I had 3 kids (now grown) and I wouldn't have dreamed on inflicting them on my B & B guests (nor my guests on them) had I been in the business at that time. Just having my small dog who is obedient and well behaved is an issue at times with guests. I love kids, animals etc. and so do most people but they do not combine well with most B & B's. Maybe if you run a family style resort you can get away with it but a real B & B is where people go to get away from THEIR kids, and surely don't want to be bothered by OTHER PEOPLE'S KIDS...in my experience anyway. You will be asking for a nervous breakdown if you are trying to keep normal healthy kids quiet while your guests are there. Even the most well behaved children have meltdowns at times, or just make healthy noise while playing. The noises you want to hear from your children are not the noises other people want to hear when they are at a B & B. Sorry but that is the hard truth of it. Constantly asking your children to be quiet will not be a healthy environment for them to grow up in. It would be like raising children in the Victorian Era, to be seen and not heard. I would wait with the B & B idea until they are at least in their teens...or even better when they are out of the house altogether. I think you will really be asking too much of your children to expect them to keep up "B & B behavior" in their daily life, and as tempting as it sounds the "quality of life" you envision will not be what you are expecting..
We're not a 'family resort' by we do take children. We do state that on our website. We have rooms with more than one bed so we could have 4 giggling, drunk, adult women in the room. Making quite a bit more noise than a 5 year old.
Having my own kids here would be tough as it would 24x7. As long as the innkeeping quarters are really away from the guests and there is someone watching the kids while the parents work (while the kids are babies and toddlers) it's possible.
There are a few B&B's with rave reviews that include the innkeepers' kindergartner or older kid meeting and greeting and showing the guests to their rooms, serving breakfast and the like.
Stating that B&B's are ONLY for adults getting away from their kids REALLY limits the potential pool of guests.
I will admit to reading reviews that state that the owners' kids toys were everywhere and that the kids had the run of the house and staying elsewhere. I don't want to interact with the innkeepers' children when there are small herds of them. I don't want to miss the adult conversation because everyone is cooing over the adorable 5 year old going around with the canapes.
Basically, love kids in small doses but very small doses. Would stay somewhere that kids were welcome, can't avoid that at a hotel, but not overjoyed at sharing the common space with the kids who live there.
So, yes, there is a market for family-friendly B&B's but it's not a big market. If they are going to do a B&B with small kids, better to make sure that all guests know there might be a kid sighting during the stay. Either the owners' kid or a guest's kid.
We did have a guy ask us to guarantee there would be no children here during his stay and lo and behold there was one right across the hall from him. Can't guarantee no kids. Told the guy that. Said he should try B&B's with only one bed in each room or that state they don't accept kids.
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