If you’re a bed and breakfast owner looking to do more of your own business marketing and reducing your reliance on the online travel agencies, then reels can be a really effective way to showcase your business.

In this blog post, I’m going to give you 10 creative ideas for using reel to promote your B&B, that you can create and post quickly, so that you can get on with the fun part of the business such as cooking breakfasts and welcoming guests.

Please note that this blog contains some affiliate links through to AMAZON. If you buy via this link I get a small percentage of the sale, at no extra cost to you, which I use to help pay for the software that hosts this blog :-)

What are Reels?

Reels are short 15-60 second (short form ) videos that can easily be shared on Instagram, Facebook or TikTok.

These platforms all allow you to post longer videos than that. But I’m not going to put max video lengths in here, because with the way social media platforms change, they will be out of date by the time I press publish.

But just because you can post long videos doesn’t mean you should.

Bear in mind that many of us have the attention span of goldfish these days and short form videos are better at getting our audience’s attention in the first place.

Of course that's not to say longer videos won't work. Once you’ve got your audience's attention and they’re interested in what you’re offering, then you can vary the length of your reels and see what works best.

Check out this post for 10 Instagram Marketing Tips for B&B Owners

Why use Reels?

1. Reels are highly shareable

Reels are designed to be easily shareable, making it easier for people to discover and share your bed and breakfast with their friends and followers.

2. Reels are visually engaging

Reels allow you to showcase your property and offerings in a visually engaging way, helping to capture the attention of potential guests.

3. Reels are a great way to showcase your bed and breakfast brand and values

Reels allow you to showcase the personality and values of your bed and breakfast, helping to build brand awareness and loyalty.

4. Reels are a cost-effective marketing tool

Creating and sharing reels is a cost-effective way to promote your bed and breakfast, as it requires minimal resources and can be done using just a smartphone.

5. Reels can help you reach a wider audience

By using relevant hashtags and sharing your reels on different social media platforms, you can help to reach a wider audience and attract new guests to your bed and breakfast.

What Equipment to use?

Reels aren’t meant to be perfectly produced videos, and really the only equipment you need is a smartphone with a camera that will take video.

There are lots of different editing apps out there and If I want to get a bit fancy, I use Canva. But you can edit videos from within Instagram and TikTok themselves.

If you’re taking videos of yourself doing something like cooking breakfast - and you don’t have someone else on hand to record the video - then invest in a cheap selfie stick with a stand or a gooseneck phone holder with a clamp. 

Check out these selfie sticks and Gooseneck stands on Amazon

TIP - videos don’t actually have to be videos. You can create a video using a number of photos combined together to make a video.

10 ideas for reels you can use to promote your Bed and Breakfast

1.Showcase your property

Use reels to showcase the interior and exterior of your property, highlighting unique features that make your bed and breakfast stand out.

Do individual video tours of each guest bedroom and public areas such as your dining room. You can either talk over them or add music.

TIP - if you are talking over a video, make sure that you add captions. You can do this in Instagram by hitting the Captions sticker when you create a reel.

Captions are important for accessibility and a lot of people watch reels with the sound off.

2. Highlight local attractions

Use reels to highlight local attractions and activities near your bed and breakfast such as National Trust properties, museums, local beaches and restaurants.

TIP - I’ve seen videos of tours of historic buildings doing particularly well.

3. Take your followers on a walk

If walking is a popular activity with your B&B guests, consider putting together videos of local walks, showing the landscape, flowers and wildlife.

4. Feature your breakfast

Use reels to showcase your breakfast offerings, highlighting any special dishes or ingredients that make your breakfasts unique.

For example, you could start with a photo of an empty plate, then take a photo each time you add an ingredient, ending up with a full plate then bringing all of these photos together in a video.

TIP - this is where a selfie or gooseneck stand come in really useful, as you can keep the camera and plate in exactly the same positions. See be

5. Demonstrate a cookery technique

If you have a favourite recipe or technique - think how to poach an egg style - then share the stages with your followers, with ingredient and method captions over the top of the video.

You could do this as a set of individual videos or use several photographs combined together to make a video.

6. Show off your garden

If your bed and breakfast has a garden or outdoor space, use reels to showcase it, highlighting any flowers, plants, or landscaping that make it special.

Gardens are great as they change throughout the year, so you could do a reel once a month or once a season. Or even an annual reel showing the garden through the seasons.

7. Share behind-the-scenes footage

Use reels to share behind-the-scenes footage of your bed and breakfast, such as cleaning processes, to give viewers an inside look at how your business operates.
Think carefully for this one. Whilst demonstrating the clever way you fold a towel or napkin shows an attention to detail, a video of you cleaning the toilet may just put people off!

8. Feature seasonal offerings

Use reels to showcase seasonal offerings, such as holiday decorations, summer activities, or winter sports.
You could have seasonal videos of the local landscape, decoration or the different seasonal breakfasts you offer.

9. Collaborate with local businesses

Use reels to collaborate with local businesses, such as town tours or gift shops, to cross-promote each other's offerings.

Take reels of your favourite local pubs or restaurants and they food they offer.

10. Before and after videos

If you’re decorating over winter, then consider doing a before and after reel, featuring photos or video starting from the before to the final beautifully decorated room.

I hope this blog post has given you some inspiration to get creative with your bed and breakfast reels!