Marketing your Bed and Breakfast (B&B): the Basics

Who Will Be Your Guests?

Business travellers

In city and urban areas, you are often likely to attract business travellers, which will almost inevitably mean single occupancy.

Business travellers may be attending a meeting, on a training course, or be attending a conference. They may be working in the area for just one night, or could be frequent visitors to the area as part of a long-term project.

They may be the person in charge of a building project, the regional manager of a supermarket group, or someone working in a new job before moving to the area.

Likely length of stay

Business travellers may stay for more than one night; indeed, if they are working on a long-term project, or their house move takes longer than expected, they might want accommodation for a few nights every week for many months.

Specific needs

Business travellers will often have specific needs and requirements, such as safe and secure off-road parking, and an early breakfast; some, particularly female business travellers, will want an evening meal. Against that, however, most business travellers will be away for the remainder of the day.

Contractors

Wherever there are building works - whether of new homes, or a new factory or road - there will be a demand for Bed and Breakfast (B&B) accommodation. Contractors may be working long hours, will usually want an early breakfast, and may need additional space to park their vans.

Likely length of stay

Depending on the work being done, contractors may need to stay for many weeks or months.

Schools, colleges and universities

If you are located in a university town or a town with a public school, students will need places for their families to stay when visiting.

Periods of high demand

The demand for accommodation is particularly high at the start and end of terms and at graduations (typically in October or July).

Foreign students

Foreign language schools and universities with a high proportion of foreign students can generate demand for accommodation for families visiting from overseas.

Visiting lecturers and professors

Visiting lecturers and professors often need places to stay and will have particular needs - they may want to work in the evenings, and will require generous and level workspace, power points, even Internet and e-mail access.

Leisure guests

Leisure guests will stay for many different reasons. Whether they have come to visit a historic town, to take advantage of a city break, or to enjoy a peaceful environment, they are likely to want to relax. They will not want to feel under pressure to leave after breakfast, and may well want to come back early in the afternoon. Alternatively, if they have come to attend an event, concert or show, they may well want to be able to return at a much later hour than normal.

Walkers and cyclists

Walkers and cyclists also come in the category of leisure guests, as do other guests engaging in specialist activities.

Walkers and cyclists will have specific needs, such as somewhere to dry clothes, to store bikes safely, and a place to leave muddy boots. Their needs will be very different to those of the leisurely visitor: they may require early breakfasts and packed lunches, and they may be back early to relax before dinner.

Wedding guests

Wedding guests may arrive, wanting to get changes, long before the time that you would normally welcome guests and may then not return until the early hours.

Other leisure guests

Other leisure guests may be visiting friends or relatives who are unable to accommodate them, or attending a christening or funeral.

The family market

Families with young children may want family rooms, with cots or bunk beds for the children. They may need highchairs at breakfast and plenty of storage space in the bedroom. They may also want their hosts to provide toys and games if the weather is not so good.

Typically, seaside visitors can often book far in advance and may often want a longer stay. A reason for this type of business may be the presence of a single grandparent in the party, and you may find that there is more demand for a single room with a high-backed chair than you had expected.

Other visitors

Many other types of visitors require accommodation, eg:

• actors performing in a local theatre
• traders attending a craft show or antiques fair
• participants in sports events
• demonstrators working at local events.

Trends in the letting year

There are distinct trends in the letting year and it is important to know how to identify peaks and troughs.

For most Bed and Breakfast (B&B) and guesthouse owners, there will be peak months - when there may be a lack of accommodation in the area and it becomes a sellers' market - and very slow periods, when the telephone never rings and the rooms are always empty.

It is an oversimplification, but a typical year for many Bed and Breakfast (B&B) and guesthouse owners will be a relatively quiet winter with a busy summer. Within the year there will, however, always be opportunities to pick up business, in the form of, for example, an annual air show, a firework display, a regatta or rally, an outdoor concert, or a festival.

Identify local events

A useful idea is to map out the year by identifying events in each month. This can be a very useful way of predicting when you should be busy, and it also provides useful information when it comes to knowing how to let your rooms: should you take a booking for just one night, when you know there is a classical music festival lasting three days?

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Your Competitors

At first you may think that the other Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) and guesthouses in your area are competitors - after all, you are all competing for the same market. But consider this again. If a nearby Bed and Breakfast (B&B) is full and receives an enquiry, either by telephone, or from their local tourist information centre, then whom can they pass the business on to?

By establishing a good relationship with neighbouring Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) and guesthouses, you may quickly reap the benefits of referral business.

Researching the competition

Researching the competition will help highlight how busy the area is, the level of quality being offered and the rates other establishments are charging. Here are some suggestions for how you should go about your research.

Step 1 - information from other operators

A good first step for anyone considering opening a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) or a guesthouse is to research the competition by obtaining their brochures and tariff charges.

Part of this can be done by using the Internet (and the VisitBritain website), or by means of local accommodation guides that cover the area. You will still have only an approximate idea of tariffs and it is worth ringing various establishments to find out what is included.

Different tariffs may reflect different extras such as en-suite rooms, very high quality standards or additional facilities, such as a swimming pool, tennis court or jacuzzi.

It is important to make your enquiry by telephone because the rates advertised by other Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) and guesthouses are often only a guide. If you are uncomfortable about this, say you will be needing somewhere for your family to stay when they are visiting you.

Step 2 - contact your tourist information centre

To get the best idea of the tariffs in your area and for an objective point of view, contact your local tourist information centre (TIC), or visitor information centre for help and advice.

TIC staff deal with up to 1000 enquiries per day (from people walking in and telephoning), receive e-mails and distribute tens of thousands of accommodation guides. In addition, thousands of people visit their website daily to find accommodation. Because they make bookings on a daily basis, the staff can provide you with excellent advice on how busy an area is, as well as on the peaks and troughs in the year, and the events that can generate high demand for accommodation.

The TIC may also be able to provide information on any future local developments (such as business parks or new houses projects) that may bring in additional demand for accommodation.

If you are uncertain about how many rooms to let or what to charge, the TIC will also be able to provide you with a local accommodation guide, which will help you start to think about both issues. This guide will be a useful place to start your research. It will contain a list of Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) in your area - often with details of the number of bedrooms, their tariff and their location. This information will help you work out how you may fit into the overall picture, and will give you an idea of what you will be able to charge for accommodation.

Step 3 - contact other Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs)

It is also worth approaching a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) operator away from the area in which you plan to set up and talk to them. Many will be very proud of what they do and will be happy to show you around and discuss the "highs and lows".

Perhaps most importantly, consider joining a local accommodation group. Groups are a helpful resource for comparing notes, learning from other operators who may be more experienced than yourself, and for sharing business. There are many national and local groups throughout the country.

Case study: working together

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Advertising and Promoting Your Bed and Breakfast (B&B)

Why should you think about advertising? Advertising can be very costly, and it would be foolish to spend a fortune when you first start the business; you may even be inclined to think it is not sensible to do any advertising at this early stage. After all, it is only when you are up and running that you will be able to work out exactly how your guests found out about you.

But how do you make potential visitors aware that your establishment exists and will be open for business, even if only in six months' time? Is there anyone in the tourism field who can help you?

How tourism is managed in England

If you are thinking about starting a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) or guesthouse, you may think that the first place to go for advice would be the tourist board. It is a common misconception that there is one national organisation only that looks after tourism, but there are in fact many organisations involved in promoting tourism and helping the industry.

These organisations vary in size - and variously, promote national, regional and local tourism - but all work closely together.

VisitBritain

The national tourism organisation in Britain is VisitBritain (VB). It has an integral arm in England, known as EnjoyEngland, which works in the home and overseas markets. VB works in conjunction with the Visit Wales, Visit Scotland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Boards.

Its principal role is to promote Britain, but it also promotes and helps to develop quality (eg through the NQAS), and carries out research in support of those functions in England.

Regional Development Agencies (RDAs)

The responsibility for regional tourism rests with England's Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). Each agency has a tourism section within its own structure or a sister organisation that it works with - the pattern varies a little from region to region.

The different regions of England work in slightly different ways, and each has its own priorities, which depend on the nature of tourism in that particular region.

Tourist Information Centres

Your first stop should be with your local TIC, which is likely to be run by your local authority. Your TIC may, in turn, direct you for more advice to a regional tourism officer, to the RDA's tourism department or to the regional tourist board (although not all regions in England have a regional tourist board - many of these are now part of their RDA).

Accommodation guides

The major guidebooks - such as VisitBritain's EnjoyEngland Official Guides to Quality series, and your local accommodation brochures and guides - have lead times before printing, as do all other publications. These times will vary but may be as much as five months before the publication date for the larger guides. This means that if you miss the deadline, you will not be able to promote your Bed and Breakfast (B&B) or guesthouse for another year.

To appear in these directories, you need to have your property assessed under VisitBritain's quality assurance scheme (QAS). This assures visitors that the advertised accommodation meets a recognised standard; the ratings assure the visitor of a recognised national standard and give an indication of levels of quality.

Advertising in guides before you open

If your property is not ready, how can you be included in these guides? If you have paid for an assessment, you will be eligible to have details of your accommodation included in the listing.

Beside your entry in the guide, instead of a rating, will be the words "applied for" or "awaiting assessment" or similar. This clearly shows to any prospective visitor that you intend to become assessed and rated. If you are confident of your opening date, you could even include the date or "opening at Easter", or something similar.

VisitBritain QAS participants

As a participant in VisitBritain's quality assurance schemes (see Quality in Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs)), you receive a free entry in the EnjoyEngland official guides to quality series and free listing at www.visitbritain.com and www.enjoyengland.com, the official tourism websites for Britain.

Quality assessment

Being quality assessed usually allows you an entry in regional guides and local accommodation guides. Produced by local authorities or regional or sub-regional tourism bodies, these cover specific areas, and there are usually associated costs.

Placing adverts in the press

You may also consider advertising in paid-for guides and specialist magazines, or in national newspapers.  If you are aiming to attract specific or specialist markets (such as walkers, cyclists or bird watchers), you may want to take out a small advert in a relevant publication.

A significant downside in any advertising is that you may be contacted by a number of other publications (such as magazines or newspapers), which will try to persuade you to advertise with them.  At this early stage in your business it will probably be more cost-effective to be selective with your advertising budget.

Brochures

In the early stages of developing your Bed and Breakfast (B&B) or guesthouse, it may seem too expensive to have a full-colour brochure produced professionally. In addition, your rooms or facilities may still be in the process of being decorated and equipped, so you may not be able to photograph them.

A stop-gap solution could be to produce your own brochure on a personal computer, possibly with line drawings - this could be very effective and will cost relatively little. A more professional brochure is something you might consider once the property is completed and there are fewer immediate calls on your money.

Information to include

Name of establishment

The first piece of information will be the establishment's name. If it does not already have one, you may need to think of one - names can be important, and can be used as a marketing tool.

If you are thinking of a fresh name for your establishment, try to think of the impression it will convey, eg:

• Hill View can create an image of a countryside location
• The Old Rectory may be exactly what your property is
• The Rowans may refer precisely to the trees that dominate the garden.

Whatever you choose, the visitor will always find it easier to remember than a street address.

It is important to realise that businesses with "hotel" in their name will be assessed accordingly, and not as a Bed and Breakfast (B&B) or guesthouse.

Photographs

Include photographs illustrating the accommodation in your brochure, and any special features, such as a log fireplace, a landscaped garden, or the view from the bedroom window.

Description of bedrooms

A short description of the bedrooms, such as "one ground floor double-bedded en-suite" and "one twin-bedded with private bathroom and views of garden" can help to sell the Bed and Breakfast (B&B).

Location map and directions

A location map with simple, easy-to-follow directions - and visual aids along the route - is very useful. Remember, guests may arrive at night, and they will welcome anything that helps them find you easily. Rather than specify mile distances from a junction, give advice such as "turn right at the Crown pub", or "left at the post office".

The distances that you should specify, however, are those of your establishment from places of interest. Being just off a major road may appeal to business travellers; proximity to a tourist attraction may be a draw for guests on a break. Being one mile from the M1 or a five-minute drive from the coast can all be used to good effect.

Tariff

The tariff is very important, and dating the information is a consideration. If you plan to use the brochure for a long period, you could have the tariff on a separate insert, but this will involve additional costs, and there are two views on this approach.

• Many small operators do not like to quote prices in print, preferring to agree the rate at the time of the booking.
• An indication of the price, or the range of rates, is something a potential guest will be looking for.

Size of brochure

Think about how your brochure will be used before deciding on its size.

Many Bed and Breakfast (B&B) brochures are sent in the post in response to requests for information, so the brochure will need to fit into an envelope; the most suitable sized envelope is a DL, or 11x22cm sized envelope. These take a single sheet of A4 paper folded into three. By designing your brochure as a three-fold A4 sheet you will not need to buy special envelopes.

In addition, this will enable you to post out complementary print material to guests, such as local events and attractions leaflets, which are often produced in the same format.

Business cards

Business cards can be very useful too if given to guests on departure or distributed to places such as local pubs, tearooms, garages, other Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs), and hotels and local shops.

Website

More and more people are looking for accommodation on the Internet, which will often be the first point of research for prospective guests, since it allows them to view details of many properties, as opposed to making individual phone enquiries.

Guests will nowadays want to see pictures of the accommodation, information on the establishment, including rates, and possibly will want to e-mail you with an enquiry. This allows them to make a more informed decision on where to stay, and to book their accommodation more easily.

Aim to use photographs of the accommodation on your website as well as general photographs of the area: although you are selling the accommodation in the first instance, you are selling your location as well.

Up-to-date information

One of the many benefits of a website is that it can be updated within a short time and you will be able to add photographs of the rooms as they become ready.

Setting up the site

Setting up your own site may prove costly if you have to use a web designer. It is worth looking around and talking to people to see if there is cheaper expertise that you could use.

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