What are b&bs shit at?

What puts me off booking a B&B:

A thin soft mattress
A room that has too much 'stuff' in it which also means more objects to collect dust
Satin effect bed covers
Patterned bedding unless very tasteful or artistic
Bed covered in cushions (ok-ish if cushion covers are washed after every guest)
Carpet in a bathroom
Colours scheme in grey, purple, red or animal print
Non matching bedding that looks like it's been on the owner's own bed
Dirty carpets
Cheap new or second hand furniture ( Some Ikea is ok and so are decent antiques)
I'm not keen on runners on the end of the bed, I hope they are washed after every guest, I can't see the point of them, no one sits on a bed wearing shoes or puts dirty stuff on a bed.

Anything in the room clearly from Temu or chain stores selling unless tat

At breakfast:
Sticky tables
Tables not cleared and correctly wiped
Crumbs on tables
Plastic on a buffet table
Budget ingredients such as sausages
Instant coffee
Crappy white sliced bread

What I look for:
above all how clean is is
simple clean lines, no fuss
White or lightly coloured bed covers
Cotton bedding
organic local food for breakfast

I have lived for many years in a tourist area.
Families don't stay in b and Bs, they stay in caravans and self catering places. Your friend needs to concentrate on his actual customers which will likely be pensioners and middle aged couples and make his accommodation as luxury as he can.
My friends made a very good living doing this for many years and often got guests who came to stay every year.

I know it is Chemenger, you're absolutely right. I'm speaking from 10 years experience in the business, with an AA 4* B+B. You couldn't pay me enough to set up and promote a 'family friendly' B+B. Plastic plates... access to a kitchen... toys in the garden... over my dead body. 😂
We had lovely clean rooms, all en-suite, nice toiletries, white bedding and towels, comfortable seating in the rooms, a lovely garden with seating, no hen or stag parties. If a wedding party wanted to book they had to take the whole place. We had great occupancy rates as a result.

@Spareahorse makes some very good points. We might stay in a B&B for a couple of nights at the seaside but we definitely would not book one that advertised itself as child friendly. By going for the family market you exclude affluent empty nesters who are looking for peace and quiet and comfort. I think that’s a bigger market than families when it comes to B&Bs.

Op - if you are using this as market research for your friend, maybe just bear in mind that the mums here are telling you what they would like from a child-friendly B+B, not suggesting things that would bring in more income for your mate.

There isn't a great demand for child-friendly B+B's - that's why you don't see a load of adverts for them.

Advertising a child-friendly B+B is going to put a lot of potential customers off booking. People like B+B's to be relaxed, peaceful places where they get a great night's sleep and a wonderful breakfast.
Even if your friend were to uncover an amazing source of families who would use the B+B - they will mostly use them during the schoool holidays. So what would happen during term time? Older people, people working away from home etc will be put off the place by the child friendly advertising and book elsewhere.
Look at who use B+B's most and concentrate on making the place attractive to them.

Food would be my biggest thing, 2 meals put a day is hard. Someone's mentioned access to fridge/microwave which would help. Possibly offering packed lunch option. Pure B&B wouldn't really work for me. Also catering properly for allergens would make a difference.

Just don't make people check out at 10. That's no fun for anyone, but for families with young kids, no way.

Family friendly coastal B&B:

No knick knacks waiting to be broken
Some melamine plates and plastic glasses at breakfast
Bucket and spades and other beach toys available to borrow
Board games for rainy days
Somewhere to rinse off sand
Ice creams in a freezer at cheaper price than kiosks (nice to have)
Linked bedrooms

I keep reading the title of this thread as “what are babies shit at?” and thinking “most things, but cut them some slack, eh” 😭

With it being Llandudno somewhere to leave wellies, wet coats and walking boots where they can dry safely would be a nice touch, a cloak room/left luggage type area with drying racks, or heated airers in the rooms. Families are likely to have more wet things as kids tend to get water in their boots, go in the sea even if it's raining and soak everything through generally and it's hard to get things dry in one room.

We used to run a B & B , it’s hard work !
We weren’t specifically family friendly , but we had a cot and high chair , one of the rooms had room for a Z bed

We found most B & B clients are middle class and middle aged ! So wouldn’t want toys etc ( we had buckets and spades available if wanted )

Top tips
Be very clean
Nice beds with white bedding
Modern en-suites
Tea/ coffee tray with supplies of teabags , coffee and a couple of biscuits
Small fridge with fresh milk offered on check in ( we only offered full fat dairy milk )
Wine glasses in room
Out door space , even a shared patio is good ( we had a big field we mowed and put a couple of picnic benches there )
I don’t know Llandudno ( we’re west Wales ) safe bike storage might be a good idea

A website that customers can book from is good , booking dot com is easier , though more expensive or try Airbnb

I trust he has watched all episodes of The Hotel Inspector, so many tips!

Flexibility!
I want to arrive when it’s convenient for me, not for the establishment, I want to come & go as & when I please, including getting back late, and I want to have my breakfast either earlier or later as it suits me.
I gave up on b&bs because too many times their idea of ‘late’ was 10pm & mine was 1am. I don’t have this problem at Premier Inn, so I now stay there.

I think b and b's are not really a child friendly option. It tends to be one room, nowhere to sit but the bed. A family couldn't really spend time in the room during the day without being on top of each other. You have to go out for every meal except breakfast which makes it expensive.

He's also going to put off this core customers because they probably won't want to be surrounded by screaming kids.

There is a reason why family friendly b and b's are not a thing. It's not a gap in the market, it's that there isn't a market.

Much better to improve his core offering. Have a look at The Hotel Inspector, especially the older episodes as the new ones aren't so good as she has less money to throw at them!

What platforms is he using to advertise?

Agree with pp that with small kids I'd be unlikely to consider a b&b over a small self-catering place.
I've been in cottages that have little communal soft-play areas, beach stuff to borrow, lots of open space.

Comfy bed and good wi-fi a MUST.

I think he should focus on the customers it already suits! I wouldn't want to be a couple in a b&b with crying kids in the next room!

When has a fried egg that's been sitting on a buffet for three hours ever not been 'well done'? Sorry I know that's hardly your point 🤣

Mine is for B&Bs and hotels really:

• Shit coffee at breakfast
• Basic rubbish bread at breakfast and no decent fruit options, all sugary cereal from a manky dispenser and no decent granola or muesli. No Marmite or peanut butter. Toast machine set to inadequate on first pass and cremation on the second.
• Can't cook tomatoes properly
• Most only provide instant in the room. Most people do better than that home. Also a little fridge and fresh milk, a couple of hot chocolate sachets as well as milk and tea and some nice biscuits. Even some quite expensive places really skimp on this. A couple of bottles of water is also nice.
• Convoluted/check in/check out process or long waits to do either.

I wouldn’t mind ‘dated’ furnishings - we once stayed at one where there were pink frills on everything - even frills on frills!

But I do want a king size, non lumpy bed, with a good bedside lamp that works, cotton bedding (no polyester sheets) a shower with plenty of hot water, a kettle and the wherewithal to make a cup of tea.

I wouldn’t choose a B&B with young children. Self catering is easier, but I dare say that anyone staying with young children would want a bath as well as a shower, or a shower over a bath.

This is completely useless to your friend but as a child we stayed on a farm / B and B. After dinner / tea there would be a shout from one of the kids, "The horse is out" and we all got a ride on the horse walking around a field.

As I said useless but could your friend have something to occupy children for a while? And something to do when it rains.

Are there local attractions for families? If so can your friend link up with them to offer a package?

Are prices the same all year or do they rise in school holidays?

The photos and information on booking.com are much more important than trying to add family friendly things into the actual b&b for getting bookings. Booking.com has its own algorithm and its worth looking at what kind of photos, description the highest rated or most appealing ones have.

He’s competing with literally hundreds of hotels and b&bs within 1 square mile. Plus travelodge and premier inn came a couple of years ago so it’s a tricky place.

BUT

he could

do some deals with the snow centre, tram, cable cars, magic bar, mini train, parisellas ice cream for free tickets for his guests.

some kind of shuttle service to bodnant garden / snowdonia / zip world if he owns a mini bus

american’ type breakfasts for kids - waffles, pancakes, fruit etc as an alternative to fry ups.

He needs to make sure he has really good photos on his website, modern furniture and stays himself in some of the successful b&bs and takes notes

I'd want to be sure of safety. Where I used to live, a lot of B&Bs were grouped together and many were used for emergency housing so tbh I'm already weary of b&bs but more so with a child.

We stayed at one as a couple as we won it in a competition and we left a positive review and will return, but mainly because it was speciality and suited us (think it 100% gluten free) so I'd suggedt:

1. Safety assurance, upmarket marketing.
2. Marketing in the right places for the right clientele
3. Give it a USP. Kids love those multi cereal packets, branded character yoghurt, bedding, free toy, a playroom with montessori toys etc, free baby monitors so you can use the lounge.

With DC I want somewhere with a secure garden, no hot tubs, no glass balconies, in the winter if there is a fire I want a guard there, good WiFi is non-negotiable, smart TV so when DC have gone to bed we aren't sitting staring at the walls.