Closing the B&B

Karen Thorne shares the inner workings of her life as a B&B owner

Karen Thorne Bed and Breakfast Academy Closing the B&B

After 17 years, I closed the doors to Hopton House B&B in July.

It wasn’t quite the finale I’d planned – thank you pandemic!

I’ve been asked why I decided to shut up shop and there’s no one main reason. But it seemed once I made the decision, everytime I had a wobble, the universe would throw another reason at me.

Sometimes you just have to trust your intuition!

My main motivation was that I really wanted to focus my attention on my training business.

During the lockdowns, I put my B&B course online and created the B&B marketing membership, helping B&B owners attract more guests directly.

Yet running an online business, whilst also welcoming B&B guests had its complications.

On several occasions, I’d be halfway through giving a live workshop on ZOOM when guests would arrive early.

“Hello, here’s your key, your rooms over there, I’m in a meeting” isn’t quite the warm welcome that earned me so many repeat guests.

Then my cleaner of 10 years resigned and I just couldn’t face training someone new.

And I’ve been watching the amazing B&Bs the B&B Academy students were creating, and realising that Hopton House really needed a revamp and was it really worth the investment?

I’ve loved running a B&B, welcoming back so many wonderful guests year after year. And, oh boy, I do miss my regulars.

But the dormouse in me is rather enjoying her lie-ins and not having to clean her nest quite so often.

 

Read this and other great stories in the December 2021 issue of Luxury BnB Magazine.

Read the December 2021 issue of Luxury BnB Magazine
Read the December 2021 issue of Luxury BnB Magazine

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About Karen Thorne 20 Articles
Karen is the owner of Bed and Breakfast Academy. She has run her own successful B&B in Shropshire, England, for 17 years and supporting and guiding aspiring and existing B&B owners through B&B academy for the last 15 years. If your dream is to run your own amazing bed and breakfast... I will support you to create a business you'll love owning, and which guests will love staying at.