As the AA announces its annual Bed and Breakfast Awards, Gill Charlton, Telegraph Travel’s consumer expert, who ran a five-star B&B in Cornwall for 15 years, reveals what she learned along the way.

1. There are a lot of slobs around
It is amazing how a couple can transform their room into a pastiche of Tracey Emin’s infamous bed in just one night. Wet towels, spray perfumes and water bottles soon ruin polished furniture. In the end I stain-proofed every surface with yacht varnish.

It is amazing how a couple can transform their room into a pastiche of Tracey Emin’s infamous bed in just one night
I would also whip the handmade Indian quilt off the bed if I spotted signs of slobdom on arrival. This was easiest in summer as – bizarre though it may seem – the state of someone’s toe-nails is a dead giveaway.

2. The late …