There is so much hype about the B&B establishments throughout the country. The Tourism Ministry has been trying to promote it to quite an extent yet they have not been successful. The B&B is geared for foreign tourist looking for a stay at home experience in India. Personally i have doubts on the program itself but this is what the government has to resort to when there is such a shortage in the availability of hotel rooms throughout the country.

If you have a spare bedroom and are interested to make some money out of it, you can read the below formalities which have been taken from the Tourism Ministry website.

Introduction

Hotels and other supplementary accommodation are an integral part of a tourist’s visit to a place and the services offered by them can make his/her visit memorable. With the aim of providing comfortable Home Stay Facilities of Standardized World Class Services to the tourists, and to supplement the availability of accommodation in the Metros and tourist destinations, Ministry of Tourism will classify fully operational rooms of Home Stay Facilities as “Incredible India Bed and Breakfast (B&B) Establishments”. The basic idea is to provide a clean and affordable place for foreigners and domestic tourists alike including an opportunity for foreign tourists to stay with an Indian family to experience Indian customs and traditions and relish authentic Indian cuisine.
The Bed & Breakfast facilities will be categorized as follows:-

(a)Silver
(b) Gold

The Regional Classification Committee, as specified in the guidelines, will inspect and assess the Bed & Breakfast Establishments, based on facilities and services offered. The details of the standards, facilities, services and the documents required for approval of such establishments will be as per these guidelines.
Bed & Breakfast Establishments, once approved by Ministry of Tourism, will be duly publicized. A directory of all such approved establishments will also be prepared, so as to enable domestic as well as foreign tourists to live in a homely environment and to take advantage of the scheme. In addition, efforts will be made to organize short term training in hospitality trade to those who would opt for such training.

Detailed Guidelines

1. The classification for B&B establishment will be given only in those cases where the owner /promoter of the establishment along with his /her family is physically residing in the same establishment and letting out minimum one room and maximum five rooms (10 beds).

2. The scheme will be on Bed and Breakfast basis and charges will have to be levied accordingly. The type of breakfast to be offered will have to be specified, the charges will have to be displayed and the visitors will have to be informed in advance so as to avoid unnecessary dispute.

3. Once an establishment applies for classification/ re-classification, it will have to be ready at all times for inspection by the Regional Classification Committee. No requests for deferment of inspection will be entertained.

4. Classification will be valid for two years from the date of issue of orders or in case of reclassification from the date of expiry of the last classification provided that the application has been received within the stipulated time i.e. 3 months before the expiry of the last classification.

5. Bed & Breakfast Establishments applying for classification will have to provide all the information supported by required documents as per the following formats:

a) Application format as at Annexure –I.
b) Checklist of facilities as at Annexure –II.
c) Undertaking as at Annexure –III.

6. The application fees payable for classification/reclassification will be as follows. The demand draft will have to be payable to” Pay & Accounts Officer, Ministry of Tourism, New Delhi “.

Star Category: For Classification/Reclassification
Silver: Rs. 3,000
Gold: Rs. 5,000

7. Bed & Breakfast Establishment will be classified following two stage procedure.

a) The presence of facilities and services will be evaluated against the enclosed Checklist. (Checklist will have to be duly filled in and signed on all pages and submitted along with the application).
b) The quality of facilities and services will be evaluated by the Regional Classification Committee. Due preference will be accorded to the homes, which are able to provide Indian experience by way of Indian décor, authentic and exotic Indian cuisine etc.

8. The Regional Classification Committee will consist of the following:

– Regional Director, Indiatourism –Chairman.

– Representative from IATO .

– Representative from TAAI.

– Representative from local Indiatourism Office.

– Representative from State Tourism Department.

– Commissioner of Police/ Superintendent of Police of the district or his representative.

9. The Chairman and any 2 members, where the presence of the police representative will be mandatory, will constitute a quorum. The recommendation of the Committee will be approved by the Chairman Hotel and Restaurant Approval and Classification Committee (HRACC).

10. Any deficiencies/rectifications pointed out by the Regional Classification Committee will have to be complied within the stipulated time which will be allotted in consultation with the representative /representatives of the establishment during inspection. Failure to do so will result in rejection of the application.

11. The Committee may recommend to the Chairman, HRACC a category either higher or lower than the one applied for. In case the category applied for is higher than the one recommended by the Committee, then the applicant will have to deposit the required fee for the recommended category. However, in case of the category recommended being lower than the one applied for, then there will be no refund of extra classification fee.

12. The Bed & Breakfast Establishment will be expected to maintain required standards at all times. The Chairman, HRACC could authorize a surprise inspection of the establishment at any time without previous notice.

13. Any changes in the facilities of the Bed & Breakfast Establishment will have to be informed to the Regional Director, India tourism Office, within 30 days. If any violation of this comes to the notice of the Committee then the classification will stand withdrawn / terminated.

14. All cases of classification would be finalised within 30 days of the application being made to the Regional Director concerned complete in all respect.

15. In case of any dissatisfaction with the decision of HRACC, the establishment may appeal to Secretary, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India for review and reconsideration within 30 days of receiving the communication regarding classification/ reclassification. No requests will be entertained beyond this period.

16. Ministry of Tourism, Government of India reserves the right to modify the guidelines/terms and conditions from time to time.

17. The rate of taxes for property, electricity and water to be paid for classified B&B Establishments will be those prescribed by the appropriate authorities.

Where to apply

The applications along with the requisite fees may be sent to:-

1. Regional Director (North), Indiatourism, 88 Janpath, New Delhi -110001.Tel: 011-23320005/8 (for States of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttranchal, NCT of Delhi, UT of Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh except Agra and Varanasi).

2. Regional Director (West), Indiatourism, 123 M. Karve Road, Mumbai -400020.Tel: 022-22033144 (for States of Gujarat, Chattisgarh, UT of Daman & Diu, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Maharashtra except Aurangabad).

3 Regional Director (South), Indiatourism, 154 Anna Sallai, Chennai -600002. Tel: 044- 28460193 (for States of Tamil Nadu and UT of Lakshwadweep).

4 Regional Director (East), Indiatourism, “Embassy”, 4 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata -700071. Tel: 033 -22825813 (for States of West Bengal and Jharkhand).

5 Regional Director (North- East), Indiatourism, Amravati Path, Christian Basti, G.S. Road, Guwahati -781007. Tel: 0361- 2341603 (for States of Assam, Tripura, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim).

6. Director, Indiatourism, KFC Building, 48 Church Street, Bangalore -560001, Karnataka. Tel: 080-25585417 (for the State of Karnataka).

7. Director, Indiatourism, State Hotel, Khasa Kothi, Jaipur- 302001. Tel: 0141- 2372200 (for the State of Rajasthan).

8. Director, Indiatourism, Sudama Palace, Kankar Bagh Road, Patna-800020, Bihar. Tel: 0612-2345776 (for the State of Bihar).

9. Manager, Indiatourism, 191, The Mall, Agra- 282001, Uttar Pradesh. Tel: 0562-2226378 (for the city of Agra).

10. Manager, Indiatourism, 15-B, The Mall, Varanasi – 221001, Uttar Pradesh. Tel: 0542-2501784 (for the city of Varanasi).

11. Manager, Indiatourism, B/21B.J.B. Nagar, Bhubaneshwar -751014, Orissa. Tel: 0674-2432203 (for the State of Orissa).

12. Manager, Indiatourism, Near Western Group of Temples, Khajuraho -471606, Madhya Pradesh. Tel: 07686- 242347 (for the State of Madhya Pradesh).

13. Manager, Indiatourism, VIP Road, 189, IInd Floor, Port Blair-744103, Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Tel: 03192- 236348 (for the UT of Andaman & Nicobar Islands).

14. Manager, Indiatourism, 3-60-140, IInd floor, Netaji Bhawan, Liberty Road, Himayat Nagar, Hyderabad -500029, Andhra Pradesh. Tel: 040-23261360 (for the State of Andhra Pradesh).

15. Manager, Indiatourism, Willingdon Island, Kochi -682009, Kerala. Tel: 0484-2668352 (for the State of Kerala).

16. Manager, Indiatourism, Communidade Building, Church Square, Panaji -403001, Goa. Tel: 0832-2223412 (for the State of Goa).

17. Manager, Indiatourism, ‘Krishna Vilas’, Station Road, Aurangabad -431005, Maharashtra. Tel: 0240- 2364999 (for the city of Aurangabad).

18. Manager, Indiatourism, U Tirot Singh Syiem Road, Police Bazaar, Shillong -793001, Meghalaya. Tel: 0364-225632 (for the State of Meghalaya).

19. Manager, Indiatourism, Sector ‘C’, Barapani Police Point, Naharlagun -791110, Arunachal Pradesh. Tel: 0360-2244328 (for the State of Arunachal Pradesh).

20. Manager, Indiatourism, Old Lambu Lane, Jail Road, Imphal -795001, Manipur. Tel: 03852-221131 (for the State of Manipur).