Montana Bed and Breakfast Membership Home > Membership

Thank you for your interest in MTBBA! Our membership application package is available to download after filling out the short form to the right.

About MTBBA: the Association is now eighteen years old. MTBBA represents the most respected bed and breakfasts in Montana. Members must meet the standards of the Association and are regularly inspected and approved by the Association. Of the 210 bed and breakfasts listed in the Montana Travel Planner, approximately 55 of them will be 2008 MTBBA members. We also offer "Aspiring Innkeeper"  memberships if you are not ready to open, but desire the services and expertise of the MTBBA.

One of MTBBA’s most important functions is representing the membership and our industry to the State. While an individual B&B can expect to have little or no influence in Helena, the Association, representing a group of respected B&Bs, commands attention. We battle at every session of the legislature against any number of proposed bills which seek to one way or another "steal" away from Travel Montana its’ only source of funding, the bed tax money, and to reduce or change the Travel Montana budget. Travel Montana has been tremendously successful in bringing tourists here and we are all very dependent on it. The Association’s lobbying efforts have been very influential in getting the votes for Travel Montana and maintaining their budget.

Up until 2003 the bed and breakfasts of Montana were regulated by the state under the rules for restaurants and hotel/motels. As the standards were not specific to the unique operations of the B&Bs, the rules were open to the interpretations of the individual county inspectors. The State Legislature authorized a committee to develop separate and specific standards. The Montana Bed and Breakfast Association was an integral part of the “Negotiated Rule Making Committee”. A set of regulations specific to the B&B industry of Montana was adopted by the state legislature in 2003.

Some of the benefits of MTBBA membership can be calculated in actual dollars. If, on your own, you were to receive the same advertising exposure as MTBBA, you would need to budget around $5000 per year. We have a prominent presence on the Internet with our own site MTBBA.com (averaging over 3000 hits and 600 unique visitors each day), along with sites on the more popular electronic B&B guidebooks, (for example bbonline.com and bedandbreakfast.com). There are countless links to our MTBBA site for which we are not charged. 10,000 membership directories with color photos & descriptive listings are distributed by our members, local chambers, trade shows, visitors’ centers and by calls to our 800#. We have a color advertisement in the statewide section of the Montana Travel Planner. MTBBA has placed an ad in the Washington B&B Guild’s annual member directory of which 40,000 copies are distributed throughout the Northwest and British Columbia. The Bozeman Area Chamber of Commerce and the Bozeman Downtown Business Association are also distributing the membership directory.

The benefits you can’t put actual dollars on include: the quarterly newsletter of industry, innkeeper and MTBBA news; one voice in legislative issues; licensed, inspected and approved designation; the quality control of an independent inspector; MTBBA/PAII affiliation; the Innkeeper Exchange program with $60 member-to-member rates; exposure and promotion at the Governor’s Conference and regional trade shows; and the MTBBA annual convention with current issues and networking.

Then there is the "priceless" benefit of MTBBA membership…. referrals to and from your fellow MTBBA innkeepers. Referrals to your guest for their next B&B accommodation down the road reflects on you. Your recommendation of a MTTBA B&B can give you comfort in the fact you have sent them to one of the best.

Each year we have our annual convention. The conventions feature keynote speakers and deal with the everyday trials of running a bed and breakfast in Montana. We encourage member participation and brainstorming. Non-members are always invited to attend. Perhaps most important of all is member networking and getting helpful information from the Association: where to find items you need for your B&B at the best prices; the right B&B insurance; recipes; guest referrals to other members when a member is full; etc. We are all in this together and our goal is to help each other as much as possible.

We look forward to having you join our group. If you have any questions, please feel free to email.

2009 Montana Bed and Breakfast Association Conference
       April 2009 in Kalispell, Montana

The Montana Bed and Breakfast Association will hold their annual 2009 convention (at a site to be determined) in Kalispell. The convention will begin Sunday with an Aspiring Innkeepers work shop, for those wishing to learn more about opening or operating a B&B.  The main convention will commence Monday morning with presentations on such subjects as web site design & Internet marketing, along with break-out sessions with innkeepers, the famed two-minute drill & cooking demonstrations.

The MTBBA convention is open to all Bed & Breakfast owners, managers and "aspiring" innkeepers and all are invited to attend. Businesses wishing to display their wares to the state’s B&B industry are also encouraged to attend. MTBBA currently has 55 inspected and approved member inns.

For more information, please contact Troy at the Blossom's B&B at 406-721-4690, info@blossomsbnb.com

Download 2008 Convention Registration Forms Here!

• Conference Registration (MS Word) / (PDF)
• Vendor Invitation (MS Word) / (PDF)
• Vendor Registration (MS Word) / (PDF)
• Convention Agenda (MS Word) / (PDF)