Turning "poetry and faraway places" into a career, the ice city couple opened a bed and breakfast deep in the mountains of Guizhou Province

This is a 3600 kilometers away from Harbin, Guizhou Province Qianxinan Buyi Miao Autonomous Prefecture. Outside the window in the flat rice paddies, the mountains stand on their own, the morning mist in the lush background color, Ms. Wu is accompanying guests to talk about the local customs and traditions - yes, originally intended to find a "happy place" in the "poetry and faraway places", the couple in a "happy place "The two couples, in the mountains, started a high-end bed and breakfast.

Previously, the couple did not have a long-term experience of living in the South, and never opened a bed and breakfast, but they have a northeastern people peculiar to the fierce: decided to go into the mountains, just in the local Tourism suddenly a thought; from the northern ice city moved into the local and opened a bed and breakfast, she and her husband only used a year time.

Now, this is located in the Miao village in the village of the B&B, has become a major local tourist accommodation highlights, come to stay in the guests are endless. She and her husband have a bigger plan: to do a chain of branded bed and breakfasts, the next place to open to the Huangguoshu waterfalls.

80,000 yuan a year, the "poetry and faraway places" to rent

The morning is the busiest time. 6:30, Ms. Wu, the owner of the wife is already in the kitchen, for dozens of guests to prepare a simple meal of local specialties. Instead of hiring a local chef, she wants to control the quality herself. The details determine the guests' impression and reputation of the B&B, and she doesn't allow "negative" comments to appear at the bottom of her B&B page.

Preparing breakfast, processing departing guests' check-outs in the morning, welcoming new arrivals in the afternoon, and chatting with guests at ...... in the evening, it's basically 12 midnight by the time she rests. "People often say they are as tired as a dog. That's really a big misunderstanding, where it is as tired as we are." She is busy but also happy, sometimes wavering surprised: my home B&B has been in business for more than a year?

It was the May Day holiday in 2018 when Ms. Wu and her family went to the Wanfeng Forest scenic spot in Guizhou. She is a teacher and likes to go out with her family during the holidays, and has always dreamed of having a little nest in a relaxing environment for her to laze around in. Wanfenglin is located in the southeast of Xingyi City, Guizhou Province, is the largest and most typical karst peak forests, beautiful scenery ...... fully in line with her "nest" hardware standards.

A few days of play, Ms. Wu found that the local lodging, catering, etc. added up to only more than a hundred, for this large area is still in the development of the scenic area, the industry has a lot of opportunities. The company's main goal is to provide the best possible service to its customers, and to provide the best possible service to its customers.

"Until the last day, the plane back to Harbin at 1:00 p.m., the morning at nine or ten o'clock we looked at an old mansion, located halfway up the mountain." Ms. Wu and her husband hastily measured the area with their feet, and signed a contract with the other party in an hour. 80,000 yuan a year for a 20-year lease.

Ms. Wu and her husband on the spot to think about the initial planning - the house can be separated from more than ten rooms, the budget over a million dollars can complete the renovation. "At that time, the heart is not bottom, do not know what can be done! But not try, how do you know not?"

To high-end personalized wind "breakthrough", the guests no longer "see the difference"

Ms. Wu's home B&B began to renovate the surrounding many new B&B has been open for business one after another. They are all competitors, so how can they stand out? "There should be a difference in style, try to do high-end breakout." Ms. Wu and her husband looked around and came to a conclusion.

The other B&Bs are mostly hotel style, using wood and stone structures. Ms. Wu's family B&B went simple European modern style, embellished with personalized details. They decorated the back of the house into a stone forest, corridors covered with floor-to-ceiling glass, outdoor infinity pools, hot springs, water play in the eyes that is the green hills and rice paddies. In particular, the rooms are all floor-to-ceiling windows, transparent design allows people to sit in the room, even if you can also see the beauty of the mountains.

Do everything yourself. "I love design, and my lover used to do architecture. There were no drawings, and we did the design while decorating." Ms. Wu's home B&B from design to building materials, strict quality control, the budget has been added again and again. Husband's savings from years of small business has been spent, the renovation is not finished? Bite the bullet and directly sell a set of more than one hundred square meters of housing in Hacienda.

1200 square meters of the house, 15 rooms, renovation costs actually reached twice the budget. Even in the current Wanfenglin scenic area, there are only a dozen or so B&Bs with such room sizes and decoration levels.

In June 2019, the B&B called "Yueqi Li" opened. "I didn't intentionally do promotion, hanging on a travel app to accept online bookings. As soon as it opened, guests came." Ms. Wu said that guests visit the Wanfenglin scenic area for three to four days, but most of them only book the B&B for the first day, and choose another preferred accommodation after arriving at their destination. "The cheapest room in our B&B is 600 yuan a day in the off-season, and the most expensive room is 2,500 yuan a day in the peak season, which is relatively high. But when guests come, they don't change places and stay all the time. Returning guests are also more and more."

Now, the Wanfenglin area B&B has reached about 200. In the off-season, the occupancy rate of other B&Bs is about 30% to 40%, Ms. Wu is more than 50%, and in the peak season it can reach more than 95%. A children's room with a slide designed by her husband has become a hit, and many families on parent-child tours have named this room, which is almost never empty.

Service is hidden in the details, the boss is also a waiter

Yueqi Li B&B hired four local villagers as waiters. In the process of operation, Ms. Wu found that many people are very willing to chat with the waiter to understand and experience the local customs and traditions. However, the villagers have a weak sense of professional service, which directly affects the guests' experience at the B&B. The couple took the dumbest approach - repeated training.

The details of the requirements for communicating with guests are even implemented on paper. Guests stayed, service staff to guests to make tea, chat, introduce the local characteristics. "The main reinforcement of the service process, we do not train the waiters in discourse." Ms. Wu believes that "more words, certainly not natural, and not sincere."

Breakfast is the only meal provided by Yue Qili B&B. To ensure quality, the couple woke up at six o'clock every day to buy fresh sweet potatoes and corn, and prepare local specialties such as rice noodles for breakfast. "During the day the guests go off to play, and the hall comes alive at night." The couple has the bravado of northeasterners, and they also drink with their guests at night. Encountering opportunistic guests, the couple will personally small kitchen fried two small dishes of Northeast China, and sometimes will take the guests together barbecue. Small skewers jerked up, small wine drink up, friends will also have up. "We opened the store to meet friends, said all over the north and south of the Yangtze River, no exaggeration."

Busy from more than six in the morning to twelve in the middle of the night, Ms. Wu also wanted to hire a housekeeper to manage the B&B, but considering the quality, and finally gave up. "After all, a B&B is different from a standardized hotel, and we are here to keep an eye on it so that the service can be more detailed."

From renting to buying land, to create a chain of B&B brands

Because of a trip, because of the decision to sign a house before approaching the airport, Ms. Wu and her husband have since entered an unfamiliar industry - rounded up to live in the The dream of "poetry and faraway places" has been realized, and another path of life and career has been embarked on. Yueqi Li B&B in the local has done a good job, the couple has a bigger dream, do even Zuo B&B brand - in Guizhou a number of scenic spots to do the brand, to create their own B&B circle.

The next goal of the two, is the Huangguoshu Falls B&B. "The B&B in Wanfenglin is a rented house, and many things are restricted." Ms. Wu plans to invest in a piece of land in the Huangguoshu Falls area herself, and implement her own plans from the beginning of construction. To this end, the couple specialized in the Huangguoshu Falls around the inspection.

From the initial expectation of peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of the city, to the dream of creating their own bed and breakfast circle ...... Ms. Wu obviously realized that in the future to stay in the "nest" to enjoy the comfort will become a luxury. "If there is a more suitable road to go, do not turn back too often," 80 Ms. Wu dignified beauty, looks a little soft, but do things very bold.

Sometimes, the dream and the reality, in fact, just one step away.