Answer; when it’s a hotel, or guest house. There’s a lot of confusion between the three genres of “serviced accommodation”, as the Tourist Board call the sector, and it leads do a lot of unhappiness and dissatisfaction amongst guest and host alike. Expectations are different; even the poorest hotel may outshine the fanciest B&B in terms of range of services – yet may equally be outclassed in terms of the core offerings – a nice room and a delicious breakfast.
So let’s try and arrive at definitions of the three, always remembering that each covers such a range of prices, facilities and indeed personalities, that sweeping generalities will always be wrong at some point. Nevertheless, in the words of Edward Heath (as re-iterated by Monty Python…) “We’re going to have a try”.
First, the B&B, or Bed & Breakfast. Its primary defining characteristics are well described in the name; a good night’s sleep and a thorough breakfast. Most other aspects of a B&B’s offerings are derived fairly closely from those two key necessities. There is, however a third: the personal touch. B&B is about the hosts inviting guests into their home; I’d suggest that, if the hosts do not live on the premises, then it’s not a B&B – it’s a hotel or guest-house. You could go further and say that, even if the hosts (who will almost invariably also be the owners) live on the premises, but in a separate part of the building, then it is edging away from the “personal” aspect of a pure B&B. This (limited) intimacy with the business and with the guests is for us one of the glories of running a B&B, and if you are the kind of people that enjoy people, then this is the place for you to stay, or even to run.
Again, B&Bs by their personal nature, tend to be small. There is a distinction in English law that says, if a person lets out three bedrooms or fewer, incorporating no more than six beds, then theirs is not a commercial establishment – rather, it is a private person welcoming guests into their home. That’s not to say that larger places cannot be B&Bs; but they will be governed by commercial workplace – and work-force – legislation to a much greater extent than the private B&B establishment.
They tend to be not only run, but largely staffed by their owners. While a hotel owner may practically never even visit his investment, it is by and large the perspiring owner of the B&B who meets you at the door, shows you to your room, cooks and serves the classic English breakfast, takes your money, cleans the room and washes and irons the sheets. I fear we’ve chickened out on the last bit and get the ironing done by someone much better at it than us – it’s called “getting a life”.
Because they do all this themselves – and because they do need occasionally to do other things like live, be parents, members of the community – or deeply lazy, if you prefer – they do tend to seek later check-in times for their guests than you would expect in most hotels. Even if you “just want to drop our bags off, then we’ll be out again, don’t worry”, they still have to be ready, and to receive you – often during the small amount of time when they need to do other things. Please try to be sympathetic to this, and you’ll find most hosts will do their best to be correspondingly sympathetic to your needs.
You won’t find staffed 24/7 reception at a B&B. They tend to sleep when the guests do. Not as long, of course, but they do need it, promise! They also tend to be less good on the telephone before about 10am and later in the evening – ‘cos they are either busy cooking, or busy applying the restorative glass of wine that helps so much. More importantly, though, you will in general find 24/7 concern for their guests; it’s what drives your hosts, perhaps more than the money (since there’s not too much of that…).
To summarise, a (good) B&B is personal, individual and dare I say quirkier than the more mainstream hotels and guest houses. It offers a more focussed service – and often simply more service. If you enjoy interacting with the people around you it’s a great place to stay; if you’re more after seclusion, anonymity, and “peace perfect peace, with others far way” (to paraphrase), it may not suit. You won’t find squadrons of lackeys leaping (like that bit of alliteration?) to your bidding; you will find one or two people deeply committed to your welfare.
Enough for now; I’ll get on to the guest-house v the hotel in a future outpouring.
