From Elizabeth Arneson,
Your Guide to Bed & Breakfasts.
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But being an innkeeper does have its up side, too. Meeting friends from all over the world is like being an armchair traveler. Acting as a "goodwill ambassador" by helping guests with travel and activity plans can be very rewarding. Showcasing the home you have worked so hard to restore is a great personal benefit. The freedom of owning your own business also gives you the pleasure of not answering to anyone but yourself and your guests.

As inn consultants, we feel a great responsibility toward aspiring innkeepers. Organizational skills and information services are required attributes for consultants. There is an ethical necessity to provide professional services to the industry. With the increase of professionalism in the B&B business, inn consultants must also present a professional attitude.

Inn consultants should have experience based on number of years in operation, have organizational skills, and have an extensive background with industry resources. A point to remember, no one can be an expert at everything.

Aspiring innkeepers should ask questions when choosing a consultant:

• What is your experience within the B&B industry?
• How long have you been in the B&B business?
• How long have you been teaching seminars/consulting?
• What are your specific strengths in inn consulting?
• How long did you research before opening your B&B?
• Do you attend continuing education conferences and seminars?

If you're dealing with real estate inn consultants, ask questions such as:

• How long have you been in real estate?
• How many B&Bs have you sold?
• How many B&Bs have you stayed in?
• Have you ever operated a B&B?
• What is your experience within the B&B industry?
• What experience do you have with zoning and planning regulations?

We feel it is important for aspiring innkeepers to get a "jump start" on their future by doing their research first. This will allow them to make an informed decision regarding property, set-up, financing, operations, and marketing. In an area with few or no B&Bs, you can be automatically known as the "educational B&B expert" if you've planned properly.

One of the most difficult things today about starting a bed and breakfast inn is working with local officials. Most officials and neighborhood residents do not understand the business well enough to know the positive effects of B&Bs on a neighborhood. You may have to become "the" B&B educator if you're breaking new ground.

In 1986 when we opened Holden House, there were just three professional B&Bs in the Colorado Springs area. Now the Pikes Peak Region boasts nearly 40, and the western states continue to see a large increase in the number of new B&Bs.

When we first started researching the B&B industry in 1982, there was very little information available about starting a bed and breakfast. Since that time, great strides have been made. Today's wealth of nationwide seminars and information provides the prospective innkeeper with the opportunity to learn from the experience of others.

This feature continues as innkeeper Sallie Clark gives examples from her personal experience.