Are Bed and Breakfasts a slowly disappearing business?

[TheGander]

On holiday in the Lakes at the moment. DH and I reminisced about the B&Bs we have stayed in during 25 yr marriage. At least half were run by people who seemed to resent their guests, one I stayed in recently was a little run down and you could feel the owners counting down to retirement ( decor was 1980s, outdated electrics, carpets seen better days etc). It got me wondering if fewer and fewer people want to take on the work of running B&Bs, and maybe with air BnB, holiday lets etc it’s getting harder to make a living from it. Anyone else got that feeling?

We have stayed in a few BnBs in the past. At one, in Wales, the owners daughter came into the lounge and gave us a recital on her harp. Our DCs were with us, probably aged 10 and 12, and DD still talks about it. We found it strange. Since we retired, we like small hotels and pubs with rooms. Don't like staying somewhere, where it feels like you are a guest in someone's house. Just had a cracking couple of nights at The Globe in Warwick.

I’d forgotten about Pubs with rooms. Stayed in one in wales a couple of years ago and it was lovely. Maybe a good middle ground between the awkwardness of B&Bs and the anonymity of hotel chains.

I had to explain to DH this morning that the airBnB he's staying in this weekend is not a 'bed & breakfast' as he thought.

There's whole streets of "B&Bs" in Blackpool, but I think a lot are small hotels rather than traditional B&Bs.

I had good B&B stays in the past, but not since being with DP (both women). I've heard from a couple of other gay/lesbian couples who've had B&B owners make rather uncomfortable comments about what might be going on under their roof. I'm sure most B&B owners are lovely, but it just seems easier to avoid any awkwardness in an anonymous hotel.

Go on YouTube there's people that film the goings on in Blackpool.
It's street after street of boarded up traditional B&B and closed businesses.

I can totally see that that would be very uncomfortable. I guess there must be LFBT friendly B&Bs out there?

Where I live, we had a street full of large Victorian B&Bs and most of them
have been sold.

A Really good B&B is a joy and I remember fondly a fantastic one in Windermere that had the most amazing breakfast

What on earth are you on about? Your posts are mighty peculiar, absolutely no relation to the actual topic.

To the topic, yes those BnB places seem long gone and tbh the idea of talking to strangers at breakfast is horrifying but I get that's just me probably!

It's another attempt to shoe horn immigration and hotels for immigrants into a thread that's got the sum of fuck all with the above.
Tried it on another thread iirc.

"LOL" 😏

We’ve stayed in B&Bs before and I’ve never felt comfortable. In every B&B the owners have either really wanted to socialise every time they saw us or had so many rules that we spent the visit on edge.

I don’t mind making small talk or having a chat if it occurs naturally, but it often felt like the owners were trying to catch us every time we left the room or pressured us to spend time in the common areas rather than go out or be in the room.

We've stayed in self catering holiday accommodation lots of times and prefer not to have the owners on site. There's something about them getting on with their daily lives when you're on holiday (sometimes noisily) or feeling as though you're intruding in some way or being watched.

I used to run an air b n b in an area of my house. It's pretty private and so we wouldn't really disturb each other much.

Some really nice people, a few strange ones and some total idiots who would complain about anything i.e. low ceiling height, uneven floors (it's an old house!).

In the end I couldn't be bothered and now have dogs to stay. They are much more polite!

The Lakes is such a popular year round tourist spot, I expect the owners lose their patience after a while perhaps.

I have the set up you describe and I go absolutely out of my way to make sure I'm invisible to guests, tip toeing around my garden,. I'm even spending a huge amount having a second back door made to decrease the chances of them seeing or hearing me. It's a shame that some people still won't book just because I'm here.

I haven’t stayed in B&B for s while. Often now travelling with relatives who find stairs harder and if you aren’t on ground floor you know the chain will have a lift. None of us are now keen on cooking so hotel with restaurant or near cafe and restaurant- maybe travel less frequently but hotel is more expensive.

Last time I (single female) stayed in a B&B was in the early 90s when uni project I was working on wanted me to carry on extensive interviews with some respondents on the commuter line to Brighton. So I had a nice trip paid for by the uni and I stayed on for the weekend. The woman who ran it was a bit old fashioned. I came down to breakfast in a kaftan and she asked me if it was a nightie. I told her no its lounge-wear. I don't think she was entirely convinced. Obviously I was not going to allow her to tell me what to wear when I was wearing something which was opaque and covered me from neck to ankle.

Many had shared bathrooms. Something people increasingly don’t want.

Was that a factor?

I'm staying in a b and b next week in the Yorkshire Dales. If I go with DH we usually go self catering as we have the dogs with us but this time I'm going on a walking trip by myself and it nice to have someone to say hello to at breakfast time.

I haven't stayed in a B&B in decades, wouldn't choose to. My preference is self catering.

This thread just reminded me of one I stayed in eons back where there was a cubicle electric shower in the carpeted bedroom.

I know just the one. They are obsessed with catering solely to IT contractors?! And have a weird restaurant with flames on the walls? The top hat guy looks like he smells bad. 🤣

Except so many of the ones on Four in a bed are actually hotels.

Im probably too old - a bed and breakfast used to be very basic - spare rooms in someones house, shared bathrooms- there might be a wash basin in the room but that would be all. Some might provide an evening meal but it was "home cooking" nothing fancy and probably no choice.

Certainly no en suites but even bigger hotels didnt always have them.

I don't book them any more because I got fed up of the inconsistent standards.

Some were great

The majority seemed to resent my custom, so I book hotels now, golf clubs, chains etc.

I'd always choose a premier inn or a cottage stay over a B&B. Too many overpriced and poor experiences,

Stayed in one a few weeks ago in Cornwall.. £60 for 1 night with 2 fry ups… room was a bit dated but had everything you could want, tv, WiFi, own bathroom. Hosts were super friendly and I enjoyed sharing 1 big table with the other guests for breakfast, one couple were from Switzerland and the other from up the country but turns out her brother lived in the same little village area me & my partner work in ! Small world. Was definitely no frills but was very relaxed and welcoming and the owners had a their dogs wondering around which was lovely. Perfect for a cheap overnight stay.