Most small business owners can relate to this. I started my business because it was my hobby meeting new people and hosting them… but I am now stressed and don’t have time for myself anymore. I feel 48 hours a day isn’t enough.
Running a Bed and Breakfast can be challenging. Small teams mean most people take on multiple roles including reception, back office, billing, accounts, room service, housekeeping, making beds and cleaning toilets, stores, kitchen, room service, laundry, garden, recruitment, customer satisfaction, preventive maintenance, emergency repairs, handling customer surprises, purchase, and if time permits, smiling at the customer, marketing and branding. As a result, over time, the hotel gets more and more dependent on travel agents, tour operators, charters, online travel agents and the like.
It’s a 24×7 operation. It gets busier during holidays, and precious moments that would be spent with loved ones on holidays are spent servicing customers. There are Bed and Breakfast owners who have their families supporting them, and often sharing the workload.
Most services can be outsourced for a fee, leaving certain critical services to be performed in-house. This should include customer service, marketing, branding and sales management – activities critical to grow your business.
