Is it possible to open a hostel in an apartment. How to open a hostel from scratch: pros and cons

Today you can find many ideas for starting your own business. One such idea is to open a hostel. So what awaits a businessman if he decides to start this particular business, and how to open a hostel?

Hostel business. The relevance of the institution.

Today, hostels are not uncommon. In almost every city in Russia, and even more so in Europe and the West, you can find 2-3 decent hostels. Unlike hotels, hostels provide the client with fewer services, but you also need to pay less for accommodation. In this regard, hostels are very popular establishments, especially among young people.

Recently, the relevance of hostels has grown several times. After all, hostels are convenient. Moreover, their convenience applies not only to customers, but also to hostel owners. After all, if he knows how to organize a hostel, then soon the institution will begin to bring good profits.

At the legislative level, such concepts as a hostel and a mini-hotel are not defined. A hostel is a small facility where several people live in one room, the furniture is bunk beds, chairs, with one bathroom and a bath for the entire room. Despite such conditions, hostels with good placement and not overpriced accommodation are in constant demand. Some hostels offer free WI-FI, safe deposit boxes, breakfast, etc. Before organizing this business, read the bill No. 876688-6 “On Amendments to Article 17 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation”. It was adopted in the first reading on May 13, 2016, the second reading is planned for November 2016. Also read GOST R 55322-2012 “Accommodation services. General requirements for hostels.

Today, hostels are divided into three types:

• Youth;
• With referral to conferences;
• Mixed.

The last type is optimal, as it includes the two previous ones. Compared to the first type, the second requires more space. Also, a youth hostel requires less costs. The second one is often empty, but just one visit of the delegation will be able to recoup all monthly maintenance costs.

Before actually opening a hostel, you need to think through every little thing, in accordance with your own capabilities. Write down the positives and negatives. Know that there is no golden business that immediately begins to make a profit. It all depends on the individual qualities of the entrepreneur.

Documents required to open a hostel

A hostel, like a business, requires the owner to obtain a lot of documentation. So what do you need to open a hostel?

• The first step is business registration.

Registering an individual entrepreneur is the easiest solution for this business. The cost of registering an individual entrepreneur, with the opening of a bank account, obtaining a seal will cost 3,000 rubles.

• The second step is business licensing.

This business does not need to be licensed, you just need to notify Rospotrebnadzor of the start of its activities. Your premises must comply with all fire and sanitary standards. Be guided by GOST R 55322-2012 “Accommodation services. General requirements for hostels.

• The third step is the selection of the necessary premises.

Basically, hostels are organized in residential buildings. Now hostels are located in apartments, using gaps in the legislation. And if the amendments to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation are adopted, then this will introduce significant difficulties when opening this business. Therefore, having studied Russian legislation, one should carefully approach the choice of premises for this business. The premises in which your hostel will be located must be transferred from residential to non-residential. This translation is a rather complicated and lengthy process. Also, with this transfer, you will need to make a separate entrance to your premises and this is not at all a cheap investment. Therefore, it will not be profitable to transfer small premises for a hostel from residential to non-residential.

Now the following documents may be required to open a hostel:

• Conclusion of the sanitary and epidemiological service;
• Paid bills related to electricity, water, electricity, if necessary, the Internet;
• Agreement with a company for the removal of solid waste;
• Transfer from residential to non-residential (if necessary).

We warn you that the process of registration, and, consequently, the list of documentation is typical for each region of Russia. Therefore, before opening your hostel, it is recommended to get advice from a lawyer, he will help you figure out what documents are needed to open a hostel in your region.

Profit, profitability and payback of the hostel, let's talk about numbers.

The main point in the business plan is the economic side of the business. After all, it is impossible to create a hostel as a business without calculating profit, payback period, etc.

Profit brings only the correct organization of the hostel. On average, a night in a hostel costs 500-700 rubles. We plan to accommodate in our premises with a maximum load of 12 people.

As for the initial investment in a business, everything is more complicated here. To open a hostel, the business plan must take into account the availability of not only equipment, but also staff. Let's take a closer look at what initial expenses and fixed expenses for a business a hostel owner expects.

initial investment.

Selection of a suitable apartment on the ground floor, we conclude a lease agreement. The area of ​​the apartment is 94 sq. meters;

Transfer of the premises to non-residential, in time takes from six months, the cost is 400,000 rubles;

Repair of the premises, construction of the entrance group - 800,000 rubles;

The cost of rent for the period of translation and repair 18 * 30,000 = 540,000 rubles;

Signboard - 50,000 rubles.

The initial investment will be approximately 1,790,000 rubles. You can save only if the desired apartment is yours. You can negotiate with some owner of the apartment, transfer his premises to non-residential, and then rent it.

Basic equipment costs:

• Beds (bunk beds) - 90,000 rubles;
• Full kitchen set - 25,000 rubles;
• Washing machine - 15,000 rubles;
• Kettle - 800 rubles;
• Hairdryer - 1000 rubles;
• Refrigerator - 15,000 rubles;
• Stove - 15,000 rubles;
• TV - 10,000 rubles;
• Sofa in the recreation area - 10,000 rubles;
• Video surveillance - 20,000 rubles;
• Other - 30,000 rubles.

On average, the equipment will require an amount of 231,800 rubles. Additionally, you will need funds for bed linen (2 sets per bed), towels, kitchen utensils, cleaning equipment, dishes, detergents, toilet paper, and more. We will accept an additional amount of 70,000 rubles.

In total, the opening of a business will require 2,100,000 rubles.

Rent and renovation of an apartment
Purchase of equipment
other expenses
working capital
Organizational expenses
Total expenses

Staff for the hostel.

We are planning 3 administrators for the hostel, they will also perform the function of maids. Bookkeeping - outsourcing services.

The cost of doing business can be viewed in the table below.

fixed costs
Wage
Payroll taxes
Rent
Depreciation
Accountant services
Variable costs
Hostel materials
Communal expenses
Transport
Insurance IP
Other variable expenses
Total cost

All prices are taken taking into account the average cost in Russia, we warn that they may differ depending on the specific region. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you calculate the business plan on your own, or use the services of the specialists of the Business Technology portal, taking into account the exact cost data.

Hostel revenue for the considered period of 2 years will be:

In the business plan we are considering, where the planning horizon is 2 years, it can be noted that this period turned out to be insufficient, because. as a result of the calculation for both reporting periods, net profit showed a negative indicator. For a correct calculation, the business planning horizon must be increased to 4-5 years.

We have calculated one of the costly options for opening a hostel. If you have in mind a ready-made premises that meets business standards, then the payback and profitability will be different. The payback of our business turned out to be 23 months.

Where to get start-up capital?

Start-up capital is the foundation of the hotel business, even if it concerns opening a hostel. Not every person can immediately have sufficient start-up capital, so you need to look for other ways. The best solution would be to attract investors. Presumably, owners of bars, restaurants, cafes, who have the opportunity to expand their own activities, can become business partners.

How to attract target customers? Advertising and future promotion of the hostel.

For those who are thinking about how to make a hostel popular so that it does not close in the first months of operation, it is necessary to know about the right marketing.

First, we determine what audience the hostel is designed for. Most often these are young people from 20 to 30 years old with average incomes, as well as foreigners. In connection with this information, you can calculate an advertising strategy, the tools of which can be:

1. Advertising on international sites. It is convenient that you can find sites where advertising will be practically free. The advantage of this advertisement is that visitors can pre-book accommodation in a hostel.
2. Social media. Create your own groups on popular social networks. Gain as many subscribers as possible, subscribe yourself. You can agree on cooperation with popular people on the network, they will competently advertise your hostel in their own account.
3. Advertising on the street.
4. Movement promoters at railway stations and airports. A person who has just arrived in the city and does not yet know where to spend the night will definitely take a leaflet and choose the hostel.
5. Promotions and discounts for permanent residents. Develop a system of bonuses and discounts, people like to receive nice gifts, such as free breakfast or a discount.

If your hostel is designed for businessmen who come with a delegation, then the advertising emphasis should be placed directly in these places.

What is a modern hostel like? Requirements.

The design of the hostel is one of the most important points. Agree that if the hostel is unusual, then you will want to return to it. Now every self-respecting hostel must comply with the requirements put forward by government agencies. Namely:

• You can not open an institution in the basement or basement floors;
• Ensuring a high-quality soundproofing system;
• Sanitary facilities are calculated according to the principle:
  1 toilet for twelve guests;
  1 shower cabin for fifteen guests;
  1 sink for six guests;

• The sleeping area must be at least 0.8 x 2 meters. Often, hostels use beds with two tiers. So there is much more free space in the room;
• Arrangement of storage chambers for personal belongings of guests;
• It is desirable to provide the room with air conditioning and internet;
• It is imperative that the hostel should have such premises as a place to relax, namely a small hall with magazines, TV and the like, and there should also be a kitchen. This allows people to feel more comfortable, especially in the kitchen they can cook their own food.

Choosing a place for a hostel

The place where the hostel will be located directly affects the profit. The best option is to be located near public places, such as:

• railway stations;
• airports;
• Cafe;
• Educational establishments;
• bars;
• Offices.

Do not choose a place near large hotels that could seriously compete with your business. It is desirable that the place plays in your favor. Hostels located in the sleeping areas of the city are rarely popular. It is also not recommended to open this institution in remote areas, or in places with high crime.

It is noteworthy that hostels in the city center, which are within walking distance of the main tourist attractions of the city, are especially popular. The ideal place is a place near stops and interchanges of public transport, such as metro, buses, trams.

Today it is not difficult to open a hostel. Tips for its organization can significantly increase the profit from the business.

• So that you do not have to constantly renovate the hostel, introduce a system of residence rules that is mandatory for guests. They will have to familiarize themselves with it before they move into the room;
• If you are in doubt about which documents are needed to open a hostel, and which are not needed in your particular case, then it is better to contact a legal consultant;
• Calculations of profit, profitability and payback should be done individually for your own region;
• It is better to order furniture for a hostel in bulk at the factory, so you can get a decent discount;
• Don't forget to ask for a warranty card for furniture and equipment;
• The quality of service is the main criterion due to which a business will either succeed or lead to failure. Always focus on whether you yourself would like to live in such conditions or not;
• Periodically monitor the cleanliness in the hostel yourself, cleanliness should be at the highest level;
• Monitor the market before opening a hostel. Create something new, something that has not been before. Only a bright and unusual interior can attract a huge number of people who want to settle in your hostel;
• If you want big profits, don't save! Beds should be comfortable, linens should be changed immediately after the guest checks out. Do not let the mess in your establishment.

Now you know how to open a hostel from scratch. We hope that we have helped you understand the main points of this business. We wish you success in your endeavors!

Currently, the hotel business is developing at a tremendous pace and is of great interest not only to experienced entrepreneurs, but also to ordinary people who want to work for themselves, develop professionally, achieve new heights and successes, do what they love and not depend in any way on the employer . However, opening a hotel or hotel requires not only specific knowledge, but also significant financial investments, which not everyone can afford. The most suitable option for a person of average income is to invest in a so-called hostel. But along with the idea, many questions arise: how to open a hostel, what documents will be required, what is the competition in the market, whether this activity will bring profit, etc. Of course, any business is associated with a certain risk. Therefore, before you leave your main place of work and make an attempt to start your own business, you need to collect as much information as possible about the upcoming activities, carry out elementary calculations, weigh all the pros and cons, and only then make a final decision.

What is a hostel?

Before you seriously think about how to open a hostel, you need to clearly understand what it is. In simple terms, we can say that a hostel is a mini-hotel, which, as a rule, occupies a small area and specializes in providing inexpensive temporary accommodation to tourists, young people, students, guest workers and all interested people who cannot afford to pay for hotel rooms or hotels. Hostels are characterized by a block or corridor system of arranging rooms adapted for living from 3 to 20 people. On each floor or block there is a shared toilet and bath (or shower), as well as a kitchen where guests can cook their own meals at any time. In any point of the city it is really possible to find a suitable hostel for everyone. Photos of buildings and rooms can be viewed in brochures and in our article.

Initial capital required to open a hostel

The cost of opening a hostel depends on many factors. For example, those who are interested in how to open a hostel in Moscow should take into account that it will not be easy to do this in the capital. This is due, firstly, to the fact that the competition in this area is simply huge. Secondly, this is not a place for entrepreneurs with limited financial resources, since buying or renting a room will cost a tidy sum. A similar situation is typical for St. Petersburg, although inexpensive hostels in St. Petersburg are more common than in Moscow. Things are much easier in small towns and settlements, where buying / renting a room will cost an order of magnitude cheaper. However, it should be noted that the profit in this case will be less.

After preliminary calculations, we can conclude that at the initial stage, to open a hostel, a businessman will need an average of 1.5-2 million rubles (rent of premises, repairs, purchase of furniture and equipment, paperwork, employee salaries, tax deductions). With the right business management, the profitability of the hostel will be 50% or more.

Factors to consider when opening a hostel

In order to answer the question of how to open a hostel, it is necessary to take into account a number of important factors that can significantly affect the development of the project: strengths and weaknesses, existing opportunities and, accordingly, threats and risks. Among the strengths, it should be noted: a relatively low threshold required to enter the market (from 350 thousand rubles), a simplified taxation system. The weaknesses are the profitability and payback period of the project. As for the opportunities, in this sense it must be emphasized that the opening of a hostel is a very promising direction in the hotel business, which makes it possible to develop and consolidate a strong position in the market. With all this, one should not forget that risks are inevitable. Take into account that you are far from the only ones who are thinking about how to open a hostel, the competition is growing every day (the market is growing by 45% annually). In addition, talent, entrepreneurial spirit, determination and, of course, stress resistance are of great importance. Business is built gradually, and one cannot count on immediate success.

What is required for the legal registration of the hostel?

Despite the fact that many are directing their eyes to the hotel business, how to open a hostel, only a few really think about it. That is why at present it is a rather promising direction with a real possibility of promotion. No special permissions are required to open a hostel. This is explained by the fact that in the Russian Federation hotel activities are not subject to licensing. All that is required is to register an individual entrepreneur or LLC in the prescribed manner, purchase a cash register and register it with the tax office, obtain the appropriate permits from the fire service and the SES.

How to choose the right room?

Opening a hostel begins with finding a suitable room. The hostel can be located both in an apartment and in a private house. It all depends on the desire of the entrepreneur and his financial capabilities. Not everyone can afford to rent or even buy a house. It is much easier for those who are thinking about how to open a hostel in an apartment. Things are even better for those who already own premises suitable for human habitation. In this case, it remains only to make high-quality repairs, equip the premises, hire staff and get to work. The room for the hostel should not be less than 150-200 m2. Otherwise, there is nothing to talk about the benefits. The central streets of cities are not a prerequisite in order to open a good and popular hostel. Visitor reviews are the best confirmation of this. The maintenance of hostels located on the outskirts of the city is much cheaper, which, in turn, affects the cost of living for visitors. The winners are both entrepreneurs and guests.

The most suitable furniture for a hostel

When planning the start-up capital for opening a hostel, it is worth considering the amount to be spent on the purchase of furniture and equipment. The most important element is the purchase of beds. They should be single, preferably bunk (to save space) and as comfortable as possible. Entrepreneurs who know a lot about the hotel business do not skimp and prefer to order even orthopedic mattresses for their hostels. Naturally, these are additional investments, but be sure that they will pay off in full soon. The cost of one fully equipped bunk bed is on average 15-20 thousand rubles. The number of beds required depends solely on the size of the room.

In addition to beds, you will need to purchase cabinets, racks, bedside tables, electrical and household appliances. Do not save on quality, otherwise in the future you will have to spend more money on the repair or replacement of damaged equipment or equipment.

Recruitment

After the premises are selected, repaired and equipped, you should start recruiting. At least two administrators will be required to provide round-the-clock services to guests. When calculating that the working day will last 8 hours, you will need to hire three employees at the reception. In addition, you can not do without service personnel: cleaners, maids, electrician, security guards. The main requirements for the hostel staff are: integrity, friendliness, stress resistance, ability to work in a team, responsibility, etc.

How to organize the activities of the hostel?

A huge number of questions and problems with the organization of activities arise especially among those businessmen who are thinking about how to open a hostel in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities. The main reason for this is that the competition here is serious, and in order for people to choose a certain hostel, its owner should fight for it. The success of the hostel largely depends on the proper organization of activities. Therefore, first of all, you need to determine the target audience, which should be targeted. For example, young people, students and tourists from the provinces are likely to prefer inexpensive accommodation. For them, comfort is not as important as cost. If your hostel is designed for such a contingent, then you should save on furnishings, but at the same time make reduced prices for accommodation. If you plan to open a hostel for business people, then you will have to allocate a place where the conference room will be located, equip a separate room in which you can hold various seminars, trainings, business meetings, etc. The cost of living in such a hostel will be much more expensive. However, no matter what segments of the population the hostel is designed for, the service must be at the highest level and meet the needs of the guests.

Advertising campaign and hostel opening

Before opening a hostel, marketers recommend conducting an extensive advertising campaign. The more people know about the existence of the hostel, the higher the flow of guests will be. Order brochures in any printing house. They should be printed on high quality glossy paper. Come up with a catchy title and describe the advantages of the hostel. Leaflets can be distributed on the streets of the city, at the entrance to shopping centers, near hotels and hotels, at railway stations, at universities and in student gathering places.

In addition, advertising is easy to place on special sites, where future visitors can not only get acquainted with the basic information about the hostel, but also book a room. Various social networks and blogs are also good platforms for advertising.

conclusions

Opening a hostel should be approached very responsibly. Having learned how to open a hostel in Moscow or any other city in Russia, first evaluate your opportunities, think carefully about whether this business is right for you, identify all the pros and cons, and only then make a final decision. There is a lot of work to be done, so in the next few years you will have to completely forget about weekends and vacations. If you are confident in yourself and your abilities, then go ahead and take concrete actions. With desire and diligence, success will surely come.

Many aspiring entrepreneurs who decide to master the fertile field of the hotel business make their choice in favor of a hostel. Becoming a hosteler does not require large investments, while the hostel remains highly demanded in the hotel services market, which together makes hostels an ideal springboard to start your career. If you have decided to start your business from a hostel, it will be useful for you to know some aspects regarding the location of your future enterprise. Which premises are suitable for a hostel, residential or non-residential, is it possible to open a hostel in a non-residential premises, what should be the non-residential premises for the hostel and other frequently asked questions below.

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 a separate regulation 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 forced to work “in the shadows”.

Finally, in 2014, the government reacted and recognized the hostel as an independent type of budget hotel housing, 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 bored the teeth of ordinary citizens who were forced to coexist with such hostels. Responding to their requests, two years later, a package of amendments was developed and implemented, forever closing the conflict between hostel owners and their neighbors.

Requirements for non-residential premises for a hostel

According to the new law, the hostel, as a hostel for temporary stay, can no longer occupy living quarters, which were previously apartments. From now on, to set up a hostel in an apartment, you will first have to withdraw it from the fund of residential premises and transfer it to non-residential premises, and in order to fulfill a number of mandatory requirements.

Non-residential premises are located, as a rule, on the first floor of the building. On the second floor, an apartment can be transferred to a non-residential fund only if the first floor is already occupied by non-residential premises.

An additional requirement in the new amendments is the arrangement of a separate entrance to the hostel, not adjacent to the common entrance to the entrance. In fact, these fundamental two points protect the peace of tenants of an apartment building and the cleanliness of their stairwells from unfamiliar hostel guests.

Also, the new law prohibits placing a hostel in non-residential premises of the basement floors. The rather cheap cost of renting such areas attracted hostels, while the sanitary standards of living in the basement were usually turned a blind eye.

Basement floors are still suitable for temporary residence of people. It is allowed to place showers here, build a gym or a kitchen, but permanent residence of people in the basement is no longer allowed.

How to transfer an apartment to a non-residential fund for a hostel

Everything is pretty simple here. Initially, the apartment must meet the requirements for non-residential premises and not have technical restrictions for a separate entrance (see above). To transfer an apartment to a non-residential fund, it is enough to apply on your behalf to the local government, indicating the planned redevelopment (if required) and, in fact, a petition for transferring the area to non-residential fund. There is no single standard for such a statement, so it is written in free form. You will be required to attach a document certifying your right to property, or a notarized copy of it.

If you decide to re-plan the premises for a hostel, you will need to obtain a registration certificate for the premises at the technical inventory bureau at the place of residence, paying the necessary fees. Also, in the case of redevelopment, permission from the authority for the protection of history and culture is required if the building is considered part of the cultural heritage or an architectural monument.

It will not be superfluous to coordinate your event with the neighbors. Formally, the law does not oblige you to do this, but regular dissatisfaction from neighbors, collection of signatures and protests can significantly delay the process, and the attitude of local government to your application will become picky and meticulous.

If you do not want to get involved with the bureaucratic machine and drown in complex legal formulations and amendments, collect certificates and communicate with BTI representatives, you can turn to professional lawyers for help. For a relatively small fee, they will help you with the transfer of your apartment to a non-residential fund. Along with the advent of hostels, offers of this kind appeared on the Internet at the same time. However, the procedure is not as complicated as it seems, and this is a matter of taste and your personal approach to business.

If everything is in order with your papers, the neighbors do not mind, and the cultural protection authority does not find your apartment in any way interesting for posterity, your application will be considered and an affirmative decision will be made after 45 days. From this moment on, you can start working.

Office space is non-residential by default, but not every office is suitable for a hostel. There are five main categories of office space. Let's look at them briefly:

• Class A: office space of the highest class. Typically, such offices are located in separate buildings, occupy several floors, are equipped to the latest standards, have their own parking lot, often an elevator. These prestigious premises are quite in demand in their class and are not considered as premises for a hostel.
• class B: the same, but a lower class. Such premises are located in new buildings or reconstructed mansions in the capital. Class A offices often fall into this category after several years of operation.
• class C: these are office premises rented out by industrial enterprises and, as a rule, do not meet the standards of residential premises. Such offices often do not even have ventilation, so the profitability of converting them into a hostel is a big question.
• class D: office premises in buildings requiring major repairs. These are relatively inexpensive areas, not designed for permanent residence of people. The building may not comply with a number of sanitary or fire safety standards and hostel placement in them is unacceptable.
• class E: this includes premises not originally intended for offices, but converted due to necessity. These can also be apartments transferred to the non-residential fund, basement and semi-basement floors. Except for options with basement areas, class E offices, with a good location, can be considered suitable for a hostel.

When starting work, it is important to remember that despite the fact that the apartment has been transferred to the status of non-residential premises, you still have neighbors, and their peace is partly the guarantee of the stable operation of your enterprise, which is not disturbed by inspections of regulatory authorities or the visit of a local police officer. Therefore, first of all, you should take care of good sound insulation for your guests. It is known that the target audience of hostels is young people under 30 years old, and having become friends, they can make a lot of noise. Along with the rapid growth in the number of hostels in our country, the question of how to close a hostel in non-residential premises becomes relevant in proportion to the number of citizens dissatisfied with careless hostels. On the contrary, there are cases when hostels equipped with violations on the high floors of apartment buildings continued to work successfully for a long time solely due to good relations with their neighbors.

The law obliges you to equip your hostel with the appropriate number of washbasins, toilets and showers, from a ratio of one bathroom per 10 guests. That is, having 31 places in the hostel, you will have to equip 4 latrines. GOST, which entered into force in 2015, sets standards for a minimum bed size of 190x80cm for a single bed and 190x140cm for a double bed. In the absence of a partition, the distance between beds should be at least 75cm, and, with a minimum bedroom height of 2.5m, the distance from the top bunk of the bed to the ceiling should not be less than 75cm. Under the ban were three-tiered and above the bed.

Protecting the right of guests to free space, from now on, each guest has 4 square meters, including the bed. Usually, for a comfortable stay, a person requires 5-6 meters of free space, but we will leave this on the conscience of the hosteler. Here we are talking about the choice between saving usable space and the prestige of the institution.

Today it is customary to call a hostel a hotel-type establishment of the most economical class, where you will be given the opportunity to spend the night for a small price. Initially, this was the name of the European system of accommodation for guests, providing them with housing (bed) for a short period without additional amenities.

Such establishments are distinguished by optimal comfortable conditions for guests at their low cost, therefore they are popular with students and the majority of poor tourists traveling on their own.

Business Benefits

In the modern market of hotel services, the hostel is a new and quite promising direction. But at the same time, it is impossible to get a clear and unambiguous answer from the majority of representatives of this business to the question of whether the hostel is profitable. Among its main advantages are:

• low threshold for entering the market;
• low costs to maintain the business itself;
• the ever-growing popularity of the service;
• a fairly large consumer audience.

Enough for a start-up entrepreneur about 1,000,000 rubles. to open a hostel. The costs of maintaining and developing such a business are low.

The average price for clients is 400-600 rubles per bed. In hostels, a fee is charged for a specific bed, and in a room, as a rule, from 4 to 12 people are located at the same time. It is important to note the low competition of such establishments and the insignificant costs of arranging and decorating the premises. In addition, losses in the event of an unsuccessful project are also insignificant, because real estate is the main capital, and it is always in price.

Where to get start-up capital?

The opening of a hostel, as a separate niche of the hotel business, began to develop relatively recently in our country. Therefore, one should carefully study the opinions of experts, including Western ones, about its profitability and payback, about possible risks, before making a decision on obtaining credit funds for opening a hostel.

The best option in this case would be attraction of investments. But for this you need to find a reliable partner with positive experience in running this kind of business. Sometimes it can be the owners of cafes, restaurants, bars, who, in order to expand their activities, are ready to invest in the development of hostels.

What do you need to open a hostel?

To formalize the hostel, you will need to open an LLC or register an individual entrepreneur (according to lawyers, it is better to give preference to an individual entrepreneur). For institutions of this type, it is recommended to apply UTII taxation system.

Starting such a business from scratch is quite difficult, especially financially. A more profitable and affordable option would be to re-equip existing premises for such an institution than to build new ones (both cheaper and faster).

To withdraw apartments from the housing stock, you will have to submit the following documents:

• application for withdrawal;
• documents for the apartment, confirming the right of ownership;
• floor plan of the house;
• apartment plan and registration certificate;
• interior remodeling project.

Please note that when opening a mini-hostel in an ordinary apartment, you will have to comply with the relevant legal norms without fail: such a business cannot be hidden from others.

An important aspect is the preliminary preparation of the hostel's business plan: all expense reporting should always be in sight.

Choosing the right place

It is considered the most beneficial location of hostels near the station and city center: in places of frequent stay of travelers, vacationers or business travelers. But it should be noted that both real estate and land in these areas are very expensive, so opening an inexpensive hostel there is very difficult. Most likely, you will have to select inexpensive sleeping areas within the city with a developed transport infrastructure.

The optimal location of the hostel is close to tourist routes. In addition, it is important to provide for the accessibility of a transport entrance (for example, next to a metro station).

Most start-up entrepreneurs prefer to buy buildings planned for demolition. But you can also open a hostel in an ordinary apartment: in three rooms, for example, you can easily equip 9 beds. The main condition is the fulfillment of a number of requirements:

• for each of the visitors to provide a minimum of 5 m 2 of living space;
• arrange beds at a distance of at least 75 cm;
• equip a bathroom, shower room, a pair of washbasins;
• availability of hot water;
• comfortable and durable furniture;
• It is important to have free access to the Internet.

Buildings of former dormitories are used no less effectively to open a hostel. But in this case, it should be remembered that when renting a room, the level of monthly profit will depend on the rental cost itself.

The nuances of opening a hostel in an apartment

Opening hostels in city apartments is the most profitable and cheap. In addition, this is the most optimal solution for starting a hotel business: it does not require a license or similar documents.

From a legal point of view, it will not take so much to equip an apartment for a hostel: it will not even be necessary to transfer the residential premises to a non-residential fund. Although the very concept of "hostel" is absent in our legislation, the Housing Code allows the use of apartments for permanent or temporary residence, including their use for commercial purposes. Hence, the law does not prohibit the use of residential premises for the purpose of providing hotel-type services.

Basic requirements for the premises

Regulatory documents of the SES prohibit the opening of hostels in the basement and basement floors. But at the same time, there are practically no special requirements for these residential premises from the regulatory authorities. It is important to comply only with sanitary and fire safety standards.

In addition, there are a number of generally accepted requirements for premises for hostels:

• good sound insulation (provided by the installation of high-quality windows and doors);
• the presence of a small hall with a TV and sofas and a kitchen (before going to bed, people want to relax a little, and get a light breakfast in the morning);
• a desirable condition today is the presence of Wi-Fi (the main part of the visitors is young people, and they cannot do without an Internet connection);
• a split system is considered an equally important requirement (you should not save on air conditioning, otherwise your hostel runs the risk of automatically falling into the category of second-class establishments);
• the arrangement of bathrooms is carried out according to the standards: 1 toilet for 12 people, 1 sink for 6, and a shower room for 15;
• the sleeping place should correspond to the size - 0.8x1.9 m. Often, bunk beds are used in hostels - both convenient and comfortable, and there is more free space;
• it is important to provide for the safety of the valuables of the guests: put a luggage room (in this case, the administration is responsible for their storage) or special metal boxes in each of the rooms;
• furniture is selected to order and preferably with warranty service, it must be of high quality and comfortable.

Opening a hostel in a non-residential building

The problem of opening hostels in non-residential premises is, first of all, that all actions performed in it must be documented: redevelopment, construction, repair work, etc.

First of all, the owner will have to make a project, where all the design sheets, TSN, etc. will be presented. Then you need to coordinate it with the SES and firefighters.

Only after the approval of the project documentation, it is possible to proceed with redevelopment or repair. In order for the project to be approved in all instances without any problems, it is better to resort to the services of a competent designer and designer: this will be faster and more reliable. In this case, the main disadvantage is considered to be additional costs, including time, and a more complex mechanism of action both in legal terms and on the part of taxation.

Required personnel

To equip a small hostel, it will be enough to hire one administrator(proficiency in at least one foreign language is desirable, English is better, of course) and 1-2 maids. If you manage to enter into partnerships with a small cafe or canteen located nearby, the chances of success will increase significantly. Visitors will certainly enjoy having the opportunity to eat normally at an affordable price.

In the case of arranging a hostel in an ordinary city apartment, where there is a normal kitchen, it is not necessary to hire a cook. You can provide customers with the opportunity to prepare breakfast on their own (coffee / tea, sandwiches, croissants, etc.), or this service can be included in the cost of living. This will raise the rating of your institution and serve as good advertising.

How much does it cost and is it profitable

If you manage to avoid problems with supervisors and neighbors, your hostel will become a much more profitable business than renting an apartment for a certain period due to the number of visitors.

For example, in the case of renting a two-room apartment for a long time, you can have from 40,000 rubles per month. And when organizing a hostel on this area, which can accommodate up to 10 people (according to the law, 5 m 2 per person), you will eventually get profit in the amount of about 100,000 rubles per month, even after deducting taxes and maintenance costs.

The disadvantages of such a business include insufficiently high and unstable profitability (only 15%), the length of the payback period (on average 6 years).

This niche in the hotel business market in our country has just begun to develop actively, so there can be many nuances. But everything will depend on your ability and desire to work, turning minuses into pluses, and on the constant desire for development.

Advertising and marketing

Without advertising, it is unrealistic to establish this type of business today. The organization of a competent advertising campaign guarantees the attraction of customers to the institution: bright signs and word of mouth are indispensable here.

The most popular and effective ways to advertise hostel services include:

• involvement of local media (placement of advertisements in newspapers);
• organization of posting ads in the busiest places of the city (railway stations and bus stops);
• on the building itself or on the nearest road sign, place the world-famous IYHF emblem with a blue triangle in which a house and a tree are located;
• joining the world association of hostels also helps to attract customers (contacts with its members, exchange of information will be very useful);
• creating a website to promote your business, where you can organize online booking;
• promotion of services through Internet resources (it is considered the most profitable and productive today), including recommendations from acquaintances and friends in social networks, student groups, etc. Please note: the basis of the client base of such institutions is made up of students, and it is worth betting on them;
• arrangement of small posters with contact information of the hostel in places where potential customers are expected to gather;
• cooperation with travel agencies offering "economy tours".

Remember, the success of your hotel mini-business will largely depend not only on the arrangement of the premises, but also on the proper organization and ability to promote your services on the market. This process will require a creative approach and non-standard marketing solutions. Even if you have to first resort to the help of professionals, then it's worth it. With proper organization, the workload of such an institution can be about 80%.

Target audience of hostels

The number of potential consumers of this service only increases over time: there are always many travelers with a limited budget and people whose healthy practicality prevails over expensive comfort. For them, this is the best option.

The main clientele of any mini-hostel are students and independent travelers. Often, during the study period, it can easily turn into a kind of “student hostel”, and in the summer season it can accept poor travelers. The services of such institutions are often used by young couples.

It should be noted that modern hostels, not only in the West, but also in our country, are considered not only a budget option for a traditional hotel, they often have an individual and very peculiar subculture that is actively spread among students. In some cases, they even form club-type establishments with their own traditions of communication, common interests, making new interesting acquaintances, etc.

Video about the business in this area

On the video - a story about the self-opening of a network of hostels:

The hostel as a kind of hotel business is gaining more and more popularity. Especially in cities with a large flow of tourists: in Moscow and St. Petersburg, hostel owners are provided with stable profits all year round.

From the article you will learn what documents are needed for a hostel when opening, where to start, what legal form is better to choose and what authorities to notify.

Documents are important, but first we are looking for a room

Solve the issue with the premises even before registering as an individual entrepreneur or legal entity. This will save you a lot.

The fact is that after registration, it is necessary to regularly pay insurance premiums to the Pension Fund. And this does not depend on whether you have already started your activity or are still solving organizational issues. Therefore, start with the choice of premises, so that after registration you can open the hostel as quickly as possible and not pay all social contributions from your own pocket.

When choosing a room, remember that hostels cannot be located in basements and basements. With no exceptions. Such a requirement is put forward by the Sanitary Rules and Norms. The building must also meet fire safety requirements.

Do not forget that a good hostel must register its visitors for migration. Make sure that the owners of the premises (provided that you rent it) give their consent to this.

Recently, the scandal around the law banning the placement of hostels in residential buildings has not subsided. If the consideration of the law is not postponed once again, then its fate will be decided before the end of this year. It is not yet known whether the law will be passed, as there are both supporters and opponents of the ban in the government. But just in case, look at the premises of the non-residential fund.

Found the perfect space? Wonderful. If you own it, then immediately go to the next point and deal with the regulatory documents for your hostel. If you are going to rent a property as a hostel, then it's time to conclude a lease agreement. Make sure that all the nuances are spelled out in the text of the contract and that you have the right to provide guest accommodation services on the rented area. Sign a contract for as long as possible or discuss with the tenant the possibility of extending the contract in the future.

A lease agreement or documentary evidence of property rights should always be at hand to avoid problems with law enforcement.

Choosing the organizational and legal form

The best choice for the owner of the hostel would be to register an individual entrepreneur or a limited liability company. Let's look at the main differences.

The best option is to register as an individual entrepreneur. Firstly, this is relevant for those who are planning to open one hostel. Registration of a legal entity is required for a network of hostels.

Secondly, the tax and administrative burden on individual entrepreneurs is much lower. So, the patent system of taxation is available for individual entrepreneurs. In this case, the entrepreneur simply buys a patent for a certain type of activity, which exempts him from paying personal income tax and VAT. But keep in mind that this only applies to entrepreneurs who own hostels. That is, for those who rent a room for a hostel, the patent is not available.

In addition, an individual entrepreneur is exempted from the need to maintain accounting records, prescribe a charter and contribute authorized capital. And, of course, an individual entrepreneur, provided that he works alone, is “deprived of the pleasure” of regularly reporting to the pension fund and the social insurance fund.

Also, registration as an individual entrepreneur is ideal for those who plan to open a hostel in a city other than their own, since an individual entrepreneur is registered at their place of residence, and an LLC at the actual location of the organization.

In the end, registering an individual entrepreneur is simply a faster and more economical procedure.

But an LLC should be chosen by those who plan to open a hostel not alone, but together with business partners, since this form provides for the possibility of co-founding.

OKVED codes for hostels - 55.23.3 "Rental of furnished rooms for temporary residence."

So, have you decided on the organizational and legal form of the hostel and collected a complete package of necessary documents? Now hand them over to the tax authority or a multifunctional center, wait for documentary confirmation of your registration and proceed to the next step.

We get approval from the fire inspectorate and the sanitary and epidemiological station

The fire inspection puts forward the same requirements for hostels as for hotels and hostels, that is, this is a class of functional fire hazard 1.2. in the Federal Law "Technical Regulations on Fire Safety Requirements".

As for sanitary standards, you should familiarize yourself with the Sanitary Rules and Regulations for small hotels and hostels. So, from them it follows that for each bed (including bunk beds) in the room there should be at least 4 square meters, in the hostel itself (even the largest) there should be no more than 120 guests, and wet cleaning should be carried out at least once per day.

Bring your premises to full compliance with all requirements. Approach this responsibly, do not allow negligence, because the lives of many people depend on your actions.

Solving the issue of waste

The legislation obliges owners of hostels to independently take care of the removal and disposal of garbage.

It is necessary to conclude an agreement with a company for the removal of municipal solid waste. It is important to remember that garbage collection should be carried out daily. Be sure to reflect this aspect in your contract.

The last stage: Rospotrebnadzor

Now the matter is small - it is necessary to inform Rospotrebnadzor. Notification of the beginning of the hostel's activities can be sent by mail (registered letter with an inventory and receipt receipt) or in electronic form with the applicant's electronic signature.

After successfully completing all the above procedures, you can open your hostel and accommodate guests in it.

Ready-made hostel as an alternative solution

Opening a hostel from scratch is a rather troublesome business. Some circumstances that slow down the process always intervene in a clear algorithm of actions. And even after going through all the circles of bureaucratic hell, there is no guarantee that the hostel will receive all permits and be able to work. It is often more useful for the budget and the nervous system, which is already a functioning business. In this case, you get a fully equipped premises, all permits, established business processes and an institution that has already established a positive reputation for itself and earned the trust of visitors.

We have collected all the articles about hostels that will be useful to you.