Top tips on running great accommodation

Looking for fresh inspiration on making your accommodation even better? One of the best ways to find new ideas for your own guesthouse is to check out what the competition is doing. We’ve put together the following three case studies, in which successful proprietors share their tips on running great accommodation.

Sue Bertram, director, B+B Belgravia, London

Sue has been running the 17-room B+B in London’s upmarket Belgravia area since 2004 and plans to open B+B Weymouth by Easter 2008. The property has won several awards including Gold in Bed and Breakfast of the Year 2005 and 2006 at the Visit London Awards.

'One of our big selling points is having comfortable public space for our guests. We have a lounge, breakfast room and garden that they can use. We don’t want guests to be confined to their rooms. People like privacy but they also like a bit more space that they can hang out in. But it’s still a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) and you have to do the basics right.

'When you first start you need to use the same principle as when looking for a house – location, location, location. Fifty per cent of the challenge is to make sure you find a property in the right place. You need to do your research and be prepared to compromise for the right property.

'You need to stay competitive on price as people have expectations and make sure you maintain standards. The internet is so powerful, particularly for Americans, and one bad review from Trip Advisor can really hurt your business. If you do get a bad review, always issue a management response addressing the negative comments.'

Sue's top tip on how to run great accommodation: 'You have to be sociable, passionate and visionary. You have to have your own standards, ideas of what you want and understand the guest experience. Above all, make sure you provide the essentials of a comfy bed and good breakfast.'

www.bb-belgravia.com

Derek Merkl, owner, Three Abbey Green, Bath

Derek and partner Sue Wright run the seven-bed, four-star guesthouse in the centre of Bath. They also operate two nearby self-catering apartments. Daughter Nici also works in the business.

'Originally we were looking to supplement our income but when we started looking at guesthouses for sale we realised the sort of turnover that they were capable of in Bath. Looking at the figures we realised that if we bought a guesthouse of seven or more bedrooms, instead of two or three, we could run it as a full-time business.

'Around 80% of our visitors are from overseas. We get a large percentage of Americans, Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, Japanese and South Africans. We are listed in several guidebooks including Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Rick Steves, which is very big in the US. It helps enormously with our business particularly with Americans. They list our website and we get very high traffic and lots of enquiries.

'I thought I was going to be semi-retired but I've never worked so hard in my life. You are always on call and it's really 20 hours a day - sometimes you even get calls at midnight. We love doing it and have created a really strong business.

'Our self-catering apartments are much easier to administer than the guesthouse where you tend to be at the beck and call of the guests. It’s less effort as there’s no breakfast. We sell the apartments off the back of the guesthouse when it's full.'

Derek's top tip on how to run great accommodation: 'You always need to upgrade with the guests in mind. We have WiFi in all our rooms and we have a computer for guest use – a high percentage of our overseas guests will use it and we don’t charge for this.'

www.threeabbeygreen.com

Emma Barnsley, owner, Crossways Guesthouse, York

Emma began running the six-room, four-star Crossways Guesthouse in York two years ago, after spending a decade working in the catering and hotel management industries. She also lives at the property.

'I wanted a business that was well-established which I could move into and start running straightaway. I added one guest room, which was used by the previous owner, and I moved into a room at the back. I decided to modernise the property because it was quite old fashioned and bought items like duvets.

'In my last job in contract catering I was often working six days a week until very late at night. I definitely have more of a life now as I don't have to be in the house 24 hours a day and the work is very much concentrated in the morning starting with breakfast. I've never gone out for lunch so often as I do now. I'm really glad I made the move.

'You have to keep upgrading and that's an ongoing project. I've recently had Freeview TV boxes put into the rooms. You've got to freshen up and by the end of the summer season there is always lots of decorating that you need to do.

'I have a great website and I advertise on the VisitBritain site and in the visitor guides, which brings in about 80-90% of my business.'

Emma's top tip on how to run great accommodation: 'I always try and get around the attractions in York so I’m totally up to date and can pass information to guests.'

http://www.crossways-york.co.uk