Why a “Host on Call?”

The idea behind Host on Call sprang from the community of Bed and Breakfast owners in Elora, Ontario.

It began in 2001 as a manual system designed to help visitors find accommodations quickly and efficiently, especially during peak periods when many B&Bs are fully booked.

One B&B owner would take responsibility each week for calling all the other B&Bs to find out who still had space. Then, if a B&B was fully booked, all they had to do was refer a caller to the “Host on Call” for that week, who had recorded everyone’s room availability on a sheet of paper.

For visitors and guests, it meant a maximum of two phone calls to find accommodation, instead of dozens of calls. Unfortunately, if the host on call was away from the phone, there was no way to retrieve the information.

HostOnCall.net is an extension of that system. B&B and Inn owners update their information as it changes, so you can find out—in one place—who has available accommodation in the tourist destination you wish to visit before you even pick up the phone to make a reservation!

Why are we doing this for free? Here’s some background on who we are.