Carpenter said:
I haven't stayed in a B&B in about 5 years and wouldn't consider it unless I had no other option. Good value hotels have killed the B&B and unless you're offering some other value added service I don't see how a B&B can represent a viable business proposition.
B&Bs are still viable in may areas.
True, competition has generally increased due to hotels cutting their charges due to oversupply in the past few years but B&Bs can still undercut hotels and appeal to a large number of tourists who don't want to stay in an anonymous hotel.
The factors to be considered are:
Your area: Are you located in an area of interest for tourists? Are the hotels/guesthouses in the area regularly booked out?
What is your target market: Foreign tourists, domestic tourists, salespeople, weekending couples? Will it be seasonal or all year round demand?
Competition: Are there many B&Bs or hotels in your area? Will you be able to stand out or will you be relying on overflow from existing accomodation providers?
Your house: Are your rooms en-suite, will you have tvs in each room. Is your house clean and well maintained?
Personality: B&Bs are all about the owner. The rooms and the price may be right but you need to build a reputation and they best way is word of mouth. If you get on well with your guests not only will they be more likely to return they will also recommend you to friends and family.
Bord Failte: I think a Bord Failte registration is of less value than ever. I have developed a couple of websites for guesthouse & B&Bs and from looking at the visitor statistics most people are finding accomodation directly through a google search. Last year the site where getting a high percentage of hits from the bord failte site but this year it is almost negligible. 90% of visits to the sites come from search engines.