THE STORY

Curiously, the idea of Helsinki Bed and Breakfast was born in Stockholm. In the autumn 2003, I was attending a conference there, and the hotel on offer looked too sterile besides being highly priced. Through the web site of the city, I easily found an alternative. I decided to try a homestay. A local B&B agency (http://bba.nu/) took care of the formalities, and I ended up in the home of a lady named Sandra living close to Stureplan.

At Sandra's, I got a quiet and beautiful room of my own, and the hostess and her other guests offered me a bit of company to chat with. I really felt at home from the very first moment, and my mind returned back to the past when I was interrailing in Great Britain. There the best experiences of all were the visits to the homes of the most warm-hearted people.

Why not in Helsinki?

After Stockholm, my mind kept bothering me with the question why we do not have the same system in Helsinki. I decided to find it out a few years later when my personal time allowed it.

First, I investigated all legal aspects regarding taxation, fire safety, communal health surveillance, the police and the relevant ministry. No objections were made anywhere, rather the opposite, and my idea was warmly supported.

Mrs. Amira from the Stockholm agency turned out to be helpful and supported my first steps greatly with her experience. The path looked clear in my eyes: I would establish a Homestay Society. The Finnish law, however, in its complexity brought me back to Earth, and I realized it was far easier to run a micro-enterprise.

An entrepreneur - who? me?

Against all my fears establishing a company was a positive experience for a first-timer. Advice and encouragement were offered more than plenty. As soon as all the official formalities were completed, I started to build the network of hosts, and in August 2007, I had the pleasure of receiving my first guests Costas and Eleni from Crete.

After a modest start, the word started to spread, co-operation was initiated with Helsinki Tourist Information, the number of hosts and partners increased rapidly and so did the number of guests. More importantly, the feedback was overflowing with positivity. The decision to continue was easy - this is something one cannot give up.

At present, running Helsinki Bed and Breakfast is my dear hobby enriching my own and many other peoples' lives. It is not a gold mine but it is not intended to be one. Companies from overseas may very well take care of the "hard business" in this field, while I am satisfied as long as I feel I am doing the right thing with the right people i.e. great hosts and equally great guests. I am thankful to both.

Yours Tapani