Bring Back the B&Bs

Long before Airbnb, folks on vacation stayed in actual B&Bs. Indeed, there was a time when bed and breakfasts were the go-to accommodation for a lot of us — in particular as we trekked around the British Isles.

And they were quite magical! They were unique and charming and you had a built-in opportunity to meet other travelers as well as the typically gregarious (and knowledgeable) host. You were greeted each morning with a hearty "cooked breakfast." And the kicker: They were far less expensive than hotels.

But B&Bs — particularly the variety popular 40 or 50 years ago — are on the decline. "The classic B&B is becoming an endangered species," says Cameron Hewitt, content and editorial director for Rick Steves' Europe.

More's the pity as I'll explain.

For millennia, travelers have needed lodging as they move from town to town. From the earliest days of the medieval period, monasteries provided a place to stay and meals for wayfaring strangers. By the end of the Middle Ages. there were over 20,000 of these spartan but FREE religious houses dotting the medieval landscape. Roadside inns (and taverns with rooms) became popular over time, the predecessor to modern day hotels.

Gradually the purpose for travel morphed from the practical (a move, a visit with family or a religious pilgrimage) to tourism. After World War II, this new demand resulted in industrious homeowners (often housewives) offering a bed and a home-cooked breakfast.

And the B&B was born. The British Isles were the epicenter of these establishments; indeed, the term "B&B" was first used there.

"Classic B&Bs — the kind where you stay in a rented room in a friendly local family's home, and are treated to a filling breakfast each morning — are certainly a speciality in Great Britain and Ireland," Hewitt says.

Take my stay in the Dublin home of Una Ryan in 1983. Ryan was The Classic B&B "Real Deal": a widow with grown children who had two spare rooms to let out, for extra income to supplement her pension. She simply called and listed those rooms with the local tourist information office where I, in turn, found her name and number. Easy-peasy, no Internet required.

For 6.5 Irish pounds or about $9 then and $30 today, Ryan provided a modest but clean room (no ensuites, bathroom down the hall), a warm smile, lots of advice on the best of Dublin and a full and filling Irish breakfast that was always the same: eggs, a "rasher" of bacon and sausage, "Irish brown bread," juice and coffee.

Another brand of the old-style B&Bs were guesthouses and lodges — but not the "purpose-built" type you'll find today. While somewhat larger than a standard home, they also provided basic rooms, welcoming hosts, budget prices and those lovely communal breakfasts.

I think I caught the golden age of these institutions while traveling in the British Isles in the 1980s. I visited four times during that decade — always opting for B&Bs. During my stays, I enjoyed the following benefits and perks you just won't find at a Marriott.

Authentic immersion in the culture

Staying in someone's home is about as immersed and authentic as you can get. My B&B experiences always involved getting to know the host a bit, and asking for recommendations on places to visit and restaurants to try.

And some cultural lessons. My time with Ryan taught me a few differences between Irish and American English. One evening I told her I was getting up early to catch a tour bus. She asked me, innocently and quite unaware of the double entendre: "Shall I knock you up in the morning?"

True hospitality

It was always clear to me that the B&B hosts really liked people. Yes, it was a commercial transaction but they nearly universally went out of their way to make you feel welcome.

Often I would arrive in the afternoon and be treated to tea or coffee and "biscuits" (cookies). In Ireland, my husband and I showed up one evening at our B&B after a long drive on a blustery, cold October day and the lovely host brought us coffee and a heaping basket of buttered "brown bread" to enjoy beside a roaring fire. Irish hospitality bliss!

An "elderly couple" — that's what my travel journal says—they were probably my current age — treated us to "tea and sandwiches and biscuits" both nights that we stayed with them in England's Lake District. So they were really a B&B&D (dinner!).

An easy-on-the-wallet option

Traveling by myself in the early 1980s, I found delightful B&Bs for about 7 pounds per night. In 1988, visiting with my husband, prices had gone up — but not by much. That Lake District B&B&D charged 8.5 pounds, about 15 bucks; $40 today.

It was the best of all worlds: friendly, knowledgeable hosts, comfortable digs, a peek at authentic local life and hearty breakfasts all on a budget.

Meeting other travelers

Along with those uber-affable hosts, you often got to know the other guests, particularly at the communal morning meal. At breakfast at a B&B in St. Andrews, Scotland, my husband met some other travelers and was invited to play golf on the Old Course with them. They had snagged a coveted tee time and needed a fourth. He was in golfer's heaven.

Plenty of traveling tales

Unlike the corporate sameness of hotels and motels, B&Bs are nearly an adventure. The homes and the hosts are, of course, one-of-a-kind. And staying at one of these establishments often results in a good story.

One of my favorite B&B anecdotes involves Michael Jackson: In 1988, my husband and I stayed in a massive (8,773 square foot) lodge/B&B called Coolatore House near Moate, Ireland. It was late October and we were the only guests and thus were given the largest bedroom available — it must have been 500 square feet — all for 9 Irish pounds or about $13.50 then and $35 in today's dollars.

Here's the crazy thing: Michael Jackson stayed in that same ginormous bedroom almost 20 years later. He and his entourage rented the entire estate for six months in 2006.

The evolution of Coolatore House is emblematic of the lodge-style B&Bs of the 1980s and '90s. By the time Jackson and his group stayed there, this charming, inexpensive B&B was a self-catering estate. I could not find the going rate for the Neo-Gothic mansion — but it was for rent for 10,000 euros monthly in 2017.

Hewitt began to see fewer classic B&Bs in the early 2010s. Not coincidentally, Airbnb was on the rise during this period. In 2011, the site hit 1 million nights booked. Other reservation sites — VRBO, Expedia, Travelocity — were changing the very nature of vacation accommodation choices. Hewitt notes that "travelers gravitated to these short-term rental sites for a variety of reasons: more independence and privacy; more space; more convenience in booking instantly, online; and, in some cases, lower prices."

Then COVID hit. Post-pandemic, Hewitt says, "I observed a transformed landscape." Many B&Bs never reopened. Additionally, "travelers now prefer self-check-in and having breakfast on their own, to limit contact with other people — turning what had been one of the big draws of B&Bs, the one-on-one interactions, into a disadvantage."

The bottom line, Hewitt says, is that "the number of traditional B&Bs is dwindling."

Hewitt is not optimistic. "The landscape of what kinds of accommodations many travelers are looking for has simply changed too much," Hewitt says.

To keep up with those market pressures, the very nature of B&Bs has morphed. "Instead of being greeted by a friendly local person who shows you to your room, answers your travel questions, and serves you breakfast the next morning, you let yourself in with a code at a little lock-box, and may go the duration of your stay without ever interacting with the host," Hewitt laments.

And those that do offer the traditional cordial host and in-person breakfast have gone decidedly upscale — with corresponding price tags. Hewitt cites one example of a new B&B opening in Ireland, Caravogue House in Trim. Caravogue, which advertises itself as a "boutique bed and breakfast," offers the following amenities: plush bathrobes and complimentary slippers, ensuite rooms with "power showers" and Nespresso machines, high quality toiletries. The lowest rate for a weekend in September was 302 euros ($326 per night), before taxes.

But even these posh B&Bs are few and far between. They book up fast. Hewitt recommends those interested in a B&B experience "get a very early start researching your options, and book many months ahead."

I searched online for the B&Bs I stayed in back in the 1980s. I found exactly ONE. The Lighthouse B&B in picturesque Kinsale, Ireland is now called the K Kinsale but, alas, it is no longer a B&B; it's now "an elegant boutique accommodation" with all of those high-end amenities: Egyptian cotton bed linens and a "timeless art collection." Our room (10 pounds with a full breakfast in 1988) fetches 125 euros nightly.

If I could time travel I would absolutely stay with Ryan in Dublin. Or that friendly "elderly couple" in the Lake District. I would certainly return to Coolatore House for the hospitality and that gigantic room that Michael Jackson would one day sleep in.

But those places no longer exist.

For tourists willing to pay for the "new, improved" version of B&Bs, Hewitt holds out a small slice of optimism, hoping that "travelers will come around again, and recognize that the people-to-people interactions they enjoy at a traditional B&B can greatly enhance their trip."

"If more travelers begin to appreciate this — and make a point to seek these places out — hopefully, we could see a renaissance of B&Bs."

Marie Sherlock practiced law for a decade before turning to writing and editing in her 30s — and never looked back. She's worked as the editor of several publications and is the author of a parenting book (Living Simply with Children; Three Rivers Press). She spends her empty-nest days writing about travel trends and destinations, simplicity, spirituality and social justice issues. Read More