Customer Reviews

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Running a Bed and Breakfast

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a former Inn owner I found the book extremely informative. I actually purchased the book as a gift for a friend who is opening a Bed N Breakfast. I was very impressed with the wide range of topics covered. Such as buying in bulk, reservation scripts, cancellation policys, when a laundry service makes sense, hiring employees, and the "do you have what it takes to run a B&B test". I could have saved a lot of time and money if this book had been available when I was first starting out.

If you are considering purchasing a B&B, this book is an absolute essential. Clever and concise, the book covers a broad spectrum of topics. Everything from an example of a typical innkeeper's day to a discussion of tax-writeoff's is addressed. The experience and vision of Mr. Park Davis is invaluable, particularly in chapters involving operational issues such as marketing strategies, budget planning, and "expecting the unexpected." After having read many "How To..." B&B books, this book truly outshines all others as the definitive guide for owning and running a Bed & Breakfast.

Mr. Park Davis really hits the nail on the head with this book.
He has an amazing way of getting right to the point, with out feeling like you missed anything. He is realistic about the business and his experience shows that.
I was having a hard time with expenses. The chapters on Business and Marketing cleared this up for me. Now I feel I completely have a handle on where my money is going! I knew it was going, just didn't know where.
I would recommend this book to anyone involved with a B&B. I personally am just starting, however, the book was recommended to me from a women in San Diego who has had a B&B since 1982.
Thanks for writing a book that is answering all my questions!!!

My husband and I have stayed at B&B's all over the world and have come to realize how very special they are. We have first-hand experience as guests - what is exceptional and what is detrimental - and in our pursuit of a dream semi-retirement income, we decided to look into the ins-and-outs of running a B&B. This book conveys the positives and the negatives of B&B ownership with its no-holds-barred representation. I am a business owner in private practice as a holistic practitioner and as a product creator/manufacturer for my website [...], I have some business knowledge but certainly not with having "someone in my home" as my source of income. I highly recommend this book to anyone even toying with the possibility of B&B ownership. After reading it and doing some introspection, then make your choice whether to pursue it further.

Used this as required reading when teaching a class on "small property management". Gives a great overview and a realistic view of running a b&b (have run one for 6 years). Some of info is outdated - can't address current trends since it's a book - but does a great job on the financial side of it. There are lots of b&b books out there and I would definitely recommend this one for anyone thinking about opening up a b&b. Fair warning if you want to run a b&b - really think about the lifestyle aspect that they talk about in the book. It is definitely a lifestyle! It really is a 24x7 job.

My wife and I recently purchased a B&B in California. Before making the leap, we researched the industry as best as we could, and we bought every book on the subject from Amazon. I can say that this book was extremely informative and helpful. Nice job. Another book that I feel is a must read before anyone goes into this business is Michele Cozzens' I'm Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner

Great product for a great price. Much faster than expected shipping and very accurate product description. Communication was excellent and very happy with purchase.

I bought this to see if running my own bed and breakfast is really what I wanted to do. I loved the book and how it not only told me the good stuff of doing this business but the realities as well. I even let my mom read this book who is now going to be my partner in my b-n-b. If you are even thinking it might be something you might want to do, read this book and it will answer every question you could have. It even answers the owns you didn't know you had until you started reading the book!!

This book was interesting - informative - and truly written for those self described idiots. Easy reading and full of the things easy to overlook but hard to pay for later.....

Before I went into the business, I read this one and "I'm Living Your Dream Life" by Michele Cozzens. Both are very valuable tools.