Opening a Guest House / Hotel

[amcdee]

Well my partner has come up with the crazy idea of selling up, moving up north and opening an exclusive up market guest house, small hotel. This is not just pie in the sky, there business is failing slowly and they want a change. I’m quite happy to move, there is nothing keeping me in out current area, I’m not particularly happy in the job I’m in, so it seem like a good opportunity to make some life changes.

Can anyone offer any advice on what pit falls we might expect. We are not going into the blindly. I have some experience of the hospitably trade, although limited. We believe we could make it work.

Even if the venture failed and we both had to seek alternative employment, it would allow us to live mortgage free

[a2z]

I think that you probably realise that it will be hard graft. Speaking from a position of somone who books quite a few trips to the Lakes etc I would get a good website and maybe allow online booking. Also get yourself registered with some of the larger online hotel sites, I use these quite often

www.laterooms.com
www.smoothhound.com

also get yourself on the tourist board register.

One thing that has irked me when booking, especially in the lakes, is that most are a 2 night minimum. If you want to go for a weekend, a friday night is a bit of a waste and can't stay sunday as you need to be in work the next day. Obviously a business case for this but it still cheeses me off and if I could just book the saturday night I would probably have booked with them.

[Eric Mc]

Would you be buying an existing business or trying to start from scratch?

[mutt k]

My family used to be in the hotel business but we sold out about 3 years ago. It's hard graft 24/7 and the number of rules and regulations and officious little tossers sticking their noses in is quite incredible. You will meet some very nice people, but also see the worst side of others e.g we had someone get pissed, fall over in the shower as a result and then try to sue us for negligence.

Good luck if you go for it though.

[chrisgr31]

a2z said:

Obviously a business case for this but it still cheeses me off and if I could just book the saturday night I would probably have booked with them.

Hmm might mean there is a business case for charging 150% of the oppositions rate for the saturday night on a single night basis. That way the place will be empty on a Friday so you can still go out!

[amcdee]

Thanks for you comments guys. Just the for record if you want to spend on night with us, thats fine. at no extra cost.

[srebbe64]

We've thought about this - but it sound too much like hard work!

I'll tell you what, I use lots of hotels and I can honestly say that "outstanding" service (similar to decent cruise ship levels) is very rare. Personally, I'd pay a premium to stay in such a place. One of my pet hates rearding hotels is that so many of the younger staff see working there as a stop-gap between jobs. As such, the quality of the service can be pretty poor. To attack a market at the very top end would have a degree of scarcity with accompanying high margins.

[pcowen]

Hi

If you need a design company to design and building a website for you, and your budgets are quite tight for the first few years. We did a great site for this Hotel. www.one3two.co.uk please take a look and let me now what you think.

www.picturedrum.com

[amcdee]

Thanks for the offer pcowen, but I run a design / hosting company myself, as well as holding down an IT job...

[sb-1]

A word of warning.Some friends of mine exactly this about 15 yrs ago or so,bought a hotel in the lake district.

They sold up and moved lock stock and barrel up to Cumbria,with the kids...to cut a long story short,it didn't work out for them and they had to sell at a loss and move back to the south.Started again at the bottom of the property ladder.

Moral is...tread carefully!

Steve

[amcdee]

sb-1 said:

They sold up and moved lock stock and barrel up to Cumbria,with the kids...to cut a long story short,it didn't work out for them and they had to sell at a loss and move back to the south.Started again at the bottom of the property ladder. Moral is...tread carefully! Steve

Thanks for this Steve, but the plan is to keep two house here in the midlands....... so not a complete sell up.

[sb-1]

amcdee said:

sb-1 said: They sold up and moved lock stock and barrel up to Cumbria,with the kids...to cut a long story short,it didn't work out for them and they had to sell at a loss and move back to the south.Started again at the bottom of the property ladder. Moral is...tread carefully! Steve Thanks for this Steve, but the plan is to keep two house here in the midlands....... so not a complete sell up.

That sounds very sensible.

Steve