Bed and breakfast

From ArticleWorld

The term Bed and Breakfast conventionally refers to an overnight boarding house which provides rooming services on a daily basis, including breakfast. The expression Bed and Breakfast can be traced to back to England from an earlier era. Typically located in a house, the usual bed and breakfast (often abbreviated to B&B) service would provide overnight stay for weary travelers with a hearty breakfast the next morning to set them on their way. A bed and breakfast provides the inmates with a distinctive and custom-made experience of travel that allows them to get the feel of the place.

Roots

In ancient England, when inns and hostelries had not permeated to parts of the countryside, weary travelers would be put up by a local family who would provide food and lodging for a modest fee. Bed and breakfast were fundamentally different from the inns in that they allowed the travelers to stay on indefinitely. Some people preferred to stay and use them more like the working hostels of the day, going out to work after a sumptuous meal that usually kept them going until dinner time. Dinner they would either carry with them or have it at their place of work, only returning to the B&B for the bed and the next morning’s breakfast.

Then and now

The modern B & B’s have more or less kept to the traditions of their ancient counter parts, providing the same type of environment and services as them. The emphasis is on hospitality in a family setting. The host family continues to stay in the same house as its clients, one of the spare bedrooms being turned into a guest room. Morning finds the family and the visitor sharing breakfast and social conversations around the dining table. The breakfast menu varies from house to house, but is generally what the hosts would eat themselves. The cost of the B&B is usually less when compared to a hotel or motel, more so because of the inclusion of breakfast in the price.

B&B in America

The origins of the B&B tradition in the United States can also be traced back to the England of post-World War II period. Immediately after the war, American soldiers stationed in England before returning home wanted to see a bit of the old country. The English welcomed both the appreciative soldier as well as the chance to earn a few extra pounds that this opportunity offered. These young men carried back warm memories of their days last spent in England, and an ancient tradition crossed the Atlantic and came to America.