Should a B&B guest room look like a hotel room?

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JBloggs

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Just curious to get your thoughts on this...
  • Should a B&B guest room look like a hotel room?
  • Should it be an upscale hotel room? Should it be similar?
  • Should it be the same but just in a home, and provide breakfast?
  • Should a B&B have common areas?
  • Should a B&B have a personal touch?
  • Should a B&B have a little bit more?
I have seen a few B&B's where the rooms look similar to a nice hotel. One print on the wall, side table and chairs, bed, side lamps, tv, just the "standard equipment."
Should it be more personalized as an inn, to the owners personality, to the room decor either in theme or style? Should each room be unique?
SHOULD A B&B HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE?
 
Joey Bloggs said:
Just curious to get your thoughts on this...
  • Should a B&B guest room look like a hotel room?
  • Should it be an upscale hotel room? Should it be similar?
  • Should it be the same but just in a home, and provide breakfast?
  • Should a B&B have common areas?
  • Should a B&B have a personal touch?
  • Should a B&B have a little bit more?
I think a B&B should have the basics that a nice hotel room has: Queen bed or bigger, comfortable seating, lighting, dresser, mirrors. That's the basics. After that it should, most importantly, have personality. You should walk in and be happy you chose that room, that B&B. You should feel like you've come home, not like 'here's your hat, what's your hurry' like I feel at a hotel.
Common areas are, I believe, absolutely important. Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to sit in the bar at a hotel to see how hotel guests just want to be part of something, to meet people, to feel like they belong.
I think one of the most important things a B&B room should do is to allow the guest to feel they are in a good friend's home. So you need to make it like a home. Paint the walls (spare me white walls unless it is a 'look' they are going for). Hang local art works. Make it comfortable.
You can have all the 'pieces' and still miss the mark.
 
Alibi has it right: A B&B has to provide at least what a good hotel has in terms of basic expectations and then add the greater personal touch. Apart from the personal service of the innkeeper, which is considerable, I'd say the individuality of the rooms and the greater access to common space, including grounds, are the hallmark of B&B as a place to stay and justify a slight premium in price.
 
Alibi has it right: A B&B has to provide at least what a good hotel has in terms of basic expectations and then add the greater personal touch. Apart from the personal service of the innkeeper, which is considerable, I'd say the individuality of the rooms and the greater access to common space, including grounds, are the hallmark of B&B as a place to stay and justify a slight premium in price..
My rooms, with their 'personality' and history, etc are generally half the price of the hotels in the area. For some reason, this area does not draw the high-end B&B traveler willing to pay the high-end price. However, just a few short miles away, B&B rooms in the off season are over $100/night more than my rooms in season. But you get all the perks- lounge with bar, fully staffed with doorman, dinner on site, spa rooms with marble baths, etc. It is still, essentially, a hotel. Staff meets and greets and handles everything. Housekeeping cleans whatever they are told to clean. And everything is antiseptic with paper covers on the glassware, etc. They call themselves B&B's, but they're boutique hotels.
Because I won't pay $275/night for a room I'll never know if it is worth it to go there.
 
Joey Bloggs said:
Just curious to get your thoughts on this...
  • Should a B&B guest room look like a hotel room?
  • Should it be an upscale hotel room? Should it be similar?
  • Should it be the same but just in a home, and provide breakfast?
  • Should a B&B have common areas?
  • Should a B&B have a personal touch?
  • Should a B&B have a little bit more?
I think a B&B should have the basics that a nice hotel room has: Queen bed or bigger, comfortable seating, lighting, dresser, mirrors. That's the basics. After that it should, most importantly, have personality. You should walk in and be happy you chose that room, that B&B. You should feel like you've come home, not like 'here's your hat, what's your hurry' like I feel at a hotel.
Common areas are, I believe, absolutely important. Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to sit in the bar at a hotel to see how hotel guests just want to be part of something, to meet people, to feel like they belong.
I think one of the most important things a B&B room should do is to allow the guest to feel they are in a good friend's home. So you need to make it like a home. Paint the walls (spare me white walls unless it is a 'look' they are going for). Hang local art works. Make it comfortable.
You can have all the 'pieces' and still miss the mark..
Alibi Ike said:
Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie.
I would whole-heartedly disagree with this. Our niche is definitely PRIVACY, not camaraderie. And when we travel the very last thing I want to do is talk to strangers. So it all depends on what your market is and how you want to market it.
ETA: A b&b room should offer all the standard amenities of a hotel (comfortable bed, clean linens, etc.) but then I think each room should have its own personality. Again, speaking about our personal niche here. You do see a lot of boutique hotels calling themselves b&b's these days but every single room looks the same and really they are just smaller than a "typical" hotel and that's what makes them different.
 
Joey Bloggs said:
Just curious to get your thoughts on this...
  • Should a B&B guest room look like a hotel room?
  • Should it be an upscale hotel room? Should it be similar?
  • Should it be the same but just in a home, and provide breakfast?
  • Should a B&B have common areas?
  • Should a B&B have a personal touch?
  • Should a B&B have a little bit more?
I think a B&B should have the basics that a nice hotel room has: Queen bed or bigger, comfortable seating, lighting, dresser, mirrors. That's the basics. After that it should, most importantly, have personality. You should walk in and be happy you chose that room, that B&B. You should feel like you've come home, not like 'here's your hat, what's your hurry' like I feel at a hotel.
Common areas are, I believe, absolutely important. Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to sit in the bar at a hotel to see how hotel guests just want to be part of something, to meet people, to feel like they belong.
I think one of the most important things a B&B room should do is to allow the guest to feel they are in a good friend's home. So you need to make it like a home. Paint the walls (spare me white walls unless it is a 'look' they are going for). Hang local art works. Make it comfortable.
You can have all the 'pieces' and still miss the mark..
Alibi Ike said:
Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie.
I would whole-heartedly disagree with this. Our niche is definitely PRIVACY, not camaraderie. And when we travel the very last thing I want to do is talk to strangers. So it all depends on what your market is and how you want to market it.
ETA: A b&b room should offer all the standard amenities of a hotel (comfortable bed, clean linens, etc.) but then I think each room should have its own personality. Again, speaking about our personal niche here. You do see a lot of boutique hotels calling themselves b&b's these days but every single room looks the same and really they are just smaller than a "typical" hotel and that's what makes them different.
.
I definitely don't tout privacy here. It's all about the making friends and socializing with the other guests. I think of hotels as 'private'. You don't know anyone, no one knows you, it's where you go when you don't want to be 'known' by anyone.
Interesting. I've always thought of B&B's as the place to go to meet people! Which must be why that's what I market here.
 
Joey Bloggs said:
Just curious to get your thoughts on this...
  • Should a B&B guest room look like a hotel room?
  • Should it be an upscale hotel room? Should it be similar?
  • Should it be the same but just in a home, and provide breakfast?
  • Should a B&B have common areas?
  • Should a B&B have a personal touch?
  • Should a B&B have a little bit more?
I think a B&B should have the basics that a nice hotel room has: Queen bed or bigger, comfortable seating, lighting, dresser, mirrors. That's the basics. After that it should, most importantly, have personality. You should walk in and be happy you chose that room, that B&B. You should feel like you've come home, not like 'here's your hat, what's your hurry' like I feel at a hotel.
Common areas are, I believe, absolutely important. Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to sit in the bar at a hotel to see how hotel guests just want to be part of something, to meet people, to feel like they belong.
I think one of the most important things a B&B room should do is to allow the guest to feel they are in a good friend's home. So you need to make it like a home. Paint the walls (spare me white walls unless it is a 'look' they are going for). Hang local art works. Make it comfortable.
You can have all the 'pieces' and still miss the mark..
Alibi Ike said:
Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie.
I would whole-heartedly disagree with this. Our niche is definitely PRIVACY, not camaraderie. And when we travel the very last thing I want to do is talk to strangers. So it all depends on what your market is and how you want to market it.
ETA: A b&b room should offer all the standard amenities of a hotel (comfortable bed, clean linens, etc.) but then I think each room should have its own personality. Again, speaking about our personal niche here. You do see a lot of boutique hotels calling themselves b&b's these days but every single room looks the same and really they are just smaller than a "typical" hotel and that's what makes them different.
.
I definitely don't tout privacy here. It's all about the making friends and socializing with the other guests. I think of hotels as 'private'. You don't know anyone, no one knows you, it's where you go when you don't want to be 'known' by anyone.
Interesting. I've always thought of B&B's as the place to go to meet people! Which must be why that's what I market here.
.
I think SOME b&b's are definitely the place to go to meet people. And we do get our share of those kinds of folks here, but those are the folks who never met a stranger and leave every place they ever go with 4 brand new best friends! So yes, we have the common space for people to mingle, but you don't have to if you don't want to. I think it again all comes down to your niche.
For me, hotels are not so much private as they are impersonal...very sterile. When I travel I want my privacy, but I still want the warm fuzzy, the nice historic atmosphere, the welcome from the Innkeeper, etc. But then I want to be left alone to enjoy all that in private and at my own pace.
 
Our setup is such that people can socialize or hibernate - whichever they want. We are close to DC and Norfolk and often get people back after a deployment who want somewhere romantic to reconnect. Now they often do socialize but sometimes they hibernate. I like to offer it either way.
My rooms have different personalities. I like to offer whatever little luxury I can - my goal is for my rooms to have what they don't have at home - whirlpool tubs, heated tiled floor, so they feel like they are getting more than a hotel - like they are getting pampered.
Riki
 
It is funny too, really, when there is a couple who stay at a B&B and expect others to socialize, and the others barely make it out of their rooms. Each and every day at a B&B is unique given the different guest combos. Some think everyone will be out on the porch drinking wine, and then it never happens, then those who don't expect it have it occur. (The common areas are here, and many guests use them...not every guest)
We had a guest here who was the life of the party on one visit, a dentist and his wife from NC and he had his mandolin out and the whole house was outside enjoying the company. Next visit, a full house again, and not a soul was seen, anywhere, they were all out and about. He was very disappointed, and that was their last visit. and as for us...9pm after a full day is not when I am going to be out on the porch hanging out. I think guests forget WE WORK HERE. :)
Asking a poll of innkeepers would not be accurate, as most of us would prefer to not socialize WHEN we stay at B&B's now...most of us want to be left alone. We don't want to be quizzed, on our own nickel.
 
It is funny too, really, when there is a couple who stay at a B&B and expect others to socialize, and the others barely make it out of their rooms. Each and every day at a B&B is unique given the different guest combos. Some think everyone will be out on the porch drinking wine, and then it never happens, then those who don't expect it have it occur. (The common areas are here, and many guests use them...not every guest)
We had a guest here who was the life of the party on one visit, a dentist and his wife from NC and he had his mandolin out and the whole house was outside enjoying the company. Next visit, a full house again, and not a soul was seen, anywhere, they were all out and about. He was very disappointed, and that was their last visit. and as for us...9pm after a full day is not when I am going to be out on the porch hanging out. I think guests forget WE WORK HERE. :)
Asking a poll of innkeepers would not be accurate, as most of us would prefer to not socialize WHEN we stay at B&B's now...most of us want to be left alone. We don't want to be quizzed, on our own nickel..
I am with you on this one. Which is why I don't like staying in B & B's much any more. I want to be left alone for the most part. I don't care to socialize when I am on my vacation. I choose hotels these days.
 
I find hotels, private and impersonal. If you want to be totally on your own, that is the place - well except by the pool, in the gym - etc. where everyone gathers and there is alot of noise - but don't dare look in their direction.
At a B&B there seems to be a good mixture of personal acknowlegement, guest interaction and privacy. For the most part there is understanding to the individual needs of each guest and it seems to work. But as JB pointed out, there are times when the guests just do not match, as in their interaction during their stay. Hopefully those that want interaction and did not get it understand.
Getting back to the original question, IMMHO a B&B would do best when having all the comforts of a hotel room, but not the sterile appearance of one along with other extras only a home style enviroment can accomplish. The larger the B&B, the less personal and private they become with less areas for that private conversation - other than the room.
 
I don't think a B&B room should "look" like a hotel room necessarily, but the room should definitely have the essential elements that guests are looking for in that location. I think when we offer just a bit more, the guest will notice that they're really getting a good value for their money and they will appreciate the innkeeper's efforts. Comfortable furnishings and decor unique to the area can be nice. I think most travelers seek out B&Bs because they won't get a "cookie cutter" hotel room. But there are some cool hotels that aren't cookie cutter either!
I also believe that common areas are essential, because there are guests who even if they want to be left alone will want to have spaces that they can enjoy outside of their own room. For example, people who are solitary readers like that hammock in the back yard or a porch swing.
My dh and I are the kind of travelers that really enjoy meeting other people, but at the same time we like to have some couple time. We loved a recent trip to N CA wine country where we had the opportunity to share some local wine with the innkeepers and some friends but we also had our own private little deck where we had a cuppa coffee every morning while overlooking a vineyard. :) It's fantastic when you find a place where the innkeepers have really hit the mark for their area!
 
Joey Bloggs said:
Just curious to get your thoughts on this...
  • Should a B&B guest room look like a hotel room?
  • Should it be an upscale hotel room? Should it be similar?
  • Should it be the same but just in a home, and provide breakfast?
  • Should a B&B have common areas?
  • Should a B&B have a personal touch?
  • Should a B&B have a little bit more?
I think a B&B should have the basics that a nice hotel room has: Queen bed or bigger, comfortable seating, lighting, dresser, mirrors. That's the basics. After that it should, most importantly, have personality. You should walk in and be happy you chose that room, that B&B. You should feel like you've come home, not like 'here's your hat, what's your hurry' like I feel at a hotel.
Common areas are, I believe, absolutely important. Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to sit in the bar at a hotel to see how hotel guests just want to be part of something, to meet people, to feel like they belong.
I think one of the most important things a B&B room should do is to allow the guest to feel they are in a good friend's home. So you need to make it like a home. Paint the walls (spare me white walls unless it is a 'look' they are going for). Hang local art works. Make it comfortable.
You can have all the 'pieces' and still miss the mark..
Alibi Ike said:
Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie.
I would whole-heartedly disagree with this. Our niche is definitely PRIVACY, not camaraderie. And when we travel the very last thing I want to do is talk to strangers. So it all depends on what your market is and how you want to market it.
ETA: A b&b room should offer all the standard amenities of a hotel (comfortable bed, clean linens, etc.) but then I think each room should have its own personality. Again, speaking about our personal niche here. You do see a lot of boutique hotels calling themselves b&b's these days but every single room looks the same and really they are just smaller than a "typical" hotel and that's what makes them different.
.
I definitely don't tout privacy here. It's all about the making friends and socializing with the other guests. I think of hotels as 'private'. You don't know anyone, no one knows you, it's where you go when you don't want to be 'known' by anyone.
Interesting. I've always thought of B&B's as the place to go to meet people! Which must be why that's what I market here.
.
Alibi Ike said:
I definitely don't tout privacy here. It's all about the making friends and socializing with the other guests. I think of hotels as 'private'. You don't know anyone, no one knows you, it's where you go when you don't want to be 'known' by anyone.
Interesting. I've always thought of B&B's as the place to go to meet people! Which must be why that's what I market here.
"Interesting. I've always thought of B&B's as the place to go to meet people! Which must be why that's what I market here."
I think you hit the nail on the head! Most innkeepers create the enviornment (not necessarily the decor) that appeals to them. When we do that, we hopefully fill our rooms with those people who appreciate our view. That's why it's so important to make our website and marketing clear about they can expect when they book a stay with us.
I'm just like Don...I want the uniqueness and quality of a b&b, but I need my privacy and am not there for the comraderie. That's what makes b&bs "a better way to stay".
 
Joey Bloggs said:
Just curious to get your thoughts on this...
  • Should a B&B guest room look like a hotel room?
  • Should it be an upscale hotel room? Should it be similar?
  • Should it be the same but just in a home, and provide breakfast?
  • Should a B&B have common areas?
  • Should a B&B have a personal touch?
  • Should a B&B have a little bit more?
I think a B&B should have the basics that a nice hotel room has: Queen bed or bigger, comfortable seating, lighting, dresser, mirrors. That's the basics. After that it should, most importantly, have personality. You should walk in and be happy you chose that room, that B&B. You should feel like you've come home, not like 'here's your hat, what's your hurry' like I feel at a hotel.
Common areas are, I believe, absolutely important. Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie. Anyone who thinks otherwise needs to sit in the bar at a hotel to see how hotel guests just want to be part of something, to meet people, to feel like they belong.
I think one of the most important things a B&B room should do is to allow the guest to feel they are in a good friend's home. So you need to make it like a home. Paint the walls (spare me white walls unless it is a 'look' they are going for). Hang local art works. Make it comfortable.
You can have all the 'pieces' and still miss the mark..
Alibi Ike said:
Guests select B&B's, or we exhort them to anyway, for the camraderie.
I would whole-heartedly disagree with this. Our niche is definitely PRIVACY, not camaraderie. And when we travel the very last thing I want to do is talk to strangers. So it all depends on what your market is and how you want to market it.
ETA: A b&b room should offer all the standard amenities of a hotel (comfortable bed, clean linens, etc.) but then I think each room should have its own personality. Again, speaking about our personal niche here. You do see a lot of boutique hotels calling themselves b&b's these days but every single room looks the same and really they are just smaller than a "typical" hotel and that's what makes them different.
.
I definitely don't tout privacy here. It's all about the making friends and socializing with the other guests. I think of hotels as 'private'. You don't know anyone, no one knows you, it's where you go when you don't want to be 'known' by anyone.
Interesting. I've always thought of B&B's as the place to go to meet people! Which must be why that's what I market here.
.
For the most part, I think our guests are the ones who want to socialize. We (me) are easy to find if they want to talk and quick to disappear when they don't. If there is a lull in conversation, I excuse myself - I figure you want to plan your day so I will just get out of your way. If you need anything, just call me.
If they are stay-overs I provide them with routing, Gazetteer, and brochures so they have things to discuss.
 
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