"How to" books for aspiring innkeepers and bed and breakfast owners
From the Back Cover
This book holds all the secrets to opening and running a successful inn. It gives you guidelines for choosing a profitable location and describes a day in the life of the average inn owner. You can find information about how to write up a business plan, what to include on you Web site, what "house rules" you need to set up to keep your guests and your investment safe, and how to use your own personal touch to make your inn unique.
This comprehensive handbook clearly outlines how to set up and run a successful bed-and-breakfast. Author Jan Stankus has gathered all the best advice on everything readers need to know, from getting the business off the ground to complying with current laws. Whether they have one spare bedroom or a small inn, they may soon be earning income as they welcome a steady stream of new friends into their home.
The long-awaited new edition of this bestselling guide comes highly recommended by both the American Bed and Breakfast Association and the Professional Association of Innkeepers International. The volume contains savvy insider information on how to start, operate, and promote a successful establishment. Illustrations, charts & worksheets.
As innkeepers, Hotch (who is also author of How To Start a Business--and Succeed , Stackpole, 1991) and Glassman (who conducts innkeeping workshops) know their business. They offer glimpses into other owners' views and advice via quotes gathered by a survey. While this work covers the gamut of concerns for the potential innkeeper (acquiring the inn, handling finances, planning for legal and insurance needs, promoting the business, and taking care of guests), it covers these concerns to varying degrees. Repetition of thoughts and statements could be distracting and construed as condescending by some readers, especially if they already have familiarity with the innkeeping business. Still, this is a good basic practical guide for public library collections.
- Margaret B. Bartlett, Rochester Inst. of Technology, N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Midwest Book Review
Competing titles may cover the cursory basics of the dream of owning a country bed & breakfast; but this covers the business specifics; from zoning and permits to handling a stream of guests in your home. Chapters on testing a business idea and writing a business plan incorporate the basics of accepted business standards: something lacking in the other titles on the subject.
With over 70,000 copies sold, this must-have guide has proven itself the best and most reliable source of information for aspiring innkeepers. Highly recommended by both the American Bed and Breakfast Association and the Professional Association of Innkeepers International, it presents the facts from the insiders on how to start, operate, and promote a successful establishment. Now completely revised and updated, So - You Want to Be an Innkeeper also includes new information on cottages, luxury properties, and spa services - a reflection of recent trends in innkeeping. Charts and worksheets for financial planning, property evaluation, and cash flow projection keep potential innkeepers' feet planted firmly on the ground. For anyone who has ever dreamed of opening their own cozy little B&B, here is the inn-side scoop from those who've been there.
About the Author
Mary E. Davies, Pat Hardy, Jo Ann M. Bell, and Susan Brown have all run successful bed and breakfast inns. Mary lives in Port Townsend, Washington, Pat and Jo Ann in Santa Barbara, and Susan in San Diego
Have you ever stayed in a bed and breakfast and thought how exciting it would be to open your own B & B? Do you own a large, historic, or attractive home that you would be proud to share with guests? Do you have fun meeting people, and would you enjoy sharing interests with visitors from distant places? Or perhaps you live in an area that attracts tourists and you would like to earn extra money in your spare time.
Whatever your reason for wanting to open a bed and breakfast, it takes more than dreams and a spare bedroom to achieve success. This book shows you the business side of opening your home to visitors. The clearly written text, along with dozens of easy-to-follow- worksheets and explanatory samples, shows you how to plan everything from renovations to record keeping and how to keep your business running trouble free.
This practical guide answers such questions such as: Would I be a good B & B host? Who are the customers I should cater to? How do I promote my B & B on the Internet? How do I plan my workday? What kind of food services should I offer? Why should I do financial forecasting?
Start & Run a Bed & Breakfast offers a behind-the scenes look at how "perfect" establishments keep their guests coming back year after year.
Have you ever dreamed of starting your own bed and breakfast? Have you been hesitant to put your plans into action? This comprehensive handbook clearly outlines how to set up and run a successful bed and breakfast in your own home. Author Jan Stankus has gathered all the best advice on everything you need to know, from getting your business off the ground to complying with current laws. Whether you have one spare bedroom or a small inn, you may soon be earning income as you welcome a steady stream of new fiends into your home. Learn all about: What it takes to be a host; setting pricing policies; organizing your business; working out of your home; establishing your daily schedule. Other special features include: health and safety checklist, marketing plan, sample web page, guest information record, cash-flow projection worksheet, business plan, income/expenses worksheet and more.
Kelly Meyers, June 12, 2002
A wonderful read, and a real page-turner. This book is informative, yet has humor, too.
Tim Ryan, June 10, 2002
I feel like I just got a tour of the back of a hotel. This was entertaining, yet educational.
Eric Bollinger, McKenna Publishing Group
I loved publishing this book. Michele is a terrific writer, and the subject of resort ownership is fascinating.
Book Description
The story of how one young couple gave up their professional jobs in a major city in California to move to the woods in Northern Wisconsin after buying a resort and opening a disc golf course. Anyone considering owning and operating a resort or bed-and-breakfast needs to read this informative and well-written book.
About the Author
Michele VanOrt Cozzens was a journalist working for San Francisco area newspapers. She and her husband, a former stock market trader, now own and operate the Sandy Point Resort and Disc Golf Ranch in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin.
Provides all the advice and guidance needed to open a successful country inn.
To B&B Or Not To B&B is not only a practical, hands-on guide to the day-to-day operation of a Bed and Breakfast but is an examination of what is involved and who is particularly well suited to it. Mixed in with the 'know how' are many interesting and amusing stories of B&Bs from our own experiences over the past nine years of B&Bing, which are lessons in themselves.
