The Ultimate Daily Routine Checklist for Your Bed and Breakfast

Running a bed and breakfast is both rewarding and challenging. The rewards are plentiful, and you’re establishing a cozy lifestyle filled with new people.

As for the challenges, they generally stem from not having enough hours in the day to get all the work done. The answer? A checklist.

In this article, we look at the ultimate daily routine checklist for your bed and breakfast. Let’s look at your routine.

Get Up Early

You’ve got a lot to do in the morning before you get breakfast ready for your guests.

If you have pets to feed, now is the time. You can also grab a cup of coffee for yourself for an extra boost.

Most bed and breakfast owners get up with the sun or even a bit earlier. Once you get up, shower, and get dressed, you’re ready to take on the day. (tweet this) Be sure and take a few minutes for yourself so you are refreshed and energized to serve your guests.

Check Your Email

It’s a good idea to check your email early in the morning so you can see if any reservations came in overnight.

This way you’ll be prepared for any guests that show up that day.

Get Breakfast Ready

If you have a chef, that’s great. Now is the time to go to your kitchen and check in with your chef.

If you’re the cook, it’s time to get started.

Many innkeepers serve breakfast from 7 am or 7:30 am to anywhere between 9 am and 10 am. Be sure and keep to a schedule every day of the week. You may consider taking it a bit longer on the weekends.

This is your time to prepare a scrumptious meal for your guests. Once served, take the time to chat with your guests and see what they have planned for their day and night. Offer any suggestions as needed.

Clean Up Breakfast

Now it’s time to clean up the breakfast dishes. Straighten up the room and get it ready for the afternoon as well.

Clean the Rooms

If you have staff on hand to clean the rooms, the best time to do this is while your guests are eating breakfast.

Or you can wait until after breakfast, and the guests have gone for the day if you’re handling the cleaning.

If you have guests departing your inn, your staff also needs to work now to turn over the rooms and do all the laundry.

Most bed and breakfast owners will find they have laundry running all day long and into the early evening.

Check Your Email

It’s probably around noon now, and you want to check your email again to see if you have any new reservations.

Take Some Time for Yourself

Now that you’ve checked your latest reservations and scheduled some Facebook and Instagram posts, it’s time for you.

Take an hour to eat lunch, workout, go for a walk, garden, play with the dog, or simply rest. This is important as you need to be “on” the rest of the day. That takes a lot of energy, so don’t forget to take care of you.

Bake Cookies

Many bed and breakfasts serve afternoon cookies for their guests.

Since there is nothing better than the smell and taste of freshly baked cookies, it’s time to put some in the oven.

As a time saver, you can make your cookie dough for the week and keep it in the refrigerator.

Then, you can take out what you need each day and bake it.

Many of your guests know what time you’re serving cookies each day and look forward to it. Because of this, try to serve them at the same time every day.

Arrange Flowers

If you have a garden, you can cut some fresh flowers and arrange them around your inn.

Flowers are always a nice touch for your guests and always liven up a room.

Set Up Happy Hour

You can serve happy hour beginning sometime in the late afternoon. Pick a time after 3 pm and let your guests know when it begins.

Prepare what you’re serving. Your cookies are of course part of the plan. But you also want to decide if you’re serving beer or wine or mixed drinks. Consider partnering with a local brewery for added fun.

If you’re serving any light food, now is the time to prepare it and set it out.

Prep Breakfast for the Next Day

Now that happy hour is completed and cleaned up, and your guests are out for the evening, it’s time to set up breakfast for the next day.

If you need to go to the grocery store, you can go now to get what you need.

Plan your breakfast for the next day and prep what you can. For example, if you’re serving cinnamon rolls or a quiche, get it made now so all you have to do is pop it into the oven in the morning.

Clean the Kitchen

Once again, it’s time to tidy up the kitchen and dining area. Get everything cleaned up in preparation for the next day.

You can also set the table or set out the dishware and serve ware for the next day as well if you serve buffet style.

Time for Bed

The day is done, and now it’s time to rest.

It’s also time to relax a bit and spend quiet time. It’s the best way to get ready for the next day.

Final Thoughts

Creating a successful bed and breakfast isn’t something that happens overnight. It takes a lot of hard work, energy, determination, and patience. (tweet this)

Organization skills are key, and with multiple things to get done each day, your ultimate daily routine checklist can propel you to bed and breakfast victory.

Being an innkeeper has multiple rewards from the confidence of establishing a business to the day to day running of it. What’s more, the social rewards are many as well.

Where else can you work, cook (especially if you love it), and mingle with new people every week.

Once you get your own daily routine in place with your own checklist, you’re well on the way to managing your bed and breakfast like a pro.

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Images: Glenn Carstens-Peters and Micheile Henderson on Unsplash