Luxury BnB Magazine: December 2022 / January 2023

A warm welcome from LUXURY BNB

Christmas is upon us and seasonal goodwill is high. But life in this industry is tough. Guest turnover is in decline and costs are rising on all counts. Fuel bills are through the roof and regulation is getting tougher, not simpler. In the new year Scotland faces the tourism tax, which if it doesn’t drive visitors away will send them to another jurisdiction, where hospitality venues are not subject to the new Bed Tax. And pubs and inns are closing at record rates.

Not the best Christmas backdrop.

But you can truly do something about it! You are in full control of the business you offer, and the chances are you are almightily proud of what you have achieved, whether you acquired, inherited or built from scratch your high-end holiday accommodation site. It may be harsh to read this, but any experienced insolvency practitioner will always say there is only one reason for a business to fail, and that is bad management. So, if you are in difficulty, do not give up. There are initiatives aplenty that can restore your bottom line, from creativity in your offer to taking what offers and discounts are available to you on your day to day costs. On page 4 we outline the kinds of discounts that are available to B&B Association members, on everything from fuel bills to DIY warehouse goods, via the Purchasing Group that was launched earlier this year after the Ukraine invasion.

This issue of Luxury BnB identifies a number of success stories. With overnight accommodation in a Learjet, a UFO and a giant Pacman, Apple Camping in Pembrokeshire has cracked the imagination barrier with year-round capacity bookings (page 8). And on page 40 we look at the soaraway surge in bookings for participants on Channel Four’s ever-popular Four in a Bed show.

Don’t get put down by the economic climate. Wherever possible look to the future and remember: you are in this business because you have a fabulous proposition. It is up to you to make it work. This issue will give you an idea quite how to do so.

Merry Christmas!

MEDIA SALES

Lisa Ebdy | Sales Manager 07799 886 115 lisaebdymedia@outlook.com

Kirsty Farrow KirstyF@spacemarketing.co.uk Luxury

for the safe custody or return of any solicited or unsolicited material. Contributors are advised to keep copies of all materials submitted. The opinions and views expressed in Luxury BnB are not necessarily those of Miramedia. Being subject to the Advertising Standards Authority guidelines in place at the time of going to press, all data submitted by advertisers and contained in their advertising copy is accepted by Miramedia in good faith.

Miramedia owns the copyright to all content, including that of any contributors, unless agreed otherwise in writing prior to publication.

B&B Association business facility discount reports success

By Bill Lumley, (LBNB Editor)

The Bed & Breakfast Association (BBA) has reported strong growth in industry responses to an initiative it launched this year this year to help cut BBA members’ business costs.

The Purchasing Group was launched in April offering registered member discounts across the cost of a range of business services as concerns grew about rising costs to B&B owners following the pandemic and particularly since the Russian invasion of Ukraine this year.

Association chairman David Weston says the initiative, which provides registered members with discounts from a wide range of suppliers, came about after a growing number of crises that continued to hit the industry in the aftermath of the pandemic, just when hospitality owners were expecting business to return to normal.

He says that with soaring energy costs and inflation, trading conditions are the toughest he has seen in all the years he has been in the industry. He says this initiative is helping to harness the potential that exists to lower the overall costs of running a B&B.

Several key issue have put pressure on business costs, he says, in particular fuel costs. Property owners last winter were agonising over whether to stay open for the odd guest, but doing so entailed huge expense of heating and other costs to make the property satisfactorily serviceable for guests, he says.

“We're trying our best to recognize the fact everyone's got cost problems,” he says. “One member who used the Purchasing Group contacted us to say they had managed to get a £650 discount on their annual B&B insurance.”

And he says the BBA is working with the UK Government on a number of issues including their plans for recovery from COVID-19. Recovery of international travel levels, for example, is still

way below pre-pandemic levels, he says, although he says the American tourist market is strong at the moment owing to exchange rate. But he says the China market has completely switched off, after initially showing itself to be a significant market. “There are a lot of difficulties, with the international market, the inbound market isn't quite back yet to what it was in 2019. And it won't be for probably until the year after next. What’s more, British people have less money in their pockets to spend on anything such as travel discretionary spend. And we're worried about the coming winter, which is going to be tough, and we’re hoping that things like the Ukraine war get resolved,” he says.

There are regional burdens too, he says. Scottish hospitality properties are set to be adversely affected by the introduction of the tourism tax early next year, levied against any visitor staying overnight.

David Weston says costs are also emerging with regard to the new tax in the form of demands from local authorities for property detail, often unnecessarily asking for owners to provide detailed scale plans. He says one member of the association said they had incurred costs of about £1,200 to provide architectural drawings of their premises. Weston says, “That turned out to be a total waste of money, because the purpose of the plans is just to check that you're not exceeding your capacity and to show them the number of rooms or the number of beds. So realistically you could just submit a sketch and that would be fine. But because local authorities are demanding scale plans, people are incurring those costs, without realising that they don't have to.”

Objections to the new tax are not confined to the B&B Association. UKHospitality Scotland (UKHS) remains unconvinced that tourist taxes are an appropriate measure, introducing yet another tax on an already overtaxed sector.

Opposition is based upon the fact that:

• VAT on accommodation is much higher in Scotland than other EU nations

• A tourist tax will be a costly and bureaucratic burden on accommodation providers

• It is not currently possible to capture short-term letting properties – giving them an unfair advantage

• It does not deal with over-tourism as it does not include the vast majority of tourists who are day visitors

• There is no guarantee that a tourist tax will be used to develop the tourism offer of an area

• It will make Scotland less competitive as a leading tourism nation

Whether you’re planning on installing a spa, swimming pool, sauna, steam room or hot tub, or upgrading existing facilities, now is the time to start researching so it’s up and running in time for spring.

Don’t miss SPATEX 2023 at the Coventry Building Society Arena, Tuesday January 31 to Thursday February 2 – it’s the one and only place in the UK to view and compare, under one roof, all the latest models and innovations from over one hundred exhibiting companies. Free to attend, it is designed for all in the hospitality business. With a line-up that includes all the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers, many offering

generous show discounts, it’s a glittering showcase.

SPATEX’s focus is on sustainability and reducing energy consumption and bills and this topic features in the free-to-attend double seminar programme that is running on all three days of the show. Other topics include up-to-the-minute health and safety guidance and the maintenance of publicly used hot tubs.

Experts from industry associations, such as BISHTA (British & Irish Spa & Hot Tub Association) and SPATA (Swimming Pool & Allied Trades Association), will be on hand to give free impartial

advice and help you choose the perfect equipment to suit your requirements. Please call in at the SPATEX Help Desk at the entrance to the exhibition hall and the team will point you in the right direction.

Register here for FREEspatex.co.uk/

The Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry CV6 6GE is easy to get to - just 500 yards off the M6 and within two hours commuting time of 75 per cent of the population, with 2,000 free on-site car parking spaces. For more info: www.spatex.co.uk helen@spatex.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1264 358558.

Yvonne Halling is the award-winning founder of Bed and Breakfast Coach.com and creator of the B&B Money Maker Business Transformation program.

In 2001, Yvonne opened her B&B in the Champagne region of France, running her B&B for 17 years. She now offers owners and managers in the B&B industry helpful training and masterclasses.

Join Yvonne's Facebook group at: http://bit.ly/BandBgroup

You can email Yvonne at yvonne@ yvonnehalling.com

Face Book Yvonne Halling Twitter: @yvonne3030 LinkedIn: @ bedandbreakfastcoach bedandbreakfastcoach. com

with Yvonne Halling

Guests & Social Media

Encouraging guests to mention you on social media?

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Build trust, create connections, more booking....

Make your social media presence and branding consistent with your website, so everywhere we find you online, we know it’s you. This builds trust, so that when you post content, people trust it’s you and will share for you, especially when asked.

Everyone knows at least 10 people in real life and at least 100 people online. If you get 10 of your online friends to share your content, you’re potentially reaching 1000 people, and those 1000 people also know 100 people online and if you’re content is interesting enough, they’ll share it too.

And so potentially, with one piece of educational, engaging and entertaining content, you could be reaching 10,000 people, most of whom you don’t know!

Think about that!

So when you say…. I don’t have time to post on social media, think about the opportunities you’re missing.

Next, once you’ve established yourself as trustworthy, do more asking…

Ask your booked in guests to come and say Hi on your favourite platform, and then make sure you say hi back with a little reassuring message that you’re looking forward to meeting them (even if you don’t welcome them in person).

Be consistent with your posting, just once a week with a carefully crafted piece of local information that will be interesting for your potential guests. A strong call to action will do it. Then follow that post, to make sure you’re responding to all the messages, to push your post up the algorithms. Social platforms live and die

by your activity, and consequently reward you for it, so do more of it

Use the platforms that your ideal potential guests use the most. You need a presence on all the platforms, but you don’t need to be spending time on ALL of them. Focus on where you get the most engagement from the people you want to welcome.

And finally, if you really want to ramp up your likes, followers and fans, start doing video! I know I sound like a broken record, but nothing beats video for engagement and building trust. And trust is everything online.

And remember this, all that social media activity, followers, fans and likes are USELESS until you’ve got a good, sound strategy to get those lovely people legally onto your mailing list. Your mailing list is where the real magic happens in the long term, not on those platforms where you can be kicked off at the drop of their corporate hats!

Apple camping

An eclectic collection of accommodation options

Including: Sonar submarine, The UFO, The JetStar, an Airbus, a Train carriage, Geodesic Domes (including The Pac-Man), Yurts, Bell-Tents and The Witch’s Hat.

A collection of rooms, some of which are totally unique to the UK.

By Bill Lumley, (LBNB Editor)

Out of this world

The owner of an eccentric assortment of hospitality units offers such a wild and zany experience that pleases his guests so consistently highly that his marketing costs are zero: upbeat social media posts do all the heavy lifting for him

Hidden in the Welsh countryside is a mind-blowing overnight hospitality playground. It features a Learjet, a UFO, a larger-than-life Pacman, yurts, cabins, a bell tent, a submarine and much more. Except it’s not a playground, for it is in fact a hospitality venue, attracting guests with an imagination who are excited at the thought of spending time away from home on a spaceship or a plane.

Toby Rhys Davies began his Pembrokeshire business some eight years ago, initially with yurts, before deciding to diversify – figuring, as he puts it, that people want “the weird and the whacky”.

And his occupancy rates quite clearly prove he was not wrong.

CAMPING

First impressions are that the site is a bit random, frivolous, a bit crazy, and what looks at first sight like a random collection of weird buildings. But the property and its amenities are tidy, well laid-out and clean. And as guests often testify in their reviews, there is no shortage of attention to detail in the rooms.

Toby fills around 40 beds a night, which puts Apple Camping in the same league as a fair-sized hotel. He often fills the rooms by letting out the properties to large parties, and his occupancy rate he says is consistently high, making it a substantial business with an enviable turnover.

Yet, amazingly, his marketing costs are close to zero. His customers, he explains, carry out his PR and marketing function to great effect with dramatic, visual social media posts on Instagram and Facebook – often with positively excited narrative commentary. The eccentricity of the place resonates in these reviews.

Apple Camping is divided into three concepts: Under the Stars, Amidst the Stars and Beneath the Waves, the latter of which is where the submarine features. Under the Stars meanwhile has the Igloo, which is described as having been inspired by the pairing of Shackleton and Pingu, and which features underfloor heating as well as a wood burner. Access to the Igloo is through the cold room storage door and a small tunnel into a huge 6.8m geodesic dome with a mahogany coloured floor and furnished in white.

The place is often filled up by group bookings such as weddings. For such events, Toby says, there is (of course) a disco church on site. “That's a great place for banquets, of for people to get together and just use as a communal area,” he says. “At night guests can enjoy the fire pits. It's good to have under undercover area for visitors to enjoy late at night.”

Council approval

As facilities became available, such as the submarine that Toby wished to install at the property, he’d alter the site plan to appear exactly as it does on the ground before taking it back to the council for approval.

“Councils are not particularly in favour of allowing you to put things that are really oddball just anywhere,” he says. “Therefore, a key factor when confronted with such planning obstacles is to persuade them firstly that the collection has been carefully and deliberately hidden away, and secondly that you are being respectful to the environment,” he says.

He remarks that you can be quite careful in this regard, remaining sympathetic to the area, while still having a great deal of fun. “The fun is putting in stuff which ordinarily might get thrown away, or simply not recycled,” he says.

Attention to detail

When it comes to facilities, attention to detail is core to Toby’s planning. The submarine, for example, does not just feature its own lavatory, but has underfloor heating as well as radiators, ensuring occupants are warm and content all year round. But when it comes to detail, a key consideration worth noting is that councils are not particularly in favour of allowing commercial hospitality property owners to put things which are, as Toby puts it, “really oddball” just anywhere.

He explains, “I think I've managed to persuade them that the collection I have here is hidden away, that the landscape has all been planted out correctly, and I’ve explained to them that I’m being respectful to the environment. For example, we have planted many hundreds of trees.

“You are fine as long as you can do it quite carefully, as long as you can be sympathetic to the area, and you can still have a lot of fun putting in stuff which ordinarily might get thrown away or just not recycled.” he says. He pauses, then adds, “Yes, there's a bit of fun to be had doing that.”

to September each year, he says, but the rest of the rooms are available all year round.

Exacting standards

Toby makes Apple Camping sound like a grown-up children’s playground. Which it is. For example, the last thing to be installed on the site was the Gin Palace, which is contained in a powerboat. “First of all we had to decide where we wanted to put it, where it would work. Then we got JCB diggers in, got an electricity supply, got the water and all the other things like that in position before placing it,” he says. “It's very much a case of determining what you've got, and then how to place it on the land,” he says. “It works. And with the sunrise, sunset, everything, there are a great many considerations to play with: basically, to change the environment to fit the unit as much as anything.”

He describes much of his work on this project as having been the conversion of things at the end of their life to give them a second lease. But he admits the name of the business is slightly misleading. “It's not so much camping. But it's definitely glamping and upcycling and recycling,” he says. Indeed, amidst the imaginative, stellar property portfolio is a collection of canvas yurts, including one enormous bell tent. These go up from around Easter

Apart from myriad issues concerning council approval, Toby faced the task of making things like aeroplanes meet the necessary standards of commercial accommodation. That was not easy, he says, and nor was it cheap. The idea of going for an overnight stay and spending it on board an aeroplane in a plot in Pembrokeshire captures the imagination of different ages. “On a plane, there is no set demographic. It could be a family, kids, youngsters wanting to come attention. We've had pilots, the hostesses, we've had every type of birth and you can imagine small large everything else being on the plane, they just everyone, it seems to touch a lot of people because everyone remembers going off all day on the plane and they just think well, you know what if in the UK, it'd be quite funny to do that!”

Publicity

Besides outstanding reviews and an ocean of positive social media coverage, Apple Camping is not short of publicity opportunities. “We find we suddenly have a high number of pop videos recorded on site and have many TV companies wanting to film various shows here. We've had a makeover shows building a submarine, we've had Four in a Bed here and we've had Susan Kuhlman here recently. We have all that sort of stuff. It is quite amusing as the season goes, and as people don't hold back and they just get dressed up, even if they're staying on site with other people. It's really funny.”

On the subject of Four in a Bed, Apple Camping is not really comparable to a B&B, and indeed it does

not generally offer breakfast – although Toby provided it for the purposes of Apple Camping’s appearance on Four in a Bed. He says, “It was it was a real eye-opener because people who get B&Bs, and that's obviously a sharp focus of the show, half of which was about the breakfast, and they were all really serious about it. They wanted a slap-up breakfast, didn’t get it and really weighed the place accordingly. This shows it's a very different market. I wouldn't like to tell them how to do their job because I think we've got two different markets, but two which are, believe it or not, very close to each other in category.”

Unit capacity

After years of developing the property Toby says he is now happy with the number of units at the site. “I think if you put more in it would lose its charm,” he muses. “Now the only thing I'd be tempted to do is maybe tweak a unit. Now I have permission for three years for, say, bell tents, at most I might just alter those by tweaking them into something slightly different.” He makes it sound so easy.

LINKS

instagram.com/coastroadfurniture https://applecamping.co.uk/

Lisa Holloway owned and ran Compton House for 14 years, an award winning B&B in Newark on Trent.

She took part in Channel 4's Four in a Bed, and also went on to present a 35 part programme ‘To B&B the Best’ for Channel 5.

Last year, Lisa moved to Oxfordshire, buying an adorable cottage called 'The Beehive' where, after renovations are complete, Lisa will be running it as a tiny B&B!

All rights reserved © Lisa Holloway 2022

Reflections on Christmas past

with Lisa Holloway

Visitors would come to our B&B from all over the world to celebrate an English Christmas. At the beginning of December, we’d put up an eight foot tree that could be seen through the living room window. This was a part of the village life. Locals would walk past and knock on the door and ask when we’d be putting up our tree for the delight of anyone passing by, whether out for an evening stroll or on their way to work.

We’d decorate the dining room with little unusual things like wigs or even prayer books. Sometimes our guests would be from the local pantomime. One year we had Snow White who we saw come down the stairs in her stage dress. That was lovely – my grandfather was gobsmacked. And we used to have a huge party two days before Christmas then guests would come on 24th and leave the day after Boxing Day, by when I was exhausted.

The dining room was beautifully decorated and we used to have a huge Stilton with a spoon that the foreign guests would try. Our Japanese guests particularly loved Stilton.

Christmas puddings with a bit of holly on the top, because people don't want a huge amount. And that was really nice white chocolate on the top that looked really pretty,

As well as being really great fun and dizzy, I loved it when it snowed because everything was quiet and white and really pristine.

Email: looholloway@gmail.com

IN: @looholloway

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And when we had guests coming right up to Christmas, I used to put little presents for them on the pillow or little funny Christmas lights in the room and all the doors would have decorations. To top it all we used to make Christmas foods and would have a huge Christmas cake out for breakfast, which everybody loves – with plenty of booze, obviously.

We used to serve office Christmas dinner parties. One year I took so many Christmas lunches, I was sick of it by the 20th of December. And as I put yet another Christmas turkey in I couldn't find any potatoes anywhere: I’d cooked them for some private dinner the week before. To follow I’d do these tiny little

Sometimes guests would tell me what they had back home at Christmas. An Indian girl told how she cooks a meal one day that was lovely. And the night before she and her husband had done a whole Indian banquet for everybody. And people used to bring lovely foodie presents from around the world. One year I had Norwegian smoke salts, which was lovely, and pervasive: it's waking salt, evoking this lovely image of the Vikings. There was also great produce brought from Texas, from Japan and all over the world. The guests just bought things and I used to give them my music we used to sell tons of music bottles and many bottles of marmalade. I used to make some elderflower cordial that they used to take that away. It was rather like a food exchange. Christmas flew by really quickly, and I always used to try to have local food like Bramley apples from the next village.

On Christmas Day itself I used to do smoked salmon and Christmas sausages and I used to do spice fruits and that sort of thing. But the trouble is that people really like their full English breakfast! Even so, we used to decorate the tables and it was really lovely. I really missed that even though it used to take me nine hours a week to get the house looking nice.

I used to change my muesli recipe every week. It used to have lots of seeds and nuts and was incredibly good for

We just used to make a really big thing of Christmas and I think so many people don't do so much these days. We always had a Christmas log on the fire. My husband put the laundry in front of the fire to dry one year when there were two or three American women sitting on the sofa. Suddenly they said they could see this cloud of smoke, and I looked out the window to see about 20 people looking up. I thought

Happy days.

it was either the Second Coming or the chimney was on fire. And sure enough, the chimney was on fire. Suddenly all these beautiful burly firemen came into the room, which made the American ladies’ night! They thought it was fantastic.

Finally, I used to try and do things that perhaps other nationalities wouldn't normally enjoy at home so that they could see what an English Christmas was like, such as playing hide and seek, which they absolutely adored.

Supplying the leisure industry for over 50 years

Products News – New Glassware Ranges from Alliance Online

At Alliance Online we are excited to showcase our wide range of new glassware additions to our current offering. Thanks to our relationship with industry trusted supplier Utopia, we have recently added a lot of their new products to our catalogue. These include ranges such as the elegant Alkemist range (pictured) which includes a tumbler, gin goblet and cocktail chalice. Encapsulating a modern visual, the unique shape is perfect for pairing with cocktails and gins which is excellent as 2023 trends predict a huge explosion in both cocktails and mocktails. Xtra is another new range which presents a sophisticated narrow stem with a magnificently shaped bowl perfect for wines and other extravagant options. Finally, for those with a more exotic taste, Etna is the volcanic inspired range featuring geometric facets which reflect light whilst remaining incredibly transparent with crystal like clarity. To find out more contact our head office on 01270 252333 or hello@allianceonline.co.uk to find your closest branch or visit allianceonline.co.uk.

Amenitiz

When hoteliers contact us, it's often an emergency. They have generally tried everything to make their hotel a real success... in vain. A lot of effort made for few results obtained, such as: Direct bookings low, High commission fees on Booking / Airbnb, Poor online visibility and Hours wasted performing tasks with low added value. It is impossible to work in these conditions. At Amenitiz, we help independent hoteliers develop their businesses with our all-in-one solution. Thus, our customers benefit from: A new modern website optimised for SEO, A PMS which allows them to simplify their daily life, A Channel Manager to centralize all reservations and avoid overbooking, An integrated booking system to increase direct bookings and A secure payment system. As for all these independent hoteliers, we will be able to offer you the solutions adapted to your needs. www.amenitiz.com

Insignia’s Traditional and Far Infrared Home and Garden Saunas

Introducing Insignia’s Traditional and Far Infrared Home and Garden Saunas. Attract more guests and visitors into your B&B and create an atmosphere like no other that will keep them coming back time after time. Give your guests the ultimate relaxation during their stay with traditional or far infrared saunas with features including digital control, LED mood lighting and high-quality Bluetooth/MP3 audio system. Insignia’s Saunas are easy to install and low maintenance, and available in a wide range of sizes and a selection of saunas include massage chairs for the extra WOW factor! Elevate your property by providing an Insignia Sauna, an addition that will transform any area into an exotic one. Please visit our holiday rental partners website page for more information https://www.insigniashowers.com/holiday-rental-partners. For 30% off RRP discount for all holiday rental, B&B and hotel owners, contact us by calling 01908317512 or email our holiday rental expert at alex@insigniashowers.com.

Vogue Contract Beds

Vogue Contract Beds are a bed and mattress manufacturer based in Leicestershire and are part of the Vogue Beds Group. Formed in 1990 with over 30 years of providing contract mattresses for companies in the UK hospitality market. Vogue Contract Beds manufacture all their own mattresses and have one of the most versatile ranges of contract mattresses on offer across the UK. Suppling contract mattresses to student accomodation as well as many of the UK’s most prestigious hotels and unique boutique hotels from Natural Pocket & Luxury hotel contract beds range. Vogue Contract Beds provide economical contract mattress solutions that suit the needs of our clients and partners from our Academic Collection. To view the range, visit www.voguecontractbeds.co.uk | Tel: 01455841257 | sales@voguebeds.co.uk

MSS Mobile Signal Solutions

Hotels and B&B's are often faced with the problem of having poor mobile signal throughout the building. Building materials including foil-backed insulation and remote locations are the main reasons for poor signals. Whether staying for business or pleasure, people need to be connected at all times. Roaming laws have meant that calls outside your home country are not as expensive as they once were, making business calls and home calls using mobile phones from a hotel a much more frequent occurrence. For this reason, it's imperative for hotels, and guesthouses to have quality mobile signal strength to improve customer satisfaction and thus aid in receiving repeat business. If your property has no reception, you can ensure full coverage throughout by taking steps to install an MSS booster system. Once installed it will improve their overall experience and in turn provide repeat business. Visit: mobilesignalsolutions.co.uk/ hotel/ or contact: sales@mobilesignalsolutions.co.uk

SabeeApp

SabeeApp Hotel Management System’s latest development, an integrated ID Scan is now available! With the help of SabeeApp's built-in ID scanner, hotel guests can upload their travel documents in seconds, even from the comfort of their home through the GuestAdvisor application. This way, check-in only takes seconds which will increase the overall guest experience and simplify the tasks for your reception staff. What if guests don't want to take the opportunity to scan their documents at home or download GuestAdvisor? No problem! SabeeApp’s brand new Front Office Manager was created to solve this problem; the receptionist can scan your guests ID in minutes by using only a smartphone. The system can read national IDs, passports or driving licenses and the data is automatically transferred into SabeeApp’s PMS. By using these solutions, not only can you reduce the time spent with checking in but also you can fulfill the mandatory regulations if there’s any. To learn more, visit SabeeApp’s website: sabeeapp.com/sabeeapp-idscanner | Contact - kenneth@sabeeapp.com

Mattressman

Versatile, supportive and super-comfortable are a few words to describe the Hotel Mattress range at Mattressman. Going above and beyond to provide your guests with a rejuvenating night’s sleep, the Hotel Mattresses include fantastic features that will contribute to a sumptuous stay at your establishment. They incorporate body-moulding pocket springs with a support tension that’s suitable for every sleeping position, high-quality hypoallergenic fillings and breathable cotton covers too. The Hotel Mattresses are in congruence with Source 5 fire regulations and are available in all standard sizes: even adaptable zip and link options to transform a twin room into two singles. Our trade team can provide expert, impartial advice on what mattresses are best suited to your establishment, so don’t hesitate to get in contact with us today on 0800 5677 625 or tradesales@mattressman.co.uk. To view the range, visit mattressman.co.uk/contract

Bethnal Bec &

A column for owners, by owners

This is a column for owners, by owners. Vicky and Chris Saynor designed and created Bethnal&Bec Luxury Staycations, a true homegrown family business.

City chicmeetscountryside cool, in a stylish yet cosy home-fromhome setting.

For grownups only, and maybe the dog too – escape to your own luxury rural retreat with everything you need to relax.

FB: Bethnal & Bec

IN: @bethnalandbec www.bethnalandbec.

com

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Chris

Where have all the bookings gone?

Of all the ridiculous things that Liz Truss did in her 44 days in charge, the “Mini-Budget” delivered by Kwasi Kwarteng was for us accommodation providers the most damaging by far. The market reaction, the Bank of England remedy in raising interest rates coupled with the ongoing high energy prices and already stupendous inflation levels sucked any remaining confidence from our future guests.

We normally get about 10 new bookings a week and we are 90% full all year round. Since the mini-budget shambles we are down to about 2 bookings a week, and the start of 2023 and indeed quite a bit of December (including Christmas in one of our 3 retreats) has far too many empty periods.

We can’t blame the population for “minding their pennies” - we are doing exactly the same as a family. So what can we do to ride out this cost of living crisis and slowdown in business?

As live on-site owners we have a few advantages over remote owners; Bethnal&Bec is also our only employment - with this in mind, a few months ago we made the decision to increase the amount of turnovers we personally do from 50% to 100% and gave notice to our cleaning company - to be fair they were going to be booted out anyway, but that’s a story for another column. We also opened up to 1 night stays midweek, instead of a minimum of 2 nights. Many of our customers cannot get away for 2 nights, normally due to childcare restrictions

as we are adult only, or due to the shift nature of their employment; so 1 night stays are very popular, and as we are just next door, it’s a couple of hours of extra cleaning for a £200 nightly fee that we would not have got otherwise.

These two things of reducing our cleaning bill to zero, and opening up for one nighters will make a 5 figure difference to our bottom line. Interestingly we also did a snap 7 day only massive discount of 25%. We really do not like discounting, but these are exceptional times and we know our customers are also suffering so we were honest in our communication about this discount; highlighting the economy and our recent lack of bookings and the perils of being a small business at this time; we asked our social media following and own email database to share the offer far and wide to help us out, and they responded. In just 7 days we received 70 bookings; some people booked on the Tuesday for a Thursday stay; some were people who stayed with us 5 years ago, and have wanted to come back for aeons; but needed the cheaper price to justify it; others were repeat guests adding a spur of the moment 6th stay this year to the 5 they have already had :)

As well as the much needed ££, seeing all these bookings come in, even at a hefty discount was good for our morale and motivation in these

dark, wet winter days. But it’s not all good news, as soon as we closed the discount offer, we are back to 2 bookings a week and fretting about next year…but those 70 bookings and saving a fortune doing all our own cleaning/turnovers will see us through for now.

I'm taking off my Rubber Gloves to write this article..... once again we are without cleaners and feeling like we're back to square one.

Chris and I both ran different businesses with large teams before we started Bethnal&Bec. We both emphatically agreed on creating a business without staff as we had found it both costly financially and mentally - and felt we possibly weren't great managers either! Our (somewhat naiive) ideas for our new selfcatering business was that we did everything in itincluding the cleans. That all worked well, until one year in I was diagnosed with breast cancer and we had to rethink a lot of things!

It was clear that I wasn't going to be able to clean or do much whilst going through treatment, and although with two small properties it was possible for one person to do 'turnovers' that soon became impractical when we found ourselves spending all day in hospitals and endless appointments. We knew a local cleaner that came highly recommended and Chris trained her up. Issue resolved and on we went.

Once treatment was over we realised the efficiencies and value of getting cleaning teams in, as we decided (and realised for financial reasons) we needed to grow - and doing that whilst juggling daily turnovers and 4 kids was proving very tricky, so we took on a cleaning 'company' and cracked on with building the Empire (!)

But we didn't.... as we've now just fired our fourth cleaning company and are back cleaning toilets (more than before as we've expanded) and wondering how can you expand your business and be reliant on good cleaning staff ?

Answers on a postcard please!

Y CHRISTMAS

Karen Thorne has ran Hopton House B&B in Shropshire for over 16 years and the Bed and Breakfast Academy for over 14 years.

Through the B&B Academy, Karen trains aspiring B&B owners in how to set up, buy, run and market their own B&Bs.

Karen runs monthly online courses and has recently launched a B&B Marketing membership for existing B&B owners, so she can help them to organically and authentically market their own B&Bs.

Do you need a licence to sell alcohol at your B&B

Contact your local authority

Local councils are responsible for licensin g matters, so your first move should be to contact your local Licensing Officer for some advice.

They’ll be able to give you a copy of the council’s Licensing Policy – licensing law is the same for all of England and Wales (with equivalent laws in Scotland and Northern Ireland), but councils can put their own “spin” on policy to reflect local needs and priorities.

The Licensing Officer can also provide you with the application forms you need if you decide to go ahead.

PREMISES LICENSE

If you’re going to sell alcohol you’ll need to apply for a premises license.

To apply for a premises license you’ll need to:

inspections and enforcement, both of which are based on rateable value. This will vary a bit, but for example a small B&B might expect to pay £100£200 initially and £70-£180 annually thereafter.

Taking over a property that's already licensed

If you’re taking over somewhere that alr eady has a license, it’s fairly quick and easy to take over from the previous holder – your Licensing Officer will help you to do this.

It’s a good idea to have a thorough look at the previous license to see if there’s anything else you’d like to change (opening times etc), as once the license is granted you’ll have to pay a fee every time you want to change anything.

Selling alcohol for people to take away

Read Karen's blog to discover more about toilet paper origami, how marrying a plumber has been very handy, and more about life as a B&B owner: bandbacademy. co.uk/blog

fill in a form and submit plans of your premises – these don’t need to be architect’s drawings, a basic plan is fine, but they’ll be assessed by the fire authority, planning department and health and safety officers (among others) to see whether your premises are suitable for what you’re proposing. advertise your application, just like a planning proposal, and if there are objections the Licensing Officer may arrange a hearing with the Licensing Committee.

All this means that it might take a month or two for your application to be dealt with, so allow yourself plenty of time.

You pay a one-off fee for your premises license plus an annual fee to cover

w READ ONLINE & SHARE >> luxurybnbmag.com /author/karen_thorne/

If you want to do off-sales (alcohol for people to take away) you pay a little bit more, but it’s something I’m suggesting all new businesses consider. This would give you the option of selling picnic baskets and hampers containing wine or fizz, or gift packs of local beers as souvenirs.

Personal license

At least one person will also have to hold a personal license – this should be the person in normal day-to-day control of the business.

You’ll need to fill in another application, have a basic disclosure (DBS check) done, which costs around £25, provide a couple of passport photos and pay a fee of around £37.

You’ll also need to complete a licensing

qualification to show that you understand the law and your obligations as a licensee. The one-day course costs around £150 on average, and your Licensing Officer should be able to recommend local training providers.

There are now some online versions available, though personally I’d always recommend a tutor-led course so that you can ask questions and network with other learners.

Again, you’ll need to consider your timing. Certificates following the course can take 4 weeks or so to arrive, and a CRB check is only valid for a limited period, typically a month, from the date of issue.

So is it worth it?

Adding it all up, it would probably cost a small B&B £ 320-£400 initially. You’d also need to think about the cost of buying glassware and stock, and any other equipment you might need (wine or beer fridges, ice buckets…). If you can at least cover those costs out of the extra revenue raised, then it might be right for you.”

Do I need a licence if I’m giving alcohol to guests for free?

Providing

‘free’ alcohol to guests

To quote the Visit England Pink book:

“You need a licence to sell alcohol - this includes providing ‘free’ alcohol, because it is an incentive to purchase and/or is included in your pricing structure. The fact that you charge the guest for staying in your accommodation means that they are essentially paying for the alcohol that is provided. In other words’ the guest has effectively paid a ‘consideration’ for that service. It is not free”

Running an Honesty Bar

If you are operating an honesty bar, you are still eff ectively selling the alcohol to guests.

“You’d always need a license for “sale by retail of alcohol” to your guests. Whether they’re paying at the time, or later, or as part of a whole package, it would still be viewed as a sale. If you took payment and passed part of the revenue to charity, that’s still a sale.”

How to create a strong brand strategy

Pete Stevens, head of marketing, Clockwork Marketing

Creating a strong brand for your property is cricital if you want to stand out from your competitors and attract new customers. It’s not just your logo, imagery or website design. It’s all these things and more. Your brand is how you want to be perceived or positioned in the market. The vision for your business and how you want to be seen by your stakeholders and the key marketing messages you communicate to them.

The key to building an effective brand is to understand what goes on inside the heads and hearts of your customers. What are your customer real needs and wants and how does your business provide real benefits that meet these desires?

A great brand needs to…

• Put customers first to build brand love

• Share the values of its customers

• Have a positive message

• Help reach customer’s needs and wants

• Talk to hearts not heads (real world benefits)

• Speak with one voice

• Surprise customers

Why you need a strong brand

People make purchase decisions first on price. We all love a bargain. After price we are emotional and make purchase decisions based on how we are feeling at the time, what someone has said to us or what ad we have seen, on a whim.

Your brand needs to connect emotionally with your guests. When they stay does your property make them feel - relaxed or energised? Does it remind them of holidays they had when young, prompting nostalgia. Do they feel peaceful with your view or excited with your events? Identify the feeling and tell people that’s how they will feel if they stay there – connect emotionally.

Guests are also not that loyal, often buying from competitors as well as you. One BnB property looks much the same to another – which is why you need a strong brand to stand out.

How to develop a brand story

Creating or re-invigorating a brand is no small task but can be done systematically following the seven steps below. Some of this can be researched online, but it’s good to include several stakeholders from the business and organise workshops to discuss each element.

1. Travel trends/market research

What are the market trends? We’ve had two years of staycation boom, followed by a costof-living crisis, that most observers expect to continue for much of 2023. What wider societal, political or economic trends affect your guests and business?

2. Target customers

Identify three or four types of guests and create mini-profiles for each. These can be based on existing guests, but also include some new types if you are looking to expand. Examples might be a retired couple from Wiltshire with a dog looking to explore the UK’s best walking areas.

3. Business objectives/vision

What do you want to achieve? Think big and long-term. Where do you want the business to go in 5 years? This could be based on development, expansion or perhaps becoming more sustainable and ethical. Or both.

4. SWOT exercise

This gives you lots of quick insight into where you can make a competitive advantage.

Strengths – what is the business great at?

Weaknesses – what could you be better at?

Opportunities – what opportunities external to the business can you exploit?

Threats – what external factors may jeopardise the growth of your business?

5. Unique selling points (USPs)

What is unique to your property or different from your competitors? A 16th century building is unique, great staff and service is not. You should be able to list three or more USPs.

6. Key messages for marketing

Using your USPs, you can start to create content (words and images) that captures your brand purpose and values. Tell your guests what are the key benefits of staying in terms of facilities and feelings they will experience. Then tell them again and again – using your marketing channels.

7. Logo/colourways

If you are refreshing your brand mark and logo, design a mood board to help guide you with colourways, design and logo inspiration from other brands you like or your building’s history and location. The mood board can be used to inform your logo consisting of: Type or word mark (property name) Brand mark (the image part) Pulling it all together

A strong brand will help you stand out against your competitors to capture more guests. Additionally it can help retain and attract staff.

If you want to know more about building brand, why not register for our upcoming webinar:

“The importance of a GREAT HOTEL BRAND and how you get one” on Wednesday 25th January 2023 at 11:00am - https:// www.clock-work.co.uk/landing-page/ hotel-branding-that-wins-guests

The appeal of the hot tub

As high-end hospitality venues vie for a regular share of the UK tourism market against a backdrop of rising inflation and high fuel prices, they may consider installing hot tub facilities for their guests.

The appeal of the hot tub

Dominic Johnson reports on cost and other considerations

The appeal of the hot tub

CONTRIBUTORS

The Swimming Pool and Allied Trade Association - www.spata.co.uk/

The British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Associationwww.bishta.co.uk

SPATEX 2023 - The Pool, SPA & Wellness Showhttps://www.spatex.co.uk/

The appeal of the hot tub

The appeal of a hot tub in a hospitality setting is dramatic. You only need to watch an episode of Four in a Bed featuring a property that offers hot tubs to their guests to see their appeal, as competing guests melt with passion and relax as they immerse themselves in bubbling hot water at the end of a long day hiking.

Hot tubs are certainly not cheapest of guest facilities, nor are they particularly cheap to run if they face regular use, but they certainly offer strong if not universal appeal.

It may seem hard to believe, but according to BISHTA, despite the unpredictable British weather, one in 10 people now have access to a hot tub in their garden.

Turn this figure around and it still means that some nine out of 10 people do not have such luxury access, and therein lies much of the appeal of a hot tub facility in a luxury B&B or other holiday accommodation.

Here are some of our factsheets that will help with your Hot Tub / Spa feature. https://www.bishta.co.uk/ hot-tubs-spas/factsheets/ difference-between-a-hottub-and-a-spa-factsheet/ https://www.bishta. co.uk/hot-tubs-spas/ factsheets/hot-tubbuyers-guide-for-holidaylodges-and-cottages/ https://www.bishta.co.uk/ hot-tubs-spas/factsheets/ factors-affecting-hottub-running-costs/ https://www.bishta. co.uk/hot-tubs-spas/ factsheets/sustainableheat-technologies/ https://www.bishta. co.uk/hot-tubs-spas/ commercial-hot-tubs/ https://www.bishta. co.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2018/11/FactsheetC19-Hot-Tub-BuyersGuide-for-Holiday-Lodgesand-Cottages-NEW.pdf

How much does a hot tub cost to run?

The key factors to take into account when it comes to how much it costs to run a hot tub and electrical running costs, servicing and maintenance and regular additional costs such as water care products.

The energy costs depend very much on the size and type of hot tub, the temperature outdoors, the frequency of use, the length of time they are used, the length of time the jets are used during each use, the water temperature you choose and of course your electricity tariff

Given the changing nature of energy costs at the moment, and the question as to whether you use a hot tub that requires its own power supply, it is too much to generalise when it comes to cost. However, you might be safe to assume each hot tub will be used three or four times a week at roughly 4 kilowatts per hour.

Given the significant cost of electricity it is important you look at the energy label before you buy. If you order something manufactured in, say, China, you need to check it is not going to be draining your electricity at a rate of five times that of a domestically made energy efficient

model. But note that while hot tub heaters come in a variety of kW ratings, this won’t directly affect their energy usage, since a heater with a larger kW rating will heat the water faster, but it won’t need to stay on as long. hot tubs heat the spa water to your preferred temperature, typically between 37°C and 39°C, and it stays at this set temperature until it is turned off.

The larger your hot tub and the more water it holds, the more it costs to run. You are advised to choose a hot tub of 200-250 litres of water capacity per bather seat, according to a recent report by What Spa?

Unless you need a huge party spa, there’s no point buying a hot tub that is much bigger than you need for your average number of regular bathers. Alternatively, you may choose small hot tubs for your guests. Cheaper to buy, install and run. But not quite as glam.

At a time of stark competition and falling occupancy rates, if you have the space and the cash to install a hot tub the proposition is pretty much a nobrainer. Your property will stand out a mile, in or out of season.

The appeal of the hot tub

The appeal of the hot tub

Hot Tubs Explained

An overview from BISHTA, the trade association that represents the British and Irish hot tub and Swim Spa Industry.

In some parts of the world, such as Scandinavia, the term ‘hot tub’ is only used to refer to wooden equipment used with a stove, while in other parts of the world such as North America the term ‘Spa’ I used to mean any type of equipment, whether made of wood, acrylic or other materials.

Although the UK tends to use the phrase ‘hot tub’ as a generic word, ‘Swim Spas’ may denote larger items designed for swimming in and so are bigger than a ‘hot tub’, but the water temperature is greater than a normal swimming pool, but less than a ‘hot tub’.

A hot tub is typically made from either wood or thermoplastic composites including acrylic and vinyl. hot tubs come complete with heating and filtration built-in making them very straightforward to both purchase and install. Added extras such as sound systems, DVD / CD players, TV and lighting features are widely available. Look for the logo and name displayed by members of BISHTA (The British and Irish Spa and hot tub Association) when buying a portable hot tub to find local BISHTA members on our easy search map.

Hot tubs can be installed in the garden, on a terrace, in a conservatory or in a home extension. By usually being above ground (rather than inground), this gives you more flexibility about positioning, with the added advantage of being a ble to take it with you if you move house, but please remember they are heavy items and may require specialist lifting equipment. Simple to run, a basic hot tub can be purchased for under £5,000.

BISHTA warns that careful consideration would need to be mad e for rigid hot tubs costing less than £3,500. There is likely a reason they are at this price point (regarding build quality and/or energy efficiency). Often it is either that the components are not of the same quality (such as not selling the hot tub wit h a safety cover or lower levels of insulation), What is the difference between a hot tub and a Spa? (C8)

Domestic self- contained spas are usually referred to as `hot tubs` here in the UK, to avoid confusion with the terms “spa” which is usually thought of as some kind of hotel venue where you get pampered! Quite often, people enjoy the benefits of being in warm water at a Hotel or Fitness club and decide they want to replicate the experience in their own home. - meaning the hot tubs will be much more costly to run than a well - insulated version, or the seller may also be offering very limited warranties (and if things go wrong, then they may have no system for picking up warranty claims). Energy costs are an essential consideration. Therefore, it is worth paying a little more for a well - insulated hot tub; otherwise, the extra running costs for poorly insulated hot tubs will soon add more money overall.

Expect to budget an average of at least £2.50 ‘per half an hour per day’ for the smaller efficient models to maintain at a comfortable 40°C. Running costs for exercise spas may require upwards of £5.00 - £7.00 ‹per half an hour per day’. It is sensible for buyers to ask the retailer for information on their products’ energy efficiency and the average running costs associated with using the product before they purchase.

PROFILE

The appeal of the hot tub

Swimming against the tide

Another option that you may decide to consider is a Swim/ Exercise Spa, as they are great for those who enjoy swimming, but who do not have room for a swimming pool. A Swim/ Exercise Spa can provide the experience of swimming the English Channel in an area often no bigger than 8`x 6`!

Swim/Exercise Spas pumpa turbulent flow of water from outlets along one side of the pool offering a similar sensation to swimming against the flow in a mountain stream. Swimming against the current offers all the benefits of a full exercise swim without moving an inch.

Whether you prefer a leisurely doggy paddle or a competition standard sprint, the water flow can be adjusted to match your exercise needs. Air can also be mixed with the water giving added buoyancy and some models offer an underwater massage facility.

Swim/Exercise Spas allow you to swim against a continuous stream of water, it’s basically a swimming treadmill. You do not have to complete laps or turn around like in a normal pool, but just have to keep exercising within the space provided to ensure you get the swimming exercise you need. It provides a whole range of aqua aerobics activities, from swimming to weight resistance training, to waterjogging, making it the ideal therapeutic tool for tired bodies. It has been found to be effective for those recuperating from any sports injuries . The reason is that these units have been designed so that you can indulge in strenuous water -based activities and the flow of the water jets can also be fine-tuned to deliver just the right force and direction.

To make exercise even easier, manufacturers are offering a vast selection of underwater exercise equipment, such as resistance bands, which make it possible to target muscle groups that standard swim strokes do not.

In terms of space, they only need about 4–8 metres in length and 2.5 –3.5 metres width. Since they are self-contained, they are quicker and easier to install than most pools. The cost of a Swim/Exercise Spa is anywhere between £15,000 and £50,000. hot tubs and Swim/Exercise spas are a healthy and natural way to relax and are a great addition to any home or garden to enhance your lifestyle. With a huge variety of shapes, sizes, colours and styles you can be sure that somewhere there is an option to suit every situation!

Children delight in them, parents love them and older people derive great benefit from the massaging waters, it is pure hot tub (or Swim/ExerciseSpa)

Heaven!

The appeal of the hot tub

With business owners considering offering their guests wood-fired hot tubs, BISHTA warns that they are only considered suitable for business settings such as holiday parks, rentals and holiday accommodation when they are going to be drained and cleaned at least every three to five hours, depending on the water source used.

Wood-fired hot tubs are officially referred to as ‘Scandinavian hot tubs’ in the relevant European standard EN 17125. They are spas designed for single use of the water, where the water temperature is increased from an external heat source such as a wood-fired stove. They are sited out of doors, and the water is only left in the hot tub for a few hours before it needs to be drained to avoid the build-up of any infectious agents in the water that might be harmful to bathers.

This hot tub design typically has no circulation and filtration system and no chemical treatment for disinfection – although crucially some manufacturers modify what they offer, so you are advised to check this out with the manufacturer or the retailer. hot tubs are also not typically equipped with heat controls or automatic means of controlling the upper temperature of the water, and they require manual water temperature measurement and heating adjustment.

Although they are not specifically mentioned in the guidance set out in HSG 282, the HSE has confirmed to BISHTA that as they are spa pool systems that can attract infectious agents, their guidance is applicable.

The increased risks that can arise from the lack of water disinfection and any automatic safeguards for not exceeding a safe water temperature include rapid bacterial growth leading to potential infection and a scalding risk.

Depending on the water source used, that is to say potable or non-potable, the water should be held in the hot tub for a maximum of five hours for potable drinking water, which complies with national water drinking regulations, or a maximum of three hours for non-treated and nonpotable water. When using non-potable water, without any disinfection, the bathing time should not exceed one hour, and the heating time should not exceed two hours to minimise the growth of harmful bacteria – hence the maximum total of 3 hours.

Depending on the safety features in the hot tub design, the chimney heating the hot tub water may get very hot, so this needs some form of protection. These hot parts, especially the lowest 1,000 mm of the chimney, should be protected from accidental contact, according to EN ISO 13732-1.

For more information on using Wood-fired (Scandinavian hot tubs) in business settings, please contact BISHTA by phone at 01264 356211 or by email at

PROFILE || The appeal of the hot tub

A guide to TV licences for hospitality businesses

Who needs a licence?

Hotels, hostels, campsites and mobile units must be covered by a licence if staff or customers watch or record TV on any channel via any TV service such as Sky, Virgin, Freeview or Freesat.

They must also have a licence if they or their guests watch live on streaming services such as ITV Hub, All 4, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Now or Sky Go, of if they use BBC iPlayer. This applies to any device, including a TV, computer, laptop, phone, tablet, games console or digital box.

A licence is not needed to watch S4C programmes on demand. If you’re sure you don’t need a licence then get in touch with TV Licensing.

What type of TV licence do I need?

A single TV Licence costing £159 will cover up to 15 accommodation units on a single

site. If you have more than 15 units, there is an additional fee for every five extra units or fewer.

Mobile units, or other areas where a TV receiver is installed or used, must also be covered by a TV Licence.

Cost of a hotel and mobile units TV Licence

Your licence fee will be based on the number of accommodation or mobile units you offer where a TV receiver is installed or used. To cover up to 15 units You only need to pay one fee of £159

To cover more than 15 units You pay one fee for the first 15 units and an additional fee of £159 for every extra 5 units (or fewer).

Apply for a hotel and mobile units TV Licence

Complete the online form, print and return it to: TV Licensing Payments and Commercial

Licensing

Darlington DL98 1TL

Refunds for hotel licences

A refund is available if it has been purchased in error or if the hotel is closing down. The licence must not be needed again during the licence period and refunds will be paid for unused months.

To apply for a refund please write to: Hotels and Company Group Licensing Department TV Licensing Darlington DL98 1TL

Please use your hotel headed paper and include relevant evidence of the hotel’s closure, such as a bill of sale or final utility bill.

Further information

Take a look at TV Licensing FAQs where you may find all the answers you are looking for in one place.

Reader’s question from Rushop Hall B&B in the Peak District

Co-owner Neil Allcock writes to ask about the apparent requirement for an MPLC (Motion Picture Licensing Company) license for copyright protection for television content. He asks if there is a requirement for anyone who has a TV in a guest bedroom, bar, restaurant or other similar area that shows television programmes or film content in a public place to have an MPLC licence as well as a TV license, similar to the requirement for a PRS/PPL license for music and sound recordings.

David Weston, chairman of the B&B Association (BBA) says that unfortunately this is a complex issue. He replies:

MPLC do indeed seem to have the law on their side (they are using similar legal justifications to those of PRS and PPL), but the copyright law in the UK is complex and illogical in this area, and without test cases nobody

can be sure what a court would decide. The law in this area is archaic and certainly urgently needs reform.

The law does appear to allow what MPLC are doing (and indeed PRS & PPL), so we cannot of course advise members not to pay.

The issue of council tax or business rates, incidentally, is not relevant here. The law at present holds that playing copyright material – even via a TV – to a paying guest in accommodation such as a hotel, guesthouse or B&B constitutes a “public performance” for the purposes of copyright. It is the very fact that the guest is paying that is crucial. Information about MPLC’s concessions during lockdowns, which were granted in 2020 following our representations, can be found on our member page. Members can log in with their password for this kind of inside info

Neither The BBA nor UK Hospitality are happy with the way MPLC go about things, and we are trying to challenge the basis on which they charge, as well as some of their methods. UK Hospitality are leading on this and we will keep subscribing members advised as any new developments happen.

We are aware of businesses that say they will not pay MPLC’s fees, but we do not know how MPLC is going to approach enforcement, or whether they will want to see a test case.

Meanwhile we advise every business to insist that MPLC detail how they are arriving at the charges, by reference to their public tariffs. From the tariff we have seen, the charge should be around £6 per letting bedroom.

appeal of the hot tub

Four In a Bed : Glamping vs high-end B&Bs

Luxury BnB Magazine talk to the latest block of contestants

Glamping vs high-end B&Bs

The danger of unreasonably poor feedback on your business weighs on the shoulders of just about every holiday property owner in the UK. After you have thrown yourself and your savings into delivering a well-presented, comfortable and satisfying stay for your guests, the last thing you care to see once they have left is a poor online review from guests.

But dramatically poor reviews do appear, with uncharacteristically bad guest feedback standing out on often popular hospitality websites. The occasional one-star review rating has for example even been compared to a drive-by shooting. And you can only sympathise.

The danger often arises from a failure of the offering to meet certain guest expectations, however unrealistic or skewed those may be.

Take a range of guests expecting luxury and put them in a sumptuous bed & breakfast environment and few should complain. Glamping on the other hand is very much a matter of taste. Glampers love the outdoor feel with the added luxury of sleeping closer to nature in high standard accommodation which often fails to strike a chord with luxury B&B fans. And vice versa.

Such is the issue that has been met with in the past by the producers of Channel Four’s Four in a Bed show, a long-standing, popular success in hospitality broadcasting in the UK.

The producers have often faced a quandary when holiday homeowners with quite different propositions compete, each showing off their premises for a night. One of them for example may offer the height of luxury but ask for a supplement to pay for their amazing locally sourced breakfast, while another may offer something more down-to-earth.

With the show now in its 17th season, it has long cracked this issue, with each contest comparing four sets of comparable types of accommodation.

For example, in one week-long contest last month, the show featured four owners whose properties were all outdoor lodges or glamping facilities. But glamping, it has to be said, is not for everyone. This is sometimes seen from the occasional guest on Four in a Bed who are yet to have arrived at the property they are to judge and who worriedly exclaims, “OMG It’s not camping, is it?” Or words to that effect.

Such guests’ concerns are often then allayed once they hit the sack and enjoy a satisfying night’s sleep. But if you are not fan of camping then,

LIME TREE INN

despite the luxury presentation of outdoor accommodation, your hackles may be raised.

Last month viewers were treated to a contest between two inns - The Lazy Pug https://beerandcoffee.co/, and The Lime Tree https://www.thelimetreeinn. com/, and two glamping venuesWhite Mark Glamping https://www. whitemarkglamping.com/ and The Pretty Thing Glamping https://theprettything. co.uk.

One of two campsites in Watlington, Oxfordshire, White Mark Glamping has a reputable TripAdvisor score rating of 4.5 and the site has an array of nearby restaurants from which guests can choose to dine out.

The Lime Tree Inn has a TripAdvisor rank of 5.0, has an AA Breakfast Award and an AA Rosette award for culinary excellence. TripAdvisor 4.5-rated glamping, camping and caravan park The Pretty Thing in Clacton on Sea in Essex is pet-friendly with a children’s playground and a picnic area for guests.

Meanwhile one of four Warwickshire properties that make up the Beer & Coffee portfolio, the Lazy Pug in Shipston-onStour, Warwickshire, also has a 4.5-star TripAdvisor rating and serves gastroburgers and pizzas.

The reaction to one of the participants, the co-owner of Lime Tree Inn, competing with another inn and two glamping sites, illustrates the value of the show to competitors. The inn came third in this contest, but the owners are more than happy with the result.

Rob Mitchell runs The Lime Tree Inn with his wife Heloisa, who wanted to create a modern day local that would build on a sense of tradition and community – a home from home for each and every one of their guests.

Inspired by the rolling rural landscape around them, the couple have ensured that the menu at The Lime Tree Inn is locally sourced, the ales handpicked and the welcomes plentiful and natural. And for those who want to spend a little more time

at the Lime Tree, it has seven thoughtfully and individually designed rooms upstairs. Rob describes participating in the Four in a Bed competition as a great experience. “We really, really enjoyed it. It was good, fun, meeting nice people. It was all good.”

Even though the five-star inn did not win the competition, Rob says, “We got some great feedback from it. We only came third on payment day, but we were comfortable with that. Obviously we'd have liked to come first. But we understand that the other competitors just came over as better overall.”

He says his inn received a tremendous reaction regardless of its place in the final, with winners decided on each occasion according to the level of guest payment. “We have had a massive influx of business from it, and we’re very grateful for that. We never went into it with a mindset that we had to win the competition. We just wanted to showcase our business as best as we could and to present ourselves as best as we could. And I think that came across quite well,” he says.

When they took the call from the show’s producers inviting them to take part on the show the inn had only been open a couple of months. “It was really great advertising for us at that point,” says Rob. “They called us during the second lockdown and said they were looking to do something.”

Responding to the call out of the blue, Rob says he explained that they’d only opened the business just after the first lockdown. “We're pretty new,” I admitted. But they still went on to participate. They are so new that even now they keep adding new features to the business, he says. “Even from the stuff that was shown on TV to an event with no updates in the beds a bit more. We've added more bits here and there and reinvesting in that as a programme as an experience. It was great fun.”

Rob himself has always been in the hospitality industry, he says. “I grew up in a hotel in Scotland. My father had got into catering and I decided I wanted to join up in the catering business at the age of 14.” He left school at 15, went to catering college and worked full-time in the kitchen. “I was doing part time work for my family.

And then from that I was awarded a college student of the year, and on the back of that, I received offers to address the three places that I could go work because of that, and one of which was Whiskey Castle, a private member's club up in Scotland.” This was the venue where Madonna as well as a few other famous people were married, he adds.

“I decided to go there, and that proved to be a good little kickstart to my career. Then I went on to working for Michelin star chef in Glasgow, before moving to London to work with Michelin star chefs down there. So that built up my career very early. Aged 21 I was working for a Michelin star venue before I decided to go off travelling abroad.” After offering private cooking for a few years, he returned to London, where he worked for a Michelin star restaurant. But the travel bug won him over and he then went away travelling again, which is when he met his wife. “We came back to the UKafter a lot more travelling,” he says. And he found himself setting up pub companies on behalf of other businesses, which is when he asked himself why he was doing this for other people when he could be doing it for himself.

“At this point we started looking for businesses. My family is based up north, I've got a sister in Edinburgh and a sister in Harrogate, while my father's over the Lake District. So, everyone was up this way. The reason we moved down south was because my mother was there and she was ill at the time. And then she sadly passed away.”

Soon after, as the attraction of opening a business grew, Rob and Heloisa looked at all the downsides of doing so, chief among them being that to set up a new hospitality business is very expensive.

The appeal of moving north again grew, firstly with having family up there and secondly, as Rob points out, because it was somewhat cheaper to run a business there than in London.

He adds, “My father had a pub, which is about 12 miles away from where I'm standing now, and he had a few connections. So, when I told him that we were looking to start a business and that we could possibly come up North, he was quite excited at the thought of us moving up close to home, and he put the feelers out.” In due course Rob and Heloise came across

this particular place, which they found through a connection through a brewery that Rob’s father knew. He says, “We made contact with the guy who was building the pumps, and he said he had nobody to run it, building a large pump with seven bedrooms above it. we were invited along to look at it at a stage when only its foundations and metal structure were in place,” he says. But straight away they both said they wanted to take it on.

“From there on, we were working with him on the build,” says Rob. “And we chose every single brick - everything was chosen. Everything. Special and personal places.” The rest is history. Soon after the work was completed and he took over came the Four in a Bed show. “We got a big influx in bookings for rooms. By this I mean right up until next September, all simply off the back of appearing on this show. Even on the day that we first went on TV we had more than 10,000 visits to our website. And then through the week we had 20,000 more than we would usually have. There was a there was a vast amount of attention!”

He acknowledges that luck had a large part to play in their good fortune. “We're very fortunate, I mean, with the timing and the way everything is at the moment. We've had a bit of a battle for the past few years because of everything that the economy was all sorts of things. So, we have been very lucky to get the influx of business in the circumstances,” he reflects. Competition on Four in a Bed is fierce, with each venue striving to come out as the winner, but the general goodwill along with the automatic nationwide publicity that comes from luxury venues having their business offerings broadcast across the nation makes appearance on the show a great opportunity – as well as great viewing.

PINE TREE HOLLOW GLAMPING

The perfect holiday should be a chance to unwind, de-stress and enjoy the fun with loved ones. So, when you are looking at ways to invest in your business and improve your customer experience, a swimming pool is the perfect choice for luxury accommodation providers wishing to attract visitors while at the same time promoting good health and wellbeing.

Splashing out on a swimming pool

Adding a commercial swimming pool to your business offering is a significant undertaking and needs careful planning if you are to reap the rewards of your investment. The size and specification of your pool will ultimately (and undeniably) affect the cost. Investing in a swimming pool on-site can offer a range of avenues for a return on investment. First off, you are offering a new facility to attract bookings, but it will also help keep guests on-site, and If you are retaining guests on-site, then there is an increased opportunity for on-site spending on food and drinks.

Why adding a swimming pool can be a smart investment!

To start the thought process, firstly, you must consider your budget. Secondly, you need to imagine what type of swimming pool and added features you would want to be included that are tailored to your guests based on your accommodation offering. These will help you to ensure a return on investment. Your considerations could be a pool that offers more than just swimming but entertains with splash appeal for all ages and abilities or a pool that provides a luxury spa feel, with added features such as an inground spa, sauna, steam and wellness.

Before you start trawling through the internet and your diary is full of pool contractor appointments to come and quote for the work, there is help from SPATA (the Swimming Pool and Allied Trades Association). it provides a range of resources for commercial swimming pool buyers and a register of commercial contractors. It also offers advice to ensure that you get the right pool (indoor or outdoor) and the right contractor for your business (and guest) requirements.

Finding the right pool contractor from the offset can make the difference to your swimming pool project; money well spent will mean your business reaps the rewards in the long run throughout the pool’s life expectancy. You can find pool inspiration from the British Pool & Hot Tub Awards winners hosted by SPATA (and BISHTA - British and Irish Spa and Hot Tub Association). You can view images of these award-winning commercial and domestic pools and much more at www.spata.co.uk

Designing the Dream Swimming Pool

It’s a whole lot more than a hole in the ground

You are buying into a lifestyle and you will have firm ideas about how your new swimming pool will look, its features and how it will improve your business. Swimming pools are custom construction or installation projects, so make sure your pool contractor has high standards and is a member of SPATA.

Don’t over-analyse. You will want to find the right people for

the job, but if you hear too many opinions, you’ll lose track of the pool that suits your business requirements. Inviting too many contractors to quote for the pool project, and you’ll get bogged down with the estimates.

Meet the contractor in person

Swimming pool contractors must visit the proposed pool site so that you can meet them, ask them questions about their work, and see the proposed site for themselves. This visit should take place before the contractor submits a quote for the works.

When is the best time to build a pool?

Most businesses want to maximise pool use during the summer months, so you will want to ensure that the pool is under construction out of season. Planning well in advance will help you get the pool when you want.

What’s in a design?

Ask for detailed drawings from the pool contractor so you can see what the final pool will look like and that nothing has been missed from your requirements. Additional money spent on the design and construction at the start may save you money over the pool’s lifetime.

Playing it safe

Swimming pools can present a risk if the proper precautions are not implemented at the design stage by taking safety into account from the offset, knowing that any risks for your guests using the pool have been reduced.

DONT' OVER ANALYSE

Outdoors or indoors?

There are fewer restrictions to the size, shape and overall design of an outdoor pool, so you can be as outlandish as you like. Outdoor pools lend themselves to being social as they integrate into the more expansive garden space.

Keeping an outdoor pool warm doesn’t need to cost a fortune, and installing a water heat pump can be incredibly efficient. Once a week or so, it will need leaves raking off the surface and its pH and chlorine levels checked, but whilst outdoor pools generally require more manual maintenance, it is easy to keep on top of the upkeep. An outdoor pool will need to shut down from October to March, and for added protection from the elements, if you intend to keep it full of water, it will require a robust protective cover to keep out the debris and provide safety.

An indoor pool can provide much more usability, making it a fantastic addition to an exercise suite. Indoor pools are great fun on a rainy day and can be enjoyed all year round, whether swimming a few lengths or enjoying a quick dip. Your guests can enjoy the pool whenever it suits them, day or night, summer or winter.

An efficient heating system will warm the water and the air within the pool room while eliminating the smell of chlorine, allowing the chance to swim in a lovely cosy environment all year round. What’s more, it doesn’t require as much maintenance as it is far less likely to become home to algae, leaves and other debris, and the environmental control unit will do much of the cleaning for you.

The best of both worlds

If you’d like an outdoor pool but want to extend its use during winter, a quick and easy way to protect it is a swimming pool enclosure. These are usually made from glass or polycarbonate material with an aluminium frame, so while they are permanent structures, they aren’t quite as substantial as a pool house, which helps with cost and flexibility. Assuming your pool is heated, it will be warm enough to swim in once it is securely enclosed, even on the coldest days. You will need to keep a cover on the pool when it is not in use, or condensation will become a problem.

What is the cost?

Pool costs vary, depending on the geographical location and the types of pool, starting from hundreds of pounds for the most basic paddling pool. The price of a swimming pool depends on the type, size, and quality. A purpose-built designer pool may only be a practical proposition for some accommodation providers. Where budget may be a constraint, it may be worth considering an above-ground pool (costing in the range of £1,500, rising to approximately £15,000 for a large, luxury package).

There are liner pool options for under £75,000, while a fully-tiled, reinforced concrete outdoor pool can be found for under £125,000. Larger projects (especially indoor pools requiring heating and ventilation) will be possible for under £150,000 but can easily be hundreds of thousands of pounds, depending on what is included in the pool package.

Accessories such as filters, heaters and pool covers are very important, but the lower water capacity of above-ground pools means maintenance costs are relatively low.

What do pools cost to heat and maintain?

The average daily energy and chemical cost of running an indoor domestic 8 x 4m pool has risen with the recent hike in energy prices. As a starting point, SPATA recommneds you budget at least £15 per day for an indoor pool and £8 to £10 per day for an outdoor pool.

Most pools are heated, so consideration should be given to the best heating method.

Oil and gas boilers and electric heaters have typically been considered first, but heat pumps are becoming increasingly popular. Heat exchangers and solar panels

can significantly reduce costs and carbon footprint.

SPATA would always recommend that to assist in minimising operating costs, a heat retention cover should ideally be used with whatever heat source you choose, as most of the heat loss from a swimming pool is from surface evaporation. However, heat is also lost through the pool shell walls and floor.

What are the golden rules that anyone contemplating having a pool should follow?

Installing a pool is a significant undertaking and needs careful planning and project management to reap the rewards of your investment. The size and specification of your dream pool will affect the cost. Position, shape and size ensure your chosen pool location will benefit from maximum exposure to sunlight, so avoid trees and other foliage nearby, which could overshadow the pool or shed leaves and other debris.

Sustainability – with people becoming more conscious of sustainability, more consideration is now given to running an efficient pool. This may include the introduction of solar panels to generate heat for the pool, adding a pool cover that provides heat retention or installing an enclosure to extend the swimming season.

– a pool designed with an infinity edge gives the illusion that the pool water is overflowing. An infinity edge can create a significant impact, especially when there is a fantastic view from that side of the pool; the effect can look like the pool blends into the landscape, creating uninterrupted views.

Floating Pools – a magical-looking pool design with the illusion of floating above the ground, using LED lights to highlight the effect, makes an exquisitelooking pool design by day or night. An integrated variety of levels around the pool makes space for dining, socialising and relaxing.

Diving down deep – a pool fitted with the darkest blue tiles to emphasise depth and space, creating the illusion of the deep blue sea inviting you to dive in and explore, complemented by lighting to further create shadows around the pool, producing the illusion of the ocean and its hidden treasures.

– a design option that means a single space can be transformed in minutes. Take a basement swimming pool designed with a moving floor, and ‘hey presto! At the press of a button, the pool hall becomes a dance studio or party space. Or a garden pool transforms into a grassed play area as the pool disappears.

The ultimate pool and wellness experience – a pool suite with ALL the latest features to create wellbeing at home. Transforming a basement or situated in a pool hall, the spa experience has the swimming pool as the hero feature complemented by an inground spa alongside the pool, a wellness suite featuring sauna, steam rooms and behind a glass wall, and a fitness studio so users can view the inviting pool while exercising.

Its a whole lot more than a hole in the ground!

What are the latest features of top-end swimming pools?

Case Study: The Country House at Hunchy, Sunshine Coast Hinterland, Queensland, Australia

5 Star Accredited country House at Hunchy B&B has a wonderful 12 x 4 metre pool in the backyard, surrounded by pristine rainforest with its magical sights and sounds.

It is a go-to haven for Guests in the warmer months here in Queensland.

Whilst Queensland has the highest rate of swimming pools in the country, not many traditional B&Bs in Australia have a pool for Guest use.

There are costs but the owners have taken these into account when calculating prices along with all the other necessary operating costs.

In their experience some Guests use 'Pool' in their search criteria as much as 'Luxury' especially in our summer when temperatures can reach 40 degrees C even in the Hinterland which is always a few degrees cooler than down on the Sunshine Coast itself.

They deliberately don't provide many pool toys - just noodles for those who just want to float around with minimal effort gazing up into the clear blue skies if they can summon up the effort to open their eyes!

And as a bonus, the pool is always there for the owners to use when there are no Guests!

https://thecountryhouseathunchy.com.au/

THE OLD MILL HOUSE

Little Petherick, near Padstow, Cornwall

Detached Grade II Listed, former corn mill

To be sold by way of an asset sale as a transfer of a business as a going concern (TOGC).

7 en-suite bedroom guest accommodation

1 en-suite bedroom owners’ accommodation

Extensive gardens | Circa 25 cover bistro restaurant

0.2 acre plot | Freehold Sold with the benefit of the fixtures and fittings. Tel: 01326 318813 | e.: info@laskowskiandcompany.co.uk

NUMBER ONE B&B

Deal, Kent

5 bedroom B&B | £665,000 Stylish and contemporary Victorian Villa situated a few meters from the seafront at Deal. This property is ranked as the number one B&B for the whole of Deal on Tripadvisor. Close to Dover and Ramsgate. A basement flat serves as owner accommodation. Visit milesandbarr.co.uk or call 01227 499500 Property reference for miles & barr: 31486186

7.5 acres in semi-rural,

location Tel: 01624 820600 | Email: hello@plumproperties.im

HORECA welcomes the crew

Here is where business opportunities, innovations and trends are served up – with a particular focus on major industry themes such as sustainability and innovative hospitality: This is Ambiente, the global meeting place for the hotel, restaurant and catering sectors.

Discover the Ambiente of the future: ambiente.messefrankfurt.com/horeca info@uk.messefrankfurt.com Tel. +44 (0) 14 83 48 39 84