We are thinking of opening a B&B

[Big Cliff]

Well, since they are going to open ice fishing here Sue and I are thinking of opening a B&B and cater to the ice fisher people. I am not going to try and do the ice hut thing or guiding but we thought that there might be an opportunity for us to make a bit of money and offset our winter utility costs.

 

We have a nice guest bedroom with a queen size bed, family room with gas fireplace, two couches, satalite TV and wireless high speed internet, 4 piece bath and a kitchenett with a stove and fridge, microwave and coffee machine. We are trying to figure out a price structure, with breakfast; without breakfast.

 

I don't think we would want to get into serving other meals as I will have to do most of the work and I still have a job to go to every day. Since we are right on Sturgeon Lake and within easy walking distance to some exceptional fishing with plenty of parking we are hoping it would work. What do you guys/gals think?

 

What do you think would be a good/fair price with breakfast? Without breakfast?

 

When I am talking breakfast, I am thinking baccon, saussage, or ham, 2 eggs any way you want them, pancakes or hash browns, coffee, tea, or juice. I could use some ideas of what to do about the menu. Should it be offered as a seperate item?

 

All input would be much appreciated.

[Terry]

most fishermen come in groups of 2 or 4

 

I can't see them squeezing into a queen size bed

[Twocoda]

tell ya what ....ill come up...try it all out ....and give you a number that you should charge ...and we will be even for the first trip...

 

Good Luck with the new venture.... on a weekly basis ....300

bi weekely .......500

additional week 150 extra

monthly ...........1k flat rate

rates are per person

 

when can i come and collect on my free week???

 

Edited November 19, 2009 by Twocoda

[Big Cliff]

most fishermen come in groups of 2 or 4

 

I can't see them squeezing into a queen size bed

 

I could add a second bedroom with bunk beds, in fact it is a big room and I could easily put two bunk beds in there. When the kids come to visit, we have an air bed that we set up in the family room and there is still lots of room for cots and things.

 

Come on Guys, give me some help here. I was thinking of something like $65.00 a night per person + breakfast.

[bigugli]

Down East, the B & B's range 120-150 per couple per night. with a nice continental breakfast of pastries, bagels, toast and preserves, juice, coffee, tea. Usually quite simple. A fixed breakfast would be nicer.

Edited November 19, 2009 by bigugli

[ADB]

I could add a second bedroom with bunk beds, in fact it is a big room and I could easily put two bunk beds in there. When the kids come to visit, we have an air bed that we set up in the family room and there is still lots of room for cots and things.

 

Come on Guys, give me some help here. I was thinking of something like $65.00 a night per person + breakfast.

 

Cliff, if you're talking $65/person/night plus the hut and guiding, then that sounds like a great deal to me.

 

We were looking for somewhere to get away and ice fish this year, maybe your place will be it

[johnnyb]

Cliff, I think it's a great idea. I could totally see that as something the wife and would do for a quick getaway. I'd pay $100 for the pair of us to sleep somewhere and have a home-made breakfast. (I am kind of stingy )

Throw our personal effects in the car, head out for the afternoon on the ice, and that'd be it.

 

For the hard core anglers...who will probably travelling in 2's 3's and 4's...yes, you might want some more suitable sleeping arrangements. Air beds and cots probably wouldn't cut it...unless the breakfast was REALLY good! :lol:

[Whopper]

From what I have heard and seen in the past Big Cliff and his wife would be very good at this.

 

Good Luck

[Spiel]

I'm thinking it's a stellar idea Cliff. The hospitality alone would be worth the price of admission.

I say go for it.

[JohnF]

Well, since they are going to open ice fishing here Sue and I are thinking of opening a B&B and cater to the ice fisher people. I am not going to try and do the ice hut thing or guiding but we thought that there might be an opportunity for us to make a bit of money and offset our winter utility costs.

 

We have a nice guest bedroom with a queen size bed, family room with gas fireplace, two couches, satalite TV and wireless high speed internet, 4 piece bath and a kitchenett with a stove and fridge, microwave and coffee machine. We are trying to figure out a price structure, with breakfast; without breakfast.

 

I don't think we would want to get into serving other meals as I will have to do most of the work and I still have a job to go to every day. Since we are right on Sturgeon Lake and within easy walking distance to some exceptional fishing with plenty of parking we are hoping it would work. What do you guys/gals think?

 

What do you think would be a good/fair price with breakfast? Without breakfast?

 

When I am talking breakfast, I am thinking baccon, saussage, or ham, 2 eggs any way you want them, pancakes or hash browns, coffee, tea, or juice. I could use some ideas of what to do about the menu. Should it be offered as a seperate item?

 

All input would be much appreciated.

 

One of my salespeople used to run a successful B&B here. It's a big deal in Stratford because of all the theatre goers. I'm sure he and his wife would be pleased to share some ideas with you if I ask him nicely. If you want me to have him email you I can talk to him in the morning. I've also got some notes I've been compiling for a B&B course for realtors. Mostly it's stuff to watch out for with gst, income tax pros & cons, zoning compliance, municipal permits, Privacy Act, etc. Probably not anything that will affect you seriously with only one room rented seasonally.

Let me know.

 

JF

[ketchenany]

Cliff I do lot of work for Ontario Tourism and lovated in Peterborough is the Ontario Accommodation Association (OCA)

 

I believe they are on Pito Rd, Here is a link to their site and you can chat with them and they may be able to guide you and probably become a member.There may be place close to you and you can get an idea of their rates and be competitive. Sounds like a great idea and it may just work for you. I'll search at work and if I get anything I'll pm you.

 

http://www.ontarioaccommodation.com/contact.htm

 

Good luck

 

Albert

[crappieperchhunter]

Well I can vouch for your location Cliff. You and Sue have a nice home in a perfect location.

 

We stay at a hotel every fall in Orillia for my perch weekend with my brother and dad. The Eagle Inn cost us $90 a night and has a kitchen so we can clean our catch and do a fish fry. And just down the road is a Hotel that is $75 a night for 2 beds and a pull out couch, but no kitchen. Neither place is near as nice as what you have. But both are adequate for a guys fishing weekend.

 

I guess it just comes down to who you wanna attract. And how much time money and energy you wanna invest into it.

 

This is a ground floor opportunity for sure with Ice Fishing opening up this winter. I can see a tidy little profit in there for anybody willing to give it an honest go.

 

Good luck with it Cliff.

[Nemo]

http://www.butternutinn.com/cottage-rental.html

 

Here's a place near you.... 65$ is a steal my friend.

 

I would check out all the B and B's around you and compare what you offer and set your price from there.

 

Also you will want to have a website, and also may want to speak with your insurance broker re: liability. Also with your local municipality re: any rules and regs.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Here's another http://www.scarlettunic.com/

[Guest skeeter99]

Well, since they are going to open ice fishing here Sue and I are thinking of opening a B&B and cater to the ice fisher people. I am not going to try and do the ice hut thing or guiding but we thought that there might be an opportunity for us to make a bit of money and offset our winter utility costs.

 

We have a nice guest bedroom with a queen size bed, family room with gas fireplace, two couches, satalite TV and wireless high speed internet, 4 piece bath and a kitchenett with a stove and fridge, microwave and coffee machine. We are trying to figure out a price structure, with breakfast; without breakfast.

 

I don't think we would want to get into serving other meals as I will have to do most of the work and I still have a job to go to every day. Since we are right on Sturgeon Lake and within easy walking distance to some exceptional fishing with plenty of parking we are hoping it would work. What do you guys/gals think?

 

What do you think would be a good/fair price with breakfast? Without breakfast?

 

When I am talking breakfast, I am thinking baccon, saussage, or ham, 2 eggs any way you want them, pancakes or hash browns, coffee, tea, or juice. I could use some ideas of what to do about the menu. Should it be offered as a seperate item?

 

All input would be much appreciated.

 

 

dont want to burst the bubble but check your local by laws if they are legal than good, but most say you cannot run a business out of a residence and if your neighbour dont like u it could cause problems

 

in my neibouhood there are 2 bed and breakfasts (harmony ans taunton area oshawa) and on neighbour is constantly calling the by law officer

 

just some food for thought

[JohnF]

dont want to burst the bubble but check your local by laws if they are legal than good, but most say you cannot run a business out of a residence and if your neighbour dont like u it could cause problems

 

in my neibouhood there are 2 bed and breakfasts (harmony ans taunton area oshawa) and on neighbour is constantly calling the by law officer

 

just some food for thought

 

Small B&B's often fly under the radar as long as the operator is smart enuf to be low key. Garish signs, too many cars and noise are the biggest attention getters. Not many municipalities have gotten around to licencing B&B's yet, so at worst you might need to be sure your zoning allows boarders. Even that is often overlooked as long as the operator isn't flaunting things otherwise.

 

The other major complaint is from motel/hotel owners if they think they're losing business. They pay business taxes etc and have a legitimate beef. I'm not sure how many places operate seasonally in Cliff's area but I bet it's quite a few so there's not as much chance of a complaint from that quarter.

 

A small quiet B&B can usually escape attention with a little good judgement.

 

JF

[Guest skeeter99]

Small B&B's often fly under the radar as long as the operator is smart enuf to be low key. Garish signs, too many cars and noise are the biggest attention getters. Not many municipalities have gotten around to licencing B&B's yet, so at worst you might need to be sure your zoning allows boarders. Even that is often overlooked as long as the operator isn't flaunting things otherwise.

 

The other major complaint is from motel/hotel owners if they think they're losing business. They pay business taxes etc and have a legitimate beef. I'm not sure how many places operate seasonally in Cliff's area but I bet it's quite a few so there's not as much chance of a complaint from that quarter.

 

A small quiet B&B can usually escape attention with a little good judgement.

 

JF

 

 

honestly cliff's area is worse than in the city for complainers the small town and rural people watch and listen like hawks often in the city prople dont want to get involved

 

but yes b and b's go unde the radar but I was pointing out possible problems that may have not been looked at or analyzed sorta like risk maagement

[smally21]

the guys i ice fish with i wouldn't let in my house . maybe its larger groups but smoking drinkin and eatin chili is a big part of ice fishing. watch your guest list for five guys with names like Jim Nasium, who stay up late!

 

places we went around north bay had great deals on hut sleep and eat packages around 90 a day. dont discount the ice hut, 40 a day per person times four guys your making a profit fast on an 800 dollar hut!!

 

good luck!

[Twocoda]

dont want to burst the bubble but check your local by laws if they are legal than good, but most say you cannot run a business out of a residence and if your neighbour dont like u it could cause problems

 

in my neibouhood there are 2 bed and breakfasts (harmony ans taunton area oshawa) and on neighbour is constantly calling the by law officer

 

just some food for thought

 

900 bucks depending on your municipality ...you can get a variance to your property and if none of your neighbours contest it ....your good to go ...

[JohnF]

honestly cliff's area is worse than in the city for complainers the small town and rural people watch and listen like hawks often in the city prople dont want to get involved

 

but yes b and b's go unde the radar but I was pointing out possible problems that may have not been looked at or analyzed sorta like risk maagement

 

You're right, of course. It's always better to anticipate the worst and be pleasantly surprised when it doesn't come to be.

 

My town is pretty small, under 30k, and perhaps has more B&Bull for the number of dwellings than any place in Ontario. We've got the theatre here and it attracts a lot of visitors. Those folks pay as much as $250 for the better B&B rooms but I would guess the average is something like $125-$145/night. Interestingly the B&Bull tend to be located in some of the more expensive neighbourhoods, generally R1 zoning which doesn't allow anything but single family detached, yet for some reason the neighbours tolerate the whole thing. I have to think it's because the operators tend to use some discretion in how they run things.

 

I'll send Cliff a list of things he should consider. The nice thing about what he's proposing is that he doesn't have to invest a lot of money. He can start operation and if he runs afoul of the law (that sounds worse than it really is) he just shuts it down or makes some adjustments. It's kind of a no harm, no foul thang. I've never heard of anyone getting anything worse than a polite cease and desist letter from the town for it.

 

JF

[JohnF]

the guys i ice fish with i wouldn't let in my house . maybe its larger groups but smoking drinkin and eatin chili is a big part of ice fishing. watch your guest list for five guys with names like Jim Nasium, who stay up late!

 

places we went around north bay had great deals on hut sleep and eat packages around 90 a day. dont discount the ice hut, 40 a day per person times four guys your making a profit fast on an 800 dollar hut!!

 

good luck!

 

He could either supply gas masks and ear plugs or limit it to couples if he doesn't know the folks, something like that. I'm sure lots of women ice fish too.

 

The folks who run B&Bull here develop some very nice friendships with guests who return every year. In some cases they get to trust them so well that they even let them use the place when the owner has to be away. The guests just leave the money in the desk and lock the door when they leave, and no gas masks needed.

 

JF

[Garnet]

I stay at B&B when traveling if possible.

 

Marketing is your first priority and that's a great web site. It must be easily googled. To buy priority words is expensive so you might join a co-op.

 

Private entrance is nice and sitting area.

 

Price is all over the map.

 

Would suggest a road trip google Some B&B that fit your place and do some market research.

[Beans]

Cliff, if you're talking $65/person/night plus the hut and guiding, then that sounds like a great deal to me.

 

We were looking for somewhere to get away and ice fish this year, maybe your place will be it

 

 

I do believe that Cliff mentioned he did not want to get into huts or guiding...strictly accomodation and breakfast...besides the first couple of years are going to be hit and miss as far as the fishing is concerned...

[misfish]

Cliff.

Betty and I would be honored to stay at your place for B&B. Just to have the company of yourself and Sue.

I would trade you off with a boiled dinner, for the breakfast,plus we would pay for our stay.

 

It,s all about the host. You and Sue have it nailed.

 

As for price? 100 dollars a night/day.Theres one just from where I hunt,out in the counrty off the beat,n trail.They seem to do very well for being in nowhere.

 

It,s all about the get away.

 

Good luck to you and Sue.