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If you live in an attractive town that caters to tourists or business travellers, have a spare bedroom or two, an outgoing personality, know your way around a kitchen and don't mind sharing your space with and entertaining strangers, a bed and breakfast business may be just up your alley.

For foreign visitors, staying overnight with locals is something often preferred as it provides the opportunity to meet real people and experience real life ... something that is next to impossible to achieve when staying at a large, impersonal downtown hotel. For domestic travellers too, whether on business or vacation, bed and breakfast lodgings are often a welcome respite from the same old hotel/motel circuit.

Prices per night range from a low of US$25 to US$100 or more depending on location, facilities and services. Be sure to check with your local regulatory authority for any licensing requirements that may apply in your area though.

Naturally, your guests will expect a clean, neat and comfortable home. It doesn't have to be anything grand. Often, all your guests will be looking for is a slice of real life. So just make sure the guest accommodations are tastefully furnished and well-maintained and that there is plenty of cupboard space, a sitting area and a large, comfortable bed.

Many foreign visitors will appreciate a quick tour of the interesting sights in your area or at least some assistance in planning an itinerary so think about incorporating this into your suite of services.

In addition to advertising in newspapers and the Yellow Pages, be sure to list your services with all the travel agencies in your area as well as in a number of national travel magazines.

Useful resources:

BOOKS:

So You Want to Be an Innkeeper: The Definitive Guide to Operating a Successful Bed and Breakfast
by Mary E. Davies

How to Open and Operate a Bed & Breakfast
by Jan Stankus

Open Your Own Bed and Breakfast
by Barbara Notarius, Gail Sforza Brewer

How to Start and Operate Your Own Bed-and-Breakfast: Down-to-Earth Advice
by Martha Watson Murphy

Bed and Breakfast: A Step by Step Business Plan
by Monica Taylor and Richard Taylor