Industry Overview
A growing number of smaller, personal hotels are making a come-back with the vacationer. The Bed & Breakfast is resurgent in this country. According to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, The Bed & Breakfast is considered an Inn, usually an older home that has been converted into a ‘guest house’ with limited number of rooms and amenities. It generally provides breakfast and possibly lunch. This type of accommodation can be found in rural areas and even in tourist areas. Bed & Breakfast Inn in Orlando and San Antonio’s Bed & Breakfasts provide the traveler the comfort of home, excellent locations and flexibility that hotels often don’t afford.
Industry Trends
As with larger hotels and resorts, the reputation of a good Bed & Breakfast creates word of mouth business. Privacy is part of a small inn’s appeal and many of the Bed & Breakfast’s customers return every year because of that privacy.
Building a rapport with the travel industry’s myriad agencies, tour guides and ground operators is a long and tedious effort. Inns are spending more for brochures designed for the travel industry and advertising geared towards the visitor than they ever did before.
Adding modern amenities has been a bonus for many B&Bs. With Wi-Fi capability now included in some of the older inns, plus an addition of home theater style rooms, the B&B has generated new appeal and new guests. Credit Cards are now accepted at many inns where they were not previously. Many inns have become the site of beautiful weddings. They provide tents for outdoor weddings while accommodating the bridal party before and after the event.
Brand Names
Bed & Breakfasts are generally not a part of hotel chains. In Orlando, Florida, one of the loveliest is the historic Courtyard at Lake Lucerne.