Bed and breakfast

For other uses, see Bed & Breakfast (disambiguation).

Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, with six being the average.^[1] In addition, a B&B usually has the hosts living in the house.

Breakfast at a B&B in Quebec City, Canada

Room at a bed and breakfast establishment in Vorarlberg, Austria

Bürgermeister O´Swald II offers a little special accommodation; during its active time it was anchored in the Elbe's inlet, now it is a B&B in the port of Cuxhaven.

Bed and breakfast is also used to describe the level of catering included in a hotel's room prices, as opposed to room-only, half-board or full-board.

International differences

Australia

There are approximately 7,000 B&Bs in Australia.^[2]

The B&B industry in Australia generates about $132 million in annual revenue.

China

In China, expatriates have remodelled traditional structures in quiet picturesque rural areas and opened a few rustic boutique hotels with minimum amenities. Most patrons are foreign tourists but they are growing in popularity among Chinese domestic tourists.^[3]

India

In India, the government is promoting the concept of bed & breakfast.^[4] The government is doing this to increase tourism, especially keeping in view of the demand for hotels during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.^[5] They have classified B&Bs in two categories – Gold B&Bs, and Silver B&Bs. All B&Bs must be approved by the Ministry of Tourism, who will then categorize it as Gold or Silver based upon a list of pre-defined criteria.^[6]

Ireland

In Ireland, B&Bs can be townhouses, farmhouses or country house. There are about 3000 B&Bs^[7] spread throughout the country, 750 of which are certified for meeting quality standards by Fáilte Ireland.^[8]

Israel

 

Patio of a guest house in Tamchy, Kyrgyzstan

The Israeli B&B is known as a zimmer (German for 'room'). All over the country, but especially in northern Israel (Galilee, Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights) the zimmer has developed into an extensive industry. This industry began to develop in the 1990s, when agriculture became less profitable, and many families with farms in moshavim, kibbutzim, farms and even in cities decided to try their luck in the business of hospitality. In the last decade, there has been development of bed and breakfasts also in southern Israel in the Negev.^[9][10]

Italy

In Italy, regional law regulates B&Bs. There is a national law "Legge 29 marzo 2001, n. 135" but each region maintains a specific regulation. Each region can adopt different regulations but they must observe the national law on Tourism (Law N° 135 /2001).^[11]

 

Carriage B&B Hinto Panzio in Transylvania, Odorheiu Secuiesc, Romania

United Kingdom

 

Little Langford Farmhouse, Salisbury, Wiltshire

There are numerous B&Bs found in seaside towns, the countryside as well as city centres.^[12][13]

B&Bs are graded by VisitBritain and the AA on a star system. 3-, 4- and 5-star establishments have a higher standard.^[14][15] A majority of B&Bs in the UK have en-suite facilities.

United States

 

Front yard of a B&B in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

There are approximately 17,000 B&Bs in the United States.^[1]

See also

•  Hotels portal

• Airbnb

References

1. . innkeeping.org. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
2. "Bed and Breakfast Accommodation in Australia - Market Size, Industry Analysis, Trends and Forecasts (2024-2029)| IBISWorld".
3. Mike Ives (13 August 2013). "From Outsiders to Innkeepers in China's Sleepy Countryside". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
4. . Tourism.gov India. 7 November 2006. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010. (MS Word Document download)
5. . Delhitourism.nic.in. Archived from the original on 14 August 2009. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
6. . Delhitourism.nic.in. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
7. "The full Irish: how B&Bs bounced back", Irish Times, retrieved 28 July 2023
8. "B&Bs and Historic Houses | Quality Assurance", Fáilte Ireland, retrieved 28 July 2023
9. Mirovsky, Arik. Haaretz. Archived from the original on 22 December 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
10. "Everything about zimmers..." Zimmer.co.il. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
11. Ferrero, Michela (27 May 2013). . It.bedandbreakfasteuro.com (in Italian). Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
12. . Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
13. "Traveller's Guide: British B&Bs". Independent.co.uk. 15 April 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
14. "Quality assessment for your accommodation". 24 February 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
15. "AA Star and Pennant ratings". 3 March 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.

 

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Bed and breakfasts.

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bed and breakfast inns.