Are fed-up customers checking back into B&Bs?

Many consumers now see Airbnb rentals less as frugally fun lodging and more as destinations you have to both clean and pay $200 … for the hosts to clean.

That "space over service" emphasis is tiring some vacationers out, and giving the traditional bed-and-breakfast model new life.

B&B owners are capitalizing on their establishments' unique aesthetics and involved support to reclaim some ground in the hospitality industry — supported by some creative rebranding.

Select Registry, a 50-year trade group for around 250 vetted inns calls the B&B experience "craft lodging" — and several properties have reframed themselves as boutique hotels, including:

• Camp Deforest in Maine offers a reimagined sleepaway camp experience (minus the bug spray and bullying).
  
• Denver's Urban Cowboy pairs modern appeal with Western charm in a late-19th-century mansion.
  
• The horror-themed Painted Lady Bed and Brew in Albuquerque eschews the "breakfast" aspect of B&B in favor of beer.

How's it working out for them?

A combination of tax incentives, historic preservation legislation, and cultural interests grew the number of B&Bs in the US from ~1k in 1980 to 15k+ in 2000.

The industry has fallen off pretty hard since then — facing headwinds such as the emergence of short-term rental platforms and the pandemic — but it's showing signs of life.

• The American B&B revenue is estimated grow 1.9% YoY to $3.2B in 2026.
  
• The boutique hotel market is $30.4B and expected to grow to $50.5B in 2033, with larger hospitality groups opening their own.

Can we call it a comeback?

The B&B heyday of doilies, fresh-baked apple pie, and forced interactions with strangers in front of fireplaces is behind us. Still, many consumers see merit in the charm and human touch of these properties.

The model seems to have a place in modern lodging … one where you don't get charged $50 for forgetting to take out the trash.