I can understand the attraction - I have also thought about doing this. I have noticed that there in certain coastal areas of NS you can find some very cheap properties for sale - I suspect there is a reason for this though. It's something I do wish research further

Originally Posted by Surrey Expat View Post
In some area B & B's are limited to a small number of rooms e.g. where we were a B & B could have up to 3 rooms, after which they are considered and inn and then hotel. Different rules apply in different areas.

Good point - noted ...

Do you know anything about licensing? I've seen some B&B's for sale where the licence runs to Oct 2009, for example. Is it like a 5 or 10 year renewable thing (presumably run by the town council or similar?). What would be the likelihood of it not being renewed? Would this go on things like adhering to health and safety, hygiene, noise complaints, etc ?

Business plan - if you want to borrow from a financial institution for a business venture, essential. Even if you don't borrow, still highly recommended. A business plan is a bit like a map, you know where you start from, where you want to end up, the plan helps you get there.

Also noted -thank you Surrey Expat (me too!, Surrey, that is)

We had to get a business license from city hall, renewable every year. I have not heard of any for longer terms. We also had to have an inspection by the fire department as well as having the food safe certificate. Super host is also worth considering. This is a BC initiative, licensed across Canada, even in England.

Our B & B was inspected each year to get into the BC Accommodation's Guide and to get our star rating. This is optional. The rules may be different though if the accommodation is considered and inn or hotel.

I suggest contacting city hall in the areas you are considering to find out regulations as well as the tourism authority & the relevant provincial government dept. Do your own research rather than just relying on a seller.

This might be helpful
http://www.canadabusiness.ca/servlet...091&c=Services

If you don't have an area in mind, pick 3 or 4 sample municipalities, contact them and find out their regs. This will give you an idea, especially if they all turn out to be similar. Of course this is no guarantee that it will be the same in the area you finally settle on, but you will be better informed.

The more information you have, the more of an informed decision you can make. The business plan will help you focus on this as well.

This site might be of some help with creating a business plan.
http://www133.americanexpress.com/os...plan/index.asp

Where in Surrey are you from?

Hi

It's my role here in the UK to advise people on how to set up tourism businesses, serviced and self-catering, attractions, farm diversification enterprises etc. I've written a number of documents and leaflets on the subject and I know you're looking at Canada but much of the information about the day to day running is the same across the globe.

Obviously legislation affecting tourism businesses differ everywhere so you will have to do some serious research about what affects the type of business you want to run.

Remember it's a lifestyle choice over a business choice as it will take up a considerable amount of time and energy. If you're running it as a husband/wife partnership then you will be together 24/7 and often that can put a strain on a relationship.

Have a really strong and structured business plan. Even if you want to let out 2 rooms if you're applying for a bank loan for putting in en suites etc they will look favourably on you if you have done your homework.

Marketing is a really important part of the business too. You will have to look at what types of users your business will have to enable you to ensure that your facilities are tailored to the right market. i.e. if you want wealthy Americans you have to have everything absolutely top of the range. If you want cheap and chearful then your facilities can match that.

It helps if you start to gather a few leaflets you like to enable you to decide what type of marketing you want to do.

Contact the tourism officer in the location you want to open in, they will point you in the direction of tourism associations and groups who can be a real support.

It's a great industry but competition is fierce so make sure that the area you're looking at isn't already saturated with B&Bs. If that's the case then think about something else, which may be a different offer to what everyone else has.

Ann,
If you have an extra room in your house,you can fix it up and try it out as
a B and B for people who are on reccie trip to Calgary.

I don't know whether you are aware that CPS is going to have a central
registry for short or long term accomodations ,as posted by a BE member.

In that case, you will be saving the costs of advertising, booking agent
commissions and reduce the anxiety of not getting paying guests.

Just a thought.
Yoong

Do you mean land on which to build cottages though? There is no shortage of land but "ready-made" cottage businesses seem to be going for around $1.5million. The key difference is that if you build it could take a couple of years to get them built, advertise and build the revenue so you would have to factor that "opportunity cost" in as well as the build (which always come to more than you budget regardless of the budget figure!).

I think another key thing is that it is probably worth investing in a premium location. To my mind the key to success (in terms of occupancy rates and the ability to charge a bit of a premium) is to make sure you are able to offer guests the "main thing" that appeals to people about the area generally. So if you are in the Rockies you need to have a view of mountains from the bedrooms. If you are in NS you need to be oceanfront (or better still on a sandy beach). If you dont offer what people are looking for from the area you are at an instant dissadvantage.

It all comes down to excellent marketing, top notch customer care and word of mouth. The latter can make or break a tourism business in minutes, particularly if a forum type medium such as BE is involved anywhere.

i.e. I doubt many would use Whites for removals based mainly on the info provided on her re service etc.

There are some initiatives in Canada designed to help women in business. If the business is 51% owned by a woman then help may be available. Again research in individual provinces will determine just what is on offer.

As far as a cottage business in concerned there is a lot of investment to factor into developing and building up a business. You can buy off the peg cottages but then there is the planning, utilities, winterisation (if open year-round), access (driveways), kitting them out with furniture, which over there is no cheap feat, association joining fees, grading fees (always get grading). The UK only promotes graded accommodation now and it's policy which is spreading throughout the world. Scotland only promotes graded, which also has a Green Tourism grading too, so businesses have to keep one step ahead of current trends at all times.

In a B&B, you will always have to remember that you will have strangers in your home, which will make both children and valuables insecure (not to frighten you but even baddies have to stay somewhere).

What a great thread! Mrs Stuarty and I have been giving this some serious thought. When we first arrived it was our end plan, probably based around Vancouver Island. Now that housing costs, east to west, are so polarised, we are thinking more New Brunswick as we like the Atlantic coast and we have relatives in the St John area. (and the cheap hooses of course). Wondering if it is worthwhile getting a hold of some land there NOW when it is still cheap and thus pick our own location. This would allow us to build soon if we decide to opt out of Alberta's hot economy early (its getting too much like the UK but with worse drivers) build when we do retire or simply sell it if we opt for different. Any thoughts or should we wait to get one of the older more victorian style houses that are all the rage in B & B land.
Stuarty

I agree with your coments. I have tried to see if there is anything available to buy in NS (already built) but have drawn a blank so far. I've thought about buying a plot of land and putting up some log cabins (I know its a cliche) but haven't got around to anything further than thinking about it

Thank you again for all the continued comments and good advice.

Just for the hell of it, and a good afternoon out, we did a quick drive-by of some properties in the Banff and Canmore areas at the weekend - picked out 6 that I had seen for sale on the internet. All ranging from a measly $885k (!!) up to a delicate $2.3m. Only one looked special, ie, had good location and great kerb appeal (for the marketing photos you see) - but way out of our budget unless we wish to mortgage ourselves to the hilt and beyond. Need to find a really silent, but really rich partner !

So, of course, one could go to a part of the world where the property is a lot cheaper, and run the risk of bumping into every other bod and his dog who thought it was a good idea too !

Back to the drawing board - not put off yet. More investigations and homework being done - predominantly on the location - where is good, but not at saturation point? (and where we would like to live and find a good education for our children). Oh, and the small factor of being able to afford said idyllic paradise...

And of course, if I locate such a place, I shall not tell a single one of you, and will selfishly keep it all to myself

I agree that location is very important, but not necessarily oceanfront etc.
Our B&B is in a very historic town which draws a lot of tourists. Although the peak season is short, six months, the rest of the year is a nice break from the intense summer season.
My advice would be to buy an existing business, rather than start from
scratch. Do not start with the burden of a large mortgage. Buy in a location
that you are happy to make your home in. Make sure that the house has adequate private space for yourselves. Make sure that all the B&B's in the area have a good working relationship with each other. Have a goal as to
the market and stick with it initially. You can't be all things to all people.
Make sure that both of you have clearly defined roles as to the business, but be prepared to compromise to help each other out.
And remember, sometimes you have to pretend to be something that you are not really!

Forgive me if this has already been said, I've followed this thread with interest but cannot recall. The advice above is totally valid I feel if your target market is Euro/US tourists or even some Canadian tourists. I agree that if you don't provide this premium location (regardless of service levels) they may feel cheated.

However, there are many other markets out there, that do not require a mountain view etc which you may wish to focus on. I mentioned before about a retreat type set up - a quiet, off the beaten track location is prime for this sort of thing. In addition to this you could find gorgeous property relatively cheaply further north in Alberta, Saskatchewan etc which would cater for fishing or hunting groups. Not all of this group want rough and ready - many US tourists come to Canada (bringing the whole family) for this type of vacation.

Also, if you had a property which was besides lots of horse trails or ATV trails you could cater specifically for that group (do the skidoo thing in winter too to extend your season). You may find something along the well-travelled Alaska highway route for, again, the many US RVers who travel north religiously every year!

In Alberta, there is some beautiful country just north of Edmonton leading to some lovely lakes which Canadians tend to frequent rather than do the Jasper/Banff stuff. From Westlock upwards things start to get very interesting if you're looking for "baby" wilderness but don't want to go the whole hog and get lost in the extreme north!

This area also has some great schools I hear - so going further north does not necessarily mean you'd be out of touch - but you would have to drive a bit further for a big city.

Just some more thoughts occurring...

This is a B & B in Ontario that runs a course on opening a B & B.....
http://www.bbcanada.com/bb_marketpla.../carriagelane/