Why being passionate about local produce could boost your business

If you run an independent boutique hotel or a B&B, you want to stand out from the crowd.

You may not have the advertising budget of a large hotel chain but there are ways you can make sure your guests recommend you and return themselves. It’s not just about greeting them with a welcoming smile, and making sure their rooms are spotlessly clean or serving up delicious meals, there are some things closer to home you can do to boost your business and give your guests an experience they won’t forget.

Here are our top tips:

  • Give your guests a sense of place: Whether your business is based in the countryside, town or city, give your guests a sense of place by using products made locally. It won’t cost you much more than buying big brands, but it shows you care about the area you live in.
  • Buy local fresh seasonal produce: Offer your guests local ingredients in their meals and tell them where it’s all from on the menu. You can offer local eggs, meat, vegetables, cheese, bread, jams, cakes, honey…the list is endless.
  • Buy handmade products: Just like food, you can source locally made products for your guests, such as soap, bubble bath, chocolate, beer, wine and soft drinks.

How to source your new ingredients:

  • First of all, check the internet for local outlets like farm shops. Farmers markets are all about locally grown products and are held regularly in most areas. You also usually meet the person who reared the cow, or made the cake, or produced the cheese. It gives you a great opportunity to talk to them about using their product and starting a business relationship.
  • Go micro: There are lots of smaller companies brewing beer and producing wine. Go along and visit them and see for yourself what they offer.
  • Partnerships: If you decide to serve beer from a micro-brewery or cheese from a local dairy, you could consider teaming up with them to offer your guests free tours.

Finally, make sure you shout about what you do. Tell your guests on your website, in the welcome pack, on the menus, and on your brochures, about your links with local producers. It will make you stand out from the crowd!

The Stewart Hindley Partnership are specialists in securing hospitality finance to enable you to set up your own B&B or boutique hotel. So, if you’re ready to invest in your B &B or if you’ve decided it’s time to pursue that dream, give us a call on 01488 393040 and speak to one of our advisors about your hospitality finance or B&B finance requirements.

6 Ways to recharge your business in the low season

As winter approaches you may find that your B&B or hotel bookings dip slightly, but don’t waste this precious down time, use it to your advantage by getting ready for next year.

Here’s six ways you can make the most of the low season:

  1. Menus: It’s a great opportunity to revisit your menus. Why not cook up some new dishes, discover some local food producers or give the complete menu an overhaul? Your guests will remember what they eat, so give them something amazing that they’ll tell their friends about, and want to come back for.
  2. Redecorate: Are the rooms and bathrooms looking a bit tired? Now is the time to redecorate. You could always ask a local interior designer to give you some tips, or if you prefer to do it yourself, take inspiration from websites and magazines. Look at what colours and textures are current and what suits the style of your property and existing furniture, and your budget of course.
  3. Publicity: Now is the time to link into social media, update your website and contact local businesses who could promote you to their staff and visitors, or use your property as a retreat. You could also join some networking groups where you’ll meet other business owners. You could make some useful contacts for future bookings.
  4. Deep cleaning: Your rooms and bathrooms get cleaned after every guest but how often do they and the communal areas get a deep clean? Low season is a great time to call in the cleaning experts and make sure your whole property is spick and span for next year.
  5. Paperwork: When you’re busy running your own business sometimes the paperwork can get put to one side for other unplanned emergencies. Use your downtime to get on top of everything. Check any outstanding loans, licensing or insurance renewals.
  6. Holiday: Finally, you could enjoy your downtime and take a well-deserved holiday. Fly off somewhere exotic or take a city break.

Whatever you decide to do in the low season, go on holiday, or stay at home and re-group, your business will benefit from a newly charged you.

The Stewart Hindley Partnership are specialists in securing hospitality finance to enable you to set up your own B&B or boutique hotel. So, if you are starting a B&B or want to invest to grow your business, then give us a call on 01488 393040 and speak to one of our advisors about your hospitality finance requirements or your B&B finance requirements.

Historic houses and cultural cities: why tourists love the UK

Inbound and domestic tourism is on the up in the UK. More people are visiting from overseas and more residents are choosing a staycation over a trip abroad.

According to VisitBritain, 2017 set a record for inbound tourism with 39.2 million visits, and British residents took 47.2 million holiday trips in the UK last year.

So what’s attracting overseas visitors and what’s keeping us Brits here? Is it the beautiful landscapes, the quintessential British pub or our cultural cities?

Here’s some interesting facts which may or may not surprise you from VisitBritain:

1) Visitors love our historic properties, such as houses, palaces, mills, monuments and boats. Visits to these attractions were up by 8%.

2) The British Museum was the most visited ‘free’ attraction for the 10th consecutive year with nearly six million visitors.

3) The Tower of London topped the list as the most visited ‘paid for’ attraction for the ninth year running with 2.8 million visitors. Chester Zoo came second with 1.9 million visitors and 1.58 million people walked around the famous prehistoric monument and cultural heritage attraction, Stonehenge, last year.

4) More people are getting closer to nature visiting farm attractions. Visitor numbers to these family friendly locations are up by 5%.

5) More Brits are taking short breaks of 1-3 nights which accounts for two-thirds of English holidays and is worth £19 billion to the economy. But, according to the stats, we’re visiting our friends and relatives less.

6) 14.2 million overnight business trips were taken last year in England. That’s the same as the year before.

7) Overseas tourists are spending on average £625 per visit. That’s up from £599 from the previous year.

8) Last year nearly two-in-five inbound visits to the UK were for a holiday (39%), whilst a quarter (22%) were for business.

9) The top three countries visiting the UK are France, the USA and Germany.

10) Last year 76% of visitors reached the UK by air. The rest travelled by ferry or the Channel Tunnel.

11)  Interestingly, visitors who fly tend to spend more when they get here.

12) Tourism is worth £106 billion annually to England.

With beautiful beaches, cultural cities and historic houses, the UK has so much to offer both overseas and resident holiday makers. What’s on your doorstep that could be enticing more visitors to stay with you?

Stewart Hindley has been helping B&Bs and boutique hotels to secure the right hospitality finance package for their business for more than 13 years. If you’d like to discuss your hospitality finance requirements, give us a call today on 01488 393046.

 

Should you be marketing your B&B using social media?

Marketing your B&B using social media can be a double-edged sword. Whilst it can do wonders for your business, if you’re not making the right impression, then social media could damage your business irreparably.

What is social media?

Social media isn’t just Facebook and Twitter, although these are the most established platforms. There are all sorts of other social media platforms that you can use to promote your business. Social media is any method in which you and your potential customers can interact online.

It could be Facebook, but it could also be Instagram, Tumblr, Snapchat or one of a multitude of others.

The pros of using social media when marketing your B&B

  • You can reach out to new potential visitors.
  • You can connect to local events, and those attending them, by joining in with topical conversations.
  • It’s a free way to promote your business.
  • It’s visual, so you can get creative with the key selling points of your B&B.

Cook a mean full English? Show them. By getting their mouth watering, your posts will have more of an impact.

  • It’s very fashionable at the moment.
  • It’s versatile. Whether you want to invest some money in paid promotion, promote things to past visitors only, or reach out to a whole new market, social media has the structure in place to do it.

The cons of using social media when marketing your B&B

  • Once you start, you have to keep going. It’s a sustained approach that’s going to win you business.
  • You could spend a lot of time not making any gains unless you have a strategy and stick to it.
  • You may need to develop a thick skin. Comments and feedback aren’t always kind, but most of the time, even the painful ones can be useful feedback. Dealing with these negative comments in an adult and courteous manner, will go a long way to setting you back on the right track.
  • You need to be IT literate, or know someone who is that doesn’t mind helping out, if you are going to use social media.

So, if you want to use social media, it can be a very valuable tool, if you use it the right way. It’s worth investing in a short training course to get up to speed with how to use social media if you’re new to it. Then you can read our blog for hints on how to get the most from using social media to market your B&B.

Stewart Hindley & Partners are specialists in securing hospitality finance to enable you to own the B&B or boutique hotel that you’ve been dreaming of. However, we’re in it for the long run so, here in our blog, we also post articles about how to make your B&B a successful and sustainable business.

To speak to one of our advisors about your hospitality finance requirements give us a call on 01488 393040.

 

How to secure an alcohol licence for hotels – key questions hotel owners ask

If you own a B&B or a hotel, then it may be worthwhile offering your guests the chance to buy alcohol. If you intend to sell alcohol, or to offer it on a permanent basis in your premises, then you’ll need to apply for an alcohol licence for hotels.

However, unless you’ve done this before, it can be a bit of a minefield.

Here are some of the key questions asked by hotel owners considering selling alcohol:

Does everyone need a licence if they plan to supply alcohol?

If you are a business or organisation wishing to sell or supply alcohol on a permanent basis, you’ll need to apply for a premises alcohol licence for hotels.

Even if you are hosting a wedding or a party and want to sell or supply alcohol for a one-off event, you’ll still need a licence.

How do you apply for a licence?

You’ll need to complete an application form and send that, together with the fee, to your local council. You can find the right licence for your event using the government’s licence finder here.

How much does an alcohol licence cost?

Alcohol licence fees are set by the Licensing Act 2003. The costs are tiered based on the amount of alcohol you expect to sell or supply, and your primary business purpose. At the time of writing, the lowest level starts at £100 for a new application, and £70 for renewal, increasing to total fees of thousands for new licences at premises primarily designed to sell alcohol.

Does someone on site need to be licensed too?

Yes, you’ll need at least one person to be  a Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) and they’ll need to hold a personal licence. A personal licence requires a separate application by an individual who must be 18 years or over, and hold an accredited qualification. The full list of permitted qualifications can be found here.

Can I choose where to buy my alcohol?

Once you’ve secured your personal licence and an alcohol licence for premises, you’ll need to buy the alcohol. This should be purchased from a registered wholesaler. If you buy alcohol from someone who isn’t licensed you risk a fine, or worse, imprisonment.

What does a designated premises supervisor do?

A DPS is responsible for the day to day running of the business. They don’t need to be on site at all times, but they will be the first point of contact for the police and local government. Therefore, they will require a sound understanding of the potential social impact of alcohol sales and consumption.

Can there be more than one DPS?

There’s no need to have more than one Designated Premises Supervisor in your hotel or B&B, but the good news is, that if you do have more than one hotel or B&B, the DPS can be the appointed representative for all premises.

Of course, not all premises have the space for a bar area, or even a reception area where drinks can be served. If you’d like to raise finance to give your business that extra option, contact our hospitality finance specialists on 01488 393040.

 

Why Torquay B&B is a popular option among tourists

If you’re thinking about setting up a B&B, the area you choose is an important part of the decision making process. It’s no wonder Torquay is such as popular place for B&Bs and boutique hotels.

Nicknamed the English Riviera, Torquay has cliffs to clamber over, a seafront to stroll down, beaches to bask on and a marina to mooch around.

In fact, as far as an area for a boutique hotel or a B&B goes, Torquay, whilst pricey to initially invest, is a popular hot spot for tourists.

The region even boasts its very own ‘Seaside Award’ too … with its very own sand sculptor to carve the logo for the award in the sand!

As if it’s not enough to have all this to hand, there’s even an organisation that promotes the area to tourists. Their website www.englishriviera.co.uk is a great place for potential visitors to find out about all of the events and activities that take place in Torquay during the tourism season, as well as out of season too.

These are the sorts of things that make particular regions appealing to those looking to set up their own B&B.

Finding a B&B or hospitality business where there is already a large draw for visitors to come to the area, is always a good plan. And it’s certainly one of the things that appealed to Elaine and Lee who bought Blenheim House, their B&B business,  in January 2017.

In the last 18 months, their business has gone from strength to strength with guests returning regularly for their own dose of the English Riviera.

Just some of the events and attractions that draw in the 1.45 million staying visitors and the additional 3.8 million day visitors each year, include:

  • Visiting the beautiful beaches
  • Babbacombe model railway
  • Dinosaur world
  • The Air Show
  • Paignton Zoo
  • And endless eateries and restaurants that range from family-friendly fish and chips to a Michelin-starred dining experience.

So, if you fancy a visit to Torquay, either to scope out the potential for an English Riviera B&B, or to look for somewhere that you’ll feel right at home, we’d highly recommend Blenheim House. To find out more about what it’s like to run a B&B in a tourist haven like Torquay, you can check out our blog.

The Stewart Hindley Partnership are specialists in securing hospitality finance to enable you to set up your own B&B or boutique hotel. So once you’ve found an area you’re interested in settling in, give us a call on 01488 393040 and speak to one of our advisors about your hospitality finance requirements.

6 ways you can use local events to promote your B&B

Organised local events can often bring large numbers of tourists and visitors to your area, and there are many ways you can make the most of this opportunity to secure bookings for your B&B or boutique hotel.

Here are 6 ways you can work with event organisers to use these local events to leverage bookings:

  1. Offer a discount to event-goers

By offering event-goers a discount in return for a shout-out on their social media page or an advertising opportunity at their event, you’ll not only get your B&B or boutique hotel in front of more potential customers, you’ll also improve awareness, so those returning the following year are more likely to find you and book a room.

  1. Swap links

Approach the event organisers about swapping links. By linking to an event organiser’s site and promoting the event to your guests, the event organiser is likely to increase the potential visitors to the event, but you (and they) will also get a kudos kick from search engines that often use the number of links as an indicator of a quality site. And you? Well, you’re more likely to get more site visitors from the event site too. Definitely a win/win situation.

  1. Be active on social media

Like the event’s page or join the group. When people ask for advice on local places to eat, stay or visit, offer up helpful local suggestions.

  1. Ask the organisers to include a promotional flyer in any welcome packs, or even better, in their registration packs. If it’s a sporting event, the recipient may be looking for somewhere to stay. It makes the organisers look helpful and increases the number of people who know about your business.
  1. If you’re techie, set up a page about the event and how your B&B or boutique hotel is perfectly placed for visitors to the event. Link back to the event, making sure you use the event’s name in the page title and headers to secure the best chances of being found by those hoping to visit the event.
  1. Promote the event to your guests.

In the six months or more preceding the event, make sure your guests receive a flyer about the event. You might manage to get a repeat booking faster than you thought.

The Stewart Hindley Partnership are specialists in securing hospitality finance to enable you to own the B and B or boutique hotel that you’ve been dreaming of. However, we’re in it for the long run so, here in our blog, we also post articles about how to make your B&B a successful and sustainable business.

To speak to one of our advisors about your hospitality finance requirements give us a call on 01488 393040.

 

Are you risking your B&B business?

Trading as a B&B on a residential mortgage can leave you open to the risk that your loan will be called in by the bank. Whilst this often happens towards the end of a loan period, it can happen at any point.

Suddenly, you find yourself with 3 options:

  1. Find a lot of money to pay back the full amount on your mortgage.
  2. Find a new mortgage, pronto.
  3. Sell your home and business, quickly.

Option 1 is a pretty difficult thing to do. Option 3 can also be undesirable as, if the market isn’t right, you could end up losing out big time on your capital, and struggle to afford a new place to live.

Option 2 is your best bet, but even this isn’t without its problems.

The challenges of finding a new hospitality mortgage

If your mortgage has been called in, you may want to look for a new hospitality loan or mortgage. The trouble is, unlike residential mortgages, a hospitality mortgage is usually based on your revenue, not on your capital. This can leave you out in the cold if you only let rooms intermittently or only trade to suit your lifestyle

The other challenge comes with the fact that many B&B businesses are owned by couples later in their working life, as a way to combine income with lifestyle. Or, if your mortgage is 20 years into a 25 year term, it’s likely that you’ll be approaching the age of retirement. This poses another problem. Financial institutions can be reluctant to grant a long-term loan to B&B owners in their 60s, instead offering shorter terms.

This typically leaves a shortfall between the capital raised and the value needed to avoid selling your home.

How professional help can enable you to secure the loan you need

There are ways to overcome these challenges and increase your chances of securing a hospitality loan, without having to compromise.

At Stewart Hindley, we help hundreds of B&B owners find hospitality loans for their business every year.

We work with a network of lenders to lend to B&B owners and hotel proprietors, and we know what they are looking for, so we can use this experience to help B&B owners like you. We’ll work with you to put the structures and plans in place that maximise your chance of securing the loans you need to continue your dream, without losing your home and business.

To speak to one of our advisors about your hospitality finance requirements or some B&B advice give us a call on 01488 393040.

The real story of a day in the life of a B&B owner

Elaine and Lee own a beautiful B&B a short walk from Torquay seafront. They welcome guests from around the world to use their home as a base from which to enjoy spectacular coastal walks and visit popular tourist sites, such as the model village and the national park.

Elaine and Lee moved to Blenheim House in January 2017, in pursuit of a new life.

We helped Elaine and Lee to find the right hospitality finance for their business and, 18 months on, Elaine and Lee are enjoying being B&B hosts so much that they have decided to convert more of their living quarters to guest accommodation.

We asked Elaine what being a B&B owner is really all about and what advice she would give to wannabe B&B hosts.

What made you decide to set up a B&B?

I was working over 50 hours a week and my husband was also working long hours. We were tired of the daily grind.

We knew it was time to make a change, but we didn’t know how, so we set out to buy a house in the south with an annex. We thought this would bring in some money whilst we decided how we wanted to pursue our individual careers.

However, whilst looking for a house with an annex, we fell in love with Blenheim House and decided, that instead of going for a house with an annex, we’d try out the B&B life.

When we told family and friends about our plans to set up a B&B, we received mixed responses. Some people were really positive but lots of people warned us that it would be a lot of hard work and that the commitment to guests would mean we would be really restricted as to what we can do.

What has been the biggest challenge when you set up a B&B?

Thanks to Stewart Hindley, the financing and purchasing side of things was fairly straightforward. Carol and her team found us a great B&B mortgage and we have a lovely bank manager who still pops in for a cuppa from time to time.

So, for us, the biggest challenge was juggling the needs of our three children, our youngest of whom is 18, with pursuing our B & B dream in a new part of the country.

What does a day in the life of a B&B owner look like?

We tend to get up at 6.45am, and from the moment we get out of bed, we don’t tend to stop until the middle of the afternoon.

We get breakfast on and serve our guests a full English breakfast, cereals and toast between 8.30 and 9.30am.

Guests are supposed to check out between ten and half past, but often they’ll sit and chat with us, so sometimes they don’t check out until midday, but that’s ok with us. We enjoy getting to know our guests and understand that our guests are on holiday. We don’t want them to feel rushed or pressured. Often our guests liken staying with us to visiting close family, which is exactly how we want them to feel.

Once guests have checked out, we whizz around turning around the rooms for the next occupants. This usually takes myself and Lee around just over half an hour in each room. I’ll change the linen and towels whilst Lee cleans the room thoroughly, but he’s so particular about the cleaning it can take us longer.

We then wait to welcome our new guests.

We welcome our guests with a tray of fresh tea and coffee, biscuits and cakes. They can choose to have their welcome tray in their room or outside, whilst soaking up the sunshine in comfortable chairs on the decking area.

Sometimes guests don’t arrive until the evening, but that’s ok as once our jobs are done, we sit on the decking and soak up the holiday ambience that comes with being so close to Torquay seafront. Sometimes we might make the four minute walk down to the beach when we have some spare time.

What’s the best thing about running a B&B?

The best thing about running a B&B is meeting new guests.

We have guests that have stayed with us from Germany, Australia, France and Italy. We have a guest book brimming with positive reviews in all sorts of languages. We’re just finishing a new dining room area where we will have a scratch map on the wall for guests to scratch off where they are from, which will be fun.

We do what we can to ensure all our guests have an enjoyable stay and experience the very best of the area.

We give them our personal mobile numbers so they can contact us at any time if they have any questions and we’ve even been known to give guests a lift on occasion to help them ensure they get where they need to be, on time and in a relaxed state.

This approach seems to be popular with our guests, some of whom have been back 3 or 4 times in the last 18 months. Now, when they visit, it’s just like having extended family to stay.

What advice would you give to someone looking to set up a B&B?

We’d say just go for it – don’t worry about negative comments or the hard work. Make the lifestyle work for you.  Owning a B&B is fun. You meet some of the most amazing people. I just wish we’d done it ten years earlier.

If you’re dreaming of the B&B lifestyle and need hospitality finance to help turn your dream into a reality, give us a call on 01488 393040.

We can help you pull all these supporting documents together to get you over those initial hurdles and secure the finance you need to set up a B&B business.

6 things every successful owner does before starting a B&B

Starting a B&B is seriously hard work. It can be extremely liberating too, breaking free from your day job to pursue your dream. But, if you’re going to be successful, you need to be prepared. Here are 6 things you need to do before starting a B&B business if you want to be successful.

1.    Prepare yourself for what it’s really like running a B&B.

Guests aren’t always grateful, cheery and full of joy during their adventures. Cooking a fried breakfast for 10 people or more is physically demanding, and you can expect to spend around half of your day turning the rooms around and preparing meals.

You should expect your social life to suffer too. However, if this isn’t putting you off, the more successful B&B owners can expect to make around £100k a year. Of course, many more make less than that.

2. Decide whether you’ll be starting a B&B business from scratch or whether you’ll be buying into something that’s already up and running.

Buying an established B&B is by far the easiest option and should start generating revenue faster than a new business particularly for new to trade operators.  If you want to start from scratch you will have to show you have the capital to cover mortgage repayments for at least the first 12 months of trading as well as money to convert the property into a B&B.

3.  Research the area.

What’s the appeal to visitors to come and stay with you? It could be a nearby business that provides a steady flow of contract staff needing a bed for weeknights, or spectacular coastal views and walks. Maybe there are museums and castles that draw visitors from miles around. Whatever it is, it should help you determine the service you’ll offer.

Will you price by the week or offer a separate rate for weekends? Who you are targeting and why they want to be in the area should drive the clientele that you are looking to appeal to.

If you are targeting families looking for a staycation then maybe a games room would add appeal, or if you have the space and the resources, a swimming pool. You can read more on adding appeal  in our article ‘5 ways to help your B & B guests enjoy rainy day holidays’.

If you are targeting local business people, then perhaps a more executive feel with free Wifi in the rooms and shoe polish or ironing boards available may be more important.

4. Consider how you’ll segregate your own living space from the space you’ll offer to guests.

Ideally you should set aside a living room for yourself that guests won’t have access to so you can unwind in the evenings. Having your own space will be essential to making your new business work for you, your family and your guests.

5. Secure finance from a specific hospitality finance provider such as Stewart Hindley.

A specific hospitality finance provider will have a better understanding of your needs and will also have a network of underwriters that fund B&Bs, hotels and restaurants.

At Stewart Hindley, we specialise in B&B finance and can provide support and advice to help you find the right products on the market to fit your individual needs as they stand, and also as they evolve with the growth of your business.

In order to secure finance for your B&B or hotel, you’ll need to be able to present your business plans and marketing plans and financial projections. At Stewart Hindley, we’ll help you pull all these supporting documents together to get you over the starting blocks and secure the finance you need to get your new business off the ground.

To speak to one of our advisors about your hospitality finance or B&B finance requirements give us a call on 01488 393040.