What makes for a good B&B?

Yes indeed, you may well ask!

Well documented research prioritises the following factors:

Comfort & Cleanliness:

A cosy bed: A comfortable bed with high-quality linens is essential for a good night's sleep.

We make it our especial business to seek out comfy beds, Charlotte has a ‘Princess and the Pea’ attitude to this aspect and we source all our mattresses from a special supplier in Birmingham. After all if you don't have a comfortable night, the rest of the stay is never going make up for it!

Spotless rooms: Cleanliness is paramount, from the bathroom to the overall room appearance.

Our cleaning team are experienced and meticulous - although they are only human like the rest of us! Occasionally, and being an old house, a spider's web or dead fly will miraculously appear almost instantly after a clean, yet we do take great efforts to always present clean and hygienic accommodations. Charlotte's eclectic decorative style makes our house, the bedrooms, the holiday cottages all super homely. It may not be to everyone's tastes but we will not be bland and certainly not homogenous with anyone else!

Well-Maintained Facilities:

Guests expect well-maintained bathrooms, showers, and common areas.

Guests' standards are constantly rising and we know that sometimes even our best efforts cannot meet those vaulting expectations where even the Baths of Caracalla would be be deemed a disappointment. Hot water is the the key, and lots of it we find and woe betide the hotel, guesthouse or B&B that runs out! To keep all this shiny side up, our maintenance man Dave is on constant overwatch and we have the two Andy's, one an excellent plumber and the other a meticulous electrician at hand - a result of years of nurturing the best local talent and then keeping them, not as easy as it sounds in 21st century Britain. Its still a challenge though!

Breakfast:

Quality & Variety: A delicious and varied breakfast is a hallmark of a good B&B experience.

Oh yes, we take breakfast, arguably the most important meal of the day, seriously! Charlotte can cook a fabulous English Cooked Breakfast, of course, but she is also a dab hand at almost anything else including for example: smashed avocado versions - tick; *Eggs Benedict - tick; *Kedgeree - tick … the list goes on. We don't however do kippers because of the persistent smell and (alas) black/white puddings because 95% of our guests dislike it, more's the pity. (* by prior request only).

Locally Sourced Ingredients: Many guests appreciate breakfast made with fresh, local ingredients.

Ask and you shall receive! The chicken and duck eggs come from our own stock, kept in the garden in their fox-proof stockade. The bacon & sausages are locally procured and have been exhaustively tested against competitors to give our guests the best there is to be had in our area! The fruit and vegetables sometimes come from our own garden, when available, otherwise bought locally and usually organically.

Dietary Considerations: Options for guests with dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, allergies) are important.

We take dietary requirements and allergies seriously; Charlotte as a professional cook is trained to Level 5 hygiene standards, especially aware about foods that can cause some people problems. Its important to flag up to us in advance any allergies or intolerances as we do not have supernatural guessing powers!

Hospitality & Service:

A warm welcome: A friendly and welcoming atmosphere from the hosts is crucial.

We like to personally greet guests because that is the golden thread that cultivates a customer - host relationship. It is that personal connection developed on arrival, sometimes over a cup of tea or a glass of wine, and then more usually over a convivial breakfast that we think sets us aside from A N Other establishment. Sometimes we may have to deputise to a trusted person who has been thoroughly vetted by ourselves, but mainly its just us!

Local Tips & Recommendations: Hosts who can offer insider tips on local attractions and dining are valuable.

Please ask us, naturally we are familiar with this our home area and if we don't, somehow, know, we will almost certainly know someone else who will!

Atmosphere & Ambiance:

Charming & Unique: Guests often seek B&Bs with unique character and charm.

This is our USP really. You get a slice of our life, unadorned and not contrived, and this includes our personalities, our characters and our modus operandi. You are staying in our real home, not some construct of what a home might be like, we are the authentic thing! We are not bland and we are certainly different, more perhaps than many other B&B's you might have visited before. You will have read our testimonials and can make your own minds up!

Quiet & Peaceful: A tranquil and peaceful environment is highly valued.

Breedon Hall & Mews is a tranquil and quiet place most of the time, despite being in the heart of the village. However, at some very busy times in the summer, the airport does impinge on this with ‘stacking’ aircraft await landing slots. Its annoying and sometimes intrusive, but only intermittently. Although not a frequent irritation is it unfortunately not much we can do about it.

Sense of Community: Some guests enjoy the social aspect of interacting with other guests.

Breakfast is always held communally here; we don't do tables for two or four, we sit everyone around our kitchen or dining room tables, depending on overall numbers. This usually leads to a convivial breakfast and is far better, in our opinion, than the whispered silence usually encountered in other places! If that's not your vibe, then …

If you stay on a Thursday night, particularly if you've brought your dog and love dogs, then join us for ‘Dog Night’ at the pub for an hour or so, meeting everyone else's dog in the village (no, not everyone's dog, but a goodly number!). Its great fun to share a drink with others at The Three Horseshoes bar and the dogs enjoy the meet n' greet too!

Value for Money:

Competitive Pricing: Guests want to feel they are getting good value for the price they pay.

This is a thorny subject as everyone has different ideas as to what constitutes VFM. As business owners we always strive to give the best stay we can for our customers, not always very easy with a continual headwind of inflation, eternally spiralling energy, staff and food costs, but we try! We are never going to be cheap but neither do we think we are taking the Michael. Its a subjective thing anyway - all we do know is that a lot of people keep coming back!

Extra Touches: Small extras like complimentary refreshments or toiletries can enhance the value.

Our bedroom tea trays don't have UHT milk, we always provide fresh, together with quality biscuits. We like to put good quality shampoos and shower gels in our bathrooms, as we too like to find them when we stay somewhere. We'll not go far wrong if we our customers as we would like to be treated ourselves. A cliché but its that for a reason!

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We focus on these key areas but we are not infallible and sometimes things can and do go wrong - or worse not come up to expectations. We hate that when it happens and try, always, to learn and do better next time. At the end of the day we are judged by our last stay by our last guests and in these days of Parthian shots via online testimonials and feedback platforms, by Jove if you not up to scratch you will soon be called out. Come, stay and find out!