After the end of World War II，American soldiers stranded in the UK are waiting to return home，With nothing to do, they walked out of the military camp to relax，Enjoy the British scenery。

British families who experienced the war also hope to increase their income，Free up the extra room in your home for reception，This provides Bed & Breakfast is particularly popular。

With the post-war economic recovery，People in big British cities after a stressful week at work，Looking forward to relaxing during a short vacation，They are far away from the city，Come to the countryside，Those warm and stylish family hotels have become everyone’s first choice，B&Bs in the modern sense are beginning to take shape。

By 2012，Chinese people have more money，In my spare time, I also yearn for poetry and distant places，Go to Erhai Lake to see the wind, flowers, snow and moon，Experience the four seasons in Mogan Mountain。

How to find the feeling of home in a distant place，B&B has become that carrier。Online platform move your fingers，You can start a journey that you can just go。

Data on，From 2016 to 2019, the online transaction volume of the homestay industry increased from 4.3 billion yuan to 20.9 billion yuan in 2019，Achieved rapid growth of 386%。

However, in 2020, everything came to an abrupt end.

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There is a Gubeijia B&B in Tianjin near the Italian style area，This is the first B&B built by Gu Xiaonian in Tianjin，Now closed。

Maybe no one cares，After all, this is just one of the large number of B&Bs that have collapsed during the epidemic。

Gu Xiaonian loves this industry，He likes to make friends，If someone is satisfied with his house，He feels very happy。In 5 years, Gu Xiaonian developed 6 B&Bs in Tianjin，Two stores were closed after the epidemic，I originally planned to expand a few more places after the year，Finally put on hold due to the epidemic。

First，Gu Xiaonian is still very optimistic，I believe the epidemic will eventually pass，“February feels like March will pass，Just think about not delaying the Qingming Festival in March，Later on, in May, I almost gave up。” 

Resumption of work and production in April，A B&B that survived a life and death battle，Finally a chance to breathe。However, the war did not end there。

Summer is here，The B&B industry that has been hit hard by the epidemic is looking forward to “retaliatory consumption”，Did not appear。

The reality is not very optimistic.

Huang Wei, the public relations officer of Xiaozhu B&B, told Zhu Yan: "The data shows，Sichuan and Chongqing are currently recovering well、Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions，The 188bet online sports betting occupancy rate can only reach 50% of the same period in previous years，It would be good if northern cities could reach 30%。”

Retaliatory consumption seems to be a false proposition in the homestay industry.

On the one hand, B&Bs are subject to room restrictions，Limited carrying capacity；On the other hand, the uniqueness of homestays determines that they cannot be copied and expanded quickly。Gai Wen, a practitioner in the tourism and accommodation industry, talks about Yan Cheng，Even if the epidemic is over，There will be no big outbreak for B&Bs。

Tujia Qingdao District Business Manager Jiang Rui has a very direct feeling about this。

At this time，Qingdao is holding a beer festival，This is supposed to be the peak season when it’s hard to find a room，However, this year, when housing prices plummeted，The B&B occupancy rate still has not reached 100%。In previous years, the seaside was bustling with people all night long，Now only the waves are rolling。

Finally at the end of May，Gu Xiaonian received the news that he can open for business。Although there is not much passenger traffic，After the price reduction, it can only reach 30% of last year’s price，But it’s enough to make people breathe a sigh of relief。

Summer is the peak season for tourism，Gu Xiaonian wants to seize this opportunity to make up for the previous losses as soon as possible。The number of guesthouses currently available is limited，If you want to make a profit quickly, you still need to expand，Gu Xiaonian started looking at houses again。

Everything seemed to be developing in a good direction，Until the second wave of the epidemic in Beijing。

When you start receiving frequent chargeback messages on your mobile phone，Gu Xiaonian realizes that the business crisis is coming again。Not only the expansion plan must be stopped，This time his worries are more serious。

What makes Gu Xiaonian anxious is not the lack of orders，But the uncertainty of the future。Will the epidemic pass?？When can I pass？Should we expand or survive？How long can we survive if we survive？A series of question marks haunted him。

As for how long it will take for the B&B industry to fully recover，No one can give the answer。Jiang Rui’s prediction，Slow economic recovery，Plus the recurrence of epidemics，Raising the threshold for people to travel，Even until the National Day Golden Week，It is also difficult to return to the original level。

"If there is no epidemic，It’s always the peak season。If it continues to repeat，Then there will never be a peak season。”Facing the turbulent situation，Gu Xiaonian cannot make any decision，The only thing he can be sure of is that he will continue to operate the several B&Bs he owns。

He planned to resign after the year and focus on running a B&B，Give up now，“We still need to maintain basic survival，Let’s talk about what we like again。”

Repeated epidemics are like whack-a-mole，Fight this way，Popped out again。Too much uncertainty，Making the foggy B&B industry even more confusing。

 Who is out first?

In the battlefield of B&B, some are in and some are out.

A B&B in a small alley in Pinggu District, Beijing，Mainly focusing on the characteristics of courtyard houses，It looks unremarkable in appearance，The interior design and decoration are antique，The two-story bamboo in the courtyard adds a touch of chic to the house。

"Full rooms today"，This sentence appears in Zhang Jianhua’s circle of friends almost every day。Mention your own B&B，Zhang Jianhua sounded proud，“My B&B is rated 4 on Ctrip.9 points，No negative comments。”During the epidemic，Jingyuan operated by Zhang Jianhua is one of the few that has not cut prices，B&Bs that are still full。

Geographical location、Design style、People who run B&Bs，Zhang Jianhua believes that these three points are necessary conditions for a good B&B。This is his 12th year operating a B&B，His early overseas life exposed him to homestays earlier，His background in design also gave him more awareness of decoration，Plus the house’s excellent location，This is how Jingyuan has been able to gain a firm foothold。

But not all B&B hosts can be so lucky，Occupy the right time, place and people。In reality，There are very few people who understand design、Understand both business and management。

A sofa、A mattress，This is the earliest form of B&B。At that time, B&B hosts were mainly for personal sharing，But this lack of standardization、Standardized operations will also encounter a lot of complaints in the future，More and more professional players are entering the venue，The barriers to the homestay industry are getting higher and higher，Personal admission is no longer easy。

“The first to leave the poker table in this competition must be individual landlords and smaller B&B owners。”Jiang Rui Analysis，Represented by Qingdao，For individual landlords，In the past tourist season, you could earn enough rent for the whole year in two months，But during the epidemic，Few guests、Low unit price，This short-term rental method outweighs the gains and losses，Therefore, most individual landlords choose to withdraw，Convert the house to long-term rental。

Similarly, there are smaller second-hand landlords，These people regard B&B as a part-time job，If you bear the pressure of not being able to pay rent without making money, you are likely to give up。Jiang Rui said，"Relatively professional，B&Bs that want long-term development will definitely stay。”

As Gavin said，Relative to the hotel、Inn，B&Bs have weak anti-risk capabilities。

Guest rooms are the main source of income for B&Bs，The paradox is，The number of guest rooms in B&Bs will not be as large as that of hotels，So once the guest room is affected，It’s a devastating blow。

"In non-standard circumstances，B&B does not have a price red line，It’s easy to get stuck in a price war。" Gavin said，Professionalization like a hotel is the only way for the development of B&Bs，Although this will lose the personality of the B&B，Departing from the original intention of sharing。

As a small B&B host, Gu Xiaonian is still persisting，The cost of renovating a house is high，Whether you transfer to a long-term lease or leave the market, you will suffer a huge loss。And，B&B was originally born for sharing and experience，This is also the vitality of B&B。

He thinks，As long as you still want to do a B&B, you must stick to it，“Those brands and chain B&Bs may suffer more losses，But because of his strong qualifications，Can bear it。”

Gold is found only after the waves wash away the sand，In the final analysis，It’s still a professional issue，Only in rough waves can one know who is a good swimmer。

Increased gaming with the platform

Zhang Huanning is the owner of two B&Bs in Hangzhou，She enjoyed the leisure life of a B&B before the epidemic。Like most country house owners，Publish your house on platforms such as Ctrip and Tuniu，Waiting for guests to come。

Until the epidemic breaks out，On one side is the sharp drop in passenger flow，Yiyi B&B platform has changed a series of regulations，The first to lose the initiative were the B&B owners。

Zhang Huanning expressed to Zhu Yan，Commission conditions become harsh，There are even some platforms where commissions rise instead of falling。But it is subject to dependence on platform traffic，Can’t quit easily，"You will find that you have nothing after leaving the platform。”

For the platform，When the vacancy rate in the entire market is constant，The withdrawal of the small landlord actually has no impact。Do not choose this B&B，There is another B&B，Generally speaking, customers still circulate within the platform。

The game between the platform and B&B owners has also been amplified by the epidemic.

Gu Xiaonian thinks，The human host is a very weak existence。In case of force majeure，Need to refund customer，We must pay liquidated damages to customers。When the customer wants a refund due to force majeure，Platform’s safe withdrawal policy，Can exempt customers from liability，But this part of the loss will also be borne by the B&B owner。

Jiang Rui said，When the general environment is uncontrollable，All the platform can do is help landlords promote it，Including launching some Internet celebrity B&Bs through live broadcasts，Introducing continuous stay discounts and more。

Xiaozhu B&B is also currently promoting cooperation with Xiaohongshu，Guide merchants to settle in Xiaohongshu。Huang Wei said，The effect is pretty good so far，"Expected 300，500 companies have signed up now。”

The platform side is also having a hard time.

Past years，Online travel OTA platform has developed rapidly。Airbnb in the head、Tujia originally planned to take advantage of the trend to go public。Suddenly the wind stopped，Had to land quickly。

March，Tujia was revealed to have laid off 40% of its employees，Major adjustments to business lines。Late June，Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky calls the camera “crash”，Because global business has been greatly affected，“We spent 12 years building Airbnb’188bet sports betting app download s business，Lost almost everything in 4-6 weeks”。

Recently, foreign media quoted people familiar with the matter，Airbnb’s second quarter financial report released in a private form，Display current quarter revenue 3.US$3.5 billion，More than US$1 billion in revenue compared to the same period last year，Down 67%，This is also a decrease of 500 million yuan compared with the first quarter。

When capital is swarming in pursuit，Platform authorities respond to the shortage of B&B operation capabilities，Expand agent operation services，Provide management for B&B hosts、Cleaning、Linen washing、Supply chain finance、Marketing and promotion services，Operation-focused model。

This light asset、Operation-focused model，Can solve the standardization problem of B&B to a certain extent，Lower the entry threshold for B&Bs，Rapidly expand and occupy the market。

April 2019，Tujia launches hosting service，The landlord vacates the house，Tujia Butler，Come to revitalize idle properties on the market。

You can still run this model even if you have money to burn，The market is not good，In order to reduce losses, we can only give up。Tujia stopped self-operated business in 20 cities in April this year。

Xiaoyu received the news of the termination of Tujia’s operating services at the end of April。Xiaoyu’s house has an excellent location，Only 1km away from Hongya Cave, a popular scenic spot in Chongqing。This house has always been operated by Tujia Butler，Both share operating profits。

Tujia suddenly terminated the contract，She had to play by herself: "The house has been renovated，I feel like my family can’t stay empty all the time，Leave it to me。" Xiaoyu said，I’m not very good at running it myself，In the beginning, the lack of guests often made her anxious and unable to sleep，Now I can only learn slowly。

The sunk cost is high, so you need to be cautious when leaving the market.

Facing the platform，Almost no right to speak，Make Zhang Huanning feel passive，She decided to build a homestay platform herself。“Customer data resources are all in the hands of the platform，The moment you exit from the platform, you have nothing。”

The epidemic has changed people’s travel habits，Safe and comfortable outing becomes the first choice。Zhang Huanning believes that this is a good opportunity for the development of rural B&Bs，Her goal is to cover users within a 3-hour drive。

Only one month，Zhang Huanning has united more than 40 nearby B&Bs，Launch of “Ruxiang Card”，Those who hold this card can stay in platform quality B&B for free for unlimited times within one year。

More than 40 B&B listings are not enough for one platform，Insufficient housing supply will inevitably affect user experience。But repeated epidemics have made Zhang Huanning afraid to take a step，“You don’t know when the epidemic will come again，B&B cannot be opened，The B&B that has been booked will suffer losses。”

More B&B hosts，Start seeking private domain traffic in addition to platform traffic。

Country B&Bs will recover first

Different from city B&Bs that are recovering slowly，Relying on the popularity of short-distance travel after the epidemic，Country B&B has achieved a small climax。

"At present，The recovery level of country B&Bs is much better than that of urban B&Bs。“Said Huang Wei, the PR of Xiaozhu Short-term Rental，But this kind of good is only limited to first- and second-tier cities。

Compared to city B&B，Country B&Bs have lower rent and labor costs、Lower room price、More derivative consumption，These usually mean stronger resistance to risks。Huang Wei said，Less than 5% of country B&Bs closed down during the epidemic。

In the context of the policy of rural revitalization，Every village and county wants to become the second Moganshan，Achieving a leap in the economy of villages and counties through homestays，Many places have also established B&B alliances、Association。

For B&B hosts，In addition to using the cluster effect to obtain a larger voice and a more targeted target group，More importantly, the Internet promotion costs can be shared equally，Spend the least money to get the maximum benefit。

Wuyi, a small county in central Zhejiang Province，Known as the "City of Hot Springs"。July，The county government decided to take advantage of the local hot springs，Build a hot spring B&B，And thus formed the Wuyi County B&B Association。

It is difficult to unify B&Bs that are used to sparring，Wang Wenbiao, President of Wuyi County Homestay Association, told Zhuyan，This epidemic has made B&B hosts see the fragility of B&Bs，Take the initiative to hug each other。

The hot springs in Wuyi County are famous for their large amount of water、Shui You、Famous for its comfortable temperature，Known as “No. 1 in Zhejiang，First-class in East China”。B&B Association introduces hot springs to B&Bs door-to-door，Committed to making every B&B have access to hot springs。

Benchmark Moganshan B&B，Wuyi County B&B Association hopes that the construction of rural B&Bs can change the concept of farmhouses，Building a high-end B&B cluster。Wang Wenbiao told Zhuyan，The original unit price in Wuyi County is 300 yuan、B&B for 400 yuan，All starting from 1,000 yuan after renovation，One of the B&Bs in the shape of a bird's nest can cost up to 6,000 yuan。

High-end B&B must be equipped with high-end service quality，Ordinary villagers usually do not have such management qualities。The association’s response is unified training，Adopt research methods to stimulate B&B hosts to participate in training，Those with a housekeeping certificate can receive a monthly subsidy of 80 yuan，The certificate can also be upgraded，You can receive up to 1,600 yuan per month。

However, this certificate and examination were created by Wuyi County Government，It is still unclear what effect can be achieved after training。

Zhang Jianhua, the owner of urban B&B Jingyuan, sneers at the mass construction of high-end B&Bs everywhere，He expressed to Zhu Yan，B&B should be a down-to-earth 188bet Online Sports Betting and Casino thing，Building high-end B&Bs in large quantities，Staffing cannot keep up，When supply exceeds demand，Will eventually be eliminated。

He calls the successful Moganshan B&B a "small specialty hotel"。

There has been controversy over whether Moganshan is a B&B，Huang Wei believes that rural B&Bs should have the meaning of poverty alleviation，The B&B in Moganshan is too expensive，On the other hand, it is not home-grown residential reuse，More foreign capital personnel are entering，Perhaps it is more appropriate to call it "Wild Luxury Hotel"。

Cluster development has become a means of survival during the epidemic in rural B&Bs，Regional governments hope to open up the upstream and downstream industry chains of homestays，Revitalize the rural economy through the promotion of homestays and the sale of supporting agricultural products。

But all this depends on the popularity of surrounding travel during the epidemic，If the epidemic passes，Can a rural B&B with huge investment ensure continued profitability by relying solely on weekends？

Last words

The B&B industry has always been looking for opportunities amid crises.

No matter it is after World War II，British families make room for extra space，Rent to tourists；It was still the financial crisis when Airbnb was just established，The unemployed who lost their jobs、People who cannot repay their loans gather to share houses on Airbnb。

The impact is short-lived，Recovery is long。The epidemic has accelerated the reshuffle of the industry，In the future, domestic B&Bs will move toward standardization、Clustering，Let’s go back to maximizing the use of idle housing，Let’s explore new models again，Now it’s a question mark。The players who stay can only improve their professional and risk-resistance capabilities，Be fully prepared to face the unknown。

*Source of this article: WeChat public account"Zhuyan" (ID: xiaouandejia)，Author: Shen Sike，Original title: "Is B&B still a good business?》.