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JBloggs

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Another couple, both over 55 so find themselves unemployable (their words) after being big wigs all their lives, so why not buy a B&B.
I have heard more of this lately than any other time. I know we make it look like so much fun, and truly if they wanted to buy us I would hand them the keys today...but they just don't have a clue. They state, and I find it very offensive, "There is nothing else for us to do, so we might as well own an Inn." They said they will be emailing me for information on how to run an inn. It is never easy to say "Uh sure $75 an hour" as they are guests at your table. I might mention that to them after the fact, however, if they do email.
 
We, too, so did not get it. 'How hard can it be?' was what we asked ourselves. Har har.
Looking at other opportunities to own a small biz, we figured this was the 'easiest' in terms of how much we already knew about large parts of it...cooking, cleaning, repairing, etc. However, nothing prepares you for handling your fellow humans but experience!
 
Hey sell them your place and let them learn for themselves
cheers.gif
 
Wasn't there a thread in the last few weeks about how some are thinking about 'renting out a room' in attempts to keep afloat?
People are clueless! Had a call just today...a lady in neighboring town, said she was looking for info on what it took to become a B&B here. Said their current business was almost nonexistent and thought
lightbulb.gif
we have some rooms lets open a B&B. She kept wanting to know MY occ. #'s ( to which I was not biting) as they were really thinking that guests will be busting down our doors to get in! - Well so to speak.
I told them to do these few things first - 1) check fire codes & have them come do a walk through to give them ideas of what would be required 2) contact their city to see what requirements would be to obtain a permit 3) check for B&B insurance rates. Then, if they have not been scared away, they should join PAii aspiring and may want to attend a workshop.
She sounded a bit disappointed in the process - 'sounds like it could take months' -
smileystooges.gif
 
Wasn't there a thread in the last few weeks about how some are thinking about 'renting out a room' in attempts to keep afloat?
People are clueless! Had a call just today...a lady in neighboring town, said she was looking for info on what it took to become a B&B here. Said their current business was almost nonexistent and thought
lightbulb.gif
we have some rooms lets open a B&B. She kept wanting to know MY occ. #'s ( to which I was not biting) as they were really thinking that guests will be busting down our doors to get in! - Well so to speak.
I told them to do these few things first - 1) check fire codes & have them come do a walk through to give them ideas of what would be required 2) contact their city to see what requirements would be to obtain a permit 3) check for B&B insurance rates. Then, if they have not been scared away, they should join PAii aspiring and may want to attend a workshop.
She sounded a bit disappointed in the process - 'sounds like it could take months' -
smileystooges.gif
.
Should have told them to just sign up on the airbnb site and wait for the calls to come in.
I cannot imagine having people in my house. You all know what I mean. If you're renting rooms, they are IN your house, in your space, in your face. It is SO not what I do here.
The house we had before we came here was a B&B. I have NO idea how they did it. 3 rooms upstairs with a shared bath that was the size of a small closet. Their clothes in the closets and dressers. They slept in the converted attic. Which was fun in the winter because WE put in a fireplace. In the summer you could melt aluminium up there.
They kept asking if we were going to keep the B&B open. It was almost a prerequisite for selling to us. We told them we had 3 kids but would consider it once they left home. After living there for a couple of WEEKS, I was dead set against sharing the space with anyone!
When we decided to look into buying a B&B one neighbor said we could sign up with the CVB to be a 'spare room' for when the hotels were full. I could not imagine what that would entail. We would have had to pack up all of our stuff so strangers wouldn't be poking into our personal finances or flipping thru our photo albums.
Nope, that didn't work for me at all.
 
My realtor has been getting alot of action on our place the last couple of months, all from people looking to move to the area, and think it would be fun to do a B&B. Most don't have jobs waiting for them here (or any cash to speak of) and she finds herself having to school them on the facts of life at a small B&B (which I schooled her on right from the beginning). I told her when this is all over, she just might be the "Inn Specialist" in the area...she's already learned alot. If she could just find someone to finance one this size, she would have the market cornered! :)
Have had 2 couples IN JULY who saw the sign and wanted same day showings...admit they're not serious, but just want to see it. Dream on, people......DREAM ON.
 
What annoyes me is people who think you could do 7 or eight rooms with just you and your husband (yup and be burnt out in 6 months) you have to realistic about how long a room takes and what you are not doing when you are cleaning (ie marketing) Or a neighbour of mine has a separate house they live in as there is her and her husband and 2 teenage children. She wants to sell as she wants to spend more time with the kids (fair enough) but people come and look and they are like "gosh there is no living accomodation!" yes and it says this on the sales particualrs what a shocker. You could live there and use the ground floor bedroom but you would have one bedroom and the kitchen and people just don't read anything and make Tabs waste her time. Or they want to view on a Saturday afternoon for example when people are trying to check in or there are people staying so you can't show their room. The time to view is sunday afternoon.
 
What annoyes me is people who think you could do 7 or eight rooms with just you and your husband (yup and be burnt out in 6 months) you have to realistic about how long a room takes and what you are not doing when you are cleaning (ie marketing) Or a neighbour of mine has a separate house they live in as there is her and her husband and 2 teenage children. She wants to sell as she wants to spend more time with the kids (fair enough) but people come and look and they are like "gosh there is no living accomodation!" yes and it says this on the sales particualrs what a shocker. You could live there and use the ground floor bedroom but you would have one bedroom and the kitchen and people just don't read anything and make Tabs waste her time. Or they want to view on a Saturday afternoon for example when people are trying to check in or there are people staying so you can't show their room. The time to view is sunday afternoon..
7 rooms is THE max these 2 old fogies can handle alone! We did it on our own during our busiest summer ever. Just could not find anyone willing to work who could also get here. Everyone who wanted a job had to take the bus to get here and the bus doesn't come here! We had someone else mow the lawn, but otherwise we did it all that summer. Including hauling the trash to the dump.
Yes, I was ready to kill someone by Sept.
 
HA... thats me, only Im not 65 for another 20 years.
My girlfriend and me evicted a deadbeat tennant last year in Los Angeles, he destroyed the place, and we almost cried us selves to sleep thinking about fixing the place and then being one of the gazillion "for lease" signs in Hollywood.
So I figured - "lets make something where the lock stop working when the card bounces", took 8 months of work to get it all right, signed off by the city, paper work by the pound, visits by fire inspectors etc... I spend all last year doing online advertising....
The true words is "You do not know - what you do not know - until you know it" This week I found this forum and can only say I am full of respect for all of you guys who KNOW WHAT YOU KNOW. and have lived to talk about it.
My deepest respect to the fantastic inkeepers who make it possible to travel in beautiful places in the world.
Bo
 
What annoyes me is people who think you could do 7 or eight rooms with just you and your husband (yup and be burnt out in 6 months) you have to realistic about how long a room takes and what you are not doing when you are cleaning (ie marketing) Or a neighbour of mine has a separate house they live in as there is her and her husband and 2 teenage children. She wants to sell as she wants to spend more time with the kids (fair enough) but people come and look and they are like "gosh there is no living accomodation!" yes and it says this on the sales particualrs what a shocker. You could live there and use the ground floor bedroom but you would have one bedroom and the kitchen and people just don't read anything and make Tabs waste her time. Or they want to view on a Saturday afternoon for example when people are trying to check in or there are people staying so you can't show their room. The time to view is sunday afternoon..
7 rooms is THE max these 2 old fogies can handle alone! We did it on our own during our busiest summer ever. Just could not find anyone willing to work who could also get here. Everyone who wanted a job had to take the bus to get here and the bus doesn't come here! We had someone else mow the lawn, but otherwise we did it all that summer. Including hauling the trash to the dump.
Yes, I was ready to kill someone by Sept.
.
exactly I know my limits! I have the greatest respect for my chamber maid and she is a treasure
 
oh and...I won't judge anyone's motivations for opening an inn, although it sounds like I did, it is just one more person who feels what we do is "easy" and they themselves need to do zero homework, they are retirement age and so this is something easy for them to turn to in their retirement, they can just buy an inn and start raking in the big bucks!
We are all innkeepers for different reasons, but like we say redundantly on this forum "Do your homework!" Those three words that send aspiring up the wall and cause them to think the forum is not friendly. We see them come and go, weekly here and it is pretty much the same same every time...
We want any innkeeper representing our industry to be above par! Saying "I will just email you and you can tell me how to run an inn..." well is not ON! It ain't happenin'!
smileystooges.gif
 
oh and...I won't judge anyone's motivations for opening an inn, although it sounds like I did, it is just one more person who feels what we do is "easy" and they themselves need to do zero homework, they are retirement age and so this is something easy for them to turn to in their retirement, they can just buy an inn and start raking in the big bucks!
We are all innkeepers for different reasons, but like we say redundantly on this forum "Do your homework!" Those three words that send aspiring up the wall and cause them to think the forum is not friendly. We see them come and go, weekly here and it is pretty much the same same every time...
We want any innkeeper representing our industry to be above par! Saying "I will just email you and you can tell me how to run an inn..." well is not ON! It ain't happenin'!
smileystooges.gif
.
I do like the idea of hiring out as a consultant, tho. Why not. Private B&B classes! Off season, when it's not as busy.
 
oh and...I won't judge anyone's motivations for opening an inn, although it sounds like I did, it is just one more person who feels what we do is "easy" and they themselves need to do zero homework, they are retirement age and so this is something easy for them to turn to in their retirement, they can just buy an inn and start raking in the big bucks!
We are all innkeepers for different reasons, but like we say redundantly on this forum "Do your homework!" Those three words that send aspiring up the wall and cause them to think the forum is not friendly. We see them come and go, weekly here and it is pretty much the same same every time...
We want any innkeeper representing our industry to be above par! Saying "I will just email you and you can tell me how to run an inn..." well is not ON! It ain't happenin'!
smileystooges.gif
.
I do like the idea of hiring out as a consultant, tho. Why not. Private B&B classes! Off season, when it's not as busy.
.
Hey there are lots out there doing it...why not you?
 
oh and...I won't judge anyone's motivations for opening an inn, although it sounds like I did, it is just one more person who feels what we do is "easy" and they themselves need to do zero homework, they are retirement age and so this is something easy for them to turn to in their retirement, they can just buy an inn and start raking in the big bucks!
We are all innkeepers for different reasons, but like we say redundantly on this forum "Do your homework!" Those three words that send aspiring up the wall and cause them to think the forum is not friendly. We see them come and go, weekly here and it is pretty much the same same every time...
We want any innkeeper representing our industry to be above par! Saying "I will just email you and you can tell me how to run an inn..." well is not ON! It ain't happenin'!
smileystooges.gif
.
I do like the idea of hiring out as a consultant, tho. Why not. Private B&B classes! Off season, when it's not as busy.
.
Morticia said:
I do like the idea of hiring out as a consultant, tho. Why not. Private B&B classes! Off season, when it's not as busy.
I do too. Although we innkeepers are such a strong-willed and stubborn lot, it might be a pain in the hiney to be the one trying to tell us what we're doing wrong, or that we have to change........
wink_smile.gif

 
oh and...I won't judge anyone's motivations for opening an inn, although it sounds like I did, it is just one more person who feels what we do is "easy" and they themselves need to do zero homework, they are retirement age and so this is something easy for them to turn to in their retirement, they can just buy an inn and start raking in the big bucks!
We are all innkeepers for different reasons, but like we say redundantly on this forum "Do your homework!" Those three words that send aspiring up the wall and cause them to think the forum is not friendly. We see them come and go, weekly here and it is pretty much the same same every time...
We want any innkeeper representing our industry to be above par! Saying "I will just email you and you can tell me how to run an inn..." well is not ON! It ain't happenin'!
smileystooges.gif
.
I do like the idea of hiring out as a consultant, tho. Why not. Private B&B classes! Off season, when it's not as busy.
.
Morticia said:
I do like the idea of hiring out as a consultant, tho. Why not. Private B&B classes! Off season, when it's not as busy.
I do too. Although we innkeepers are such a strong-willed and stubborn lot, it might be a pain in the hiney to be the one trying to tell us what we're doing wrong, or that we have to change........
wink_smile.gif

.
Little Blue said:
Morticia said:
I do like the idea of hiring out as a consultant, tho. Why not. Private B&B classes! Off season, when it's not as busy.
I do too. Although we innkeepers are such a strong-willed and stubborn lot, it might be a pain in the hiney to be the one trying to tell us what we're doing wrong, or that we have to change........
wink_smile.gif
I would teach wannabees, not perspiring innkeepers!
 
Actually, it's very easy to do run a Bed and Breakfast. However, It requires a sh*t-load of work to have a successful one.
 
Me - 2 different aspiring workshops - one by our own K and another one by the B&B Team
 
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