In Russia, independent tourism is gaining more and more popularity. At the same time, tourists often prefer not to stay in hotels or boarding houses, but in more budget hostels - small European-style hotels.
What is a hostel?
In fact, they are converted apartments in a busy part of the city. You can open a hostel in a separate room, if there is one, and if not, then converting apartments into a mini-hotel is simply easier.
Living conditions in hostels are usually modest: beds (often bunk beds), tables, chairs, and a shared bath and toilet per hostel. Despite the spartan conditions, the occupancy of such mini-hotels rests on good level whole year.
There are especially many young tourists who need everything “cheap and cheerful”, because their goal is to have time to see as many sights as possible, and not sit in a hotel room.
More advanced hostels offer their guests free WI-FI, breakfast, rental safes, and so on. In my opinion, in our time, if you open a hostel or hotel, the presence of the Internet is simply a must.
Opening a hostel is not difficult if you have the necessary skills and have a business streak. Let's talk more about how this can be done.
How much does it cost to open a hostel
Since it is not necessary to equip the hostel with expensive furniture and equipment, minimal costs will be required to open a business. You can meet the amount of 500 thousand rubles.
You should have an amount to pay rent for several months in advance, until the business "unwinds". However, the estimate can vary by a large amount if the business owner can afford it.
No need to skimp on beds, because often guests are settled exclusively for sleeping, no more.
To ensure the proper level of service, you will need at least two administrators and several employees at the reception.
Administrators are the face of the hostel, so you need to choose friendly, sociable and always ready to help people. It's good if they know English. By the way, even if they are not perfect, their language skills will quickly develop in the process of communicating with foreign clients.
People are the backbone of almost any business. The article "" describes the requirements and recommendations for salon employees. And about the selection of personnel for a real estate agency.
Skill requirements vary, but being kind and getting along with customers is a key skill for any job.
It does not hurt to organize a minimum excursion for foreign guests of the hostel, especially if they are on Russian soil for the first time. Such a move will only benefit you. Contextual advertising in Yandex, for example, is very effective, but it is very expensive. Word of mouth will also play its role.
Documents for opening a hostel
The question of what documents are needed to open your own hostel worries many. In this case, it is enough to have a certificate of an individual entrepreneur or open a regular LLC, transferring it to a simplified form.
If you open a hostel in an apartment or a separate room, you do not need any licenses for this.
Just follow the rules established by law:
- the hostel cannot be located on the basement or basement floors,
- it must comply with fire safety requirements
- and will have to keep a migration record of foreign citizens.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with step by step instructions for . If you prefer to register as an individual entrepreneur to open a hostel, then see the guide on this page -. What to open an individual entrepreneur or LLC - the choice is yours.
If at the opening stage you need a loan, we recommend how to choose a bank for a loan.
About choosing a room
If you intend to rent an apartment as a hostel, you will have to look for the best options.
Analyze the transport infrastructure, track the car and pedestrian traffic, the contingent of the surrounding yards, and study the area.
It is worth finding out if there are other hostels or hotels nearby, how efficiently apartments are rented.
The success of the hostel will also depend on the neighbors. Before renting an apartment need to contact them to make sure there is no negativity from them. They may not like specific guests, increased accessibility of the entrance, and so on. As a result, there will be endless complaints about noise, garbage.
It is better to open a hostel in the spring, so by the summer you will have clients. As you can see, everything is not as difficult and scary as it seems at the beginning. If you take it seriously, responsibly and enthusiastically, you will be able to justify the money spent in six months.
Everyone loves to travel. If 2-3 years ago Russian citizens tens of thousands rushed to foreign warm countries, today the tourism business is not going through better times. But, as the proverb says: "If somewhere it departed, then it must have arrived elsewhere." So it is here. Foreign resorts lost almost 35% of their usual revenue for the season in 2015 alone due to a decrease in the influx of Russian tourists. But domestic recreation areas over the past year have cheered up a little. How to open a hostel - a mini-hotel for travelers - today one of the most topical issues in the field tourism business. After all, what is the most important thing in travel? That's right, the place to live! So what is a hostel?
Hostel is a word that came to us from of English language meaning "dormitory". Of course, “their” hostel is strikingly different from “ours”, but the very essence of the concept does not change from this - this is a system hotel type, providing housing (or just a bed) for any period of time, as a rule, without any additional amenities.
Brief business analysis:
Business setup costs:200,000 - 1,500,000 rubles
Relevant for cities:with attractions
Situation in the industry:service market is saturated
The complexity of organizing a business: 3/5
Payback: from 6 months to 1 year
I have heard and read the expression "mini-hotel" on the Internet more than once. This definition is hardly suitable for a hostel. Those who speak and write like this are unlikely to have ever been in real hotels, which, as they say, “did not stand next to hostels”. Hostels, hotels, and hotels are different concepts with different classification systems. But since the expression "mini-hotel" sounds more noble than "mini-hostel", then I will use this particular phrase. Moreover, many hostels are trying with all their might to bring their service closer to hotels, and I must say that some are good at it.
Why is it profitable to open a hostel? How to do this, if possible, avoiding numerous "pitfalls" in this business? In this article you will find answers to these and many other questions.
What is the advantage of opening a hostel?
The hostel is beneficial not only to its owners, but also to numerous tourists. The former, without spending particularly large amounts on maintenance, receive a profit ten times higher than the costs. The second - get the opportunity to inexpensive accommodation without any intrusive service - an ideal economy option for those who are somewhat on a tight budget, but still love to travel. However, the guests of hostels are also wealthy people. A year ago, a rich Spaniard lived in a hostel next to my room in St. Petersburg, who came to Russia to conclude a contract worth tens of millions of euros.
But still, the main guests of hostels are:
- People who came on a business trip
- Traveling students
- Tourists with medium and low incomes
- People who came to the city for a short time (a day or two)
Now, to all these categories, one can add a large “army” of migrants, as a rule, people from Central Asia. As a rule, apartment owners are not very willing to rent out apartments and rooms to people of oriental appearance, and the main thing for a hostel is profit, and not the "nationality" column in the passport.
What documents need to be issued to open a hostel
How to arrange Required documents and open a hostel from scratch - a task that seems difficult at first glance. In fact, the entire process of registering your business can be completed in one month. Of course, it is much better if you have a pre-written business plan for opening a hostel, following the description of which even a person who has never dealt with business before will be able to open a hostel. How to write good business plan, which sections are required to describe the project, and much more can be found .
If, after reading the article, you still think that writing a business plan is beyond your power, do not despair. Write to me in the "Contacts" section, we will solve your problem.
Choose the form of management entrepreneurial activity- IP or LLC will help you this. And although everyone has their own nuances that speak in favor of one or another choice, on my own I can advise the registration of an individual entrepreneur. Follow this link to determine which taxation system will be most beneficial for your business. If you choose an individual entrepreneur, then the material “What taxes does an individual entrepreneur pay” will come in handy for reading. Again, my personal advice: choose the simplified tax system - do not get confused in the accounting "wilds". With the simplified tax system, you will pay either 6% of the total income or 15% of the profit. Let me remind you that profit is income minus expenses.
A license to open and maintain a hostel is not required, all restrictions boil down to the fact that the hostel must comply with the fire safety, sanitary and hygienic rules established by the standards of the relevant services, and maintain a migration register, where data on all living foreign citizens will be entered. Rospotrebnadzor will need to be notified about the start of its activities under the new procedure. In addition, there are some requirements for the premises in which the hostel will be opened. But more on that in the next section.
Which room is suitable for a hostel
First of all, it should be noted that the hostel cannot be opened in the basement, or in the basement. But at the same time, the hostel can be opened in non-residential premises intended for commercial use. Lawyers are often asked whether it is possible to organize a hostel in an apartment. Can. Even in a rented one, if it has the consent of its owners. Even in this case, it does not hurt to enlist the approval of neighbors who may not like such a neighborhood. And you don’t need constant checks because of complaints; both reputation and profit will suffer from this.
Neighbors can be "bribed" with a promise (and, of course, keeping these promises!) Cleaning the entrance, timely repairs, and just a friendly attitude. Of course, the best option would be to buy out the entire floor, but novice businessmen usually do not have such funds.
It is more convenient to place the hostel on the first 2 floors of the building. And it’s more convenient for guests - you don’t need to get up, and there will be less hassle with registration. The fact is that if the property is in the housing stock, then it will be possible to obtain permission to open a hostel or hotel above 2 floors only if other apartments are removed from the fund.
Of course, the room must be equipped with all communal amenities:
- Water pipes
- Ventilation
- Sewerage
- Electrification
- Gas pipeline (optional)
It is better to determine the location in a residential area, where there will be stops of various public transport, small and inexpensive cafes, supermarkets.
I would advise you to make the numbers different:
- single
- Double
- Triple
- And multi-bed (for 8-10 beds)
Equipment, furniture
The hostel is good because its decor is a minimum of furniture. Each room should have a bed, in multi-bed rooms two- and three-tier options are possible; table, chairs at the rate of 1 for each guest. In a single room you can put a wardrobe. Equip common showers and toilets with inexpensive plumbing, and put an electric kettle, refrigerator, microwave, washing machine, and some common utensils in the kitchen.
Every year the flow of travelers across Russia increases by an average of 1.3 million people. The economic and geopolitical situation is developing in such a way that domestic tourism is many times higher than outbound tourism. Unfortunately, in most of our cities the infrastructure is poorly developed. Old-style hotels do not attract users, and opening premium hotels (minimum 4 stars) may not be profitable due to low flow target audience. In recent years, a new type of hotel has been actively entering the market. A hostel business plan with calculations will illustrate the attractiveness of this lucrative in the long term, but not yet developed business in Russia. Our example will be a good help in future business.
Summary
On the this moment more than 5 thousand hostels operate in our country, most of which are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg. There is great potential in other cities of our country. Before drawing up a hostel business plan, you need to decide on the development path:
- Buy a franchise.
- Buy premises and run a business on your own premises.
- Start a business in a rented apartment.
To minimize capital costs in this business plan, we use leased space for calculation.
- Area: commercial rented 4-room apartment (120 sq. meters) on the 1st floor of a high-rise building on the red line.
- Number of beds: 14.
- Form of ownership: IP.
- Type of taxation: USN (income minus expenses, 6%).
- OKVED-2: 55.20 "Activities for the provision of places for short-term residence."
Services:
- A place to sleep.
- Kitchen with all necessary appliances.
- Bathroom.
- Entertainment and relaxation room.
- Free WiFi.
- Free use of iron, dryer and washing machine.
As for the legal form, there is no need to register an LLC. The best choice will be IP. Bookkeeping can be done independently using special online services. The activity does not require special licensing if the hostel is opened in an apartment. Next, we will analyze all the organizational moments.
| Organizational stage | Amount, rubles |
| IP registration (state duty) | 800 |
| Seal | 1 000 |
| Registration of current account | 2 000 |
| Purchase of a cash register | 32 000 |
| Buying an acquiring device | 10 000 |
| Registration in tax office | – |
| Signing a lease for a year | 120 000 |
| Conclusion of internal infrastructure engineers | 2 200 |
| Contract for maintenance of ventilation for a year | 10 000 |
| Contract of protection for a year | 90 000 |
| Contract for disinfection and deratization | 15 000 |
| Obtaining permission from Rospotrebnadzor | – |
| Obtaining permission from the SES | – |
| Obtaining a Fire Supervision Permit | — |
| Notification of Rospotrebnadzor on the launch of the project | – |
| Total | 283 000 |
* The rental price is for the first three months, then payment is made monthly.
Business organization will require 283,000 rubles. In addition, funds will be needed to renovate the premises. About 400 thousand rubles can be spent on these needs. At the time of buying finishing materials it is better to take certificates of conformity in order to avoid problems when checking sanitary services. In total, 683,000 rubles will be needed for all organizational issues and repair of the premises.
Marketing
As a rule, before opening any business, it is necessary to probe the soil in detail and study competitors. For a future hotelier, this will not be difficult - all information is publicly available on the Internet (just use sites like Booking.com, trivago.ru). Here you can study supply and demand, as well as get acquainted with the average cost of services in the region. When opening a hotel, we also advise you to post information on specialized portals. This will attract up to 70% of tourists. Since the main consumer of services will be students and young people under 30, do not skimp on online advertising and affiliate programs. The structure of marketing activities includes:
Creating a positive image is an important marketing move when opening a hostel. AT without fail you need to start pages on social networks, work with travel agencies. It is worth declaring your existence to various theaters, philharmonic societies, whose members come to your city. Higher education institutions may also be interested in budget housing during the trips of students and teachers for competitions and olympiads. You can leave your leaflets in large regional medical institutions. Indeed, often people come to be examined and cannot quickly find budget place for an overnight stay.
Technical equipment
You can save on equipment if you buy it in the secondary market.
| Product type | Quantity, pcs. | Price for 1 piece, rubles | Amount, rubles |
| A computer | 1 | 40 000,00 | 40 000,00 |
| Reception desk | 1 | 20 000,00 | 20 000,00 |
| Chairs | 8 | 4 000,00 | 32 000,00 |
| Kitchen set | 1 | 60 000,00 | 60 000,00 |
| Fridge | 1 | 20 000,00 | 20 000,00 |
| Table | 2 | 10 000,00 | 20 000,00 |
| Washing machine | 1 | 20 000,00 | 20 000,00 |
| Kitchenware | 10 000,00 | ||
| A vacuum cleaner | 1 | 6 000,00 | 6 000,00 |
| Electric kettle | 1 | 2 000,00 | 2 000,00 |
| Microwave | 1 | 3 000,00 | 3 000,00 |
| Bunk bed | 7 | 40 000,00 | 280 000,00 |
| Sofa | 1 | 20 000,00 | 20 000,00 |
| Armchair | 2 | 15 000,00 | 30 000,00 |
| Television | 1 | 20 000,00 | 20 000,00 |
| Game console | 1 | 30 000,00 | 30 000,00 |
| Wardrobe | 3 | 20 000,00 | 60 000,00 |
| Bedside tables | 7 | 3 000,00 | 21 000,00 |
| shower cabin | 1 | 25 000,00 | 25 000,00 |
| Dryer | 2 | 3 000,00 | 6 000,00 |
| Ironing board | 1 | 5 000,00 | 5 000,00 |
| Iron | 1 | 5 000,00 | 5 000,00 |
| Other accessories, bed linen and mattresses | 200 000,00 | ||
| Total | 935 000,00 |
Expendable materials
At first sight, this business does not require specific Supplies. But, as with maintaining a house, certain expenses are needed here:
In the future, the structure of purchased consumables may change depending on the demand and consumption of guests.
State
For the full functioning of the hostel, four people will be enough: two administrators and two cleaners. Administrators will work in shifts and around the clock. Their responsibilities include:
- Check-in and check-out of guests.
- Consulting.
- Maintaining publics.
- Prompt resolution of emerging issues.
Cleaners must clean the room and bed of clients before check-in and after check-out, as well as clean the rest of the premises twice a day. Fund structure wages as follows:
| Job title | Qty | Salary | Total for all employees | Payroll with deductions |
| Administrator | 2 | 25 000 | 50 000 | 65 100 |
| Cleaning woman | 2 | 18 000 | 35 000 | 45 570 |
| Total | 4 | 43 000 | 85 000 | 110 670 |
Volume of initial investments
Hostel opening schedule
For the most part, the seasonality of the hotel business depends on the location of the city. If the city is near a ski resort, then the peak will be in October-March. In other situations, high attendance is tracked during the summer months. It is necessary to start preparatory work six months before the expected peak of the season.
Planned indicators
The profitability of the project will depend on the occupancy of the hotel. On average, a good indicator is the occupancy of the hotel at 85%. In our calculations, the hotel will be 85% full all year round: out of 14 beds, 12 will always be occupied. The cost of 1 night in a hostel will cost 900 rubles per person. The total monthly income from 12 beds per month is:
12 seats x 30 calendar days months x 900 rubles = 324,000 rubles.
The expenditure part consists of the following items:
- payment of rent and utilities and communication services - 40,000 rubles.
- Salary (together with deductions) - 110,670 rubles.
- Consumables and supplies - 12,700 rubles.
- Marketing - 60,000 rubles.
- Taxes - about 5,500 rubles.
- Unforeseen expenses - 10,000 rubles
In total, monthly costs will amount to 238,370 rubles, net profit - 85,130 rubles, profitability - 26%. Initial investment pay for themselves in 2.5 years.
Benchmarks
| Month Index |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 |
| Project start | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opening a project | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reaching operational breakeven | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Access to predicted income | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Project payback | X |
Eventually
The business plan of the hostel with a financial model demonstrates the high profitability of the business as an example. However, the opening of a small hotel will require considerable financial resources. But even with a rented area, you can make a decent profit, and if the premises are owned by the founder, then the profitability will increase by 10%. The hotel business has good prospects, and this niche is not yet occupied. Take your place in the sun!
This article contains useful information about how to open a hostel, what steps need to be taken for this, how to register such a business with the Federal Tax Service and obtain permission from other authorities. How much money you need to open, how much you can earn, as well as how to properly organize and promote a business in the market.
Hostel is a new, but quite promising direction of the market hotel services. However, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question “Is it profitable to engage in this business?”. After all, it all depends on the region and the scale of the hostel itself - a single or a whole network.
There are several main advantages of the described business:
- low threshold for entering the market;
- relatively small initial investment and further monthly costs;
- annual growth in the popularity of hostels;
- large target audience.
It should be noted that as of 2016, in the vast majority of regions of Russia among hostels is low, and the demand for such services is constantly growing. Therefore, the most active entrepreneurs understand that as long as the market is not oversaturated with offers, it is necessary to act.
Below will be described all the features of the business and what you need to start it.
The target audience
It is clear that the main income is brought by the clients of the hostel. The more of them, the higher the profit. But who are these clients?
The main audience of the hostel, regardless of the region, is tourists with a limited budget and students. The activity of the first falls on the spring and summer. While the latter become guests during the academic year during sessions. Often during the study period, the hostel is more like a student hostel than a hotel. And this is a common practice that exists all over the world.
Often the services of the hostel are used by young couples. Every family has its own reasons for this.
A large flow of customers is noted in recreation areas, in the city center, historical centers, as well as in resort towns. The more attractive the settlement for tourists, the more guests the hostel receives. Profitability in this case will be high.
Therefore, the main thing is not only to know your target audience, but also to choose the right location for the institution. This is detailed below.
How much does it take to open?
On the initial stage to open a hostel, you will need about 200 thousand rubles. This is the minimum amount for a medium-sized institution. What does it include?
Room equipment:
- bunk beds - from 10 thousand rubles / unit.
Recreation area equipment:
- laptop / - and - from 20 thousand rubles for 1 piece;
- Wi-Fi adapter - up to 1 thousand rubles;
- Internet payment - up to 500 rubles / month;
Kitchen equipment
- kitchen set - up to 20 thousand rubles;
- refrigerator - up to 18 thousand rubles;
- microwave - up to 6 thousand rubles;
- coffee maker - up to 5 thousand rubles;
- washing machine - up to 12 thousand rubles.
Bathroom equipment
- toilet bowls - up to 4 thousand rubles / piece;
- washbasins - up to 2 thousand rubles / piece;
- shower stall - up to 12 thousand rubles.
- turnkey bathroom equipment - up to 40 thousand rubles.
The above figures show that the starting budget depends on the number of rooms and equipment. At the same time, one must remember about paying state duties when registering a business, as well as the amount of rent or purchase of premises.
200 thousand rubles spent on starting a business can return in six months, provided that the hostel is constantly loaded by 35% - 40%, then the break-even point will reach 70%. But then again, get exact numbers possible only by calculating specific costs and possible profits.
How to register a hostel?
To formalize the hostel, you can register as individual entrepreneur or open an LLC. IP would be the best option. The taxation system for hostels is UTII.
The most profitable option for opening a hostel would be to purchase ready-made premises with their further refurbishment. The construction of a new building is an extremely costly business, since the full payback of the business will have to wait more than 3-5 years.
Finished areas, in the form of residential apartments, must be withdrawn from the housing stock. This requires the following documentation:
- documents confirming the right of ownership;
- technical passport of the apartment;
- plan of the apartment;
- project of redevelopment of premises;
- floor plan of the building.
If the mini-hostel will be located in an apartment building, then you need to remember the relevant legal acts and administrative codes. That is, the activity should in no way interfere and cause discomfort to other residents of the house.
Hostel location
To get a good and constant flow of customers, the hostel should be located near the train station or in the city center. But keep in mind that real estate in such places is expensive. Therefore, it is sometimes expensive to maintain an inexpensive hostel in the center. It is optimal to choose a sleeping area within the city with developed transport links.
To determine the location of the institution, it is necessary to study the tourist routes of the city. The closer the hostel is located to them, the greater the flow of customers.
As for real estate, sometimes entrepreneurs buy buildings for demolition. However, most often they are in disrepair and repairs will result in a large sum. And this is again unreasonable costs that will pay off for a long time.
The hostel can also be opened in the building of the former hostel. However, the profit here will directly depend on the rent. Therefore, it is not always beneficial.
The most profitable option is to open a hostel in a 3-room apartment. It can easily accommodate up to 9 beds.
The following requirements apply to hostels in an apartment:
- There must be at least 5 sq. m. of living space.
- Distance between beds - from 75 cm.
- Availability of hot water and necessary equipment bathroom.
- Free internet via Wi-Fi technology.
- Comfortable and functional furniture.
- Equipped with all necessary equipment kitchen.
- Having a landline phone.
Hostel in non-residential premises
The hostel can also be opened in non-residential premises. If, for example, it was nevertheless decided to place the institution in the city center, but there are no residential buildings for rent. But for this, all actions will have to be documented. In particular, this applies to redevelopment of premises, construction, repair and other works.
For non-residential premises, it is necessary to create a project with all statements, TSN, etc. All this must be agreed with the fire inspectorate and SES. Only after obtaining permits, you can proceed to the redevelopment and organization of the hostel.
In the case of non-residential premises, it is better to spend money on Additional services designer and constructor. This will help to get rid of a number of difficulties in the design of the hostel.
Basic requirements for the premises
In order not to get in trouble and not receive fines for non-compliance with legal regulations, it is necessary to know the basic requirements that apply to hostel premises. These include:
- It is forbidden to open a hostel in the basement or in the basement.
- Compliance with fire and sanitary standards.
- The presence of good sound insulation in all residential areas of the hostel.
- The presence of an air conditioner.
- The arrangement of the bathroom must comply with the following standards: 1 toilet for 12 people, 1 shower for 15 people, 1 sink for 6 people.
- The size of one bed is 0.8x1.9 meters.
- Availability of free internet.
- Equipped storage room for clients' belongings.
For more information about the requirements for hostel premises, please contact the local fire inspectorate and SES.
Equipment and furniture
The main furniture for the hostel is bunk beds. In the kitchen you need to put a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, washing machine and the necessary kitchen set. The bathroom must have a shower, a toilet and 2 washbasins (see "Basic requirements for the room").
In the recreation area, you can place one or more laptops with Internet connection.
Also, before equipping the hostel, you need to repair work(furnishing of premises, repair, redevelopment, etc.).
Hostel staff
To properly organize efficient work hostel and create a favorable environment for customers in the state, you must have the following employees:
- Administrator for accommodating clients, organizing guest amenities, receiving calls and monitoring the sanitary condition of the hostel. If the institution will be large with a workload of more than 60%, then it is advisable to hire two administrators.
- Accountant to manage accounting hostel. This specialist can be borrowed in order to save on wages.
- Maid for cleaning the premises of the hostel, disinfecting the bathroom, buying cleaning products, cleaning equipment, etc. Such a specialist also does not need to be hired full-time - 2-3 hours a day is enough.
Hostel promotion
- Local media (TV, newspapers).
- Posting ads and distributing flyers.
- Placing signs on the building.
- Advertising a hostel over the Internet using your own website and.
- Advertising of the hostel in social networks through groups and communities with the target audience.
It is worth paying attention to the worldwide association of hostels - useful contacts in this service sector will not be superfluous and will help bring more customers.
It has already been mentioned above that students are the target audience. Therefore, advertising should be placed next to educational institutions and in student gathering places.
As for tourists, it is desirable to establish mutually beneficial relations with travel companies. They will bring the bulk of the clients.
For effective advertising on the Internet, where the vast majority of customers are located, it is necessary to create an official website with detailed information and add it to advertising networks Yandex.Direct and Google.AdWords. In social networks, a good return on advertising can be obtained through targeting. You can read more about all these tools on the official websites of advertising networks.
How much can you earn in a hostel?
This question interests businessmen more than others. After all, any business is launched just to make a profit. And what is its size in the case of a hostel, will be calculated below.
The average price per person per day is about $25. AT small towns it may be less, in large ones more. With a hostel occupancy of 80%, the monthly income will be approximately $ 5,000. Hence, the payback from this amount is 30%, and the profit is 50%. Do not forget about utilities, rent and other mandatory payments.
Possible risks
At the initial stage, the hostel occupancy will not exceed 30% - 35%. Therefore, in the first six months, you should not count on big profits. It is better to pay more attention to advertising, then all risks will be reduced to a minimum.
In resort towns, you can experience difficulties with the clientele. There will be profits in spring and summer, but in the off-season there is a risk of getting only losses.
The flow of hostel customers directly depends on the political and economic situation in the country. The worse it is, the less the influx of tourists and, accordingly, the low profit.
Otherwise, there is nothing to fear. Especially if the business is clearly thought out, an effective marketing strategy and an adequate pricing policy.
Today, hostels are becoming more popular because they offer tourists or just travelers an inexpensive accommodation option. At first, the main client base of these establishments were students and traveling youth, and today adults of certain philosophical views (downshiftingists) are increasingly settled here. Rooms in such establishments resemble rooms in student dormitories.
In this article, we will analyze all the nuances of opening such a business option.
On the disadvantages and advantages of the hotel business
A distinctive feature of such a shelter for tourists is the ability to rent not only a room, but also a bed. As practice shows, the hostel is popular with tourists not only because of the cheapness of housing, they are attracted by new interesting acquaintances and the opportunity to communicate with their own kind. As one of the activities, the hostel has its advantages and disadvantages.
The benefits include:
- low cost of living (prices are much lower than in hotels);
- the ability to rent beds (very convenient for those who travel alone);
- new acquaintances, interesting communication especially attracts young people, who are the main target audience;
- convenience of accommodation (hostels are usually located near the center and tourist attractions).
This business also has its drawbacks:
- the number of people living in one room;
- inability to store valuables;
- the inconvenience of using the bathroom;
- unavailability of additional services;
- Difficulties in finding suitable premises.
But such shortcomings are often compensated by the owners (by arranging a safe where guests can store money and valuables, organizing breakfasts in nearby cafes).
The European market for such services is distinguished by the presence of marketing alliances, which is still underdeveloped in our country. There are no regulated standards in the Russian Federation, which deprives the client of the opportunity to realistically assess the place of residence in advance. In addition, many hostel owners use this.
Often, novice hostels prefer to sell their services without intermediaries. At the initial stage, it is, of course, more profitable, additional costs are excluded. But in the future, this may lead to a narrowing of the market segment and a low load on the hostel.
What does it take to open a restaurant like this?
Such establishments are considered to be objects of tourist infrastructure and no special documents, permits, licenses are required. You just need to register with the tax office as a subject economic activity and open a bank account for making payments. For this, a simplified form is enough.
From the point of view of legislation, organizing a hostel is quite simple, but there are still several conditions. For example, it should be borne in mind that a person should be allocated minimum 5 m 2 living area. There should be one sink for 6 guests, the toilet bowl is calculated for 12 people, the shower room for 14. In case of opening in an apartment / separate room, no licenses are required, only compliance with the rules established by law:
- do not open an institution on the basement / basement floor;
- comply with fire safety rules;
- conducting migration registration of foreigners.
Accordingly, it is necessary to obtain written permission from the fire inspectorate and SES.
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Room selection
The best option for the location of the premises is naturally the central part of the city. Its size depends on the number of beds, the minimum number is 10-15. Such a shelter can be equipped in a simple apartment of an ordinary high-rise building. The cost of rent for 1 m2 is 15 000 rub. in a year. A three-room apartment is enough to accommodate ten guests.
A good option for opening a mini-hotel is to rent a separate building. You can, for example, rent 1 or a couple of floors. The average cost of 1 m 2 will cost between 10,000 and 15,000 rubles. in year. Repair with redevelopment will cost an average of 4,000 - 8,000 rubles. for 1 m 2. And to build a separate house for this purpose will cost approximately 5-6 00 000 rub. So the choice is up to the owner.
To open an establishment in a non-residential premises, it is necessary to register an LLC (a company with limited liability). It is a little more complicated and more expensive than IP. You will need partners, you will have to draw up more documents.
The process of opening a mini-hotel in an apartment
To organize an institution in a rented apartment, you should choose the most best option considering many factors. You will have to study the area, the availability of transport infrastructure, the contingent of nearby courtyards, etc. It is also important to find out if there are establishments of the same kind nearby, what is their efficiency.
The successful development of such a business will largely depend on the neighbors, their attitude to such activities. Before renting a property, you should establish contact with them in order to avoid problems in the future (complaints about garbage, noise, etc.).
If you take up the matter responsibly and with enthusiasm, in about 6 months you will be able to justify the financial costs.
After choosing a place, it's time to equip a mini-hotel. In the case of arrangement in your own apartment, it is better to remove it from the housing stock. Otherwise, according to the current legislation, all guests will have to draw up a contract of employment. The rules for the arrangement of hostels do not provide for the presence of single rooms, therefore, first of all, you will have to redevelop the apartment and repair it properly.
Features of the arrangement of the premises
The peculiarity of the room fund of such a hotel is that it has 80% are single/double rooms, and 20% of the premises of a larger area, as a rule, with bunk beds. All of them are standard in category (mostly mid-range). This determines the choice of furniture and plumbing fixtures: it is better to choose products domestic production. At 600,000 rubles. you can fit in. The decoration of the rooms must meet the criteria of "light and clean". You should not save on beds, guests are often settled only to spend the night.
Modern travelers are no longer attracted by randomly placed beds and the presence of communications. They want to settle in a home that is not only comfortable, but also unique in its own way, having its own unique face.
It is important to remember that in the sleeping area for each guest there should be at least 5 m 2, and the beds should be located at least 75 cm apart. The presence of bright saturated colors, fashion trends and creative design solutions will make your hotel not only cozy, but also unique and attractive to visitors.
Staff
The main difference between small hotels is an individual approach to each client. The quality of their service determines the popularity and demand of the institution. Therefore, the issue of staff selection should be taken responsibly.
According to experts productive work a small hostel can provide availability manager(responsible for the smooth operation of the institution as a whole), administrator to receive and accommodate visitors, 1-2 maids, if possible cooks and his assistant.
Since administrators are the face of the institution, it is important to select sociable and responsive people for this position. It will be a plus if they speak English at a conversational level (it is easier to work with foreign visitors).
Advertising and marketing
Remember that most tourists are looking for a temporary shelter, usually through the Internet. Therefore, do everything to make it easy to find you there, do not skimp on advertising:
- Popular here to help you social networks VK, Facebook, Odnoklassniki, etc., as well as regional media.
- Undoubtedly, the most effective advertising are reviews satisfied customers. A PR campaign can be built by attracting student youth, people, foreigners, etc.
- You should not ignore international sites, provide an opportunity for their visitors to book rooms with you online.
- No less effective will be the supply contextual advertising. The cost of such a service will be from 15 to 60,000 rubles, you can also resort to placing banner advertising (text + photo).
- Business cards are a popular form of advertising. They are distributed in places of potential concentration of tourists (train stations, airports, universities, cafes, etc.). You can also use free weekly newspapers for this purpose, the minimum cost of an advertising module in which will be from 5,000 rubles, and a simple ad of 10 words is only 2,000 rubles.
- You can offer tour agencies and corporate clients bonus discounts, seasonal promotions. Don't ignore schools sports clubs who travel frequently.
The main thing is not to limit yourself to one direction: constant updating, search for creative solutions, and most importantly, improvement and expansion of the range of your services will become the best advertisement of such an institution and, accordingly, the key to its successful work. 
How to make a hostel a profitable business
Today, the main service of all mini-hotels is the provision of beds to guests. But many tourist hostels already provide additional services for customers. Modern guests are willing to pay extra for the availability of Wi-Fi, and for toiletries, and cosmetics.
Additionally, you can provide guests with the opportunity to use a safe, microwave, coffee maker, refrigerator, hairdryer and other types of equipment. Breakfast can also be included in the rental price. By the way, variety is also important in the matter of nutrition: you can give the client the opportunity to cook it yourself, you can involve staff for this, or you can agree on cooperation with the owner of a neighboring cafe. It is important to constantly monitor customer requests and look for ways to satisfy them.
Useful tips for organizing such a business - in the following video:
Is it profitable and how much does it cost
When drawing up a business plan, keep in mind that in addition to the salaries of employees, utility bills and other small expenses should be added to the costs of maintaining a mini-hotel.
Depending on the number of beds, the average income will be about 100-120 thousand monthly. Therefore, such a hotel (based on 10 people) will pay off in about 6-15 months (with maximum efficiency work). With a minimum load, full payback can be achieved only after a few years.
According to statistics, the average profitability of such a business is about 30%, so everything will depend on the organization of work and advertising of the institution. If speak about net profit, then it can average 1,000,000 rubles. in year. Again, everything will depend on many factors, and most importantly on the ability and desire to work.
