Hostel: requirements for premises, business plan, documents

November 17, 2018
Business plans
Ksenia Stepanishcheva

A hostel is called an analogue of a hotel, but at an affordable price. Guests get a comfortable place to spend the night here. The market for similar establishments is developing, so novice entrepreneurs have the opportunity to invest in this business, assessing the risks and profitability. How to open a hostel, requirements for premises and other nuances of organizing a business are presented in the article.

Advantages and disadvantages

This type of business has the following advantages:

High demand. This aspect depends on the attractiveness of the region and the location of the hostel. But with a careful analysis of tourist routes and choosing the right place for a mini-hotel, you can quickly get good profitability.
Regular customers. A properly created marketing strategy and high service will allow you to gain regular customers.
Possibility of high income. Competent business management allows you to earn high profits.

The disadvantages include:

High competition. But this also indicates a great demand for the service. Therefore, with a correct analysis of the competitive market and offering quality service, you can take a worthy place in the market.
Large start-up capital. Large investments are needed, without which a hostel cannot be organized. Large expenses are required to rent or purchase premises, repairs, purchase furniture and equipment.

Definition of hostel

First you need to clearly define how this format differs from the usual hotel. A hostel is an economy version of a hotel, more like a comfortable hostel with room cleaning, and in some cases, breakfast included. The advantage of this format is its affordable cost.

Such accommodations are popular with students, low- and moderate-income people and travelers looking to spend their money on sightseeing rather than a hotel.

Initially, a hostel is an apartment for overnight stay. But the market situation is changing, competition is emerging and owners are trying to stand out from the crowd. Now the hostels have Standard and Suite rooms with a private bathroom, as well as relaxation areas, bicycle rentals and other entertainment.

Note! Despite all the improvements, the hostel remains a budget accommodation option, so you shouldn’t try to turn it into a mini-hotel - this is a different format in the hotel business.

Business meeting

Market analysis

How to open a hostel from scratch in St. Petersburg or another large city? First, you need to assess the prospects of opening an establishment in the region, as well as the demand for the service. Clients are usually:

students, young people;
tourists who want to save on overnight accommodation;
people who came to the city for work.

It is also necessary to analyze the number of tourists visiting the city, as well as a map of upcoming interesting events. These include: sporting events, concerts, exhibitions, festivals. It is imperative to take into account the number of open hostels, the types of their services and ways to outperform competitive establishments.

Where is the demand greatest?

The business will be successful if the services offered are in demand. An analysis of migration flows to or through a populated area should be done. Large cities, tourist and resort areas are in an advantageous position. The need for a hostel will arise if there is a tradition of holding festivals and exhibitions in the area.

Before organizing a mini-hotel, you need to compare supply and demand: find out how many similar establishments there are in the city, where they are located, what services they offer, and at what price. The information received will help you make a choice - where, how, and how much to open a hostel.

Registration

Is the type of registration determined by the place where the establishment was founded? In what premises can you open a hostel? The establishment may be located:

In the apartment. Then you need to register an individual entrepreneurship (IP). This procedure is quick and simple.
In a non-residential premises. Then you need to register a limited liability company (LLC). This procedure will involve a lot of paperwork, and it will also be more expensive compared to registering an individual entrepreneur.

With the opening of the establishment, the hostel can be assigned the following OKVED codes:

23;
23.5;
20.

To open a hostel, you need to buy a cash register, which must be registered with the tax office. It is better for novice businessmen to choose the simplified taxation system - this is a simplified taxation system. It pays 15% of profit or 6% of turnover per year. A bank account is required to make payments more convenient for clients. Still need a seal.

Relevance of the establishment and documents for opening

A hostel as a business idea is a promising investment, which, if successfully implemented, can grow to several branches. This type of accommodation has long been popular in Europe; it appeared on the Russian market not so long ago. Therefore, this niche can be considered relatively free and it will be possible to achieve payback quickly.

Nowadays, more and more travelers do not want to spend money on staying in expensive hotels and inns. Students and young people have begun to travel more often, so hostel apartments are becoming an alternative to hotel rooms. Therefore, more and more beginning entrepreneurs are choosing this direction to invest their funds.

First you need to draw up a business plan for the hostel in order to calculate all possible repair costs and make adjustments if necessary. To open a hostel, you need to register a company as an individual entrepreneur or LLC and register for tax purposes. It is imperative to obtain permission from the fire service and sanitary and epidemiological station, and an agreement for the removal of household waste. The entrepreneur must provide a rental agreement for the premises or confirm that they own it.

Important! Hostels should open in non-residential premises.

Hostel room

GOST

You need to first find out about the organization of the business and the requirements for the premises. The hostel will then operate according to the norms. Since 2015, GOST 56184-2014 “General requirements for hostels” has been in force. According to it, a hotel establishment is equipped according to the following rules:

At least 4 m² are allocated for 1 bed.
The ceiling height must be at least 2.5 m.
Beds must have dimensions of at least 80 x 190 cm, and the distance between them must be more than 75 cm.
There must be fire extinguishers and a fire safety magazine in the room.
15 seats require 1 shower. The bathroom should not be located in a residential area.
There is 1 toilet for 12 people.
For 6 seats you need 1 sink.
Access to drinking water and a kettle is required.
You need a room for guests to communicate, for example, a living room.
If there is a catering establishment nearby, then you don’t have to open the kitchen in the hostel.
Rules of conduct for staff and guests, as well as rights, duties, and responsibilities must be spelled out.

These are the basic requirements for the premises. The hostel must be opened taking into account points 5, 7 and 3. They indicate that ground floors and basements are not suitable for the establishment. This is taken into account when any hostel opens. The layout of the premises should be convenient for people.

It is important to choose a suitable location for the room. The city center is suitable for a hostel. You should take into account the location of tourist spots, transport interchanges, and the presence of metro and train stations nearby. Then the establishment will be popular. It is advisable that there is not another establishment such as a hostel nearby.

St. Petersburg and other large cities are leaders in this business. Often establishments here are opened in apartments, since in this case the arrangement requires less material costs. Disadvantages include conflicts with neighbors. To prevent them, it is important to pay close attention to the discipline of employees and guests.

Differences between them

Real estate is often divided into residential and non-residential.

Residential premises include premises in which people legally live. These are dormitories, apartment and private houses, a summer house, a garden house. Also, almost all types of hotels are considered to be residential.
As for non-residential property, it is often used for commercial or public purposes. The need to transfer housing from one fund to another may arise both from entrepreneurs and from other people who want to use the space to create an office.

If you have such a need, do not sound the alarm again.

Reference . You can transfer an apartment to another fund using various methods.

Documentation

What documents are needed to open a hostel in non-residential premises? This requires:

A lease agreement concluded with the owner of the premises. It could also be a document of ownership. When renting space for a hostel or your own facility, the business organization will be the same.
Conclusion of the SES. To obtain it, you must comply with the requirements of the sections that relate to the organization and operation of a mini-hotel, which are in the documents - SanPiN 2.1.2.2645-10, SP 54.13330.2011.
Fire service report. To issue it, you must comply with the requirements of Federal Law No. 123 of August 22, 2008. It is important to follow this law. Hostels in residential and non-residential premises must be checked before opening.
Agreement with a company providing waste removal services.

Non-residential premises for a hostel - the law on hostels

Hostels appeared in Russia relatively recently. Having come to us from Europe, for a long time they were not at all subject to separate regulations protecting the safety and comfort of both the guests themselves and the unwitting neighbors of apartment hostels in residential buildings. The number of hostels grew uncontrollably. Somewhere they were registered as mini-hotels, and many were generally forced to work “in the shadows.”

Finally, in 2014, the government reacted and recognized the hostel as an independent type of budget hotel accommodation, releasing a single GOST for hostels. The original law established formal free standards and, in fact, did not solve the problem of hostels in apartment buildings, which set the teeth on edge of ordinary citizens forced to live next to such hostels. In response to their requests, two years later, a package of amendments was developed and implemented, forever closing the conflict between hostel owners and their neighbors.

Equipment and furniture

According to the requirements for the premises, the hostel must be cozy, so it is necessary to carry out cosmetic repairs in advance, and then begin to arrange it. This requires the purchase of:

2-tier beds;
sofas;
ottomans (chairs);
cabinet;
cabinets;
kitchen set;
dining table;
chairs for the kitchen;
dryers

The purchase of beds is important, since the main service of the hostel is to ensure healthy sleep. We need high-quality 2-story beds and orthopedic mattresses. Bed linen and pillows are required. In addition to furniture, the following purchases are required:

refrigerator;
microwave;
slabs;
teapot;
washing machine;
hairdryer;
iron with ironing board;
vacuum cleaner;
2 laptops (one is needed by the administrator, and the second is purchased for guests);
entertainment equipment - plasma TV, consoles, board games;
security systems - fire alarm, video surveillance;
safe deposit boxes.

The kitchen will require utensils for preparing and serving food. All this must be included in the hostel business plan.

Hostel, hostel, hotel, hotel - who is who?

Hostel, hostel, hotel, hotel - who is who?

Residential premises in dormitories are intended for temporary residence of citizens during the period of their work, service or training (Article 94 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation). Houses or parts of houses that are specially built or converted for these purposes are provided for dormitories. Residential premises in dormitories are equipped with furniture and other items necessary for citizens to live.

Residential premises in dormitories are provided at the rate of at least 6 square meters of living space per person (Article 105 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation). The rental agreement for residential premises in a dormitory is concluded for the period of employment, service or training. Termination of employment, study, as well as dismissal from service is grounds for termination of the tenancy agreement for residential premises in a dormitory.

The eviction of citizens from residential premises in dormitories with the provision of other residential premises is carried out by the previous owner or legal entity transferring the corresponding residential premises in the case provided for in paragraph 2 of Art. 102 Housing Code of the Russian Federation.

The amount of payment for accommodation in a dormitory, utilities and personal services for students cannot exceed 5 percent of the scholarship amount, and the maximum cost of payment for accommodation in a dormitory is set at no more than 3 percent of the amount of the scholarship for successful students (Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of January 18, 1992 No. 33 “On additional measures for the social protection of students” (with last amendments and additions)).

Dormitory

A dormitory is a room with shared bedrooms or separate rooms for temporary residence of persons, usually of the same social group, profession, etc. (Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov).

A dormitory is a room equipped for housing provided by an enterprise or educational institution for the accommodation of workers of this enterprise and students (Ozhegov’s Explanatory Dictionary).

A dormitory is a building, usually with many furnished rooms, in which students (students) of an educational institution or workers, military personnel, etc., who do not have permanent housing in the locality where they work, live during their studies. serve (Dmitriev's Explanatory Dictionary).

A dormitory is a specially built or converted residential building for the residence of workers, employees, students, pupils, as well as other citizens during the period of work or study (Financial Dictionary).

A dormitory is a collective household, a quasi-household, a form of joint residence of people who are not related, but are united either by a source of livelihood or by the homogeneity of their social functions (barracks, student dormitory, nursing home, chronic hospital, boarding house, etc.). d.) (Demographic Encyclopedic Dictionary).

A dormitory is a residential building with a complex of utility and service premises, intended for temporary residence of a certain category of people, for example students, workers (Terminological Dictionary of Construction)

There are three types of dormitories based on the location of the rooms:

Corridor-type dormitories – dormitory rooms are located along the corridor. Bathrooms, showers and kitchen are shared in the corridor.

Block-type dormitories - rooms are located in blocks of 2-3 rooms with bathrooms and showers, and sometimes kitchens per block.

Apartment-type dormitories - rooms are located in a separate 3- or 4-room apartment. Bathroom, shower and kitchen - per apartment.

The dorm rooms are equipped with bunk beds and some furniture (bedside tables, tables, cabinets, etc.).

Dormitories can also be classified according to the categories of residents:

workers' dormitories;

student dormitories;

family hostels;

military dormitories;

dormitories for employees;

student dormitory.

According to the demographic encyclopedic dictionary, such dormitories also include:

nursing home;

chronic hospitals;

boarding houses;

sanatoriums;

Children's camps;

and so on.

Another classifying feature is the gender of the citizens moving into a particular dormitory, and in this case the dormitories can be divided into:

women's;

men's;

mixed.

Hostel

A hotel-hostel is a cheap hotel with multi-bed dormitory-type rooms and amenities on the floor (Efremova’s Explanatory Dictionary).

A hotel-hostel is a cheap hotel (dormitory) for students and tourists (four six-bed rooms, amenities on the floor) (Dictionary of Foreign Words of the Russian Language).

A hostel is a European accommodation system that provides its guests with short- or long-term accommodation, which is usually a sleeping place without additional amenities in the room.

Hotel

According to the norms of the current legislation of the Russian Federation, a hotel is an enterprise (or a property complex), cat. provides temporary accommodation. The number of rooms in the hotel must be at least 10 (ten). Moreover, the form of ownership can be any. Hotel enterprises differ in the number of places to stay, the number and class of rooms, but not in the number of entrances.

Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of February 16, 2021 N 158 “On approval of the Regulations on the classification of hotels”

hotel - an accommodation facility in which hotel services are provided and which belongs to one of the types of hotels provided for by the regulations on the classification of hotels approved by the Government of the Russian Federation.

Hotels do not include accommodation facilities used to carry out the main activities of children's recreation and health organizations, medical organizations, social service organizations, physical education and sports organizations, centralized religious organizations and (or) religious organizations included in their structure;

(paragraph introduced by Federal Law dated 02.05.2018 N 16-FZ; as amended by Federal Law dated 02.12.2019 N 419-FZ) (see text in the previous edition)

II. Types of hotels

-For classification purposes, all types of hotels are classified according to a “star system”, which has 6 categories: “five stars”, “four stars”, “three stars”, “two stars”, “one star”, “no stars”. The highest category is “five stars”, the lowest is “no stars”.

=This Regulation applies to the following types of hotels:

a) hotel, hotel - an accommodation facility, which is a property complex that includes a building or part of a building, premises and other property in which accommodation services are provided and, as a rule, food services, which has a reception service, as well as equipment for providing additional services;

b) a hotel located in a building that is an object of cultural heritage or located on the territory of a historical settlement - a type of hotel that therefore has restrictions when carrying out restoration and repair work;

c) resort hotel, sanatorium, recreation center, tourist center, recreation center, tourist village (rest village), holiday home, boarding house and other similar accommodation facilities, which are located in an area that has, among other things, natural healing resources (mineral waters, mud , climate, etc.), provide on their own basis, as additional services, health-improving services using the specified natural resources and have the capabilities and appropriate equipment for organizing sports and entertainment;

d) aparthotel - a type of hotel whose room capacity consists exclusively of rooms in the “studio” and “apartment” categories;

e) motel - a type of hotel with a parking lot, providing hotel and other related services to accommodate motorists;

f) apartment complex - a type of hotel, the number of rooms of which consists of rooms of various categories with kitchen equipment and a full bathroom;

g) aquatel - a type of hotels located in converted stationary floating vehicles located on the water, but withdrawn from service;

h) hostel - a type of hotel that includes multi-bed rooms, but no more than 12 beds in one room, rooms for shared use by guests (living rooms, halls, breakfast rooms, etc.), the total total area of which is at least 25 percent of the total area of the rooms, sanitary facilities, located, as a rule, outside the room, and providing food services with a limited choice of dishes and (or) kitchen equipment, as well as, if possible, additional services;

i) farm guest house (rooms) - a type of hotel located in rural areas, providing accommodation and food services mainly from products produced on peasant farms;

j) mountain shelter, hunter's house, fisherman's house, chalet, bungalow - isolated houses with kitchen equipment, located in a mountainous area, in a forest, on the shore of a reservoir.

-This Regulation does not apply to accommodation facilities used for the main activities of children's recreation and health organizations, medical organizations, social service organizations, physical education and sports organizations, centralized religious organizations, as well as campsites, hostels and other accommodation facilities that do not provide hotel services.

Category name Room requirements

Category "suite" hotel room with a total area of at least 75 square meters. m, consisting of 3 or more living rooms (living/dining room, study and bedroom) with a double bed measuring 200-200 cm and an additional guest toilet.

Category "apartment" is a hotel room with a total area of at least 40 square meters. m, consisting of 2 or more rooms (living room/dining room/and bedrooms), with a 2-bed size 200-200 cm, with a kitchenette (electric stove/microwave oven, extractor hood, kettle, dishwasher/sink, set dishes, refrigerator/mini-fridge)

Category "luxury" hotel room with a total area of at least 35 square meters. m, consisting of 2 living rooms (living room and bedroom), designed to accommodate one/two people

Category "Junior Suite" 1-room hotel room with a total area of at least 25 square meters. m, designed to accommodate one or two people with a layout that allows part of the room to be used as a living room/dining room/office.

Category "studio" 1-room hotel room with a total area of at least 25 square meters. m, designed to accommodate one or two people with a kitchenette (electric stove/microwave oven, extractor hood, kettle, dishwasher/sink for washing dishes, set of dishes, refrigerator/mini-fridge).

First category (standard) hotel room, consisting of 1 living room with one/double beds, with a full bathroom (bath/shower, washbasin, toilet), designed to accommodate one/two people.

The second category is a hotel room, consisting of 1 living room with one/double beds, with a partial bathroom (sink, toilet or 1 full bathroom in a block of 2-3 rooms), designed to accommodate one/two people.

The third category is a hotel room, consisting of 1 living room with the number of beds according to the number of residents, with a partial bathroom (sink, toilet or 1 full bathroom in a block of 2 - 3 rooms), designed to accommodate several people, with an area per person living 6 sq. m in year-round hotels, 4.5 sq. m - in seasonal hotels.

The fourth category is a hotel room, consisting of 1 living room with the number of beds according to the number of residents, with a washbasin, designed to accommodate several people, with an area per person of 6 square meters. m in buildings with year-round operation, 4.5 sq. m - in seasonal buildings. For a hostel, a room size of at least 4 square meters is allowed. m for 1 bed (1-tier or 2-tier, the distance from the top back of a 2-tier bed to the ceiling is at least 75 cm)

The fifth category is a hotel room, consisting of 1 living room with the number of beds according to the number of residents, without plumbing equipment (toilets and bathrooms, showers for common use), designed to accommodate several people, with an area per person of 6 square meters. m in buildings with year-round operation, 4.5 sq. m - in seasonal buildings.

For a hostel, a room size of at least 4 square meters is allowed. m for 1 bed (1-tier or 2-tier, the distance from the top back of a 2-tier bed to the ceiling is at least 75 cm)

dormitories.

A hotel is a house with furnished rooms for visitors (Ushakov’s Explanatory Dictionary)

A hotel is a house for temporary residence of visitors with single or multiple rooms, with service (Ozhegov’s Explanatory Dictionary)

A hotel is a residential building with a complex of premises for consumer services, intended for short-term accommodation (Terminological Dictionary of Construction)

A hotel is a building intended for temporary residence of citizens who come to a given locality. A hotel for autotourists is called a motel (Great Soviet Encyclopedia)

A hotel is a house with furnished rooms (rooms) for temporary residence of visitors (Encyclopedic Dictionary)

A hotel in the Russian Federation is an organization that provides conditions for temporary residence of citizens for a period of no more than 2 months, regardless of place of registration. If there are free places, at the consumer's request, one person can be provided with a room for 2 or more places with full payment of the room price. Features of hotel activities are regulated by the Rules for the provision of hotel services in the Russian Federation (Big Legal Dictionary)

Hotel

A hotel is a rich, large hotel or home of a noble family (Dictionary of Foreign Words of the Russian Language)

Hotel is the name of large comfortable hotels (Ushakov’s Explanatory Dictionary).

A hotel is the same as a hotel (Ozhegov’s Explanatory Dictionary)

The hotel is a private palace; extensive hotel (Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary)

A hotel is a hotel (Encyclopedic Dictionary).

Hotel is the international name for a hotel (Great Soviet Encyclopedia).

Briefly to the point

So, having considered all the proposed definitions, we can conclude that:

A dormitory is a room with amenities for several rooms, usually with bunk beds and for people united by a common “idea” (work, study, service)

A hostel is a room with amenities for several rooms, with single or bunk beds for people who are not connected by some common “idea” (for example, tourists).

Hotel – these are rooms with single bunk beds and in-room amenities for temporary accommodation.

The hotel is a good hotel.

The choice between these types of accommodation is characterized by the following criteria: cost per day or per period, size of the group for accommodation, required amenities.

Services

The hostel business plan must include all the services that will be provided. It is important to ensure a comfortable stay. Guests can count on:

sleeping area;
kitchen with dishes;
bathroom with shower and toilet;
relaxation room with TV, laptop, game console;
free Wi-Fi;
washing clothes;
use of washing machine, dryer, iron.

All services that increase convenience can make the establishment popular and attractive to customers - this is also one of the methods that makes a business popular.

Is hostel a risky business?

Realists advise underestimating the possible risks of entrepreneurship, especially for those who are “bewitched” by the hostel business idea. It’s one thing when a group of tourists who have known each other for a long time move in, or if the clients are quiet retired travelers. It’s a different matter when we are talking about the most diverse public, in which there are malicious violators of internal regulations.

“My wife dreamed of opening a quiet family business and thought of clients as relatives who also paid extra for their overnight stay,” writes a forum member with the nickname wehrtan#. “In reality, she got a headache in the form of restless guest workers.”

Common problems include vandalism, conflicts between clients, and problems in relationships with residents of the building where the hostel is located.

As a business project, a hostel is rightly considered a reliable and profitable business. Moreover, this is the 21st dynamic century with growing tourist flows from year to year, rapid labor migration and increasing business contacts. There are more people in need of inexpensive daily accommodation every day.

However, in order not to make mistakes, you need to carefully work out the hostel business plan. This is what experienced entrepreneurs advise.

Staff

How to organize a hostel in non-residential premises? It is necessary to hire the following specialists:

Two administrators. They work in shifts, take orders around the clock, accommodate guests, and accept payments. These employees are responsible for comfort. It is advisable that they know English.
Housemaid. When the establishment is small, she is hired on a part-time basis. In addition to cleaning, this specialist will buy consumables for the hostel. If the establishment is large, 2-3 maids will probably be required.
Accountant. This specialist can be hired part-time. Some of the work can be done independently, which saves money on employee salaries.

Tips and tricks for opening a hostel

To make it stand out among competitors and attract more guests, you need to monitor the condition of the rooms and promote your business in the hotel market. Opening a business hostel is not so difficult if you adhere to the following recommendations:

think through the concept in advance. It is important that the name, design of the lounge area and rooms be made in the same style;
if the starting capital is small, then you should not rent a large premises. It is better to make high-quality repairs for a small number of places. If you use cheap materials, they will have to be updated frequently;
It is worth agreeing in advance with the landlord about the possibility of reducing the rent during the low tourist season;
You should not skimp on cleaning services - the rooms should always be kept clean;
You can offer additional services, for example, organizing excursions;
attract clients with promotions when staying for a long time or with a large group.

If you adhere to the above recommendations on how to organize a hostel, your business will be successful. For further development, the owner should think about a unified concept for his branches or creating a franchise, provided that the project is commercially successful.

Promotion

Hostels are a tourism business, so competent advertising is necessary. A businessman can use several marketing tools:

Website. This resource is required so that clients can find out about the hostel’s conditions, price list, and reviews. The site must be properly advertised. To do this, it is advisable to order promotion from a good SEO specialist.
Advertising on the Internet. You can create advertising banners on various sites related to entertainment and tourism.
Pages on social networks. You need to open a page on VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, Instagram and other social networks. networks. Information must be constantly updated. You also need to constantly add photos, promotions and giveaways.
Online booking networks. There are many sites on the Internet for finding temporary housing. About 90% of clients usually come from these resources. It is better to work with resources such as Booking, TripAdvisor, Airbnb.
Interaction with educational institutions. Students stay in hostels when traveling and traveling, so it is necessary to maintain contact with these organizations.
Working with travel companies. A cooperation agreement is concluded with them, according to which they are allocated a certain part of the proceeds from the attracted client.

Discounts are also needed for guests who register in large groups or for a long time. Then the hostel will be in demand, it doesn’t matter whether it’s St. Petersburg or another city.

From scratch in an apartment

If you dare to convert your living square meters into a hostel for tourists, be prepared to make a number of changes. The main point: now your apartment will be designed to accommodate a large number of people. For example, for a two-room apartment, the norm is 10-15 guests in a hostel.

So, you will need:

Make a redevelopment. It is clear that under the old conditions the room cannot accommodate such a large number of people. This means that you will have to completely rebuild the entire apartment on the basis that there should be at least 5 square meters of living space per guest. The more, the more comfortable and expensive your hostel is.
Arrange everything correctly. In addition to practicality, the hostel must be designed accordingly. Since the majority of potential guests are young people and students, the design should be bright and creative; unusual design solutions are welcome.
Buy new furniture. Obviously, at least one bed per person. A hostel primarily means a bed. But this is the minimum. In addition to beds, you will need bedside tables, tables, and new furniture in the kitchen (which should be converted into a dining room).
Take care of the quality of communications. If, while living in your former private apartment, you somehow made do with an old shower with barely running hot water and one socket for the entire room, then your guests are unlikely to like such “homey” conditions. Your establishment should have at least an outlet per bed and adequate plumbing.

Financial part

What is the cost of the establishment? To do this, you need to determine how much is required to open. One-time and monthly expenses will be required. One-time ones include:

repair and design – 400 thousand rubles;
purchase of equipment and furniture – 900 thousand rubles;
advertising – 50 thousand rubles;
business registration and other expenses – 100 thousand rubles.

One-time costs amount to about 1.5 million rubles. Monthly expenses include:

rental of premises – 45 thousand rubles;
salaries and transfers to extra-budgetary funds - 85 thousand rubles;
utilities – 15 thousand rubles;
outsourcing services – 15 thousand rubles;
purchase of consumables – 5 thousand rubles;
other expenses – 20 thousand rubles.

About 185 thousand rubles will be spent monthly. But these are approximate figures. Depending on the size of the establishment and region, they may vary.

How to open a mini hotel

A mini-hotel differs from a hostel in the presence of separate rooms for each guest or couple/family of guests. Typically, a mini-hotel is located in a separate building and has no more than 30 rooms. There may be a shower in each room, as in a regular hotel, or there may be several showers and toilets in common use. Mini-hotel rooms are usually equipped with a microwave; There is often a shared kitchen.

A mini-hotel is a more “advanced” and expensive version of a hostel with an increased level of comfort. Such hotels are not aimed at young people, but at middle-aged and older people, business travelers and married couples.

Premises for a mini-hotel can be rented, built from scratch, or used from existing premises. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages. Before opening, it is also important to calculate all income and expenses and draw up a business plan.

You can follow the same plan as when opening a hostel, but take into account the features of mini-hotels:

more opening costs
more income (due to higher prices per guest)
different target audience.

Basically, the algorithm for opening a mini-hotel and a hostel is almost the same.

Profit and profitability

Hostels usually offer the following price list:

a room with 4 beds costs 700 rubles per night;
room with 8 beds – 550 rubles;
room with 12 beds – 450 rubles.

What are the prices for a hostel? The average price per client is 525 rubles. The average load per day after active advertising will be 70%. For example, out of a total number of 24 places, there will be 17 free places. In this case, the daily revenue will be about 9,000 thousand rubles, and 260 per month.

After spending a month, the profit will be equal to 70,000 rubles. Profitability is 38%. In this case, the project pays for itself in 22 months, taking into account the period of active promotion.

Does the hostel as a business bring in a lot of money?

By drawing up a business plan with calculations, entrepreneurs calculate income from future business activities. To do this, simple steps are applied, including monitoring of similar hotels. Simply put, hosteliers, under the guise of clients, call competitors and then try to develop their own price list.

“Give or take a day in a hostel today is estimated at 600 - 700 rubles in regional centers,” says hotel market expert Arthur Mukhin. “In medium-sized cities the price is a little lower.”

Thus, a hostel with 20 beds and 75 percent occupancy will bring the hostelier a monthly income in the amount of:

20 places × 75% × 700 rubles × 30 days = 315,000 rubles.

If you subtract the costs of salaries, housing maintenance, utilities and unforeseen expenses, you get a profit of 100 - 150 thousand rubles. Thus, profitability does not exceed 30%, and the break-even point can be passed in about a year.

Franchise

Beginning businessmen have the opportunity to start a franchise business. There are many companies on the Russian market offering a ready-made type of activity and a popular brand. Popular hostels include:

"Dostoevsky".
NICE.
For friends.
"Hostels Rus".

A franchise allows you to increase the total cost, but significantly reduces the risks. The demand for hostels in big cities - especially tourist ones - is very high, so budding businessmen can safely open such an establishment. In this case, it is necessary to take into account risks, including seasonality and a small average bill.

Advice for entrepreneurs

Be sure to convert residential premises to non-residential premises. Many people neglect this rule, since it is a long and expensive process, while working in the shadows. But such savings can result in a huge fine and closure of the business.
Maintain good relationships with residents and neighbors: this will help not only at the first stage (transferring the premises to non-residential), but also in the future. It is the constant complaints from neighbors that cause constant inspections by government agencies, which significantly interferes with normal work.
Think in advance about the scale of your business. If you plan to open only one hostel, then it will be more profitable to obtain individual entrepreneur status - in this mode you can use the simplified tax system of 6%. If you are planning to open a network of hostels, you need to register an LLC. It is easier for an individual entrepreneur to keep accounts; no charter or capital is required. An individual entrepreneur is registered at the place of residence of the person, and in the case of an LLC, the address of the actual activity must be indicated. At the same time, if you plan to open a network of hostels, then it is better to immediately register an LLC.
Study all the nuances of the room and its location. Check the landlord (his integrity), the purity of the transaction, if you are purchasing premises: are all parties capable, is the premises not encumbered, are there any grounds for terminating the transaction subsequently, the “purity” of the counterparties. Pay special attention to technical documentation (to ensure that there are no illegal alterations) and the purpose of the premises.
Analyze the hostels in your city: which are the most popular and why. This will allow the hotel to be more competitive.
Select your staff carefully (and provide regular training). The weakest point of hostels is cleanliness. Pay special attention to the business plan, development, and advertising.

Possible risks

When doing business, the following risks are possible:

Tightening of legislative norms. In this case, it is necessary to carefully resolve organizational issues. This leads to additional expenses.
Emergencies, accidents. This leads to damage to property and suspension of work. Insurance will help in this case.
Increased competition. It is necessary to form a customer base, create special offers, provide additional services, and improve quality. This problem reduces income, profitability, and reduces the number of clients.
Seasonal fluctuations in demand.
Unfavorable location. It is necessary to conduct geomarketing research. The problem leads to a decrease in the number of clients and a decrease in income.
Low qualifications of employees. It is necessary to hire experienced specialists. You can also assign training to them. The problem causes customer dissatisfaction and reduces the potential of guests.
Technological risks. It is necessary to repair equipment in a timely manner. New equipment must be purchased using a depreciation fund. Risk reduces the quality of service delivery.

These risks usually arise for all beginning businessmen. Proper management of your activities will prevent them from happening. And if problems arise, it is necessary to eliminate them in a timely manner.

Recommendations

You can create a hostel for specific consumers. For example, athletes or musicians with the appropriate attributes - a gym, a studio room for rehearsals.

It is important to be careful about things that are used regularly. You can't skimp on them. The provision of additional services will improve the success of your business. For example, conducting excursions, preparing breakfasts for clients.

The establishment should be made original, not like the others. You can design a games room or entertainment room. And, of course, maintaining the cleanliness of the premises is important. Only if one point has become in demand can the rest be opened.