Lanier Company History

Pamela Lanier started out in the Bed & Breakfast industry upon her return from a post college adventure in Europe. Throughout the trip she stayed at a combination of Bed & Breakfasts, country inns and pensions and fell in love with these charming personalized lodgings where she felt safe and secure.

It was just about then in 1982 when the Bed & Breakfast concept was beginning to take off in the U.S. She felt the industry needed a comprehensive resource directory similar to those "well thumbed" guidebooks of Europe. So she put one together and it was a smash upon release. The first edition of the guide was reviewed by the New York Times who wrote:

"All necessary information about facilities, prices, pets, children, amenities, credit cards and the like (are included in Pamela Lanier's B&B Guide). Like France's Michelin…"

"I couldn't believe it," she said. "My guidebook compared to the same Michelin guidebook I read on my travels through France." She knew she had caught on to something.

The project developed a life of its own and increased exponentially as the B&B lifestyle grew from 1,200 inns in the first edition to over 45,000 worldwide on LanierBB.com today.