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In some cases, the bathroom provided for the guest is shared with the family or another guest -- although the majority of guests now expect (or demand) a private bathroom (usually en suite, or "in the room"). Breakfast is usually included with the price of the room. A bed and breakfast provided in a private home is sometimes referred to as a homestay.
In addition to converted private residences, some establishments are considered bed and breakfast inns. The same concepts of "room and breakfast" apply. The major difference is that an inn has more rooms available than the usual one to four found in a private home. Inns often provide meals in addition to breakfast, as well as other services not always provided in a private home.
These two terms are used in the industry to distinguish the difference between a stay in a private home and an inn. But remember, no two homes or inns are alike. They vary even within the same geographic area. These differences are part of what attracts people to stay at a B&B home or inn and are a significant part of their popularity. Each one has its own personality.
Generally, a B&B is not the reason for a guest to visit an area, but in some cases B&Bs have done such a masterful marketing job that this has changed. People read articles in a variety of publications and sometimes are attracted by a bed and breakfast and plan to visit the area specifically to stay at that B&B.
Travelers usually are attracted by recreational, cultural or historic sites, or by business they have in a particular area. Business travelers, especially women, sometimes seek out bed and breakfast accommodations as an alternative to the typical lodge, motel or hotel facility available in an area. B&Bs provide the traveler with a different lodging experience as well as what many consider a safer environment.
Usual B&B Hospitality Provisions
A Bed and Breakfast, which can also be referred to simply as a B&B, is a type of boarding house typically operating out of a large single family residence.
Guests are accommodated at night in private bedrooms and breakfast is served in the morning - either in the bedroom or, more commonly, in a dining room or the host's kitchen.
Bathrooms can be private or shared (with other guests or with the family in smaller establishments) or en-suite (where the ablutions are directly accessed from the guest's bedroom).
B&Bs may be operated either as a primary occupation or as a secondary source of income. Staff often consists of the house's owners and members of their family who live there.
Staying at a B&B can offer better access to popular locations "off the beaten path" which may not be convenient to the city centre or where the location's other lodging may be situated. B&B properties may often be located closer to locations where other larger lodging competitors may not place a guest accommodation because of market conditions.
The term "bed and breakfast" is also used to refer to a meal plan where breakfast is the only meal provided, commonly in package holidays, in a major hotel that may provide other meals to only some customers.
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