Room for manoeuvre
David Hancock, editor of pub guide Room at the Inn, offers advice on how to make a success of rooms at your pub
Tips for licensees
Don't do it cheaply - spend as much money as you can and create stylish, contemporary rooms that mirror the expectations of the clientele you are trying to attract.
Keep it simple, but always look at quality and pay attention to detail throughout, from the best cotton sheets to top-notch smellies in
the bathroom.
Ultimately make guests as comfortable as you can. If money is tight, do one room at a time and get it right - otherwise you will only have to refurbish again in a few years' time.
What are the most important things for pubs to get right with rooms?
Style, comfort, warmth and attention to detail as befits the price you are charging - today's discerning guests expect high standards if they are paying nearly £100 for a double room.
Rooms should be warm from the moment the guest arrives. Lighting should be good, especially on each side of the bed; there should be plenty of pillows, easy chairs for relaxing, decent hanging space, an imaginative beverage tray with a range of teas and a teapot, fresh coffee, a jar of biscuits, access to fresh milk, and bottles of mineral water.
Detail should extend to the bathroom - bathrobes, plenty of thick towels and heated towel rail, decent toiletries, copious hot
water and a good-sized walk-in shower with a decent power-shower if space is limited.
If refurbishing rooms, do it properly and consider adding Wi-Fi broadband as more business folk are choosing pubs as a source of accommodation.
How important is the breakfast offer and what should be on the menu?
As it will be the guests' last memory of their stay at the pub, breakfast is important. If you're offering top-notch cooking at lunch and dinner, breakfast should be equally special.
Again, attention to detail really counts - a range of cereals in jars, fresh fruit, yoghurts, quality (even home-made) jams and marmalades, butter that is not packaged in plastic sachets, and good, locally-sourced ingredients for the cooked breakfast offering.
Add decent breads, good fresh coffee, a range of teas, freshly squeezed orange juice and a smiley face serving the food, and guests will leave happy and satisfied.
Name your favourite features of different pub bedrooms in the book
l The pool table in the best and largest room at the Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire
l Victorian roll-top bath and old slipper bath eccentrically placed in two of the rooms at the Lord Poulett Arms, Hinton St George, Somerset
l A perfectly-placed large flat-screen TV that can be viewed while lying in the bath at the Halfway Bridge Inn, Petworth, West Sussex
l Risqué wall coverings and objets d'art in the Karma Sutra room at the Bath Arms, Horningsham, Wiltshire
l The large viewing telescope in the Room at the Top at the White Horse, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk, where you can watch thousands of geese fly in across hauntingly beautiful salt marshes as the sun sets on a winter evening
l Twin baths, side-by-side, with views down the lush Lythe Valley from the impressive suite at the Punchbowl, Crosthwaite, Cumbria
l The dressing table drawer bursting with your favourite chocolate bars in the delicious caramel and cream-painted Chocolate Room at the Wensleydale Heifer, West Witton, Yorkshire
l Space-age clock radios with iPod connectors in the three quirky rooms at the George & Dragon, Rowde, Wiltshire.
What would make you return to a particular pub to stay?
All of the above plus a cosy bar, cracking, locally-sourced food and ale, good wine and a great licensee...
What's the most common mistake?
Refurbishing rooms too cheaply without any style or taste - they date quickly and require upgrading in a few years.
Not being there. You need to be seen - a successful inn/pub with rooms requires high maintenance and you can't be around too much. Also, guests love to see the landlord.
If you can't be there, pay good money for an efficient, hands-on manager and make sure a staff member is staying on the premises overnight.
What's the maximum price you think people will pay to stay in pub rooms?
This depends on location and quality of the accommodation but I would estimate £125. Having said that, the excellent Punch Bowl in the wilds of Cumbria is inundated with folk wanting to book its fabulous Noble Suite at £280 per night.
How can independents compete against multiple operators?
By being individual, not only with individually designed rooms filled with quirky features, but with the feel and decor of the pub and a changing food offering focusing on locally sourced produce.
What's the best way to drive occupancy on quieter nights?
Offer a midweek dinner, bed and breakfast rate or a lower corporate rate to draw business trade to the pub. When Friday and Saturday nights are full, offer a Sunday sleep-over offer to encourage weekend guests to stay an extra night, with Sunday lunch, supper and breakfast all thrown in for a great price that most can't refuse.
Tips for dealing with staffing issues on the breakfast shift
Make sure you are there yourself or bring in a loyal and reliable local lady who has a warm personality and can offer guests a big smile in the mornings.
Top three pubs to rest your head
Olive Branch, Clipsham, Rutland
Stunning rooms in a house across the
lane and some of the best pub food in the land a short stagger away - all just minutes from the A1, making it the perfect overnight stop for those heading north or south.
White Horse, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk
Smack on the North Norfolk coast path with stunning views across glorious bird-rich saltmarsh.
Simply furnished rooms have a tasteful beachy feel, in keeping with the inn's location. Tuck into mussels harvested yards away, locally landed fish and marsh-picked samphire and wake to the plaintive call of the curlew echoing across the marsh, followed by breakfast on the terrace.
Punch Bowl Inn, Crosthwaite, Cumbria
Beautifully refurbished inn with a classy, contemporary feel, hidden away in the lush Lythe Valley, near Kendal. Sup delicious home-brewed Cracker Ale, feast on locally-sourced food, snooze late in luxurious rooms and stride out across the fells from the front door.
l Room at the Inn is published by AA Publishing and costs £19.99.
