. It's too confusing for the guests. You'll have guests bring children because they saw it was ok on your website...even if it's not the kids weekend you allowed them.

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If it is a child friendly place say sayonara to your romantic getaway guests. No matter how you swap the weekends around, which makes not a lot of sense really. What are you going to do swap out the linens and decor each time? Put in playstations and a waffle maker?
If I were able to finally get away to celebrate a cherished anniversary with the one I love, I would not pick a child friendly B&B. The terms "B&B and child friendly" are oxymorons in my book.
Charge em danno and they will find a place where "kids stay free"... (the other way to discourage those lovely little thangs from standing on their seats at your table).

Undersea, here is the best advice I can give you:
You can not be everything to everybody. Do not do things just because you're desperate to fill your rooms. What you do in the early stages will affect you and your business for years. If you have a vision of what you want your b&b to be, then do everything to encourage guests who share your vision, not try to convince others to see it your way.
(I will now step off my soapbox)

Joey Bloggs said:

Breakfast Diva said:

The answer is yes and no. It depends on your location. In my state, it's legal to refuse a minor (less than 18). In other states it can be illegal. The best thing to do is to contact your state association and ask if they know the statute.
Another way innkeepers can stack the deck is to have a maximum occupancy as 2. More than likely, the child makes 3 and you can refuse them. Even infants are people. They count.
Another way is to word it is to say "Children under 12 years of age is not appropriate at XYZ B&B". It will discourage most, but not all.
I would caution you about allowing children some weekends and others not. It's too confusing for the guests. You'll have guests bring children because they saw it was ok on your website...even if it's not the kids weekend you allowed them..

Click to expand...

Breakfast Diva said:

I would caution you about allowing children some weekends and others not. It's too confusing for the guests. You'll have guests bring children because they saw it was ok on your website...even if it's not the kids weekend you allowed them.

Click to expand...

If it is a child friendly place say sayonara to your romantic getaway guests. No matter how you swap the weekends around, which makes not a lot of sense really. What are you going to do swap out the linens and decor each time? Put in playstations and a waffle maker?
If I were able to finally get away to celebrate a cherished anniversary with the one I love, I would not pick a child friendly B&B. The terms "B&B and child friendly" are oxymorons in my book.
Charge em danno and they will find a place where "kids stay free"... (the other way to discourage those lovely little thangs from standing on their seats at your table).
.

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Definitely charge for them. That immediately weeds out the 'you charge for kids???' crowd. Your kid is going to eat, use the second bed, take up my time and cause wear and year just like an adult, so yeah, we charge for kids.
We don't get romantic getaways here so it's less of a worry in re the romance part. But kids do change the vibe, no doubt. Most of our guests, couples and otherwise, are here for the outdoor activities rather than the indoor ones. ;-)
Probably the most common comment I get from parents asking if we take kids is, "most B&B's don't take kids." So it's not usual to have kids at an inn. It's best to be clear about your policies and to stick to them. Says the person who is constantly arguing with Gomez about not accepting babies in any room.

"Kids made here"
Put that on the website.

Joey Bloggs said:

"Kids made here"
Put that on the website. .

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Joey Bloggs said:

"Kids made here"
Put that on the website.

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Grandkids made here. Ewww. We had a guest tell us that. TMI.

We are small, with 3 accommodations available, and by law we have a maximum total occupancy of 6 people. Both suites have only 1 bed, but the cottage has a bed and a pull out sofa. We still allow only 2 people in each accommodation . Period. Adult only. No guests under the age of 18. Because we are still considered a residence, as opposed to a business property, we have extra flexibility in our rules that larger inns may not have. We advertise as "Adult only" and it works for us.
Don't get me wrong. We have gotten some grumbles from callers wanting to bring their kids; last summer I turned away a single guest who was on her way here with her 12 year old in tow when she finally got around to telling us that she was bringing a child. It was a 5-night reservation, made months in advance for a single guest....one adult. We would not let her stay, but found her alternative "family-friendly" accommodation. I took a 50% hit on it but I don't regret it for one minute. Our guests know there will be no children here to disturb their peace and quiet.

Breakfast Diva said:

Undersea, here is the best advice I can give you:
You can not be everything to everybody. Do not do things just because you're desperate to fill your rooms. What you do in the early stages will affect you and your business for years. If you have a vision of what you want your b&b to be, then do everything to encourage guests who share your vision, not try to convince others to see it your way.
(I will now step off my soapbox)

.

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Same soapbox.
Attracting Perfect Customers- A book worth buying

Morticia said:

Joey Bloggs said:

"Kids made here"
Put that on the website. .

Click to expand...

Joey Bloggs said:

"Kids made here"
Put that on the website.

Click to expand...

Grandkids made here. Ewww. We had a guest tell us that. TMI.
.

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Icky business this renting out beds to who knows who.

We take children! Send them our way! We charge them for the children. We have rooms with extra single bed/day couch in three rooms. So far we had never had a problem with them. But we had women destroy our facecloths, pillowcases, with make-up.... A man admitted to ripping our sheets, etc.