When someone brings up staying at a B&B on a trip out somewhere, the image you get is usually of a cute little place run by a nice retired couple who are really not in it for the profit. Well, that's not really how bed-and-breakfasts work these days.
Ever since the Internet came along and allowed people to advertise their business, all kinds of people have begun to jump on board – people who wouldn't be in business if it wasn't very easy through the Internet to get a few customers.
These days, bed-and-breakfasts aren't really bed-and-breakfasts most of the time. For instance, AirBnB.com, the online service that allows you to book a room with any self-styled bed-and-breakfast anywhere in the world, often lists places that aren't even businesses. People with a spare room often put it up in the hopes of making a little quick money. A real bed-and-breakfast is supposed to be licensed; these places on the other hand, usually, are not.
Ever since the Internet came along and allowed people to advertise their business, all kinds of people have begun to jump on board – people who wouldn't be in business if it wasn't very easy through the Internet to get a few customers.
These days, bed-and-breakfasts aren't really bed-and-breakfasts most of the time. For instance, AirBnB.com, the online service that allows you to book a room with any self-styled bed-and-breakfast anywhere in the world, often lists places that aren't even businesses. People with a spare room often put it up in the hopes of making a little quick money. A real bed-and-breakfast is supposed to be licensed; these places on the other hand, usually, are not.