How to run a bed and breakfast: Book gives reality versus fantasy

How to run a bed and breakfast

HOBOKEN, N.J. — It sounds like a dream job: You have a beautiful old home with extra bedrooms in a location with lots of tourists. You’re a great cook and a people-person. Why not open a bed-and-breakfast?

Mary White, president of BnBFinder.com, has written a new book to help you fulfill your fantasy called “Running a Bed & Breakfast for Dummies” ($22), part of the series from Hoboken, N.J.-based Wiley Publishing.

The book covers everything from financing, business plans and marketing, to dealing with guests and employees, to location, furnishings, maintenance and breakfast menus. But it also makes it clear that being an inkeeper takes a lot more than the ability to make a mean blueberry pancake. The guide covers sticky problems from handling negative online reviews to dealing with guests who break rules, behave in an unruly manner or make incessant demands.

One section of interest to any homeowner are the insider cleaning tips for innkeepers, including treating stains like blood, ink and wine with hydrogen peroxide; avoiding fabric softener on towels, because it coats the threads and makes them less absorbent; and using white vinegar and baking soda for all kinds of projects, from preventing clogged drains to lifting stains from carpets (make a paste) to softening sheets (a half-cup vinegar and a quarter-cup soda in the wash, then a quarter-cup vinegar in the rinse).