Both hotel and bed and breakfast offer lodging, but they have different aims, objectives, and target markets. Let’s take a look at the main differences between the two.
Summary Table
| Bed and Breakfast | Hotel |
| Offers personal service | Offers mass service |
| Rooms in private homes | Rooms in buildings |
| Few types of rooms | Various types of rooms |
Definitions
A bed and breakfast is a home or an inn where the owner offers rooms to guests. It is often said that the term “bed-and-breakfast” refers to the portions of a house or apartment rented out for overnight stays, although it can also describe establishments in which guests have open-ended access to the whole house, such as a basement apartment.
Hotels usually consist of multiple buildings, the only common feature being that guests are housed in separate accommodation from the inn or bed and breakfast owner. The hotel may be attached to an office building, a shopping center, or a restaurant. A small number of modern hotels are built exclusively as a form of investment, and may contain little more than two or three rooms, often accessed by a minute elevator.
Bed and Breakfast vs Hotel
There are many things that make a difference between a bed and breakfast and a hotel. The first is the price of staying at either one. Bed and breakfasts range from luxury country houses to budget guesthouses in cities. Hotel rooms generally cost more than those in bed and breakfast, though they may provide more conveniences.
The second difference is the way these establishments treat their guests. A bed and breakfast caters primarily to couples looking for a romantic getaway, while a hotel tends to fill up with business people and families who want a place to stay while they’re on vacation at a beach or ski resort.
The third difference is the type of rooms that each hotel and bed and breakfast offer. Most hotels have standard rooms, deluxe rooms and suites. Bed and breakfast usually have only a few types of rooms, such as the classic suite or cottage room.
Bed and breakfasts offer rooms in private homes, while most hotels provide their guests with rooms in hotel-owned buildings. This means that the bed and breakfast can be more attentive to the guests, since they are not dealing with a large number of strangers. Bed and breakfasts offer breakfast in their guests’ rooms, while most hotels have to serve breakfast in the lobby or restaurant. This means that B&Bs are more accommodating to their guests.
Bed and breakfast usually allow pets, while most hotels do not allow pets. This is because the bed and breakfast owners usually have a cat or dog in the house while they are away. The most interesting difference between bed and breakfasts and hotels is that bed and breakfasts tend to be more personal, while hotels are more impersonal.
