Bed and Breakfast lodging vs hotel

[HuskyHawk]

Congrats

Setting aside your anecdote, it’s now a common thing.

I weigh options between hotels and air bnb whenever I travel out of habit, and have not seen an air bnb be more practical than a hotel since the pandemic (which is really what kicked off the craze). Sure, if you’re trying to stay in the woods or on some remote beach where there aren’t hotels, it’s basically the only option. But otherwise, air bnb just hasn’t been worth it for a while for me

Lolz, you're doing something wrong. I've stayed in well over a dozen all in cities in the past few years and it almost always makes more sense than staying in a hotel. I've looked at hundreds and never once seen them demand you clean the place.

Does anyone else know what he's talking about saying they demand you to clean the place?

Eh, it's a mixed bag. My view is that it depends on your needs and where you go. I'm going to Orlando with my wife and daughter and her friend will join us, that make a hotel that can accommodate us prohibitive. Airbnb will yield better results. But I've also been in situations where the hotel location, amenities and other factors make it a clear winner. Things like check in check out, cleaning, length of stay, do you need/want laundry or a kitchen? There's no obvious answer. I am wary of the fees and the threat of fees ($500 if you make too much noise!) on some Airbnb properties.

Meanwhile, B&B are mostly awesome. Haven't really had any bad experiences. In Scotland and Ireland they are almost always way better than the crappy hotel options.

 

[Mr. French]

I've done it dozens of times. Mostly in Ireland or Scotland, but sometimes in the U.S. including Cape Cod. It's just a small boutique hotel where the owners make you breakfast and there's a communal living and dining room area. Your room is no different than any hotel, except maybe a bit more homey and less generic.

My experience was also Ireland and I echo this - it’s basically a hotel but a bit more personal. Nothing crazy. For 1 night it’s totally fine.

 

[superjohn]

Eh, it's a mixed bag. My view is that it depends on your needs and where you go. I'm going to Orlando with my wife and daughter and her friend will join us, that make a hotel that can accommodate us prohibitive. Airbnb will yield better results. But I've also been in situations where the hotel location, amenities and other factors make it a clear winner. Things like check in check out, cleaning, length of stay, do you need/want laundry or a kitchen? There's no obvious answer. I am wary of the fees and the threat of fees ($500 if you make too much noise!) on some Airbnb properties.

Meanwhile, B&B are mostly awesome. Haven't really had any bad experiences. In Scotland and Ireland they are almost always way better than the crappy hotel options.

It's all about what you like. I would never choose to stay in a B&B. Just like I would never choose to stay in a hostel.

I enjoy nice hotels but when it comes to price, location, accommodating for groups or solo travel, and never being bothered Airbnb almost always wins out for me even though it's not as good as it was when it first started.

 

[Waquoit]

I would never stay there if I had a choice. However, we spent a few days on Prince Edward Island and the hotels are scarce, but we had a great B&B. Come and go as you please, private bathroom.

 

[DRBackup]

I prefer VRBO and Airbnb to hotels and B+B’s. Is that an option?

I second this. Been mostly super satisfied with AirBnB and VRBOs we've stayed at.

 

[DRBackup]

Lolz, you're doing something wrong. I've stayed in well over a dozen all in cities in the past few years and it almost always makes more sense than staying in a hotel. I've looked at hundreds and never once seen them demand you clean the place.

Does anyone else know what he's talking about saying they demand you to clean the place?

Can't say I've seen that, but we still leave the place generally as clean as we found it, anyhow, because we're not dick-heads.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It's all about what you like. I would never choose to stay in a B&B. Just like I would never choose to stay in a hostel.

I enjoy nice hotels but when it comes to price, location, accommodating for groups or solo travel, and never being bothered Airbnb almost always wins out for me even though it's not as good as it was when it first started.

I'd never stay in a hostel. Most B&Bs I've been in are nicer than hotels or Airbnbs. Nothing like hostels. Most are just small boutique hotels, usually with owner operators.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

I've mainly been a hotel or a resort type traveler, I have never used a B&B. Heading to RI for Fire Water 2025 and all hotels are booked. Only availible vacancies are with Bed and Breakfast type spots. Some options are close to the event. For one night I'm really considering, but have never tried.

Is it like sharing a house with strangers?

Anyone here experience using B&B?

I only will do a B&B if I'm at a spot where the options are super sparse, but in general, I don't like paying for an B&B and definitely get a room with a private bathroom.

Smaller, reasonably priced, privately owned, one-of-a-kind hotels are my usual go-to. Usually just a fraction more than macro brand hotels, but way better service, unique experiences and you usually get great deals if you book directly. I'm actually off tonight to spend the day off in Hudson Valley to celebrate my wife's birthday at a smaller, boutique hotel that is like 1/3 of the price tonight than if I go on the weekend.

If you don't mind driving a bit to Providence, I highly recommend the LOOM Hotel in Warwick, formerly the NYLO. A very unique mill hotel experience and very much worth paying extra for a riverfront spot. A favorite of ours.

 

[superjohn]

I'd never stay in a hostel. Most B&Bs I've been in are nicer than hotels or Airbnbs. Nothing like hostels. Most are just small boutique hotels, usually with owner operators.

Obviously hostels, bed & breakfasts, and boutique hotels are all different from each other.

I don't like the concept of bed and breakfasts because you're staying in someone else's home/property with them there and you're eating breakfast there and you typically run into/communicate with the owner and the other guests.

You like the concept, I don't.

As for nicer, that concept will never be nicer to me no matter the cost. Obviously you can stay at hotels and airbnb's which cost many, many thousands per night. I much prefer the concepts of both of them over bed and breakfasts.

 

[Excalibur]

Lolz, you're doing something wrong. I've stayed in well over a dozen all in cities in the past few years and it almost always makes more sense than staying in a hotel. I've looked at hundreds and never once seen them demand you clean the place.

Does anyone else know what he's talking about saying they demand you to clean the place?

It's as if people never rented houses before AirBnB. We rented through agencies dozens of times. The ask was the same as we see when we use AirBnB now. Empty the trash, maybe put bed sheets and towels in a pile by the laundry, and don't leave crap/trash around the house or dirty dishes in the sink. It's not like a hotel room, but never have we been asked to wipe, vacuum, or otherwise "clean" the place.

 

[Rocktheworld]

How on earth would they even demand you do cleaning?

Because, as I alluded, air bnb has gone full capitalism. It’s not just for someone with a vacation cottage in the mountains collecting dust, nor a granny flat in the city they rent out for the occasional weekend. People have exploited the service and their local housing to turn vacation rentals into their entire money-making venture. This is what has driven the now-severe anti-tourism sentiment along coastal Spain. I’ve even heard of people renting dozens of apartments under the guise that they would be the tenants; then throw a bunch of TJMaxx clearance stuff around each place, and essentially sublet each place with vacationers to make money. And now that people are using air bnb less over cost and cleaning expectations, these people (rightly) are getting screwed with dozens of landlords expecting rent.

So now, when people rely on profits their rentals generate to support themselves, they’ll cut corners or add charges wherever they can. That means expecting guests to do x/y/z, and it’s been a slow creep of asking more and more. I’m sure it’s so that they can pay a professional cleaner less (if at all). I also know that these people try to line up guests as consecutively as they can, so having a guest spend their last couple hours cleaning under threat of being charged additional nebulous amounts makes sense to them, to keep the turnover as smooth as possible.

everything is paid for before your stay.

…they have your credit card lol they’ll charge you extra after the fact

 

[superjohn]

Because, as I alluded, air bnb has gone full capitalism. It’s not just for someone with a vacation cottage in the mountains collecting dust, nor a granny flat in the city they rent out for the occasional weekend. People have exploited the service and their local housing to turn vacation rentals into their entire money-making venture. This is what has driven the now-severe anti-tourism sentiment along coastal Spain.

So now, when people rely on profits their rentals generate to support themselves, they’ll cut corners or add charges wherever they can. That means expecting guests to do x/y/z, and it’s been a slow creep of asking more and more. I’m sure it’s so that they can pay a professional cleaner less (if at all). I also know that these people try to line up guests as consecutively as they can, so having a guest spend their last couple hours cleaning under threat of being charged additional nebulous amounts makes sense to them, to keep the turnover as smooth as possible.


…they have your credit card lol they’ll charge you extra after the fact

Yeah, good luck getting money out of me for not cleaning. There's zero chance that charge would be authorized.

 

[Kitaman]

I only will do a B&B if I'm at a spot where the options are super sparse, but in general, I don't like paying for an B&B and definitely get a room with a private bathroom.

Smaller, reasonably priced, privately owned, one-of-a-kind hotels are my usual go-to. Usually just a fraction more than macro brand hotels, but way better service, unique experiences and you usually get great deals if you book directly. I'm actually off tonight to spend the day off in Hudson Valley to celebrate my wife's birthday at a smaller, boutique hotel that is like 1/3 of the price tonight than if I go on the weekend.

If you don't mind driving a bit to Providence, I highly recommend the LOOM Hotel in Warwick, formerly the NYLO. A very unique mill hotel experience and very much worth paying extra for a riverfront spot. A favorite of ours.

Thanks. Loom all sold out (as all the others) this Saturday.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Obviously hostels, bed & breakfasts, and boutique hotels are all different from each other.

I don't like the concept of bed and breakfasts because you're staying in someone else's home/property with them there and you're eating breakfast there and you typically run into/communicate with the owner and the other guests.

You like the concept, I don't.

As for nicer, that concept will never be nicer to me no matter the cost. Obviously you can stay at hotels and airbnb's which cost many, many thousands per night. I much prefer the concepts of both of them over bed and breakfasts.

I get it, but I've also engaged with over half the Air BnB owners I've dealt with. I've made keys for them at a hardware store. One brought us a bunch of fans (in France) because there was no AC and it was 100 degrees. I've had others where it was a part of their home, like above the garage, so the neighbor came by to tell us the power was out and we had to rebook elsewhere.

Once at a B&B in Ireland my wife woke up with obvious pneumonia and a high fever. The hosts noticed how sick she was at breakfast, called their Dr. (on a Saturday) and we followed them so she could be treated and get a prescription in a foreign country. We were afraid we'd need to fly home on day one of the trip. In Scotland had a B&B with a big bar, but it closed fairly early so they could have family time. So the host basically gave me half a bottle of Scotch and a glass for the price of a pour. Most of my experiences have been like that, sometimes they have helpful tips tell you about places you didn't know about.

Stayed at this place on our honeymoon, Castle Grove Country House, 4-Star Luxury Georgian Hotel with Award-Winning Restaurant in Letterkenny, Co. Donegal Ireland which is a hotel, but the absolute coolest thing about it was that every staff member knew you by name. Order a Guinness no need to give your room number, they know who you are. Then at dinner (spectacular) you sat around in a living room with other guests having drinks before each group was seated, which ended up being a lot of fun.

 

[Dibbie]

Wife and I just had a 2 night stay at a BNB on the Cape and oddly enough we were the only guests. It was fantastic with a high quality breakfast. Had the place to ourselves. Staying Mon & Tue must be the way.

 

[Rocktheworld]

Wife and I just had a 2 night stay at a BNB on the Cape and oddly enough we were the only guests. It was fantastic with a high quality breakfast. Had the place to ourselves. Staying Mon & Tue must be the way.

Heard the Cape had a really bad summer for tourism in general. I’m here for more of that

 

[Excalibur]

Heard the Cape had a really bad summer for tourism in general. I’m here for more of that

No Canadians meant a big drop in demand for the Cape and anywhere north.

 

[Rocktheworld]

No Canadians meant a big drop in demand for the Cape and anywhere north.

Ahhh yes I forgot about that too