Basic Bed and Breakfast Etiquette for Guests

An appealing aspect of the breakfast-included inns is their warm and more personalized service. Hospitality is at the core of this type of business, and guests book a particular inn based on the quality of hospitality service they want. Some guests want to share a common room, while others want privacy for their belongings. They also have the option of dining with other guests or having their food served at the door.

What is the basic etiquette that every guest must know every time they register in this type of establishment?

• Communicate. It is important to discuss or communicate certain things with the staff of these posadas because they offer various amenities and services according to the needs of each guest.

Please provide details on room preferences, food allergies, dietary restrictions, and other special requests before you stay. Be sure to disclose arrival and departure details so that you can have an organized record of arriving guests.

When celebrating a birthday or anniversary, inform the innkeepers in advance. Some of them offer free updates depending on the celebration. For example, they serve chocolates and sparkling wine to those guests.

• It’s okay to skip the breakfast they serve. While dining with other guests is one of the fun perks they offer, innkeepers will generally understand if their guests want to skip meals. When checking into smaller properties with limited seating, any plans to skip breakfast must be coordinated with any staff member in advance so that the reserved seat can be opened to others.

• Learn more about their policies for delayed flights and late check-ins. Innkeepers understand the reasons you experience travel uncertainties such as traffic jams and flight delays, but be sure to contact them when one of these occurs.

• Check your pet policy. Breakfast inns have several rules when it comes to bringing pets. Some find it perfect, while others strictly don’t allow it.

• Be honest, especially when something spills into the room. As part of customer service compliance, innkeepers have no right to blame or shame their guests for spilling something inside their rooms. Tell them about the incident right away so they can clean the room right away.

• Start a conversation with other travelers. An advantage of staying at these inns is the ability to strike up a conversation with other guests over breakfast. This is a good opportunity to learn more about the tourist destinations in the area and share common experiences. In doing so, be sure to steer clear of topics like politics and religion because other guests may come from places or countries where there is a different belief about these two things.

• Ask for the best places to visit and activity ideas. In general, the innkeepers know more about the places to visit within the area than their guests. Take this opportunity to ask them for advice on other possible routes to visit. They are more than happy to provide what they know by giving away books, brochures, flyers, and other helpful materials. Some breakfast inns also have small libraries to help travelers get to other destinations and engage in exciting activities.