Bed And Breakfast Owners Understand Tourism

When was the last time you stayed at a bed and breakfast (b&b) on your vacation? If the answer is never, I am about to introduce you to one of the most underutilized vacation resources. Otherwise, I am about to tell you how you can get the most out of your vacation, by asking a few simple questions.

What Is A Bed And Breakfast?

For those readers who know exactly what a Bed And Breakfast is, please skip this section. You may be surprised that not everyone knows why a Bed And Breakfast would be better than a hotel room.

In the very simplest of terms, a bed and breakfast proprietor is usually someone who bought a big house and converted it into a full service hotel.

Most bed and breakfasts have one-, two- or three-bedrooms for rent. All rooms have either a private bath, private hot tub or both. Most b&b's have a big screen hdtv in their rooms, with DVD players and movies to watch.

Bed n Breakfast proprietors provide three meals per day - often provided by a chef, either in the guest's room or in the dining room.

Pampered Like Royalty

For the average b&b guest, there is no reason to ever leave the bed and breakfast to enjoy ones' self. Many couples choose the b&b vacation, to lock themselves away from the world outside and to be pampered in the manner of royalty.

But other couples want to get out and explore the world around them, while on vacation.

As a general rule, the bed and breakfast proprietor has a finger on the pulse of tourism, to a greater degree than any other person involved in the tourism industry.

The big city-sponsored tourism websites tend to only highlight the big traffic attractions that will bring the most people to their town on vacation.

City-sponsored travel websites are more focused on bringing more tax dollars to their city, so they are not going to pay much attention to those private affairs where only a dozen or so guests are expected to attend.

Bed and breakfast proprietors on the other hand tend to keep an eye open for smaller events that their guests would enjoy. Since B&B guests typically want to be pampered, B&B owners network with other small business owners to find out about those under-the-radar events that they believe their guests will appreciate and enjoy.

Examples Of Under-The-Radar Festivities

Some of the larger Bed and Breakfast establishments will feature wine-tasting parties for local vineyards. Generally, the only way that you will hear about a wine-tasting party is to call the vineyard in question, or to ask your bed and breakfast host.

Local art studios are always looking for ways to get guests into the building to view their art. Often, art studios host a party to show off local artists or other art collections. Art museums can typically turn to the city-sponsored travel websites to get the word out about their showing, but the smaller venues typically need to network with locals to attract an audience. The local B&B proprietors are usually one of the first contacts on the art studio managers' calling list.

Charity events are a frequent attraction, which pampers all who come to visit. Very likely, your b&b proprietor will be the first to know about upcoming charity events and the benefits that attendees will receive, if they attend.

Private tours are another tourist attraction that usually escape notice of the larger tourism destinations, which your bed and breakfast proprietor will know about. On a recent b&b excursion, my wife and I were told of a private tour of a local haunted house. We enjoyed the haunted house tour immensely. Of course, a midnight tromp through any big old house might be scary, if you had never been there before.

A friend recently attended a bed and breakfast in Texas, and his host pointed out that the local town was having a parade that day. Had his b&b host never told him, he would never had known. He and his wife said they very much enjoyed the parade and appreciated the recommendation.

Extra B&B Attractions

If you are into the cowboy experience, several bed and breakfasts around the country offer horseback riding to their guests. In the morning, the horses will be brought in from the stables to take as many guests as would like to go for a ride through the nearby countryside.

A bed and breakfast I had visited last year said that they held a fashion show one weekend of every month and invited us to attend. Of course, that is not my cup of tea, but others might find that very appealing. Of course, it should be noted that the reason I was at that b&b that weekend was to attend a seminar on a subject in which I am very interested.

Hands Down, Bed And Breakfast Always Beat Hotels

When vacationing, the bed and breakfast experience will always top the hotel experience. Since learning about Bed And Breakfasts and Vacation Home Rentals, I have given up on hotels entirely, except for those unique situations where the accommodation is only needed for a few hours sleep and a shower.

For a planned vacation, I choose between a Bed And Breakfast and a Vacation Home Rental.

When I am traveling only with my wife or by myself, I usually choose the Bed And Breakfast, so that we can be pampered like royalty during our stay.

When I take the whole family on vacation, I choose a Vacation Home Rental. When traveling with the kids, I have access to a full house, with many bedrooms and a fully stocked kitchen, for the length of my vacation.

Never again will I try to stuff my family of five into a cramped hotel room for a week or weekend. And never again will I increase the cost of my travel by having to take every meal in a restaurant. At the B&B, we are served our meals, and at the vacation home rental, we have a fully stocked kitchen enabling us to prepare all of our meals as if we were at home.

Improve Your Travel Experience - Ask Questions

So the next time you go on vacation, ask your bed and breakfast proprietor about those under-the-radar tourist travel ideas that only they will know about. You might be surprised to learn something new and exciting.