The most requested amenity made by potential guests calling
to inquire about reservations for any bed and breakfast is also the one that
gets the least amount of use. Can you figure out what it might be? If you said
Jacuzzi tub, you’d be correct. Everyone thinks it would be great to have one,
but when push comes to shove, they end up not using it. We of course have
antique ceramic tubs from the 1920’s that we would never replace because of their
historical value, so that amenity in our case is “out.” So what’s “inn”? Read
on.
The amenities game is a big question mark in the bed and
breakfast industry. If you were to look at a list of every possible
configuration of amenities you could offer the list would boggle your mind (and
put you “out” of business). No one inn could ever offer them all so each
innkeeper must decide what fits the identity of their inns and their
personalities. What are you selling? It is a marketing game that you have to constantly
play with in order to maximize appeal.
We decided early on that our primary amenities would revolve
around our identity as a “foodies bed and breakfast.” These included home baked
goodies, chocolates in all the rooms, beverages including a gourmet assortment
of loose leaf teas, full hot breakfast and of course our four-course fixed
price dinners. In addition we felt that enjoying a nice glass of wine or a beer
with a meal was important to creating a gourmet ambiance so we bit the bullet
and got a liquor license which most bed and breakfasts do not have.
In addition to the “foodie” theme, we also had a few
specific items we knew we needed to focus on as far as amenities go. First off,
why do so many hotels, even high end ones, skimp on the quality of the toilet
paper they use? It may sound bizarre to say, but Jeff and I felt that it was
important to have nice toilet paper and not that single ply stuff that feels
like sandpaper. And believe it or not, guests notice. We have had many comments
on it.
Second, and perhaps one of the most important amenities because
it is in the name of our business, is the bed. We actually spent several hours
with a mattress expert going over the pros and cons of beds and trying to
identify what kind would be ideal across the board for everyone. We ended up
deciding upon a Simmons Beautyrest single coil mattresses as opposed to the
Tempurpedic mattresses because the Tempurpedics tend to sleep hot and that can
make things uncomfortable for some.
The third important amenity to consider was the bedding. You
can have a great mattress but if the bedding isn’t soft and the pillows aren’t
plush, it won’t matter a bit. It took us a long time to find the sheets we love
which are soft and wash well and we recently upgraded all our pillows to those
“My Pillow” pillows you see on TV. Yes, they work. A couple of additional items
we like to have in our rooms include signature toiletries, robes and bottles of
water.
This next amenity is more about our personalities than
anything else, but we decided that media was something we wanted to focus on.
Business clients must have Wi-FI and most men won’t go to a bed and breakfast
if there is no television available. That being said, we ended up getting
satellite TV and put VCR/DVD combos in all the rooms along with a list of
approximately 1000 movie titles they can choose from to watch while they are
here. Jeff and I are huge movie buffs so honestly, it was an excuse for us to
get a bunch of movies under the guise of an amenity for the inn.
Finally, it was important for us to maintain nice gardens,
including a vegetable and herb garden that guests could enjoy. We keep our
patio manicured and lush looking so guests can sit outside with a glass of wine
or a cup of coffee. We will never, however, get a pool or a Jacuzzi tub because
of the potential liability involved with the combination of a liquor license
and drowning.
The bottom line is that if you are planning a trip to a bed
and breakfast, you should decide what specific amenities are important to you
and then do your homework before deciding upon a property. All of them have
websites and they generally outline clearly what they do and do not offer so
you can make an educated decision as to what fits you perfectly.
Courtesy of the Bureau County Republican