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I stayed in recently was a little run down and you could feel the owners counting down to retirement ( decor was 1980s, outdated electrics, carpets seen better days etc).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?

My DH and I have enjoyed staying in B&Bs when it’s just the two of us, with lovely cooked breakfasts and comfortable bedrooms!

When with our DDs, an AirB&B with the flexibility to have our own meals at a convenient time is definitely much better! 🙂

Very few left because of the rise in cheap chain hotels and holiday lets/airBnBs. The only survivors are the quality/niche/boutique ones that have heavily invested in the building, fixtures and fittings and service to provide a top service. I’ve only got one left as a client after once having dozens of them. All the others sold off for HMOs or to be large family homes for big families and foster carers. The one I have left is number 2 in our town on Trip Advisor and is generally busy but still can’t make a decent profit due to insane overheads so is up for sale with the only interested buyers being property investors wanting to convert it to an HMO!

We’re the same with holiday cottages etc - when the listing or reviews mention owners on site we look elsewhere. Hate them being around. We far prefer anonymity where they leave the keys in a coded key safe and we never meet them.

We’ve moved from Keswick youth hostel to a B&B in another Lake District town which advertises itself as a boutique guest house. It’s taken some inspiration from Premier Inn I feel. Comfortable bed, bath which fills in a jiffy, TV in room, inoffensive decor. It’s run by a young woman who lives on site ( she told us owners have 15 air BnBs in the area). They are not onsite. V good breakfast. So for better or worse, not v personal, but comfortable and crucially , breakfast is up to expectations.

I think that Alex Pollizzi (Hotel Inspector TV program) nails it really. She basically recommends only two different approaches, one being the "niche"/boutique type which charges more but offers a more unique experience, or otherwise go for the basic (Travel lodge) approach of the basics, but where everything works, i.e. decent bed/bedding, neutral lighting/decor, bathroom clean and fully working, somewhere to hang clothes, mirror, table, chair. Both types have to "work", be clean, and functional. The state of some of the small hotels/B&Bs/Pubs with rooms when she first goes in is ridiculous and no wonder they are struggling - they've just not got the basics right and often claiming to be "niche" as an excuse for clutter, old furniture/furnishings, things that don't work properly etc. Often her advice is to declutter, clean and tidy it, get things working, put basic/simple F&F in, etc. I've often watched them and thought that existing B&B owners and those wishing to buy one should be forced to watch a full series of the Hotel Inspector as a crib sheet of what to do and what not to do!

It’s a good show and Alex knows what she’s talking about. She is very much there to rescue clueless/ stuck owners. I slightly mourn the loss of individuality in the B&B business, but I realise too much individuality/ contact with the owners can be off putting, it’s a fine balance. Only once have I stayed somewhere run by a real individual and loved it- an older Scottish gentleman who’s lived a very interesting life, and didn’t bother watering himself down at all for the purposes of running his B&B. We just gelled.

That’s a shame. My friend and I stayed in some wonderful places in SW Ireland. It was almost 20 years ago though…

I hadn’t stayed in one for about 25 years but had a couple of nights in The Sportsmans Lodge in Anglesey with adult children last month and it was wonderful.
Yes, slightly quirky decor which could maybe do with a refurb but very considerate owners and breakfasts and views to die for.
I’ve used AirBnbs or hotels for the last few years but will definitely look at b & bs in the future.

I guess its following trends; lots of b and b's were originally boarding houses then as people got better money and expectations the b and b's take over. I am thinking then a lot changed to self catering apts if they could be changed to them now its going to air b and bs i wonder what they will be next