The Times article on starting a B&B today

A good double-page spread by Mark Bridge in today's Times (p70-71) on starting a B&B:

"Running a bed-and-breakfast is one of the most straightforward small business models, and can provide a rewarding and flexible lifestyle for naturally hospitable people.
The best B&Bs have weathered the downturn well, partly because cash-strapped Britons are
taking more 'staycation' holidays in the UK and looking for alternatives to hotels.

"The Bed & Breakfast Association provides information and support to B&B owners,
and it is also a good resource for would-be owners at the research stage."

On Radio 4's "PM" Programme

A good mention today on Radio 4's PM programme - following their correspondence about lobbying and lobbyists, they quoted our efforts - without any paid lobbyists - which helped get the Westminster and Scottish Governments to issue new, less onerous guidelines on the 2006 Fire Regulations for small B&Bs, saving (according to the Scottish Government's own figures) £100m in costs for B&Bs in Scotland alone. Lobbying can be done on a shoestring, and can achieve good things...

Jeremy Hunt's "20.12% discount"

This Monday at the Conservative Party conference Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (and, though his department's name still leaves it out, Tourism), made an announcement.

He said he wants to "transform our domestic tourism industry by making 2012 the year to take a holiday at home with discounts at hotels and B&Bs up and down the country of 20.12%".

When we at the Bed & Breakfast Association heard this (after the speech, not before), we were - to say the least - surprised. (Apart from anything else, it seems to imply that Mr Hunt believes that B&Bs are overcharging by a fifth, and all we need to do is slash our prices.)

We have contacted Mr Hunt's department to ask about this interesting idea. I will keep you posted!

Government to actually cut red tape..?

The Government has just announced its response to the Tourism and Hospitality Red Tape Challenge.

There are some very welcome proposals including a revision of Energy Performance Certificates and (one that the B&B Association and the Tourism Alliance has been working on for some years) introducing a 'de minimus' approach for alcohol sales so that B&Bs (and for instance, hire boats and self catering properties) can provide small amounts of alcohol without the need for a full licence.

This is the first stage of the deregulation process and more will follow when the Minister’s Regulation Taskforce completes its work by the end of November - but encouraging. Let's hope this will be carried through, and followed up with more of the same. We will keep up the pressure!

Nationwide "consider B&Bs" campaign starts

A national PR campaign has just launched, aimed at helping persuade the public to "consider B&Bs" when booking accommodation. The Bed & Breakfast Association is delighted that laterooms.com, who are funding the campaign, will be investing in raising awareness of the fantastic B&Bs across Britain and what they offer, and showcasing some of the best B&Bs and their owners in a "B&B Lives" campaign. There is more on our news page.

'Single occupancy supplements' - the arguments continue

A letter appeared in The Times a few days ago saying that 'single occupancy supplements' were an "outrageous imposition", and calling for them to be "banned".
I wrote a letter in Monday's Times (7 March) explaining how in most cases, far from a supplement, B&Bs and hotels in fact discount the room for single travellers already - the "supplement" only seems to appear if double rooms are priced "per person" and an assumption is made that anyone should pay that price, whether or not sharing.
The important thing is that the basis quoted should be clear, transparent and unambiguous.
It amazes me what strong feelings the "single supplement" arouses - in the online version of The Times letters page, there are several posts still misunderstanding my point, and accusing B&Bs of "singling people out", wanting to charge the maximum for doing the minimum, being "the Basil Fawlty Liberation Front", "sophistry", and more.
The original letter writer I had replied to, and two others, even said that they thought all prices should be on a simple "per room" basis, the same for all - so it seems that a single paying the same as a couple would pay is preferable to getting a discounted room which happens to be more than half the double price!
If anyone has any ideas how we can make people understand the simple facts and practicalities of this, please let me know.

Its Official: We're The Best for our Members....

I hope I can be forgiven for the trumpet-blowing - I am so proud of what we as a relatively new (5 years old) trade association with a very small part-time team have achieved for our members. It is wonderful to have it publicly recognised in such a prestigious fashion.

Last Thursday night at a black-tie dinner at the Hotel Russell in London, I collected an award for the Bed and Breakfast Association from Nick Hewer (Alan Sugar's quizzical and acerbic sidekick from 'The Apprentice'): the "Sector Representation Award" from the CBI's Trade Association Forum.

What does this mean? Simply that the Bed and Breakfast Association has been judged the best trade association in Britain (out of 313 associations across all sectors of business) and representing its members and its sector. Quite an accolade!

We were given the Award in recognition of what we achieved for members in helping lighten the burden of compliance for small B&Bs of the 2006 fire regulations - after our campaign involving two ministers and their shadows, a Downing Street Petition and the support of organisations representing nearly half a million small businesses, both the Westminster and Edinburgh governments introduced new and much less onerous guidelines for small B&Bs (see my earlier blog).

So the small guys can sometimes win a battle or two with the authorities! Worth celebrating, don't you think?