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Bed and Breakfast, the Easiest Home-Based Business
By Richard Metcalfe
There's an exciting new "down-home" kind of business springing up among homeowners all
across the country. It's called Bed and Breakfast.
Basically, this is a transplant of European Hospitality, adapted and refined to the
American way of doing things. To foreign visitors, it's the comfort and hospitality of
home - staying overnight "with people of the land" and enjoying a hearty
breakfast - without the traditional gaudiness and plastic feelings visitors get from most
big cities in the United States. To U.S. citizens, it is a welcome alternative to the same
old hotel/motel circuit. Now, all it takes is a spare bedroom, a good cook ad an outgoing
personality. Prices per night range from a low $25 to $100 or more.
If you have an extra bedroom, a large home, or extra space in your farm house, you have
the necessary beginnings to start making extra income as a Bed and Breakfast Inn. One of
the beautiful aspects of this idea is that so long as you're hosting "overnight visitors"
on a small scale no licenses will be required. It's always best, however to check with
your local authorities just to be sure.
Naturally, your "visitors" will expect a clean, neat and comfortable home. So assuming
that your home meets these prerequisites, and you have a spare bedroom, simply 'doll it
up" a bit. Make sure it's painted brightly, there's an outside window, lots of room,
closet space and bureau, and perhaps a small writing desk, and a large comfortable bed, or
twin beds.
Most foreign visitors will expect and appreciate a "quick tour" of the interesting
sights in your area. However, as your particular popularity as a BandB Host grows, you'll
find that a lot of American tourists and business people on the road will begin availing
themselves of your hospitality. Certainly with these people, it won't always be necessary
to give the "Red Carpet" visitors treatment.
Which brings us to the basic appeal of a Bed and Breakfast Inn? Travelers seem to be
looking for, and appreciate a quiet "home-style" place to stay. Generally, they enjoy
visiting with the people off the superhighway and want to get away from the sterilized
atmosphere and sameness of hotels and motels.
Most people will either write to you ahead of time, inquiring about the possibilities
of staying at your home while in your town or city. This means a bit of advertising on
your part, or listing your availability with a BandB broker. Some people will check the
local telephone listings, and the newspaper advertisements when they arrive in a strange
town. And some people will just be driving across the country, come to a town or city they
think is interesting, and start driving through the residential areas looking for Bed and
Breakfast Inns.
Thus, you should have a small sign posed either in your front yard or on the front of
your house. This sign needn't be much more than about two feet wide and about ten inches
deep. It need only state: BED AND BREAKFAST - Inquire Within or Call 123-4567.
For newspaper advertising, a similar listing in the personal column of your local
paper, particularly on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, will be all you'll need. But when
it comes to the yellow pages of your telephone and business directories, go with a small
display ad that describes in greater detail the comforts and pleasures of your service.
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