What Is a Bed & Breakfast Anyway?

I first encountered the term "Bed & Breakfast" while exploring the English countryside by motorcycle back in 1965. Yes, I know, that was a long time ago. There were still 240 pence to the pound, in those days. "Mods" and "Rockers" were the two main competing styles of popular youth culture. And in some cities–like Bristol, for example–you could still find some bombed out buildings left over from World War II without too much trouble. In fact, that terrible war of democracy against fascism gave a great boost to the "Bed & Breakfast" phenomenon as we know it today.

With nightly bombing, and facing the imminent threat of a Nazi invasion, the Brits had to focus all of their resources into a massive defense effort. In the end, the only invasion of the British Isles was by soldiers from the U.S., Canada, and other allied countries as they gathered in England to mount the counter-attack that would put an end to the Nazi peril. But that invasion and the social and economic upheaval that accompanied it left Old Blighty changed forever (as it had also done after the Great War of 1914-1918). Many bereaved widows and mothers in the towns and in the countryside found themselves alone in houses that once reverberated with the sounds of family life. 'There's a good number of travelers about,' they might have mused in their loneliness as they struggled to make ends meet through the lean years following the two world wars, 'so, why not hang out a sign and offer them a decent bed for the night and a spot of tea for the morning?'

The rest, as they say, is history, but the problem with history is it keeps changing (and I'll get to that later).

The choice of the term "Bed & Breakfast" must have seemed obvious to this postwar wave of entrepreneurs as they dipped their brushes in paint. Soon many small signs, often attractively decorated, began to spring up throughout Britain, on fences, in yards, and on doors. But it was the clientele that really made the venture a success, for travelers rediscovered that not only was this type of accommodation service reasonably priced but also provided a more personalized and domestic style of comfort. Most important of all, it offered an opportunity to meet local residents of a community in their own homes, promoting intercultural understanding, tolerance, and mutual respect. As prosperity returned and painful memories of the war slowly faded into the past, a new breed of tourist, eager to experience the world and its wonderfully diverse people, came to appreciate the value of the "Bed & Breakfast" establishments more and more.

Many returning servicemen and women came back to North America with an increased awareness of the British B&B. As well, many Brits themselves emigrated to North America after the war. It was not surprising, therefore, when some homes on this side of the pond evolved into B&B inns in the British style.

Tourism boomed beyond all expectations in the late twentieth century as the superpower stand-off that had sucked up so many dollars in the decades after WWII crumbled into dust along with the Berlin Wall. Soon the industry of travel for pleasure surpassed even that of providing armaments and weapons to those unhappy folks whose idea of fun is to blow each other to bits (at least for a while). This development did not go unnoticed by ever-vigilant manipulators of capital who never fail to recognize an opportunity in peace or war. Accordingly, tourism development began to rival military projects as a target for massive investment. This new trend manifested itself in casinos, cruise ships, and lots of new hotels in all the places where tourists like to congregate, from the steamy Caribbean to the Inside Passage to Alaska.

But every cycle has its ups and downs and the travel/tourism boom is no exception. Some of the more popular destinations were beginning to find themselves overbuilt with the owners of hotels staring at empty white spaces in their guest registers.

As these big business types began to look around to see where in the Sam Hill their clientele was hiding they began to notice the Mom & Pop B&Bs were still doing OK. Some tried to imitate the personalized character of the B&B in their service style (a flattering gesture!) and the commercial B&B hotel was born. Others lobbied politicians and government regulators to pressure their competitors-–the real B&Bs–with more regulations, restrictions, and higher taxes (a low-down but predictable strategy).

A textbook example of this phenomenon is especially evident in The Republic of Cuba. There, in the throes of the deprivation produced by the relentless U.S. trade embargo, the former Castro regime was desperate to promote its tourist industry and made deals with a number of mostly European-based hotel interests to invest in development schemes that saw tourism zones set up in designated areas. The idea was to combine the best (or rather, worst) of both worlds: from the capitalist point-of-view, keep the tourist herd in a controlled area, a captive audience at the mercy of their corporate hosts; from the communist/totalitarian point-of-view, keep the corrupt foreigners apart from the general population lest they form personal relationships with people and pervert them with politically incorrect ideas–but still take their money!

A cunning plan, worthy of Machiavelli, but many of the common folk of Cuba were apparently not as imbued with communist values as Cuban government planners may have wished, and the good old Mom & Pop B&B turned out to be a thorn-in-the-side for both members of this un-holy alliance. Just walk down any street in Cuba and you'll see what I mean: "Hey, mano, looking for a good place to stay tonight? Follow me." And if you accept such an invitation, chances are you will be taken to a very nice home and offered decent food and clean and comfortable accommodation therein–and all for a very reasonable price. Most rewarding of all, in dodging the best efforts of the worst kind (i.e., crude capitalists, cruel demagogues, and the identical species of servile agents that aid them both) you'll meet some of the finest people you could hope to find anywhere.

Of course the Cuban government hasn't let this disobedience to authority go unpunished. Violators are routinely denied licenses, slapped with steep fines, and sometimes jailed. Still, the B&Bs of Cuba persist–and if they can do so there, they can do so anywhere.

Or can they..?

Ironic, isn't it, that these diametrically opposed groups, utterly consumed with self-interest, should both be allied against the Mom & Pop B&B–a place where people from all walks of life can meet and talk while sharing the universal values of the comforts and security of home–and view it as some kind of threat?

Only in Cuba you say? Don't be too sure…

Background

In 1992 the 1994 Commonwealth Games Committee chose Victoria to host their quadrennial event. One problem for the eager planners who had thrown our city's hat into the ring was a dearth of hotel accommodation. Those planners, under the direction of then Mayor Gretchen Brewin, put out a clarion call to any residents willing to "Welcome the World." Based on an inspection of what these residents had to offer, accommodating the expected hordes was encouraged by enticing them with the promise of a B&B license–or what might be termed in contemporary parlance, a Short Term Rental license. My wife and I, having sold our horse drawn carriage business that year after operating it since 1980, decided to participate in this project, and we were duly licensed.

We discovered that the venture was do-able, suited us just fine, and have continued to do so to the present day.

In 2006 we applied to change the zoning of our property from the classification permitting its use as a staging area for the carriages to one that regularized our new activity and allow the use of our former carriage house as a remodeled suite for a total of three accommodations, including two rooms in the main house. This was an uphill struggle into uncharted territory and some of the city staff upon whose desks it landed vigorously recommended against it. We countered that the world was changing, the population increasing, and such innovative forms of small scale accommodation for visitors was a trend that made sense on a number of levels, namely that use was made of underused spaces, the ground level of such spaces made wheelchair access more available without unsightly ramps, and those spaces could also easily morph into perfect quarters for aging-in-place when the time came. We also pointed out that our proposal amounted to a downgrading of the previous zoning which had allowed our horse carriage enterprise in a residential neighbourhood. A final aspect of our argument was that our near neighbours–who had actually quite enjoyed the rattle and whinny of our erstwhile livery yard–readily showed their approval of our new proposal in writing.

So, the vote went our way and in 2007 a special zone was created that granted what we petitioned. We were notified that all unpermitted construction on our property must be brought up to code although, oddly, our circa 1903 house was not considered in respect to that issue–apparently in recognition of the principle of“existing construction” or “grand-fathering”.

Thank you, Grandfather!

We took out various permits and completed most of them over time but the carriage house upgrades were only partially completed before our building permit timed out. We weren't sure where we stood, at that point, but with the arrival of our license in January 2008 our concerns evaporated.

Meanwhile, the city fathers and mothers having gone silent, we continued to receive our license and grow our business in terms of its popularity, reputation, and repeat clientele over the next sixteen years, advertising primarily by word of mouth, Tourism BC, and our own website (chbb.ca) which we designed and mounted on the internet in 1995.

In 2011 the new tech-oriented Airbnb, Inc. entered the scene and we began to accept reservations from that agency while maintaining our identity as an unaffiliated free-standing B&B. Airbnb–with their innovative business model designed to bring out the best in both operators and their clients–soon became the provider of more than half of our bookings.

The city continued to issue our operating license every year without fail but we began to notice that the rapid growth of Airbnb was stirring some social, economic, and political concerns in Victoria and in many communities around the world. For us, however, the relationship ran very smoothly as another decade ticked by..

Recent Developments

By the end of 2023 news reports increasingly focused on inflation and especially the limited availability of residential property for sale and rent–and the stunning rise in prices and rates for the same. The provincial NDP government interceded in the situation and soon claimed that the Airbnb phenomenon and their partners had essentially hijacked a large sector of affordable accommodation–especially condominiums–and would be broken up by legislation which has since become law. The provincial ministry leading this policy clarified that hotel-keeping owners who lived onsite (such as B&Bs) would be exempt from the new regulations.

This latter statement served to allay our fears somewhat but when we received a long letter from the city describing what was coming (i.e., licensing delays, jingoistic news releases, and intrusive inspections), our worries returned. Especially concerning to us was its dreadfully ominous tone ('you cannot resist, you have no choice, you must obey–and if we find any sort of other anomaly in your home you will be denied your license').

Anyway, not without feelings of trepidation, we complied with their diktat that we book an inspection of our premises. On the morning of January 25 Bylaw Officer Andrew Dolan (whose tough-guy tactics have earned him some unflattering press ink and internet notices from his various clients over the years) arrived decked out in a police uniform, handcuffs dangling from his belt–but hopefully not carrying the weapons he publicly complained he should be issued while defending himself from assault charges in court.

We invited him in and asked what he wanted to see. "The entire structure," he replied curtly.

"Our private bedrooms?" My wife asked in a shocked tone.

“Yes, all of the house.”

I said, "I think that is a very intrusive policy. Photos of our personal bedrooms are taking things a bit too far...in a democratic society."

"Well, if you prefer I'll just come back with a warrant and bring the police.”

"You can do that,” I said, “we're probably going to end up in court anyway, but for now let us show you what we can, and we'll continue the discussion after..."

He agreed to that. We carried on with the tour of the main house, then escorted him to the "Cottage" (as we call the accessory building, our former carriage house, built with a permit as a "garage" in 1983). By then Officer Dolan had settled down, perhaps because we treated him with courtesy, even if we admonished him in defining our limits.

He took some photos, complimented us on the design, the décor, the layout, the wheelchair accessibility, etc., and ended up by saying he had “no issues with [our] bed-and-breakfast whatsoever”, that he would “be marking [our] license as ‘approved’” and we would “be getting an invoice really quickly.”

Importantly, when asked by my wife if we could continue to book reservations he responded, “Absolutely.”

With a handshake (or two!), we took him at his word and proceeded to carry on our business as we have done since 1992. i.e., booking incoming reservations from around the world and accommodating our guests.

Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, but we received no invoice or license. When I inquired personally at the city information desk in April I was told that the application was “pending” but there was “no physical location” for the appropriate office to seek more details, and “no personnel identified with it”–but that we would receive “a call from someone”.

No call was ever received, and we continued according to our January 25th understanding.

As our concern mounted I made more visits to the city desk. Finally, in early May, I was directed to “cross the square” to the bylaw enforcement office but I was not able to enter the premises. As I was leaving I encountered Officer Dolan in the vicinity and inquired as to the status of our license. He said some “issues" had arisen (e.g., an uncompleted building permit from 2007) which he suggested could be resolved “painlessly”, and that a letter would be forthcoming.

His letter stated that granting us our license for all of those years was a mistake on the City’s part. The prescription outlined in Dolan's letter was far from painless: we would be required to cancel all of the reservations we had booked since January, and take no more until all issues as defined by the city were resolved. We also were obliged to refrain from advertising the Cottage, with which demand we complied.

Albert Einstein said that the definition of insanity is making the same mistake over and over again. Is the City of Victoria insane? We do not believe so. We believe that issuing our licenses over a sixteen-year period from 2008 through 2023 was a deliberate policy–based on the same principle of “grand-fathering” (a feature long referred to in Canadian law) that also could explain why the city has not demanded any upgrades to our main house.

The Crux of our Problem

Canceling the considerable number of reservations that we accepted since Officer Dolan's inspection visit of 25 January 2024 would have obviously caused great inconvenience to the people holding the reservations we booked after receiving his assurances. Additionally, such a mass cancellation would be very damaging to our finances as well to our hard-earned reputation and the goodwill of our clientele, which we had built over a period of thirty-two years.

Our clientele, in addition to travelers to Victoria from all over the world and all walks of life, include many repeat customers–especially local, provincial, and country-wide residents of Canada–who visit Victoria year-round to attend family events such as weddings, graduations, funerals, etc., as well as vital medical appointments. We simply could not imagine trying to explain to them that they must suffer the disappointment and inconvenience of canceled reservations because we followed Officer Dolan's directions in good faith–especially as such a move would expose us–and the city–to possible legal action from any number of them.

The expression “between a rock and a hard place” sums it up rather well.

In another couple of days we were informed by some city councilors to consider appealing to Council that our license be issued as another refusee (Humboldt House) had managed to do with success at the council meeting on May 16, 2024 (which included the airing of comments of some councillors alleging Officer Dolan's "overreach" in the case).

We have twice made such an application to the city’s Legislative Services to grant us leave to appeal. They acknowledged receiving our requests but stated in their replies that we had not actually been “denied” our license, but rather, its status is “pending.” We liaised with Building Permits and, with the help of Nigel Banks of Banks Design (who helped us get our rezoning allowing three accommodations in 2007) and applied to renew action on the matters required for the accessory building–but they refused to accept the application.

Meanwhile, the City of Victoria, in conformity with the regime the NDP Provincial Government has proclaimed for nearly all of British Columbia, has formulated a Draft Community Plan that is predicated on the principle that Victoria must densify its urban environment far beyond what most residents ever imagined or desire. This plan far exceeds previous densities in what were once single-family home neighbourhoods and streamlines the processes required to build multi-story apartment buildings in their place, overriding previous height restrictions and parking requirements. This contentious plan is scheduled to come before Council for a final vote in a matter in June 2025 and is widely expected to pass.

As we stated above, the City is not insane (or at least there is method in their madness), for our very address is clearly located within one of the most extremely affected zones if this new increased density is imposed. Adding to our worst fears were such published articles in local newspapers such as the following excerpt by a retired public servant:

Interviewed about affiliations and support, all candidates denied influence from any political party or developers, claiming no knowledge of donations from developers.

However, Elections B.C. records show that Caradonna, Dell, Thompson, Loughton and Alto received donations from several people holding high positions in development companies.

Electors have a democratic right to contribute to candidates they believe will support their interests. At the same time, public opinion has questioned if donations can unfairly impact decisions involving competing interests.

A 14-storey luxury condo development was recently advanced to a public hearing despite overwhelming community opposition and contrary to staff recommendations. The majority vote included five members who received donations from a top-ranking official in that development company. –(Viz., Comment: How Victoria council has eroded public trust - Mariann Burka, Times-Colonist, Mar 8, 2025)

The whole idea, of course, is packaged in a cloak of high-mindedly “creating affordability.” Does anyone really believe that? I don’t. The new denser housing being built by developers is overwhelmingly market priced–“tiny, but expensive,” according to one Victoria city councillor. Meanwhile news agencies have been reporting on the growing phenomenon of thousands of vacant condos in Victoria and Vancouver since 2016.

But I do believe that some things never change–or, as Parisian-born Victorian era writer Alphonse Karr put it,“Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” But this is a tidal wave of change, nothing less. The old walls, rooftops, and byways of charming Victoria that framed and contained the lives of past generations are rapidly passing from the scene and will continue to pass into history. Knowing that this pattern has continued ever since our species first came in from the range of the hunter-gatherers we once were and began to create towns and cities makes it only slightly easier to bear.

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Update: the City of Victoria has relented and, after a stern tongue lashing via an unsigned letter and a delay of sixteen months, recently issued our license to operate once again.

So, come visit us in Victoria, raise a glass to the Old Times while you still can, and marvel at the Brave New World perpetually recreating itself under our feet in our relentless stampede across the Cosmos.

–Dan Harvey Pedrick (© 2025)