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 in sidebar); some articles may appear in more than one category.
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