To wonder about affluent people running B&Bs

[cateycloggs]

Watching Escape To The Country, I have noticed several of the (to me ) affluent couples looking to relocate saying they wish to run a B&B. Do well off people who have had or are continuing to have successful professional or business careers really want to do that? Do they want to get up early, make and serve breakfasts to strangers, wash up, strip their beds, collect their dirty towels, clean the floors, organise the laundry, vaccuum, dust and polish bedrooms and clean toilets, baths and showers used by strangers? Then have the hassle of planning, budgeting, ordering, shopping for or collecting the necessary food and drink for their guests. All in part of their own (expensive) homes. Or are they thinking of having assistants which would be more understandable to me. And they would then be providing local employment.

As an introverted person who started working life as a chambermaid in big hotels, it sounds hellish. Why would you do (run a B&B) that unless you were hard up with very limited opportunities for work in your area?

Genuinely curious as to whether its just a personality difference or one of those work ethic differences.

I suppose you’d need to be pretty comfortable to buy one though...5/6 bedroom house all with en-suites?

I dare say they’d have cleaners to do the beds etc.

If others want to do something you don’t, what’s the problem?

It's not a problem, Spidey66, I was just being idly curious with the emphasis on the idly about the motivations of some strangers on the television. All I can think if I were ever in such a position one of my requirements would be privacy.

I think they'll have cleaners, use a commercial laundry pick up service, might have someone come in to cook breakfast

Owners can enjoy chatting to guests, it gives them an income and perhaps a larger house than they coukd have afforded otherwise

Not an expert but I hear that like any hospitality business it’s not easy to run a B&B. But perhaps some of these peope have an idealistic viewpoint? Maybe they stayed in a nice one and figured ‘how hard could it be?’

OP, I expect private quarters of the house will be behind a locked door

If you have a b&b in the right location you can earn a good chunk of money. So owning a b&b can be a good investment.

It may be a way of financing a larger/better home than they could otherwise afford.

As someone who's mum used to take in B&B guests out of necessity I think they have a very romanticised idea of what it entails, as a child I hated having strangers in our house even though the majority were really nice people.

Most people running successful b&bs have staff to help with domestic duties.

There are a lot who love the idea of moving to the country, escaping the 'rat race' and doing it; if it is their nature to be hospitable and enjoy meeting different folk, why not? If it doesn't work out, they don't have to continue.

@cateycloggs

It's not a problem, Spidey66, I was just being idly curious with the emphasis on the idly about the motivations of some strangers on the television. All I can think if I were ever in such a position one of my requirements would be privacy.

Yes, me too, I value privacy. However if the house is big enough, privacy can be maintained.

For some it's a challenge, something different which captures their imagination. I've no doubt there are failures but also successes. It doesn't hurt to have a go.

Notanothertakeaway, I never thought of commercial laundry or I suppose just a laundrette wash service. I appreciate that the business mind is something I don't understand but even if you employ help, shut off the private part of the house, the guests are still in your house and you have to organise it for them. Though I think a private B&B can accept or reject guests entirely at their own convenience? It does seem much more hassle than it could be worth unless you really need the income. Who needs to chat to strangers that much? Entirely from my point of view of course.

My parents fit your OP. My Mum loves it, the work of it all keeps her busy in her retirement and she loves the passing parade of people to chat to as they come and go.

Running a B&B is only worth doing if you are mortgage free, so being affluent is better.

I don't know anyone running a B&B without a cleaner or cleaning agency, factored in the price.

I have also never stayed in a B&B that wasn't separate from the hosts private living quarters, so I can see the appeal for some. Planning and budgeting is not hard work is it.

Puzzles me too. Hospitality in general strikes me as a very hard way to earn money. I had a boyfriend once (30 years ago!) whose family ran a successful B&B in a beautiful old house in a fairly touristy village, and they employed local teenagers to do the cleaning and bed-changing. Numerous problems with no-shows, damage to the rooms and bouncing cheques as I recall, but this was pre-internet. They were a very grand/posh family and had a separate section of the house to themselves; they were also completely unapologetic about things like shared bathrooms, lumpy mattresses and dated decor that would probably be slated on Tripadvisor these days!

They won’t be the ones stripping beds etc. I worked at a B and B once in the 80s, I got there at 7am to start breakfasts, straight after that I stripped the beds etc. The owner pitched up about 10am.

As I mentioned, i worked as achambermaid and served breakfast in my twenties so I understand the amount of physical hard work goes into presnting a clean, welcoming public use environment. The one thing I enjoyed about the work was you were left to get on with it and did not have to interact with the guests. Obviously it's a personal thing but it does seem a strange aspiration for people who to me are frankly rich.
And the reason I think it's OK to comment is that they, the Escapers to the Country, have chosen to appear on a public entertainment programme, if anyone wonders.

You only have to watch The Hotel Inspector to see how many people take on running a B&B with a completely unrealistic totally romanticised idea of what it involves

I think if you're rich enough to buy a large 5-6 bed property with ensuites, you won't be doing any of the "shit work" yourself.

Many people hire cleaners, chefs etc. to do the mundane bits, and the owners focus on marketing and greeting guests.

Plus, many B&B's will only have 1-2 turnover days each week, so you don't need to do bedding, towels etc. every single day of the week.

Obviously it's a personal thing but it does seem a strange aspiration for people who to me are frankly rich.

they are exactly the opposite of your own experience: pay someone to do the cleaning, sometimes the cooking and some people do enjoy dealing with others.

If you have a lovely home, it's a convenient way to earn an income.

B&B are anything from a room in somebody's flat to a separate flat miles away from the owner.

Some owners also purchased a property in the view of opening a B&B, and use the separate buildings.

I can't see how it is so hard to understand the appeal, even if it's the last thing you would do yourself

Thanks for the insights into how the work might be organised, thebillyotea and maddiemookins16mum. I started wondering about the practicalities watching the programme and it does seem a lot of hassle if you don't absolitely need the money. But then I have always been on the poverty line and don't understand about running businesses. It would seem tiresome to me to have to do that kind of planning and budgeting even without the physical work. Again if you have already earned or inherited money/property in another area of your life. I know that explains a lot, maybe too much about me.

My DSis has an AirBnb chalet on their property. She has a lot of time on her hands, likes to select/meet the guests, etc. For her it's a strange mix of social and entertainment. She does the cleaning herself, and does not accept a lot of guests. It's almost a hobby, and nothing to do with making money.

Honestly, budgeting for guests is hardly different than budgeting for your family in the first place anyway (and having friends staying over for the weekend etc, the way we used to live in the olden days).

If you cut the bullshit and nonsense, running a business is not much difference than running your own private finances. It's not that hard - as in, it's not difficult. It hard in term of hours and research, but most people could do it.

We've thought about getting a house with land and a holiday cottage or two to rent out, but wouldn't like to do a B&B with letting rooms in my home.

Perhaps it enables people to live in beautiful larger/historic homes in stunning places they wouldn't otherwise be able to afford?

THe billyotea, I suppose I was watching a programme where the B&b rooms were very much part of the private house. Other times I have watched where the searchers are looking for the kind of seperate accomodation to use as holiday lets which I could understand even if they would have to physically muck in. It's the proximity thing I don't get. Again I appreciate the different personality thing - one woman's cocktail party is another's hellish nightmare.

I'm just regarding it as an insight into a different world. Can I just ask those who know , are B&B owners legally allowed to just say 'no' to any potential guest as they feel without giving a reason?

If snyone does answer tht and I don't respond straightaway, not being rude, just need to go out for a bit. Thanks for any responses.

I escaped to the country and now have two holiday let's on site. It isn't a B and B but I do do all the cleaning, washing and ironing etc.

It is how I afford to live here! The money from holiday makers keeps us, pays the mortgage and bills.

If I had 'staff' it wouldn't be cost effective. Yes, I have a big house, but I wouldn't have it without the holiday makers.

The way I look at it, I have got away from the rat race and the compromise is I have to clean for a living. I wouldn't be able to live where I do and do my old corporate job. I do probably 15-20 hours a week.