A Guide For The Serious B&B Innkeeper
In case you missed my eZine, this is the archive of my Innfo article reprints. Topics have covered buying or selling a B&B, financial issues, a wide range of business topics and industry updates, marketing, and environmental issues. These topics are broken down by category (see pulldown), and some articles may appear in more than one category.
This is a list of all the articles, in date order:
- Hiring an Expert To Help You Buy A Bed Breakfast For Sale
- Bed and Breakfast Market Research
- Financing A Bed And Breakfast For Sale
- B&B Market Niche Definition
- Environmental Innkeeping
- Europe and Tourism in the 21st Century
- Bed and Breakfast Branding — or B&B Market Niche
- Dispelling B&B Myths: Technology
- Dispelling B&B Myths: Amenities
- Dispelling B&B Myths: Business Rules-of-Thumb
- B&B Internet Marketing
- Will You Pass Your Inspection
- Exceeding Your Standards
- Surviving the Recession with your B&B
- B&B Guests Migrating to the Country
- Being Ready, Willing and Able
- Performing Due Diligence and Making an Offer
- Your Best Marketing Secret
- Buying the Right Bed and Breakfast
- Invest in Your Investment
- Improve Your B&B Business
- Corporate Owned Bed and Breakfasts
- Bed and Breakfast Model For Success
- Research for your Bed and Breakfast Company
- B&B Bull Market
- B&B Marketing
- Architectural House Styles and B&Bs
- B&B Profits
- B&B Innkeeping is Easy
- Innkeeping Mistakes #1: Avarice, Lust, Envy and Pride
- Innkeeping Mistakes #2: Sloth, Wrath, Gluttony, Stupidity
- Customer Service
- Guest Linens
- Wool Mattress Pads
- Are Meetings and Weddings Good With a B&B?
- Green Conference Centers
- About Kit — “The B&B Lady”
- The B&B Lady’s Periodic eZine
- What is a B&B Broker?
- Residential vs Commercial Loans?
- How do I learn cleaning “rules”?
- Are there low cost ways to satisfy my guests?
- Are Prices Fixed or Negotiable?
- Non-traditional Marketing
- Defining My “Perfect” Guest
- Gay Market
- Organic B&B
- Market Niche Definition
- Ski Packages
- Ranch Gift Shop
- Guest Laundry
- Laundry Cost
- Toiletry Costs
- Fixed Dinner Menus
- Cheese Pudding
- Grapes Juanita
- Peanut Butter Bread
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- One Opinion About What “Guest Services” Is
- Fabric Softner Options
- Filling In The Gaps For Guests
- Wine & Cheese Time
- How do I buy a B&B without using a broker?
- Pricing Method: Real Estate value PLUS Cash Flow
- B&B Trends for 2005
- A Steal of a Deal
- Guestroom Licensing Issue
- Opening a B&B: A Case Study
- What are Professional Interim Innkeepers or Innsitters?
- How do I determine a purchase price?
- What classes should I take now?
- How far do you go in your training program?
- Conferences are great Continuing Ed
- Bed and Breakfast Forums
- Do you turn your heat off at night?
- Finding a B&B Broker
- Making A Low-ball Offer
- Researching Value
- Refreshed Guestroom Drinking Glasses
- Valuing a Former B&B
- How to Clean a Bed and Breakfast
- Do you have advice for selling a B&B?
- How do you price a potential B&B?
- How do I get a good understanding of the B&B industry?
- Who is my target market?
- Florida B&B Brokers?
- Corporate Rates?
- Ecotour B&Bs
- Tax Issues When Selling Your B&B
- First Contact — Guest Check-in
- Marketing Your Green B&B
- Cake Decorating
- What are the First Steps in getting into a B&B?
- Building a B&B
- The ADA and Your B&B Architectural Barriers
- How to handle problems between guests…
- Can I Convert My Home Into a B&B?
- What are “normal” wages for a Managing Innkeeper ?
- The ADA and Pets
- Is Atlanta a good location for a B&B?
- The ADA and Your B&B: Communication Barriers
- Minors Alone in Guestrooms
- Changing Times: A 20 Year Window to the B&B Industry
- Niche Marketing versus Creative Marketing
- Greening of the Gillum House B&B
- University Town B&B?
- Michigan B&B Broker?
- My Indiana Home as a B&B
- Insurance Coverage?
- Any information on this topic?
- Breakfast Trends
- Changing Times: Your Exit Strategy
- Converting a Potential to a Real B&B?
- What do I need to do to sell my inn?
- Where do you look for managing innkeepers?
- Changing Times: Website Design
- How much reserve do I need?
- Family-Friendly Inns
- Changing Times: B&B Market Niche
- Unique Home — Would that be a good B&B property?
- Internships
- Calculating Occupancy Rates
- Evaluating the B&B Business Value
- Environmentally Safe Cleaning Tip
- Changing Times: B&B Income Diversity and Profit
- Flyers, a Low Tech/Low Cost Way to Advertise
- A Lesson Learned from Hard Experience
- Sometimes you just have to say no
- This Is Where Staff Training and Work Schedules Help
- Treat Your Employees Well to Reduce Turn Over
- French Toast Stuffed with Strawberries and Cream Cheese
- Breakfast Tacos
- balancing the cost of guest amenities with room rates
- Website Features
- Website Suggestions
- Of Mice and Men (or Housekeepers)
- The Joys of Installing a Commercial Kitchen in an Old Bldg
- Safety Advice About Fireplaces
- Baking Mats or SilPats, a Nice Alternative to Waxed Paper
- Thoughts About Acquiring a Victorian Mansion
- What to do about a no-show reservation?
- Beware of Con Artists
- Guests Amenities and Electrical Safety
- Helping Guests with Food Allergies
- Staff Uniforms, Why Have Them?
- Staff Meals as an Employee Perk
- Take Advantage of Days Without Reservations
- Marketing Your Green Inn
- Smart Hotel Rooms
- Online Reservation Systems Are Increasingly Profitable
- Hotels Adopt Dynamic Pricing
- 2005 Occupancy Rates in 6 Cities
- Why We Should Offer Complimentary Food and Beverages
- B&B Statistics Highlight Growing Trends
- What types of lightbulb wattage do you use?
- Food Costs
- American Express Travel Forecast for 2006
- The Number of Foreign Travelers is Increasing
- Use Your Website to Market Your Giftshop!
- What Should You Stock in your Gift Shop?
- Hold an Open House to Highlight Your Gift Shop
- Standard Operating Procedures
- Credit Card Processing
- Financial Planning for the B&B Innkeeper
- Room Clutter is NOT an Amenity
- Retirement Planning for the B&B Innkeeper
- A Will and Powers of Attorney for the B&B Innkeeper
- Business Insurance for the B&B Innkeeper
- Zoning Question
- Auto Insurance for the B&B Innkeeper
- Health Insurance for the B&B Innkeeper
- The Deal Fell Through!
- How Hospitable Are You?
- Travel Insurance for the B&B Guest
- Life Insurance for the B&B Innkeeper
- Insurance Quotes for the B&B Innkeeper
- Medical Insurance for the B&B Innkeeper
- An Effective Towel/Sheet Reuse Program for the B&B Innkeeper
- Finding an Insurance Agent for the B&B Innkeeper
- Organic Bamboo-fiber Bed Sheets
- 100% Environmentally Friendly Sheets
- Bamboo Bed Sheets
- Web Standards
- Long Term Care Insurance
- B&B Business Insurance
- A Green Business Plan for an Environmentally Friendly Hotel
- Green Business Plan Statistics for an Environmentally Friendly Hotel
- B&B Blogs
- B&B Homeowner’s Insurance
- Website tools
- Saving Money
- Financial Planning for the B&B Innkeeper
- B&B Flood Insurance
- Handy Kitchen Appliances in Your B&B
- B&B Kitchen Cookware and Bakeware
- Sustainable Development for B&Bs
- Green Travel and B&Bs
- Image Building
- Bulk Soap and Shampoo
- Organic Natural Fiber Towels
- Home Environmental Issues: OR Green Living at Home
- A Road Atlas to Environmental Issues For Travelers: OR Green Living on The Road
- Characteristics of a B&B Entrepreneur
- Buying a B&B: Beginning Your Homework and Search
- Interview Questions For Your Bed and Breakfast Research
- Marketing 101
- Marketing 102
- Managing the Daily Operations of Your Bed and Breakfast
- Buying Acquisition Hurdles
- Entrepreneur B&B Market Niche Process
- Is Bed and Breakfast Innkeeping For You
- Organizational Structure For Your B&B Inn
- Business Plan Basics for the B&B
- Topics to Research
- Answer Resources
- Task To-Do Lists
- B&B Cash Flow
- Branding Your B&B For Success
- The B&B Business Model
- Income Projections for Your B&B
- Forms of Ownership
- Operation Manual for Your Bed and Breakfast
- The Inn Experience
- Benefit Selling
- The State of B&B Lending
- Questions to Ask When Buying a B&B, Part 1
- Questions to Ask When Buying a B&B, Part 2
- Questions to Ask When Buying a B&B, Part 3
- Defining B&Bs
- General Thoughts on Buying a B&B
- Projecting Your B&B Expenses
- Innkeepers Need To Take A Closer Look At The Internet
- Food and Your Bed and Breakfast
- Your Bed and Breakfast Management Plan
- B&B Marketing Rules-of-Thumb
- Personality Types You’ll Encounter at Your B&B
- Is There a Restaurant in Your Future?
- Increase Your Off-peak Business
- Getting To Break-even In Your B&B
- Active Voice Writing For Your B&B’s Marketing
- The Telephone as Your B&B Cash Register
- Pricing a Bed and Breakfast Inn
- Interview Questions To Ask Your Real Estate Agent, Part 1
- Interview Questions To Ask Your Real Estate Agent, Part 2
- Interview Questions To Ask Your Real Estate Agent, Part 3
- Interview Questions To Ask Your Real Estate Agent, Part 4
- Business Trends for 2009
- B&B Consulting Job Reviews: Benchmarking and Market Niche
- B&B Consulting Job Reviews: Today’s Real Estate Market
- B&B Consulting Job Reviews: Going Green in the Laundry Room
- B&B Consulting Job Reviews: Going Green in the Housekeeping Department
- The Value of Innkeeper Quarters For A B&B
- Do You Want To Green-Certify Your B&B?
- How Do You Green-Certify Your B&B?
- Eight Areas of Focus for Green Certification
- Green Certification: Focus Area 1 – Chemicals
- Green Certification: Focus Area 2 – Energy
- Green Certification: Focus Area 3 — Water
- Green Certification: Focus Area 4 — The Building
- Green Certification: Focus Area 5 — Waste
- Green Certification: Focus Area 6 — Buying Practices for Waste Reduction
- Green Certification: Focus Area 7 — Locally Grown, Organic Healthy Food
- Green Certification: Focus Area 8 — Air Quality Issues
- Your Reservation Process
- Mortgages For Greening Your B&B
- Bed and Breakfast Change
- Creating The Habitat For Hospitality
- Reservation Calendar for a Bed and Breakfast
- The Hospitality Promise
- Balancing Your Life With Goals