Running a B&B with children

[Barbel Bob]

Hi,

We are in the process of finalising our house sale with the view of buying a large house in France, this we hope to turn into a B&B during the summer months, we have two children 13 & 10 who are looking forward to the move. After many months of research we have learnt many things: How to build an ironing board, how many sheets etc to have, what to give for breakfast, how much to charge.....the list is endless and I thank you all for your advice..........I have done a search and have not found any info about B & B owners with children?

Any advice on how your children feel about sharing their house with guests? I read one shocking thread on guests who spent days in their room making lots of noise!!!! I plan to put my children on the top floor with a family room  next door for us to have 'quiet family time' in at the end of the day! to watch TV and do homework etc. Our bedroom to be on the ground floor.

We are not going to provide evening meals until the children are a lot older? Any tips or advice from parents would be a great help.

Thanks

Bob

 

[Dick Smith]

We once stayed in a B&B (French) where there was no separation between guests and family, and the teenage dauaghter spent the whole evening complaining/rowing with the hostess. We couldn't get away from it, and it was very embarrassing. Not saying your kids would be like that, but ours were sometimes, so separating kids and guests if at all possible would be my recommendation.

[Russethouse]

Bob, I'm a worry wart by nature, I think you should be as close as possible to your children and not have guests in between. Over sensitive? - I expect so...... Logical ? Probably not.....Gut feeling ? Yes.

[lizzy h]

hello there,  we run a b and b and have a 13 yr old and a 6 year old and have done sucessfully for 4 years however we do ahave seperate living rooms and sleeping bathrooms etc on the top floor 3 bedrooms and lounge kitchen and bathroom we also do evening meals in this case my daughter goes to nanas gite in the garden till were finished, my daughter loves the guests and visa virsa and my son just says hello and thats, it unless there are kids of the same age so he goes in the pool with them,

 I've had no problems with the kids and guests as long as I can lock my upstairs  so I feel safe at night in my bit that I class as home, the bottom 2 floors are work! and everything works just great, a little cramped but were used to it now hope everthing goes well for you

[Cerise]

Well Lizzy is obviously lucky and has nana to help with the children - but when you are busy you may find that you don't have much time for them!  Definitely easier if you are not doing evening meals.  During the summer months I even feel guilty about how little time my dogs get and yesterday I realised I hadn't rung my poor mum for more than two weeks.   If you need to make a living from this thing you will need to be busy and take all comers - maybe even loads of one nighters so constant chageovers are the norm.  Don't say how many rooms you have and how far from the guests your children are, whether getting up and going to school will interfere with your guests breakfast time etc.

I personally wouldn't want to do this job with children in tow, but I do know some who does - seemingly successfully - howevere she too has a resident grandparent to help out.  I don't think it is impossible but the children may well feel it inteferes too much with family life as it means you can't go out as a family for most of the summer.   Always having to be home all morning and after 4.00 pm limits you somewhat.

[lizzy h]

hi there Cerise,

 I totally disagree with what you say, I have loads more time! in the Uk both myself and my husband worked full time hubby as a chef and me as a nurse manager, I never saw the kids, mother babysat all the time day and night,

 we never had any money to go out, here its definately a family affair,

we are well known and are a big family I have my uncle who's got a learning disability to look after , my kids are around me from getting up, they help me clean the rooms(well the 6 year old tries) chris my son is incharge brushing the paths and keeping the pool area clean and also tidying up our end, (we are just in the grenier) Dad does the B and B cleaning and I do the shopping kids in tow,

We go out for the day a meal included every Wednesday ( kids off school) and Saturdays  whether theres guests or not, theres always one person in the house to greet guests. I do my jobs either early or previous night so we can get out straight after guests breakfasts about 11am, and I'm always back with fresh food in tow not later than 6pm, everthing runs like clockwork but its very hard work and tiring, hubby does all the evening meals so doesnt need me there all the time but I always clear up and wash up and set the tables, I do not drink so I don't socailise for hours with guests but will sit a little while talking etc, we get loads of one nighters but have organised my day so I can do things around my kids I bet they would rather have that as me being away from them at work!!! I never leave my 6 yr old alone upstairs whenever shes not with me (ie meals) shes with nana in the garden, I have a big steamer iron and my sister does the ironing which she gets paid for,

 also add I have rescue dogs(6) and cats (12)and  which I look after,

 its hard fitting it in but we do and were not busy in the winter we do get trickles though we have 4 bedrooms, I think its a very good life for afamily you get all afternoon free to spend with the kids and all the days you dont have guests, we are used to hard work and at our ages (late30s and early40s) are too young to put our feet up yet ,infact I would be bored if I didnt work, its just lovely to have the best of both worlds!

[Cerise]

Congratulation Lizzie - very hard work and I understand it works for you, but as you say plenty of family to support you (even though I'm sure that means more work sometimes).  I run our B & B alone - though husband is here after work to give a hand with meal times, and I'm also in my 50s so frankly at the moment I'm exhausted.  For last 2 days I've had a 7 month old baby to take care of (emergency hospitalisation of friend) and I just don't reckon I could do this with children unless I had family support.    Original poster didn't say what (if anything) else they have to do but if they have to work elsewhere as well - and most B & Bs don't provide an adequate income for a family - then they may find it restrictive.  But, as I said I know someone else who manages to do it and 'Chapeau' to them too.

[mark23200]

Hi Bob

We have a B & B and have been up and running since September last year.  We also have a 6 year old.  We have no problems with him or the guests - even when he decided to throw up in the corridor just as some guests were going to bed!!  Everyone just accepts the fact.  He probably has a better equipped bedroom than most 6 year olds! but he knows that the time he comes home from school its homework time whilst I get the finishes done for the evening meal - any free time on Wed, Sat and Sun goes on him.  We manages about one trip out per week in the holidays (which is more than we used to do in the UK with 2 of us working!)

He loves meeting people, if they have children, then its a bonus...........otherwise he loves the freedom of being able to run around a very large garden or having his quad out with Dad there to supervise rather than being away all week and shattered at the weekend.

 

Good Luck - children adapt very quickly with some simple ground rules and if they are anything like mine - enjoy meeting people from different places and learning a lot of geography (the map book is always on hand to see where other people live!)

Jo

[lizzy h]

I would say just that , can you imagine the diverse cultures and languages that my children meet on a day to day basis they talk fluently to the English and French speaking kids and communicate as kids do to the other kids from other countries in a much better way than we do, they are around me, looking and  helping me and they know where the money comes from, not unattached from mam and dad, its a good life albeit we will never be rich but lovely the fact our kids were brought up by us in lovely surroundings,  I would say the only draw back is people thinking its a hotel and thinking you are on call 24 hrs a day, and the fact we have had some wierd people but there again, I lock us in at night!!!!

[Barbel Bob]

Hi,

I will certainly think about the children being so far away from us! and once moved in will give it some serious thought on how we can rearrange the rooms so they will be safe.

Thanks to Lizzy and all who took the time to reply with honest opinions,  it does sound very hard work but I think the quality time spent with the kids will be far much more than we have in the UK!

Hopefully if all goes to plan we will be in for the end of September - November then I will be posting for lots more help to be ready for summer 2008!

I am in the process of thinking of a suitable B & B name at the moment, so I can get some business cards and secure a web address, these I will give out to all our  friends at our leaving doo!

Such and exciting though scary time!

 

 

 

[LEO]

[quote user="Cerise"]Congratulation Lizzie - very hard work and I understand it works for you, but as you say plenty of family to support you (even though I'm sure that means more work sometimes).  I run our B & B alone - though husband is here after work to give a hand with meal times, and I'm also in my 50s so frankly at the moment I'm exhausted.  For last 2 days I've had a 7 month old baby to take care of (emergency hospitalisation of friend) and I just don't reckon I could do this with children unless I had family support.    Original poster didn't say what (if anything) else they have to do but if they have to work elsewhere as well - and most B & Bs don't provide an adequate income for a family - then they may find it restrictive.  But, as I said I know someone else who manages to do it and 'Chapeau' to them too.[/quote]

Hi Bob,doing evening meals is a negative and desperate step which will give you no rewards!

avoid evening meals like the plague.

been there done it!