Open Your Own Bed and Breakfast, 3rd Edition [Paperback]

Barbara Notarius (Author), Gail Sforza Brewer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 1996

Have you ever dreamed of running your own bed and breakfast?

Barbara Notarius, one of America's most widely recognized B&B experts, provides all the information you need to turn your dream into a reality in this thorough and practical guide. Whether you already run a B&B or are in the planning stage, you'll find this handy guide an invaluable resource on:

• Your responsibilities—and those of your guests
• Purchasing an existing inn vs. converting your home
• Evaluating your home's assets and liabilities
• What to charge your guests
• Seminars and internships
• Conforming to the ADA
• Increasing profitability
• Advertising and promotion
• Employee management
• New AAA guidelines
• Legal, tax, and insurance issues, including recent changes in the tax code
• Preventing B&B burnout

Plus, this Third Edition includes a section on new marketing strategies for your B&B, and a new appendix of industry suppliers. Informative interviews with successful hosts, hospitality checklists, and a directory of reservation services, state associations, seminars, and apprenticeships make this the most complete guidebook available.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This completely revised and expanded edition of the popular guide provides essential information on opening and running a bed and breakfast (B&B). Offers excellent advice on the initial planning stage, prices to charge for services, working with a reservation service, advertising and legal, tax and insurance issues. This revision contains new chapters on compliance with the ADA, AAA guidelines and extensive coverage on choosing between an existing inn or converting a home into a B&B. Features a new section for established innkeepers which deals with making an inn more profitable, managing employees and renovating a B&B. Includes a completely updated appendix on marketing and promoting and a new appendix listing industry suppliers of specialized equipment.

From the Back Cover

Have you ever dreamed of running your own bed and breakfast?

Barbara Notarius, one of America's most widely recognized B&B experts, provides all the information you need to turn your dream into a reality in this thorough and practical guide. Whether you already run a B&B or are in the planning stage, you'll find this handy guide an invaluable resource on: Your responsibilities--and those of your guests Purchasing an existing inn vs. converting your home Evaluating your home's assets and liabilities What to charge your guests Seminars and internships Conforming to the ADA Increasing profitability Advertising and promotion Employee management New AAA guidelines Legal, tax, and insurance issues, including recent changes in the tax code Preventing B&B burnout

Plus, this Third Edition includes a section on new marketing strategies for your B&B, and a new appendix of industry suppliers. Informative interviews with successful hosts, hospitality checklists, and a directory of reservation services, state associations, seminars, and apprenticeships make this the most complete guidebook available.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 3 edition (January 19, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471130443
• ISBN-13: 978-0471130444
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,502,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Wanna make a living with a B&B - this book is not for you, August 20, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Open Your Own Bed and Breakfast, 3rd Edition (Paperback)

We are looking to open a B&B that will support our family. This does not fit the author's defintion of a B&B, and this book is definitely geared toward a smaller operation. If you are looking to open a few rooms in your home to earn some extra income, this book would probably be useful.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good starter-kit for those who are interested, August 25, 2004

By 

Anthony D Ravenscroft (Santa Fe, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Open Your Own Bed and Breakfast (Paperback)

Ignore the crabby reviews of this book. I really doubt such people ought to go into a public-contact home-based business!

My copy arrived from a thrift store, the original (1987) edition; I bought it mostly out of curiosity. I consult for entrepreneurs, & Barbara Notarius has come up with a book that manages to be brief yet thorough. As it was written almost 20 years ago, I am pleasantly surprised how useful it could be in answering the questions of someone who hasn't made the leap but is giving it serious thought.

Sure, it's not a turnkey guide!! You still have to enjoy people, especially strangers; you still have to have some grain of business sense (or be ready to hire someone who does); you still have to have a nice residence with some reason for guests to come looking for you; you still ought to retain an attorney to go over all the local licensing, inspection, & tax considerations.

This book is something you can read in a few evenings. It walks you through serious considerations, everything from your emotional temperament & your cleaning habits, to how well you know your own community & what you should make for breakfast -- I'll probably never have a B&B or inn, but I've swiped some of the recipes.

Of course, you ought to get the newest edition you can (it's up to its 4th) if your dead-set on opening a B&B in the near future. But if you find an older copy for a few pennies, it's a very good way to start examining everything from your furnishings to your motivations before you put too much effort or cash into something you aren't suited for.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Plentiful information, but somewhat disorganized., September 22, 2010

By 

David A. Dubs "rf_dave" (Maryville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Open Your Own Bed & Breakfast, 4th Edition (Paperback)

This manual is geared toward the smaller operation, a home-based bed & breakfast. It reads easily for the person making the transition from living in a home to using the home for a part-time business.

The information is somewhat scattered throughout the chapters, some is covered twice. Information could be categorized better.

I did an inter-library loan of two books. I like the graphical layout of this book much more than the others. I am now going to purchase my own copy where I can make notes.