Resources for Opening and Operating a B&B or Inn in Vermont

As you are contemplating opening a B&B or Inn in Vermont and are searching for the perfect location, you may still have some questions that need to be addressed. While online resources are plentiful, here are some books recommended by the Wine and Hospitality Network (a group you may be interested in joining one day!).

• How to Open a Financially Successful Bed & Breakfast or Small Hotel by Lora Aduser and Douglas Brown inlcludes a CD-ROM that has all the forms you will need for your new business and walks you through each detail necessary from the acquisition of your property to marketing ideas. This book not only gives direction but also give examples which you may choose to follow or just use for ideas. All around a very thorough and useful text focusing on profitability.
• Complete Idiot’s Guide to Running a Bed and Breakfast by Susannah Craig and Park Davis gives you a ‘Day in the Life’ of an average owner – helping you know what to expect –  as well as direction on how to successfully use a website for promoting your business.
• Opening and Operating a Bed & Breakfast in the 21st Century: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Inn Keeping Success with Professional Online Marketing Strategies by Amelia Painter is decribed as a “reality check” for those looking to start inn keeping as well as a useful resource for those who already are in the business. Special attention is paid marketing techniques on the Internet.
• Start and Run a Profitable Bed & Breakfast by Monica and Richard Taylor covers both the positive and negative aspects of the business. As inn keepers themselves, they didn’t want others to be “blissfully unaware” as they were when entering the business. Some reviews suggest that this book may be a bit out of date, but still a valid resource.

You are always welcome to contact us with questions as well, however we hope these resources may be a great starting point for your initial interest.