Bed, Breakfast & Business

Not sure where to stay on your next business trip? Why not try a bed-and-breakfast (B&B)? More corporate travelers are doing just that, according to the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII), a trade organization for bed-and-breakfast owners.

In urban areas, a quarter of all B&B guests describe themselves as business travelers, according to PAII. And visits to B&Bs by road warriors were up across the nation last year, says Pat Hardy, co-executive director for PAII. "People are discovering the advantages of a bed-and-breakfast," she says. Those include personal service, better safety than many hotels can offer, and a home-cooked breakfast.

John Wiley, who manages the historic 1790 House Bed & Breakfast in Georgetown, South Carolina, with his wife, Patricia, says travelers feel like they're coming home when they stay at a B&B. "After just one visit, many of them become repeat customers," he adds.

It's even possible to collect frequent-stay points at B&Bs. InnPoints Rewards is a system offered through InnPoints Worldwide Inc. of Albuquerque, New Mexico. InnPoints' executive vice president Mark Brown says frequent guests at any of the network's 400 properties can collect points that may be redeemed for frequent flier miles or free stays. For more information about the InnPoints Rewards program, call (800) 401-2262.

Christopher Elliott is a writer in Los Angeles and a columnist for "ABC News Online."

This article was originally published in the September 1998 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Bed, Breakfast & Business.