There must be dozens of guys who live in nearby cities (where are you
located) who would be more than happy to come to your B&B just to get away
from city lights...I know I would. It would nice, of course, if you offered
free B&B for the man's time. But you asked if it's worth paying this person
$40/hour plus travel expense. Normally yes, but this guy does not have
"crowd pleasing" equipment. I'm assuming that he has a Dob, and this type
of telescope does not have tracking. This is not to say that a Dob is not a
perfectly good instrument, but rather it's simply not very good for a crowd.
What is likely to happen time and time again is that the celestial object
that this person puts his telescope on would move out of FOV before the
guests get to the eyepiece.

By the way, there are several B&B's located in dark sky areas (Arizona, New
Mexico) that offer telescope rentals for their guests and do a booming
business (they also get plenty of money). Just go to Google and do a
search...you'll find them. Finally, tell us where you're located, offer
free B&B to anyone who has the right equipment and I'm certain you will be
surprised to find _many_ willing takers.

Al


"user" wrote in message
...
Seems this guy is a school teacher. During the school year he is
available on the weekends and holidays. He's also available all summer.
He will come to your property (I own a B&B) and bring his 10" f/6
Discovery telescope for a two hour tour of the night's sky. For this he
wants $80. If he has to travel 25-50 miles, he wants an extra $20. If it
is over 50 miles, it is by quote. We are about 40 miles away.
Sounds interesting enough.
I have three rooms that rent for as low as $70 in the off season, as
high as $105 in the peak season, and $85 for the times one would not
call peak nor off peak, as well as weekends in the off peak season. The
place is modest but comfortable. Our main focus is on fishing, swimming
and boating. In the winter we are near some cross country ski trails
that are snowmobile free. We have some lake frontage. We have a 12'
jonboat (no motor) available to our guests or they may bring their own
boat.
I'm not sure if our average guest would be interested. I'm not sure if I
could raise the rates $35 to cover this expense. Does it sound
expensive? If you planned on going to a B&B would you pay an extra $35
for this? Thanks.