Dongli Country House, one of the eight certified five-star B&B inns during the 2019 Shanghai Tourism Festival, has been deeply exploring how to operate such an inn.

(Outer view of the Dongli Country House)

August, a post-80s generation lady from Hubei province, is the manager of the inn, which is located in the Fengxian district of Shanghai. Having been operating the inn for more than a year, she has become much more experienced.

“Over the whole of October, I was extremely busy. After the reception work during the Golden Week National Day holiday, I served customers coming here for team building or having parties one after another,” said August.

(Courtyard of the Dongli Country House)

Fishing, chess, picking vegetables, dining and campfire evenings are all accessible when staying in the inn, and therefore, she must make preparations for all the activities customers book. In her spare time, she also needs to do other administrative things like inspection and maintenance of the facilities, replying online to the guests’ comments on the tourism platforms and updating the website page of the inn. On her Wechat moments, she has also done lots of promotion by posting pictures and videos showing customers digging up sweet potatoes, catching crabs and collecting eggs.

(August picks vegetables in the garden.)

As the manager of the hotel, August has learned a key thing, namely that no matter who the guests are, the staff of the hotel should treat them warmly like friends coming from afar and give them the best service to ensure that they relax as much as possible during their stay at the hotel.

Whenever guests come, August will find an opportunity to sincerely chat with them like a friend, and ask them about their hobbies and also their opinions and suggestions for the service of the hotel.

(The interior decoration of the Dongli Country House)

Such a warm and relaxed atmosphere has attracted many old customers to come back with their family and friends, and currently half of the customers were recommended to come, with some being from the nearby provinces and even some foreigners.

Where do the guests come from, what can guests do when they stay here, and how to attract them to come again? These are the questions August is perpetually considering.

Compared with Chongming and Jinshan districts, where agricultural resources are richer, Fengxian district has relatively limited natural resources for the B&B inn to develop. Therefore, in the past one year, August has been cooperating with other sides to explore more interesting and diversified experiences like taking guests to pick vegetables, dig up sweet potatoes, go to the beach to catch crabs, pick up eggs and appreciate flowers in the nearby Phalaenopsis (moth orchid) planting base.

(Catching crabs is one of the experiences when staying in the Dongli Country House. )

“Those with a spare house and money cannot necessarily operate a successful B&B. Only with special characteristics in its construction and operation, can it live long,” said August. Regarding the Shanghai Homestay Association, which is hoping to introduce more homestays to participate and inviting the pioneer ones to share their experience, she said that only when more join in, can the homestay market in Shanghai expand.

(Photos from shobserver.com)