Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to buy a hotel with no experience?

79 replies

Frockandahardplace · 12/05/2019 19:06

As title, really. DH and I have a long held dream where we sell up and move back to the area from where we are originally from, buy a hotel and run a B&B. In reality neither of us have any experience running a B&B or any hotel experience.

A hotel has just come up for sale in our dream area. It has 5 bedrooms to be let out and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. DH wants to go and view it next week and hopefully move up there to fulfil our dream! In theory I am totally on board with this and really excited but in reality neither of us have a clue what we’re doing!! How crazy an idea is this? Prepared totally to be told I’m nuts.

OP posts:
HollowTalk · 12/05/2019 20:18

Do you enjoy doing a lot of cleaning at home? Does your husband? Do you enjoy cooking and washing up day in, day out? Eg if you have family to stay at Christmas, do you wish they could stay for a lot longer or are you glad to see the back of them?

BuzzShitbagBobbly · 12/05/2019 20:22

DH and I have a long held dream where we sell up and move back to the area from where we are originally from, buy a hotel and run a B&B

Isn't this just behind the "dream" of selling up and moving to the sun to run a beach bar?

You are one of thousands of people who have this rose-tinted fantasy; without (not trying to be rude) the first clue of the reality of it.

Youngandfree · 12/05/2019 20:23

Have you even ever worked in a cafe or restaurant to start?? I think your bonkers! Do you have DC? And if so there’s a WHOLE lot more to think of! your summer will never be yours again and depending on location work is usually seasonal. Could you go and shadow the current owners?? What way would you divvy up jobs? Cleaning? Bedmaking? Cooking? etc what are your people skills like etc?

Youngandfree · 12/05/2019 20:26

If you have DC then It’s a whole other ball game! I grew up in a seasonal town where a lot of friends parents had b&bs and in the summer a lot of them slept on sofas so their bedrooms could be used for guests. And they basically had to get lost everyday so as to keep away from the house 😬 they never had a good word to say about it!

HollowTalk · 12/05/2019 20:31

Imagine changing beds every day! Bad enough doing it once a week. And mopping floors all the time and cleaning toilets. OP, it's not going to be a holiday!

itstheyearzero · 12/05/2019 20:31

My Mum and Dad did it, albeit a long time ago. My Dad always worked which left my Mum on her own at the B&B most of the time. I remember when she broke her wrist, she still had to do everything that was required and it must have been so hard for her. Just think about what you would do if one of you got sick, you would definitely need a back up plan I place!

HopelesslydevotedtoGu · 12/05/2019 20:32

Why do you want to run this hotel? Is it that you want to live in your home town and there are limited job opportunities, or that you are really interested in hospitality, or that you think it will be a good lifestyle business (it probably won't)?

It is really hard work, long hours, unreliable income and a lot of cleaning, cooking and maintaining the property.

I'd be very clear what you are trying to achieve and how realistic that is.

How much income would you need to generate?

I would want to have experience of working in the industry before making a big financial commitment.

ghostyslovesheets · 12/05/2019 20:32

it's not a 'dream' it's a business - do you have a business plan? Money for start up?

no experience - I wouldn't - I've worked in hotels and restaurants and it's seriously hard work - not 9-5 5 days a week but 24/7 7 days a week - you would be mad to do it with no experience and no business plan!

GabsAlot · 12/05/2019 20:32

have u seen hotel nightmare show-loads of people like u who said it was their dream and who are run ragged and in loads of debt

dont do it

Oblomov19 · 12/05/2019 20:35

I've worked in pubs since ages 14. I ran pubs. I ran hotels. Such hard work. In the end I left and moved into accountancy.

If you don't have any experience you will be shocked at how all consuming it is. It's brutal. And not that much profit in it.

I'd think again.

Fiveredbricks · 12/05/2019 20:36

You will never ever, ever have a holiday again, ever. You'd be better running it as an air b&b hotel with optional catering.

Fiveredbricks · 12/05/2019 20:39

Also, you're fucking insane to even want to do it tbh. Almost zero profit in it and barely enough to cover minimum wage each per year if you're lucky. Figure out the room cost per night and how much per room per year, then knock off 3/4 of that. Then another half of what you have left, and that is your annual profit, if you're very, very lucky and have a "good" season.

user1497787065 · 12/05/2019 20:41

Watch as many episodes of Channel 4s Four in a Bed as you can. People's expectations are absurd.

TheRedBarrows · 12/05/2019 20:44

Understanding your licence status, meeting fire regulations, the licensee course, public liability insurance paying for a fire extinguisher contract, smoke and CO alarm checking, Hygiene certificate and inspections, understanding what that means in terms of a commercial kitchen. Legionella checks in your water system. Contracts do that plumber / electrician will come straight away whatever the day. Regular pest control contract.

Marketing, advertising and PR costs.

So much expense, before you start on staff, repairs and renewals , etc. Profit margin on catering is low. Breakfast for 5 rooms won’t pay you bus fare.

VAT, running your C Card payments, security etc. Drills and evacuation procedures, running a booking system.

Have either of you run a public venue of any kind?

LemonScentedStickyBat · 12/05/2019 20:44

My parents did this and lost a great deal of money because they hadn’t got a clue about the hospitality business. You need some experience really.

IHateUncleJamie · 12/05/2019 20:46

Have you even been Airbnb hosts? If not, I’d start there. With Airbnb you don’t have to provide a cooked breakfast and it’s a great way to get an idea of what people want, what they don’t want and how much work it really is.

If you were to go ahead and buy a 5 bedroom hotel 😳 then the most I’d offer is b&b. Lunch and dinner without qualified chefs, waiting staff etc is batshit with no experience.

OutrageousFlavourLikeFreesias · 12/05/2019 20:50

Yes, you would be absolutely insane. Why in the world would you think you could run a business with absolutely no experience of the very specific skill-set required?

Your dream is 100% doable, but you need to spend time working in the industry first to check it's definitely what you want (and something you can do).

Best of luck and I hope you achieve your dream...but with the experience you need to make it a success.

ItalianEarthernware · 12/05/2019 20:51

NO way. We live in an area full of B&Bs, small hotels, guest houses and inns up for sale because the people just cannot take the amount of work anymore. I've worked in this industry as well. Just no, no, no.

BlackcurrantJamontoast · 12/05/2019 20:53

Air b and b has opened up more possibilities.

You could buy a 6 bed house and rent out a number of rooms flexibly. Buying a hotel will be priced on the business/good will etc.

5 bedrooms isn't a hotel - it is a guest house at best.

Buy a house within your own budget (so a house that you could afford with just 1 working/low mortgage/mortgage free). Then let rooms - 1 person works out of the home and the other runs the airbnb.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 12/05/2019 20:54

I once bought several hotels on a whim, without any experience at all. I had the money, so I thought why not; and I did quite well from the passing trade, but it all came crashing down when I got sent to jail Grin

therearenogoodusernamesleft · 12/05/2019 20:56

When you say it's s dream, what is it that appeals?

Do you have enough savings to run at a loss for at least 3 years?

VictoriaBun · 12/05/2019 20:58

Just spent a weekend in a lovely b&b . We are the people who like an early ish breakfast, so are usually down within 15 minutes of the beginning of service. We don't always go for the full English , cereal and toast did on one day . Their was one couple where the woman sent back her egg because it wasn't right, and another pot of tea because that had stewed.
A couple touring the UK asked the owner to do some laundry for them. Someone had blocked the toilet. Is all that worth it ?

gigi556 · 12/05/2019 20:58

I'm going to go against the grain and say maybe it's not a bad idea depending on your expectations.

I know someone who ran a b&b in a busy area and said it was a great income/job around family. So if it's not your only income it could be a good lifestyle business. You would have to love it though and it can be a hard graft.

ItalianEarthernware · 12/05/2019 21:02

What WeBuilt?!! Please tell us more. I agree withe AirB&B comment. Much less work.

Lovemusic33 · 12/05/2019 21:03

A hotel that has 5 rooms and serves food all day (3 times a day) would be more a restaurant than a hotel, the rooms would just be extra income, it’s main income would be the restaurant? I have worked in similar establishments and they have all had good chefs and a very high standard of food, the rooms are often filled by business men or wedding guests (if you do wedding receptions). It’s a pretty hard business to be in, I think I would be tempted to hire a good chef, waiting staff and then do the housekeeping side yourself.

After seeing how stressed out hotel owners are I’m not sure if I would want to do it, they rarely get a day off let alone a holiday.