Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small
lodging
Lodging refers to the use of a short-term dwelling, usually by renting the living space or sometimes through some other arrangement. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, food, safety, shel ...
establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, with six being the average.
In addition, a B&B usually has the hosts living in the house.
''Bed and breakfast'' is also used to describe the level of catering included in a hotel's room prices, as opposed to room only,
half-board or full-board.
International differences
China
In
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, expatriates have remodelled traditional structures in quiet picturesque rural areas and opened a few rustic boutique hotels with minimum amenities. Most patrons are foreign tourists but they are growing in popularity among Chinese domestic tourists.
India
In
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, the government is promoting the concept of bed & breakfast. The government is doing this to increase tourism, especially keeping in view of the demand for hotels during the
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
in Delhi. They have classified B&Bs in 2 categories – Gold B&Bs, and Silver B&Bs. All B&Bs must be approved by the Ministry of Tourism, who will then categorize it as Gold or Silver based upon a list of pre-defined criteria.
Israel
The Israeli B&B is known as a ''zimmer'' (German for 'room'). All over the country, but especially in northern Israel (Galilee, Upper Galilee and the Golan Heights) the zimmer has developed into an extensive industry. This industry began to develop in the 1990s, when agriculture became less profitable, and many families with farms in moshavim,
kibbutz
A kibbutz ( he, קִבּוּץ / , lit. "gathering, clustering"; plural: kibbutzim / ) is an intentional community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming h ...
im, farms and even in cities decided to try their luck in the business of hospitality. In the last decade, there has been development of bed and breakfasts also in southern Israel in the
Negev
The Negev or Negeb (; he, הַנֶּגֶב, hanNegév; ar, ٱلنَّقَب, an-Naqab) is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The region's largest city and administrative capital is Beersheba (pop. ), in the north. At its southe ...
.
Italy
In Italy, regional law regulates B&Bs. There is a national law "Legge 29 marzo 2001, n. 135" but each region maintains a specific regulation. Each region can adopt different regulations but they must observe the national law on Tourism (Law N° 135 /2001).
United Kingdom
There are numerous B&Bs found in seaside towns, the countryside as well as city centres.
B&Bs are graded by
VisitBritain
VisitBritain is the name used by the British Tourist Authority, the tourist board of Great Britain incorporated under the Development of Tourism Act 1969.
Under memoranda of understanding with the Northern Ireland Tourist Board and the offshore is ...
and
the AA
AA Limited, trading as The AA (formerly The Automobile Association), is a British motoring association.
Founded in 1905, it provides vehicle insurance, driving lessons, breakdown cover, loans, motoring advice, road maps and other services. Th ...
on a star system. 3, 4 and 5-star establishments have a higher standard. A majority of B&Bs in the UK have en-suite facilities.
United States
There are approximately 17,000 B&Bs in the United States.
Studies
Tourism Queensland study
In January 2003
Tourism Queensland
Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) is the Queensland Government's lead marketing, experience development and major events agency, representing the state's tourism and events industries.
TEQ operates on a national and international level, looki ...
conducted a review of current research to gain a better understanding of the Bed & Breakfast (B&B) market:
Michigan State University study
According to a study by
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
:
According to this study, many bed and breakfast visitors make use of evaluations, given by other guests. This system of independent reviews is one of the fastest growing consumer content oriented sites on the net.
ComScore study
Another study suggests that people trust online reviews posted by previous guests:
''Journal of Travel Research'' study
A study by the ''
Journal of Travel Research
The ''Journal of Travel Research'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering tourism. The editor-in-chief is Geoffrey I. Crouch ( La Trobe University, Australia). It was established in 1968 and is published by Sage Publications.
Abs ...
'' stated:
Prince Edward Island study
A 2007 study on
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
''Time'' magazine
According to
''Time'' magazine:
See also
*
Airbnb
Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 b ...
References
{{Authority control
Hotel types