Mary Morgan and her husband Peter opened ‘Park Gate’, their family home near Canterbury, as a B&B thirteen years ago. The couple converted two of the rooms in their eight-bedroom family house and started to market it to tourists.

 

“It’s going very well,” says Mary, “It is a large house and when our two girls moved out we didn’t want to downsize. It’s good because the house pays for itself now.”

 

The double rooms are priced at £65 per night. “It’s a pleasant place to stay. We’ve been described as kind, friendly and welcoming” says Mary, “and people enjoy the lovely views from our home. We’ve just taken delivery of some Jacob’s sheep which are really sweet and I know our guests will enjoy seeing them.”

 

Most of their business is done in the summertime. Guests tend to be passing by for one night. Mary and Peter are happy to offer their guests tips on what to do during the stay and for their travel ahead. “It’s amusing when ambitious visitors come to Park Gate in the morning with a mission to complete tours of Canterbury and Dover in that one day,” says Mary.

 

Running a B&B, particularly when it is your own home, can have its challenges though. “It is nice sharing the house and garden with others. I like to do it,” says Mary. “I am happy with it at the moment but there’s a lot of hard work involved and one should not take it lightly.” As her husband works full time as a lawyer in Canterbury she is fully responsible for all the cleaning, washing, cooking and tidying both for the family and guests. “There can be lots of people around at one time too. We like having people around so it suits us but it may not suit too many people. Most of them respect the family privacy but there are others who come into the kitchen and stay to chat for ages. We prefer to shut over Christmas for family time.”

 

Mary say it is not too hard to open a B&B. She recommends speaking to a local tourist authority in the area for help and advice – also for promotion. “The house will be inspected to make sure that it is clean and safe for the guests. After that, your house will be put on a list of places to stay for the visitors. They will refer the guests to your B&B and you can do as much or as little as you want because it’s up to you whether you want to accept the bookings.”

 

Mary has worked to promote her home as a B&B over the years. To her delight it is now featured in the highly prestigious Alistair Sawday ‘British Bed and Breakfasts’ guidebook which helps to bring visitors through the year. In the guidebook it says of Park Gate: “Who would not love it here? Peter and Mary make a delightful team and their conversation is informed and easy.