Don Thurston Blog

BED&BREAKFASTS-R-US

New to the retail sector is a specialty distributor providing furnishings, supplies and consulting services for bed and breakfasts. The firm is well named as BED&BREAKFASTS-R-US (www.bbru.org).

The company’s motto is EVERYTHING FOR YOUR GUEST’S COMFORT AND CONVENIENCE.  Services and products include architecture plans, breakfast menus, furnishings, room designs, decorating, security and amenities.

Searching their website and scanning brochures reveal a treasure trove of information.

There is an excellent section on building designs. Space is always limited and can be preserved with ingenuity. Construct stair wells to be just wide enough to accommodate luggage and no more. Eliminating banisters saves space as well. Bedrooms should be large enough to contain a double bed and not large enough for a queen sized. Two elements to guard against are easy access to windows and closets. Make sure to limit room for suitcase storage.

Lighting is important. In the bedroom for example bedside illumination should be barely sufficient to read by, making it very difficult for a quiet interlude. Faulty switches are a design bonus. Make sure wall switches are some distance from the bed thereby necessitating getting out of bed before sleep.

Some of these principles can be followed for lighting in the common room. Be sure to provide just enough lighting to read large print brochures about tourist features in the area.  If guests wish to watch TV, the remote must be in evidence. It does not necessarily have to work. The TV can be from another era, and in a distant corner as well. Poor reception helps, discouraging watching too much TV and using excess power.

Furnishings follow the simple attributes of stuffed chairs and sofas and slightly wobbly tables. Vintage family photos provide a home like ambience and do not have to be authentic. A nice touch is the addition of knock-off Tiffany lamps.

Selecting appropriate reading material is very important. One readily available source is used book stores where  volumes of Encyclopedia Britannica’s  can be acquired simply by carrying them away. Magazines provide excellent diversions. Plan carefully and collect out of date editions; one expert advises doctor’s offices are good sources. Titles such as the Ladies Home Journal and Popular Mechanics are known to have universal appeal.

Our current counsel is to stay away from internet service. More on this subject is forthcoming.

Careful attention to bathroom facilities goes without saying. Shower taps need to be very difficult to operate, extra toilet paper is compulsory but stored in the most remote place as possible, fresh bar soap is a nice touch but virtually impossible to unwrap. Pay attention to safety measures by way of small bath mats and the exclusion of door locks.

Turning to the breakfast menu, quality-creep and a wide level of selections are in evidence. Too many operators continue to provide excellent and varied meals using quality ingredients. These tend to reduce profits. Prudent shopping practices will reduce costs with hardly any diminution of variety and quality.

Please refer to our more extensive review of this new firm in our June issue of  Guide for the Complete Hotelier.

BED&BREAKFASTS-R-US are available for franchising opportunities. Consult their website for additional information.

Thanks for reading!

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