How to Bed and Breakfast: Bedroom Design

Summary

Specific bedroom design topics are discussed, as they relate to maximizing a B&B guestroom's appeal to guest and ease of management for host.

Introduction

Now we've reached the nitty gritty of bed and breakfast design. Without a doubt, the bedroom will leave a lasting impression on your guests. We need to itemize the important features, always with one goal in mind: what gives you and your guest the best possible sleep at night

The Best Laid Plans

Most of the suggestions below relate to the guest's expectations of accommodation; remember that the bed and breakfast has had to adapt and provide a more upscale room to compete with hotels, motels, and other B&B's.

·         Every guest room should have a private bathroom of 3 pieces, minimum.

·         Every rental room needs a pleasant view; pay attention to this one.

·         No single room should experience an excessive amount of foot traffic outside its hallway door.

·         Speaking of hallways: keep them short; they waste space. And where they are necessary, build them 48" wide if possible.

·         Don't design layouts where beds in adjacent rooms will be against the same wall.

·         All bedroom entrance doors should be locking, preferably with exterior-grade locksets.

·        If there's a nice area in your yard that guests can use, put an exterior door in their room

·         For multiple bathroom installations, economize by sharing bathroom wetwalls

·         Keep ceilings at least 8 feet high; 9 feet gives a much more spacious feel.

Good Building Practise

Your good building methods will go a long way toward a peaceful, quiet environnment for your guests.

·         Water pipes can be a sonic nightmare if improperly installed, or more commonly, if routed through walls where they shouldn't be. If guest A can hear the exquisite details of guest B's toilet flushes, we have a problem.

·         Old buildings with squeaky floors have character, but there's no place for that in a B&B..

·        If you are building more than 50 feet from the main hydro panel of your house, then consider installing a sub-panel to save money on copper wire.

·         Separately air condition and heat every room, if you can. Give guests control over their own comfort.

·        Satellite TV and high speed internet used to be luxuries; they're not any more. Consider having both in every room.

Sounds Like a Plan…

The transmission of sound is a critical factor in determining which room design is right for you.

·         You know the old Hollywood set routine where the actors in a motel room can vividly hear the rhythmic squeaking of the bed in the next door room. Don't let that happen to you; insulate well.

·         Fasten bed headboards to the wall, or keep them from hitting the wall. You know why.

·         Pay attention to the insulation in the floors under the rooms; lots of unwanted sounds come through here.

·         Construct with 2x6 stud walls as a minimum; use double walls to be really sure. Use sound-quality insulation.

·         Beware of adjacent room windows being too close together. All your good insulating practices will be for naught on a warm summer evening with the windows open.

·         Keep windows from facing excessively noisy ojects, or flashing lights.

The next article in this series, How to Bed and Breakfast: A Sample Bed and Breakfast will discuss design and layout of the author’s bed and breakfast.