Five things NOT to do while staying at a B&B
Top Five Innkeeper Pet Peeves…
I absolutely love the B&B/Inn experience, some might argue that I’ve become quite the authority after reviewing so many of them. Because I’m keenly aware that staying at a bed and breakfast is different than a hotel, I felt compelled to try and educate newbies as to some of the nuances of B&B lodging.
Let me begin by saying that if you’ve never stayed at a B&B or Inn, you’re really missing out on a remarkable lodging experience. Trust me, I’m fully aware of some of the common misconceptions, but let me tell you that most of them are not true. Of course, each bed and breakfast is completely different…some might thrive in particular categories, where others may fall short. Do your homework by checking online guest reviews and travel blogs like Mike’s Road Trip and you won’t go wrong.
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Before I tell you about the “Five things NOT to do at a B&B,” let me describe how a B&B differs from a hotel:
- Most B&B’s are 3-5 rooms. An “Inn” is often larger, maybe 8-12 rooms, however that’s not always the case as the term “Inn” and “B&B” are basically synonymous.
- Most of the time the Innkeeper is the owner, you’re not dealing with some large corporation.
- While the price of a B&B might seem higher than a hotel at times, the actual value is much greater. Most B&B’s I’ve stayed serve a wonderful breakfast, so when you figure you won’t have to spend $30+ dining out, it’s a pretty good deal. Many B&B’s offer evening snacks, free refreshments and many other items. I’ve stayed at a few B&B’s where the in-room fridge is stocked with goodies…some even have a wine hour with appetizers, while others serve light dinner fare.
- The accommodations at a B&B are almost always superior to that of a hotel…better linens, bedding, furniture, etc.
- Amenities are also often more plentiful at a B&B, from better shampoo, lotions and grooming items, to games and libraries of books/DVD’s.
- Innkeepers are usually excited to share with you all the wonderful places to visit, explore and experience while in their neck of the woods. They are a wealth of knowledge, from great restaurants to wineries and tourist attractions—a built-in concierge if you will.
Again, bear in mind that each Bed and Breakfast is completely unique, which is part of the charm and excitement of the experience. Unless you’re staying in a really high-end resort, a hotel room is often pretty standard and boring. At a B&B, each room is usually distinctly decorated, and most today have private bathrooms and entrances.
Now that you know some of the items that make a B&B special and unique, here are the top five things NOT to do while staying at one. I asked over 100 innkeepers to tell me what their top pet peeves are with guests. Surprisingly, many had nothing but good things to say about their guests, but as you can imagine, many were willing to dish on their biggest guest aggravations.
- Unlike a hotel where there is usually someone at the reservations desk, a B&B is run by a small business owner who has to juggle many things in order to make your stay as comfortable as possible, so the #1 biggest gripe innkeepers have with their guests is not arriving during the designated check-in time (that includes initial arrival, and the breakfast service). Most B&B’s have a check-in time between 4-6pm, if you can’t arrive within the posted time, just give them a call to let them know so that they may plan their day. While a late arrival may be acceptable, don’t ever expect an early check-in…the innkeepers are probably at the store or cleaning rooms.
- The next biggest pet peeve are guests who do not respect the property. It would be much appreciated if you treated the places you stay as if they where your own. Don’t place throw-pillows on the floor, or not wipe your feet thoroughly before entering ,or shine your shoes with the expensive towels, or hang wet towels on finely crafted wood furniture.
- Be mindful of the rules and regulations, some B&B’s are kid-free, pet-free and/or smoke-free zones. Read the rules prior to booking your reservation, that way your expectations will be met and so will that of the innkeeper.
- Some people feel that if there are complimentary things available, i.e. cookies, snacks, wine, etc that they are entitled to over-consume, which often leaves other guests unsatisfied. The “rule of two (which I think I just made up)” is probably a good one to abide by…no more than two of anything in a given day. Also, unless you’ve been given permission, don’t raid the cupboards or refrigerator.
- An Inn or Bed and Breakfast is typically a mom & pop small business, they simply do not have the resources or margins that a larger hotel might have. You will frequently see discounted prices during off-peak periods and often a B&B will require a two/three-night minimum stay…the reason for this is that the expenses involved in running the property do not scale well for short stays. It’s customary not to negotiate prices with an innkeeper, unless maybe you’re staying for a longer duration. It’s not inexpensive to run an B&B, so be mindful that they do not have the same flexibility as a larger lodging property.
I hope this overview will help manage your expectations the next time you consider staying at a bed and breakfast…it can be a wonderful and unforgettable experience.
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If you have any additional tips or suggestions of what not to do when staying at a B&B, please leave a comment below. If you found this post to be helpful, please “like” it and share with your friends and family.
Mike Shubic
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63 Comments
Wow – what a great post – very useful information, very insightful 🙂
Hey, thank you so much Rhonda!
The majority of our guests are absolutely wonderful and considerate.
Travelers with less experience in dealing with Bed and Breakfasts will surely find your tips and movie very useful.
Thank you for posting.
Hey Richard, thanks for stopping by. Cheers, Mike.
Great post, Mike. The work load for InnKeepers is heavy, and any consideration we can give them while staying in a B&B may be the ‘one’ thing that keeps them from going crazy from the seemingly endless tasks in a day that makes us so comfortable.
Thanks Jane! Agreed. 🙂
Great information for newbies Mike!
Thanks Sebastien!
Thanks, Mike, for keeping me in the loop. I LOVE your website! I’m going to start working on mine SOON!
Georgene
Hi Georgene…thanks for stopping by and for the kudos! Cheers, Mike
You hit the nail right on the head with your 5 things Not to Do, Mike. Thanks for posting this – some great information for those who are not so familiar with staying at a B & B (and maybe it will open the eyes of those who do frequent them)! From a very appreciative B & B owner!
Hi Victoria…thanks so much for the kind comment. All the best, Mike
Great article. Number 1 is our number 1 peeve, too. Although we love running our little b&b and enjoy our guests we DO HAVE A LIFE OUTSIDE THE B&B, and if we’ve arranged our day around a particular arrival time guests arriving early or late are very frustrating.
Hi Helen, thanks for stopping by and posting a comment.
Hmm, maybe it would be a good thing to have this video on autoplay whenever guests check in, ready to replay again & again. 😉
Lol…that might not be a bad idea. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by P.J.
Great post and video. First time B&B guests are always fun to speak with…they are so excited (and amazed) about the experience and value they discover at a bed & breakfast so articles like this letting them know what to expect (and not to expect) will hopefully encourage more of these happy travelers.
Hi Mary! Thanks so much for the kudos. I really enjoy staying, and, working with B&Bs/Inns. I’d love to chat sometime to learn more about BnBFinder…maybe there is a way we can work together? In the meantime, feel free to put a link to my post/video on your site if you think it would be helpful to your visitors. Cheers, Mike
Mike,
As an Innkeeper you hit the nail right on the head with these top 5. I would love to send all my first time guests to this link without sounding preachy or condescending, but it really would benefit every one of them. While I feel it is a gift that I get to host people, some guests are more like lumps of coal.
If I could add one more thing that I find difficult is that the guests don’t have any idea what activities to do and expect me to play ‘Cruise Director’ for them, including drawing maps and arranging trips for them. If you finish out the Top ’10’ I am sure that one would be on there!
Hi Gary…thanks so much the kudos. And, for stopping by and sharing your thoughts and additional topic to add to the list. Where is your Inn? Cheers, Mike
Thank you!!! Is it bad that I am printing a copy for my guest lounge? These could not possibly be more accurate!
Hi Elizabeth! My pleasure. LOL…I hope by printing and posting in your guest lounge that it will help. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Cheers, Mike
Hi! I stumbled across your post and enjoyed your info. We’ve been BnB owners for 10 years now and find the majority of our guests to be wonderful people. My pet peeve is the overly needy guest(s) who ask a million questions, then don’t listen and/or don’t wait for the answers..which means they ask the same questions over and over! We have an extremely informative website and we have a info sheet we give each and every guest at check-in. The answers to all their questions are right in front of them–but no one reads anymore!
Hi Cindy! Why thank you very much. And, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Cheers, Mike
I know this is old and may not be read but the reason people don’t read your website is people are all on phones now and it’s a downgraded experience from a PC. You can’t read text very well unless its a one liner due to small screen and having to scroll. This comment is long for phone people to read.
Number one sure is our number one, too – and for every B&B owner that I have contact with. You wouldn’t arrange to turn up at a friend’s house at a certain time and then arrive an hour or two early, or 3hrs late without phoning, but I think guests don’t realise how we value THEIR time and would never dream of not being there to greet them. Any plans to tour Australia??
Hi Helen…thanks so much for adding your feedback. No, no plans at the moment…but if you have any connections at the tourism board, I’d love to reach out and see if I could organize a trip. 🙂
I appreciate your article and I think we are unique because we are off the grid, with lots of wildlife and we have solar powered or gas/lp powered refrigerators and we live in Mexico above a bay overlooking the Pacific Ocean on a “Banda” that sticks way out in the Pacific. In our situation, leaving the doors open and leaving the lights on when not in use are things that can lead to bugs or mice coming in to visit or loss of power by other guests. We sometimes feel like parents coming in behind, closing doors, but our guests are usually pretty happy when we tell them this will keep the tarantula’s out. Do you ever travel in Baja?
Hey Bruce…thanks for stopping by. No, I’ve actually never been to the Baja…have always wanted to though. Is that an open invitation? 🙂
Hi Mike,
I’m not sure what that means exactly, but you are welcome to make a reservation anytime. We are actually in the process of building a second house and we will go from two to 5 bedrooms plus a kitchenette that can sleep 6 the first week of August (they are already booked the first week).
Bring hiking shoes and a sweater for the cool nights! Around us we have a great cove with a little beach for privacy, or a huge beach on the North side of Punta Banda and of course the great La Bufadora waterspout with it’s concourse of vendors and artists.
Another “peev” for us is, though not necessarily a peev, is sometimes a problem for us and that is, we serve our breakfast @ 8:30, so we are very busy from 8 to 8:20 or so – this is also when guests want to discuss “the age of the house, how many acres we have, their place back home, etc” which is all nice but we are frantically trying to get the breakfast out on time and served hot – sometimes it makes for a stressful time of the morning and since we are a 2-person team and no hired help to cover for us, we dont complain but we tend to cut conversations short and the pinging of the oven is often our way out of a long drawn out conversation.
Hey Larry…oh, that is a really good one. Thanks so much for sharing.
I appreciate the information on what not to do at a bed and breakfast. I never really thought about the fact that the check in time is so important for bed and breakfast’s although it makes sense since they are typically only run by one or two people so they are busy. My wife and I are looking into a bed and breakfast the next time we travel, I will be sure to share this information with her.
Hi Ben, so glad you found the post helpful. I personally LOVE staying at B&B’s and hope you find your next experience a good one. Cheers!
My sister wants to travel with her friends this weekend. It was explained here that they should be mindful of the rules and regulations of the place where they will be staying. Moreover, it’s advisable to go to trusted hotels and lodging.
This is great information.
Hi Angela, glad you like it. Looked at your website, hope that is something you are planning to re-design as it could really improve your conversion rates. Here are some innkeepers tips I have written about: https://mikesroadtrip.com/essencial-marketing-tips-for-innkeepers and https://mikesroadtrip.com/convert-lookers-into-bookers
These are great tips for customers who are staying in a bed and breakfast for the first time.
So glad you think so. Thanks for stopping by.
To keep up with travelers wanting the freedom of online booking, we felt forced to sign up but this has only increased no shows with our rooms being blocked off for no reason causing us to loose business. Also, this gives us less opportunity to personalize a stay for our guests since we have limited information about them beforehand. I’m saddened to see this decline in human interaction happening.
One of the things that caught my attention was that B&B can be a remarkable lodging experience. Personally, I would like to have a romantic breakfast with my wife and this can be a great option. Thanks for sharing this article, I will definitely keep this in mind for when I’m ready for it.
Happy to help. Thanks for stopping by. Cheers, Mike
Great tips. Thank you so much for the insightful information.
My pleasure. Glad to be of help.
Great insights…thank you for the tips.
I am surprised by the large number of differences that arise when comparing a bed and breakfast to a hotel, such as the usual size as well as how the accommodations of the former are more sustainable than the latter. Additionally, I am glad that you mentioned the importance of respecting the property as if it were my own. My wife and I want to pursue a bed and breakfast in the future when we go on vacation in a few weeks, so I will be sure to get into contact with a company to look further into the rates.
Hi Lloyd…thanks for stopping by. Hope the post and video was helpful.
Thanks for this great list. I am reading this at 6pm, while I sit in the house and wait for two 4pm check-ins. I have been here since 3 to allow for people running a little early. In that time, we wolfed down dinner, and now are leaving the house in shifts. You are right – it is definitely one of the top peeves!
Hi Paul…so glad you like it. Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
I like that you mentioned that it is important to understand the established rules of a rental property before making a reservation to stay there. My sister is traveling soon, and she booked a reservation for an inn. I’ll have to share this information with her so they know what to expect while staying there.
Yes, good point. Hope you have a good time.
Great tips. Thank you so much for sharing.
You’re welcome. Thanks for stopping by.
Great information. We are staying at our first B&B next week.
Such a helpful article, thank you.
You’re welcome.
I have been managing a guest house for 14 years now the last 3 have been rather difficult, find guests more demanding than previous year’s.
The disrespectful ones are those who assume that because they are paying they can do what they like to the establishment.
Hi Simon…thanks for stopping by. Sorry to hear about the attitude of your recent guests, that’s too bad.
Good day! This is my first visiting your blog and found this post on staying at B&B’s very helpful. Thank you.
I’m so glad. Thanks for stopping by.
Your way of telling everything in this post is really pleasant, every one can without difficulty be aware of it, Thanks
a lot.
Thank you for sharing this info, very good stuff.