What is a Bed and Breakfast or Guest House?
Some Useful Information
Bed and Breakfast properties do not offer the full service accommodation you may find in a hotel, such as room service, full time reception, or evening meals. However, a high quality Bed and Breakfast or Guest House can offer a more welcoming and intimate experience than a hotel as the owners will often take great personal pride in offering a warm welcome.
A B&B or Guest House may also offer more charm and character than a chain hotel.
Bed and Breakfast properties generally offer rooms to guests within a property in which the owner lives. Normally a B&B will have no more than 6 rooms, often less. A Guest House generally has more rooms.
Free wi-fi is commonly available, rooms normally have en-suite (private, within room) bathrooms and televisions. Some offer kettles and tea and coffee making options. Room safes or fridges are not standard. Bathrooms will sometimes have showers, some baths, some both. If you have a personal preference be sure to mention this when requesting your booking.
Rooms will often vary in size within one property, as may bed sizes. Beds might be a UK standard double (4 feet 6 inches wide), Kingsize (5 feet wide) or SuperKing (6 feet wide). The term Queen size is sometimes used but it is worth checking what this actually means as this is not a UK standard format.
Bed and Breakfast properties or Guest Houses will not have lifts to upper floors and many rooms will be up at least one flight of stairs. Owners may not be able to help with taking luggage to rooms so bear this in mind. Some properties may prefer if golf clubs are not kept in the bedrooms but they will then offer alternative storage – check with the property when booking if this may be a concern for you.
Some properties may have a guest lounge, but this is not standard across all Bed and Breakfast properties and Guest Houses.