Customer Reviews

Start and Run a Profitable Bed and Breakfast (Start & Run ...)

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The authors of S&R a Profitable Bed and Breakfast know the in's and out's of the B&B business. As they say in the introduction, "we were blissfully unaware of the many pitfalls and problems we would face." In this book, the authors cover the good and bad in the B&B trade, creating a thorough understanding for those interested in running their own B&B. Topics include: finances, business licenses and inspections, customer service, advertising and promotion, and much more. The "sweet" recipes at the beginning of each chapter, are an added bonus. Also included are worksheets to help you plan your B&B. If you want to open your own B&B and do it right, I recommend you pick up a copy of this book first.

The authors of S&R a Profitable Bed and Breakfast know the in's and out's of the B&B business. As they say in the introduction, "we were blissfully unaware of the many pitfalls and problems we would face." In this book, the authors cover the good and bad in the B&B trade, creating a thorough understanding for those interested in running their own B&B. Topics include: finances, business licenses and inspections, customer service, advertising and promotion, and much more. The "sweet" recipes at the beginning of each chapter, are an added bonus. Also included are worksheets to help you plan your B&B. If you want to open your own B&B and do it right, I recommend you pick up a copy of this book first.

I ordered this book based, in part, on the favorable review. However, it is very dated, though basically good. For example, this is the 3rd edition, and is obviously updated to include the importance of marketing on the internet. However, this conflicts with the strong emphasis in at least two sections on NOT getting a personal computer if you don't have computer experience (how will you answer email inquiries?).

It would also be helpful to know that most of the things discussed in the way of Market Research can now be found on the internet, yet this isn't even mentioned.

The CD was unexpected (not mentioned in the description), but a big disappointment. When I discovered it, since there are MANY forms and "surveys" to be filled out in the book, I assumed these would be contained on the CD. That is not the case. The CD contains generic marketing and info forms that are nearly useless. I found myself creating my own electronic forms from the book, which could easily have been included on the CD.

All that being said, if the reader keeps in mind that the book is a little out of date, the basic info is still very helpful. It provides a very thorough approach to determining the type of inn to consider, potential guests, estimating the season and volume of business, evaluating the competition, etc.