The INNkeepers Letter by Janet Rogers     How to open a Bed & Breakfast   I remember when I first started thinking about a Bed and Breakfast It was in the mid 80's and my co-workers mother just opened a B&B in Stow Kent, Ohio. Amy (my co-worker) was always bringing in pictures to show us, and talking about her mom's Bed & Breakfast.   The next thing I knew, my husband and I were on our way to see Amy's mom's B&B. We had never been in a Bed and Breakfast before, never knew they even existed, but now after seeing hers, I wanted one too. I made my decision, when I retire, I'm going to open a Bed & Breakfast!   Meanwhile, I continued working in the corporate world. After all I had several years to go before I retired, I liked what I did, and had plenty of time to think about opening a Bed & Breakfast. So I tucked the idea away in the back of my mind and really did not think about it again until 1990. That's when we purchased a run down 1890 Victorian home in Medina Ohio. It was located on commercial property and needed alot of work, but hey we could fix it up and make it into a Bed and Breakfast when we retired.   I'll never forget when our realtor first took us through this old Victorian. Plaster was coming off the walls, grass wallpaper and 70's paneling helped hide the damage and hold the walls in place. Carpet was glued to the floors, scotch tape was used to cover the window cracks and there was a zillion long staples in the kitchen floor and those were the highlights. Besides that the porch was falling down and the outside of the house hadn't seen a coat of paint in years, believe me the list goes on and on.   Meanwhile a few more years passed, which included my companies 3rd merge. So now it was time to make a decision, do I really want to open a B&B? I had the house, commercial property and the idea. Then my husband asked me what I really wanted to do, and what he needed to do to make it happen. So we busted out big time on this old house fixing walls, floors, ceilings, putting in bathrooms etc. and in the fall of 1994, we opened my own Bed and Breakfast called the Spitzer House and no I'm not a Spitzer, my house already had a name like many of Medina's Historical Homes, If I would have named it myself it would be something cutsie like....   When I look back, I can't believe how seeing this one Bed & Breakfast changed my life. Although I only saw the inside once, the experience left such an impact on me. For years I thought it was actually the Bed and Breakfast. Today I know it was not only the Bed and Breakfast but the Innkeeper. The Innkeeper played a major role in my wonderful memory.   A week before we opened our Bed & Breakfast, my husband and I planned to go to the outlet stores in Cleveland. We wanted to get an early start, so we decided this would be a great opportunity to stay at our first Bed and Breakfast. Plus it wouldn't hurt to stay in one before we opened one right? (plus someone might ask us) but this Bed and Breakfast was much different than the B&B I remembered several years ago, and the host wasn't nearly as friendly. I really wanted to talk to her, I told her I was going to open a Bed & Breakfast, but she was not interested and seemed to be in a hurry. She did not have time for us. Well so much for my first experience staying in a Bed & Breakfast, but a lesson learned.   So I know what your thinking! I can't believe this lady! She only stayed in one Bed & Breakfast, how was she ever going to operate one? Good question! Well........ I read one paperback book, did some research on the internet and for the rest, I would have to rely on my background in management, sales and customer service. If you have ever worked with the general public I think you will be fine, unless you had a hard time working with the general public, then you might not be LOL! I also believe if you really want to be good at what you do you will be. Twelve years later I rank among the top 3% of B&B/Inns through out United States and Canada       What is a B&B What is an INN The INNkeeper Ohio licensing requirements Bill # 223 Towels Beds Is your Bed & Breakfast over priced? Questions to ask when making a reservation How B&B Hosts look at other B&B Hosts The Guest from Planet X Guest Pet Peeves   copyright 1999