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Bed & Breakfast Owner

Hospitality: Fox Hill Bed & Breakfast, Fairfield, VA
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Do you want to become a Bed & Breakfast Owner?

Do you dream of owning your own country inn, surrounded by nature, providing Southern (or even Northern) hospitality to your guests? Does the relaxed elegance of the bed and breakfast culture call to you? Do you hunger for all of that, AND the business sense to make it a viable dream job? Then it may be time to “check in” with Sue and Mark Erwin for a VocationVactions® dream job holiday at Fox Hill Bed & Breakfast located on 38 rolling acres in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, an easy distance from both Charlottesville and Roanoke.

When the Erwin’s decided they were ready to pursue their dream jobs and leave the corporate world, they did their homework. “We did the ‘what do we want from life?’ analysis,” shares Sue. “We were attracted to the bed and breakfast business, so we took two years, visiting as many properties as we could, working with a number of innkeepers on everything from the care of guests to the financial aspects of the business.”

It was an intensive learning process. The Erwin’s analyzed the benefits of converting a historic building over using a ‘purpose-built’ bed and breakfast property. “We chose a building that was designed as a bed and breakfast because we thought it would better suit the needs of our guests. We didn’t have to deal with bathrooms that were tucked into former closets or hallways,” explains Sue.

Fox Hill is the Erwin’s second bed and breakfast property. “Our first property was in Vermont. It was much more labor intensive. We served dinner, so we had to have additional staff. We also offered cross-country skiing, so that demanded our attention, too,” remembers Mark. “When we sold that property, we knew we wanted our next bed and breakfast to be something we could run by ourselves. We did our research and found Fox Hill.”

Of course, their day still starts early: 6:30 a.m. That gives them time to make breakfast and be available for their guests. “Most people think we must get up earlier than we do. But we’ve got it down to a science,” adds Sue. With 11 years of bed and breakfast ownership experience behind them, Sue and Mark are both cheerleaders for what’s great about their jobs and “wake-up-and-make-the coffee honest” about what it takes to make a bed and breakfast successful.

Besides being featured in numerous local publications about the Shenandoah Valley, Fox Hill is a featured property in Frommers’ upcoming travel guide for the area, which also offers a wide variety of historic, cultural and natural wonders to explore in nearby Lexington and Staunton.

While on your Bed and Breakfast Owner VocationVacations® dream job holiday with Sue and Mark Erwin at Fox Hill Bed and Breakfast, activities will include some or all of the following:
  • Planning a successful bed and breakfast business
  • Learning about inspections, zoning, licensing, permits, taxes and regulations
  • Learning about business/legal structure, insurance, and finances
  • Setting up reservation and guest relation policies and determining services
  • Identifying staffing needs
  • Recognizing key priorities in choosing a successful location for your Inn
  • Ongoing property management
  • Managing your property effectively
  • Decorating and upkeep of the property
  • Understanding occupancy rates, ADR (average daily rates) and alternative sources of revenue
  • Guest satisfaction -taking it to the next level
  • Using reservations systems and the power of data management
  • Housekeeping and guest room excellence
  • Taking reservations - by phone & Internet for lodging and dining
  • Preparing for check-in and giving tours of property
  • Planning, preparing and serving breakfast
  • Managing the property and its many physical operations
  • Purchasing supplies and food
  • Quality assurance
  • Checking out process
  • Housekeeping and room inspections
  • Marketing your bed and breakfast businessCreating signage, logos, brochures, domain name, etc.
  • Developing advertising, marketing, public relations and community relations plans
  • Identifying sources for industry data and networking
  • Building relationships with guests
  • Sales, marketing (local and Internet marketing) and PR techniques
The Bed and Breakfast Owner Vocation Vacations® dream job holiday with Sue and Mark Erwin at the Fox Hills Bed and Breakfast includes:
  • Two days of one-on-one mentorship in your dream job as a Bed & Breakfast Owner
  • The opportunity to participate in a total of one hour of pre- and post-VocationVacation career coaching from an accredited, affiliated VocationVacations career coach
  • A pocket-size VocationVacations journal so you can document your dream job becoming a reality
  • Light lunches with your mentor

Available: All year based on mentor's availability

Price: $799 Per Person

Book This Career Mentorship



Required Accommodations

Fox Hill Bed & Breakfast

(Required minimum 3-night stay, not included in the price of the VocationVacations® holiday)

Other activities and tourist destinations while on your VocationVacations® adventure:
Reservation, Cancellation and Rescheduling Rules and Conditions:

Full payment of the VocationVacations dream job holiday is required to make a reservation. A $100 non-refundable fee is assessed if a VocationVacations experience is cancelled or rescheduled prior to 14-days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday, based on the approved availability of the mentor to reschedule. A VocationVacations adventure cannot be rescheduled and is non-refundable if cancelled within 14 days of the scheduled VocationVacations holiday. Written notification of cancellation or rescheduling is required in all cases. In the US, Grounded Nomads, LLC and VocationVacations holidays encourage all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling. In the UK, Grounded Nomads, Ltd and VocationVacations holidays must require all customers to acquire travel insurance to cover any unforeseen expenses due to cancellation or rescheduling and provide verification of such travel insurance to Grounded Nomads, Ltd.