Looking after No1!

You may initially think this is your customers which to a certain extent is true however what is as important and quite often over looked is you have to look after yourself! - I hear gasps of horror in the back ground but a grouchy tired innkeeper is no good to their customers. Now before you start running your bed and breakfast you may go to bed at 11pm every day that is up to you - but don't fool yourself that this will carry on once you are started. This will sound obvious but if you are tired then GO TO BED! I am usually in bed by 9.30 and have been in bed at 8pm before now, eat your veg and take your vitamins as when you work for yourself there is very little chance of a day off for illness. As I am writing this I am on day 14 of having a cold with 4 days of being quite ill and the rest trying to shake off a stubborn cough! Guests will expect their beds to be made and breakfast to be served no matter what.

Also if you have what is known as a Season make sure before and after you schedule at least 2 days of down time where you just sleep and rest both mentally and physically. Try no matter where your B&B is to have the occasional night off, go out to dinner, go to the cinema or have a day trip!

All this will probably seem like common sense but when you hit the ground running and it is very tempting especially with a huge mortgage to just keep on plugging - which I am not advising against however with careful planning ie next week I have 12 rooms arriving Sunday for 4 nights - once they have arrived on the Sunday I pretty much have my evenings free. If you have a busy season can you put on a 3 night minimum? If you have particularly busy event can there be a 2/3 night minimum?

Also it is very easy - (and believe me I get roped into it)- to allow late check in's, I won't advise not doing this at all but there are ways round this ie coming for a wedding? check in, in advance ie early check in is better than late, lock boxes and instructions? door locks that operate with a combination that could be texted with instructions to the guest? Ive had more than one guest roll up at 3am - "oh should I have called?" you think? and believe me its hard to smile at them during breakfast! Or the ones that do call "Ill be there about midnight, is that ok?" So though its not always possible try and limit those late check in's with explicit check in and check out times on yours and your partners web sites.

And last but not least - don't be afraid of having an afternoon nap!