What is the difference between a guest house and a b&b?

Am traveling to Belfast this summer from Virginia and do not understand the difference....also what is ';in suite';. have been all through the Americas but never to the UK. Please help!What is the difference between a guest house and a b%26amp;b?
According to Wikipedia, a guest house is a house which has been totally converted over to the function of guest accommodation, and the owner / operator usually lives on a separate area of the property. A guest house can be a bed %26amp; breakfast, but not all b%26amp;b's are guest houses, since owners can live in the same building in which the guests are accommodated. My guess is that the two are similar.





As for ';in suite';, that most likely refers to the bathroom arrangements. Many European guest accommodations have shared bathrooms, where guests have to share the facilities. ';In suite'; means that the bathroom facilities are accessed via the guest's room, and that they are note shared.What is the difference between a guest house and a b%26amp;b?
First, the easiest part: ';en suite'; is a French expression and it means that you will have a private bathroom.





There is often not much if any difference between a guest house and a B%26amp;B. In my mind it's often a matter of size: a B%26amp;B might be a private residence with only one or a few bedrooms to rent out, whereas a guesthouse might be like a small hotel that could sleep 20-30 guests. Also a guesthouse might serve dinner. You can be confident that a B%26amp;B won't serve dinner.





In my mind the distinction between the two categories isn't very significant. You will have an interesting stay regardless of which you choose. Just don't expect a corporate, standardized hotel experience, and don't expect to get as much privacy as in a regular hotel. Also you probably won't have a TV or some other amenities in your room.
En suite means the room has its own toilet and bath/shower.





The words 'guest house' and 'B%26amp;B' (bed and breakfast) can mean a variety of different things nowadays. I know of a B%26amp;B which is effectively a family run hotel, complete with guest living room and dining room.





Your best bet is to ring them up and ask what you want to know. Be aware that traditionally B%26amp;Bs do not serve evening meals and neither serve mid-day meals.