Naming your bed and breakfast is one of the most important decisions you will make as an innkeeper. You are likely to be stuck with what you choose forever, so don’t make a hasty choice. From a marketing perspective, you want the name to be original so that no one has used it before. You also want a name that is easy to remember and easy to search online for guests who want to book a trip.
Coming up with a good name
- Make a fairly long list of potential names before deciding on one.
- Ask a few friends whose opinions you trust to give an honest opinion.
- Consider using the location of your inn in the name. But be careful – names like Inn by the Sea are overused and you want the name to stand out from other hotels, inns, and resorts.
- If your inn has a special history, consider including that in the name.
- Think of alternative meanings. For example, “Harry” sounds like “furry” and is not always particularly attractive.
- Say the name out loud several times and have people who are unfamiliar with it do the same. Names that are difficult to pronounce are not the most useful.
- Make sure it’s fresh. Look up the name on the internet – If dozens of visits appear in any context, or if even a handful of other bed and breakfasts are already using the name, discard it.
- Think about how it will look on a logo. Long names can be difficult to use on brochures and business cards.
- Look for possible URLs. If you want to be Smith’s Bed and Breakfast, look up URLs like smiths.com and smithsbb.com to make sure a good one is available for you. And since domain registration is relatively inexpensive, you can also go ahead and reserve any domain name you want in the future.
- Don’t forget that one day you will want to sell the inn. Personal names (for example, Smith’s Bed and Breakfast) generally don’t convey as well as names like Golden Eagle Bed and Breakfast.
- Think alphabetically. Some B&B directories list the inns in alphabetical order. Apple House Bed and Breakfast scores better here than Yellow Frog Inn.
- Remember that naming your inn should balance all of these suggestions. AAA Bed and Breakfast may get a good ranking in some inn directories, but it sounds stale and institutional.
- Make sure you like the name. After all, it is your bed and breakfast!
Advice
If you’re really having trouble, consider contacting a local advertising agency or marketing company for a consultation. Some may even set up a focus group to review their options. You may also want to keep these consultants available for any other questions when starting your new business. On the downside, this will cost money, but it will be money well spent on your B&B grand scheme. Most entrepreneurs and new business owners would rather do the research, and pay well up front, rather than have difficulties in getting clients and guests.
