Open hostel tips. How to open a hostel: business plan, tips, recommendations. Opening a hostel in a non-residential building

The hostel is an ideal vacation spot for students, business travelers and tourists who do not want to overpay for expensive hotels. Despite the proposed low cost of accommodation and services, in total, such an institution brings excellent profits, and for many, opening a hostel means choosing the most promising and profitable line of business.

Why are hostels profitable?

It's very simple: they are popular. A lot of tourists and guests of the city are happy to stay in "hotels" that rent not individual rooms, but places. Of course, there is a possibility that you will have to spend the night in the same room with strangers, but as compensation, the guest receives low prices, acceptable service, cleanliness and the opportunity to communicate.

What do you need to know to open a hostel? In fact, a businessman should only have the experience of relaxing in such institutions, and there will be a minimum of difficulties accompanying the creation of a business. The owner of such a "hotel" will need:

Registration of an enterprise (individual entrepreneur or LLC with a simplified taxation system will be an excellent way out)
Open a bank account that will receive payments for guests (it is advisable to immediately open the possibility of transferring funds from abroad)
Obtain permission to open a hostel in the selected premises - it is issued by the municipal authorities
Get permission from the sanitation station, which will check the living conditions in the "hotel"

No business license is required. Moreover, you may not even have your own cash desk - it will be replaced by strict reporting forms.

Particular attention should be paid to the premises, on which the answer to the question of whether it is profitable to open a hostel directly depends. It is best to place such a "hotel" in convenient, but not central areas, where the cost of rent is not too high. There must be major bus stops nearby. public transport, and if they are not, the "hotel" should offer a transfer for guests.

You can save on the area of rooms by placing bunk beds in the rooms: the number of beds will thus double, but they will occupy a minimum of space. It is also important to take care of the hygiene of the guests: in hostels for 6 people there should be 1 sink, for 12 people - 1 toilet bowl, for 15 people - 1 shower. All this will be in great demand: for many visitors, such accommodation is the height of dreams!

What should be taken care of when opening a hostel?

There are a number of important nuances that will need to be taken into account, and on which the answer to the question of how much it costs to open a hostel in each case will depend. The company needs:

An interesting idea - hostels decorated according to a theme are always in higher demand
Qualified staff - for starters, one administrator is enough (he can also be a porter), 1-2 maids: all employees must be young, because most often it is young people who stay in hostels, and it is much easier for peers to find a common language with them
A well-thought-out range of services: the hostel, if possible, should offer free Internet, household trifles and elementary equipment, guide services (simple tourist information will be enough)
Well-thought-out rules - any guests can move in, but they should not interfere with neighbors, make noise, provoke conflicts

How to start a hostel?

The building for the "hotel" can be rented or bought. In the latter case, it will be expensive - 4-5 million rubles (the construction of a new building will cost 9-10 million at all, but this step should be decided, having firmly understood whether it is profitable to open a hostel in a particular locality). The cost of rent can be equal to the cost of an ordinary apartment or office space in a particular city.

Having decided on the premises, you need:

Make repairs in it - it will take up to 100 thousand rubles
Buy furniture for rooms - 200-300 thousand rubles.
Purchase various household items (bed linen, towels, hygiene items, curtains, etc.) - 50-80 thousand rubles

As for profit, the cost of placement can range from 800 to 2000 rubles (depending on the locality). A 20-bed "hotel", completely filled, will thus bring 16-40 thousand at a time. The total amount of profit per month can reach 100 thousand or more. Half will go to wages of employees, rent of premises, as well as utility bills, and approximately 50 thousand will remain net profit.

Regardless of how much it costs to open a hostel in a given city, the payback of the project, even if it does not develop at all, will come in 10 months. If the building was purchased or built from scratch, this period will stretch for several years, however, with the proper development of the “hotel”, you can significantly reduce the specified time, gaining a solid client base and never standing idle without guests.

Apartment hostels continue to conquer the budget tourism market. Despite certain difficulties associated with the adoption of new amendments to the law on hostels, the business of mini-hotels based on apartments is still relevant. In this article, we will look at how to make a hostel from an apartment, what difficulties a novice hosteler will have to face, and briefly talk about the procedure for creating a hostel in an apartment.

Is it possible to open a hostel in an apartment - features of hostels in Russia

The history of hostels in Russia is barely a decade old, but the number of hostels is growing exponentially from year to year. Today in Russia there are over a thousand hostels from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad. Comfortable and inexpensive accommodation attracts not only traveling students, but even respectable young businessmen on a business trip, and just random guests who, by the will of fate, found themselves on the street in an unfamiliar city. A modern hostel combines the unpretentiousness of a student hostel, the comfort of an inexpensive hotel and the homeliness of a European guesthouse. This format of budget housing is in great demand even among the domestic consumer, so it is not surprising how soon businessmen began to open hostels one after another. The uncontrolled growth in the number of hostels has often come at the expense of the quality of the services they offer. The amenities of both the guests and the hostel neighbors were often neglected in the pursuit of profit.

In 2014, the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology developed a unified GOST on general requirements to hostels. For the first time in Russia, hostels have recognized separate view providing accommodation services, and compiled a list of requirements and regulations applicable to hostels. The state standard is designed to protect the rights of hostel customers, as well as the rights of citizens who involuntarily become neighbors of such hostels. On the one hand, a lot of regulations hit the pockets of cunning entrepreneurs who are ready to accommodate 40 people in a room, and on the other hand, the law brought the hostel business out of the shadows, allowing respectable businessmen to open their own business.

The first version of the law on hostels, although it contained many norms and regulations, regulated the arrangement of hostels in general, without separating apartment hostels into a separate category. But it is precisely the boom of apartment hostels that we are seeing in recent times in major cities Russia. Opening such a mini-hostel is less expensive and at the same time convenient for tourists. Such hostels often caused inconvenience for the rest of the residents of apartment buildings. Neighbors complained about poor sound insulation, dirt on the stairwell, and in general, constantly scurrying strangers naturally cause concern.

Finally, in 2016, a package of amendments for GOST was developed, finally resolving the conflict between apartment residents and hostel customers. Although at the time of this writing, the package has not yet been accepted, but obviously this is a matter of time. Hostellers are already reorganizing their business according to the new requirements. Of course, many businessmen did not like such changes, some hostels had to be closed, but this is quite a normal market reaction to the new conditions. Mini-hotels built according to modern standards, satisfy the requirements of both their customers and do not encroach on the interests of their neighbors.

Now let's look at the new requirements for mini-hostels in more detail, get acquainted with the main characteristics of the premises and their arrangement.

According to the new requirements, from now on the hostel cannot occupy living quarters. That is, if you decide open a hostel in an apartment, first you have to take care of transferring your area from the housing stock to non-residential. Such premises can occupy only the first floor of a residential building, or the second floor, provided that the first floor is already occupied by other non-residential areas. In this case, the hostel must be equipped with a separate entrance, not in contact with the common entrance. The transfer procedure is a long legal red tape, the process of which we will describe below.

It is now forbidden to arrange hostels on the basement floors. Being non-residential, they are not intended for permanent accommodation of guests. Here it is allowed to build showers, a gym or a dining room, but sleeping places cannot be arranged.

The height of the sleeping quarters of your hostel should be at least 2.5m, and the height of the corridors and common rooms should be at least 2.1m. One guest is now entitled to at least 4 square meters of space, including the bed. Beds are allowed only ordinary and bunk beds. Exotic options with three or more floors are now banned. The distance from the second tier of the bed to the ceiling must be at least 75 cm.

The size of the bed itself is also regulated and is 190x80cm for one person, and 190x140cm for a double bed. In the absence of partitions, the distance between the beds is supposed to be at least 75 cm. GOST does not oblige the hosteler to provide the client with a change of linen, but more often such a service is in use, for additional fee or not.

The sanitary unit, which includes a toilet bowl, a shower cabin and a washstand, according to the new amendments, is designed for a maximum of 10 guests. That is, for a small hostel for 20 guests, you will need two bathrooms, and for 21 guests - three.

Canteen services are stipulated in the law conditionally. The owner should take care of the meals of the guests only when there is not a single catering establishment within walking distance. In the conditions of the city, this, of course, is impossible. However, hostels offer their guests a kitchen for self-catering. GOST obliges the hosteler to equip his establishment only with a cooler and a kettle.

Before starting repairs, purchase necessary furniture and hire staff, the apartment should be transferred to a non-residential fund. As we said, such apartments can only occupy the first floors or the second, if the first is already in the non-residential fund. Also, the device of such areas should not have technical obstacles for the device of a separate entrance to the hostel. The hostel may occupy commercial premises if they comply minimum requirements for the accommodation of guests. Read about organizing a hostel in office space on our website.

The translation procedure begins with the collection of the necessary documents:

homeowner's passport, or its notarized copy;
documents confirming the right to own property;
technical plan of the premises;
the conclusion of fire supervision and SES on the suitability of the premises for a hostel;
minutes of the meeting of the homeowners that they were notified about the hostel in their house and have no complaints.

The last point is highly controversial and in each particular case is unique. In some cities, the conditions for holding such a meeting of residents, and even more so, the conditions for their consent to a hostel, are approaching impossible. So, for example, at least half of the residents of the house must be present at the meeting, and more than half of those present must make a positive decision on the issue of your hostel. In other cities, the decision of the meeting of residents of the house is only advisory in nature, and in practice is ignored.

The technical plan of the premises is provided by the Bureau of Technical Inventory (BTI). An application for such a plan must be submitted in advance, and the procedure itself requires the payment of a fee. You will have to apply to the BTI again after, to approve the redevelopment plan for your future hostel. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Since the procedure for transferring an apartment to a non-residential fund requires the participation of the owner of the area, placing hostels in rented apartments becomes almost impossible. The use of office space that is already in the non-residential fund may be associated with problems with SES and fire supervision.

If the apartment is located in an old house or in the historical quarter of the city, you will have to attach the conclusion of the Bureau of Cultural Heritage and Monuments Protection that your apartment is of no particular value to their department.

The transfer application itself is drawn up in any form and together with necessary documents submitted for consideration to the local government. If there are no technical or legal obstacles to your event, you will receive an official affirmative answer after 45 days. From this point on, you can consider the procedure completed and proceed with the repair.

The organization of hostels in an apartment often begins with redevelopment. You remember that the bathroom is designed for only 10 guests, so you may have to build a second one, or expand an existing one. The reorganization plan is developed and approved by the BTI, where these services will have to be paid for.

Since the hostel's occupancy is almost always high, and the walls were not originally designed for such a huge number of residents, repairs are carried out using only the highest quality and durable materials. The same goes for furniture. Although hostel guests are often unpretentious people, furniture can be simple, but able to withstand frequent and merciless use.

Even the choice of beds will have to be approached with all seriousness. Iron models will last much longer, but will turn the lives of other residents into hell when one of the guests manages to trick a girlfriend, or simply begins to toss and turn from insomnia.

The hostel must be equipped with lockers-safes for personal belongings of guests. Although the administrator monitors the order in the rooms, the residents will be calmer when their things are under lock and key.

The laws on apartment hostels in Russia have become much stricter and this raises the quality of the services provided by new level. A good hosteler will be able to make a hostel in an apartment without infringing on the rights of other residents of the house and offering their guests a comfortable stay.

In 1912, in his Altena castle, the German Richard Schirman opened the world's first Hostel "Jugendherberge" - a hostel for youth tourism. Now hostels have become widespread as the cheapest accommodation away from home. Many poor entrepreneurs have the opportunity to start their own business, investing very little money. And time shows that this way of earning is reliable - especially for small businesses. The idea interests every second young businessman.

Hostels: what are they and who uses them

Without any doubt, the format of the hotel in the form of a small budget hostel not only took root, but also became in demand in vast Russia. At the same time, hostels differ from each other in a number of ways.

Type of institution	Visitors	Room stock and its characteristics
"no stars"	Guest workers, internal migrants and even the homeless	Total number places - 100 and more. The rooms can accommodate up to 15 beds.
"no stars"	Students, groups of organized tourists	The total number of seats is 50 or more. The rooms can accommodate up to 8 beds.
Apartment, "no stars"	Business travelers, part-time students, poor tourists, fans of sports teams	The total number of beds is up to 15. The rooms can have 2-4 beds.
1 star*	Business travelers, poor family tourists, travelers	The total number of seats - any. The rooms can have 1-4 beds. Shower and toilet on the floor. The room does not have air conditioning, refrigerator and TV.
2 stars*	Business travelers, poor family tourists, travelers	The total number of seats - any. The rooms can have 1-3 beds. At least one room in the hostel must have a shower and toilet inside the room.

It is known that in connection with the preparation of the World Cup on July 1, 2015, the Law on the mandatory passing of the classification and the award of stars was adopted. For hostels, special classifications have been adopted: “no stars”, 1 and 2 stars. According to hostels, about 30-35% of all hostels meet the standards of "one star" and "two stars".

What are the requirements for hostels?

The activity of the hostel is regulated by GOST 56184-2014. This document obliges hostels not to use basement and basement rooms as rooms, as well as rooms that do not have windows. In the semi-basements it is allowed to make showers, toilets, laundries for self-washing, a buffet, a shop and luggage storage rooms. No and mandatory requirements on the mandatory equipment of kitchens, but a place for communication can be made in the open air.

As for the area, in hostels it is allowed to allocate 4 square meters. meters per bed, no matter what: single or bunk, and the space occupied by the bed is also taken into account. That is, to provide accommodation for 10 people, you need a living space of 20 square meters. meters with bunk beds. At the same time, there must be at least 75 cm to the ceiling from the top of the bed.

GOST does not prohibit the organization of mixed hostels for women and men. However, guests must be notified of this in advance. By the way, there are no special requirements for mandatory kitchen equipment, although there must be a place for cooking. In any case, even before settling, customers should be notified about the features of their institution.

Fire safety requirements oblige to place an evacuation plan in case of emergency.

Is it possible to organize a hostel in an apartment?

Paragraph 5.7.18 of GOST 56184-2014 says that it is not forbidden by law to make a hostel out of your apartment. To do this, you need to go through legal registration. Well, then the hosteler is obliged to comply with "hygienic standards for noise, sound, vibration, electromagnetic radiation and the rules of living in residential buildings." That is, complaints from neighbors can become grounds for terminating a business.

How much does it cost to open your hostel: we draw up a spending plan

When drawing up a business plan, it is necessary to calculate the potential costs for the start and for the period of formation. The amount of initial investment depends on what area the businessman will use:

use of own housing;
renting a room to accommodate a budget hotel;
purchase of non-residential premises and its refurbishment.

The best option is to rent out the beds of your home, for example, a second apartment in order to pay off a mortgage loan. Hotel business experts advise setting aside a room on the ground floor with a separate entrance for this business. In this case, when creating a business plan, you need to take into account the following costs:

registration and "paperwork" - from 15 thousand rubles (depending on the city);
expenses under the lease agreement, if someone else's premises are rented (prices vary significantly, should be taken into account separately);
repairs costing 10 thousand rubles per sq. m. area meter;
organization of one bed at the rate of 15 thousand rubles, including household appliances;
3-month wage fund for 4 people: approximately 423 thousand rubles, including taxes;
organization of an advertising campaign in the amount of at least 50 thousand rubles;
contingencies, which usually amount to 20% of the estimate.

To organize a hostel in a 2-room apartment with a living area of 32 sq. meters and 48 sq. meters of total area for 14 guests will require:

Plus unforeseen expenses in the amount of 20% of the amount of 1,178,000 rubles, i.е. 235,000 rubles. In total, according to the business plan, investments will amount to 1 million 413 thousand rubles.

If you rent someone else's premises, for example, an apartment, then the cost of the start increases by the amount of a six-month rent, which depends on the city and region. A more careful calculation of the plan will be needed when buying a room.

Necessary equipment

For the normal functioning of the hostel, a minimum set of furniture and household appliances is required:

single, double and bunk beds;
bedside tables with locks;
dining tables and chairs;
sofa for guests;
television;
coffee table;
individual lockers (preferably metal) for clothes with locks;
reception desk;
individual night lighting;
individual electrical outlet;
shared refrigerator;
electric kettles;
microwave;
router for wireless internet.

The cost of the necessary furniture and equipment to open a hostel from scratch depends on the ability of the entrepreneur to choose the best option in terms of price and quality.

Staff

The experience of using hostels for 15-20 people shows that the hotel should have an administrator around the clock (or a security guard in the evening and at night).

You will also need a cleaner. Hostellers usually recruit "young" pensioners for the position of security guards and cleaners, who are happy with any extra work. Let's calculate staff costs for the hostel's business plan (calculations are relevant for Moscow):

Accommodation costs

If the hosteler uses his premises, then the costs of its maintenance are related to maintaining the health and safety of water supply, sewerage, electrical wiring, exhaust ventilation, doors and windows. Taking into account the high traffic of visitors and sometimes inaccurate handling of hotel property, the cost of maintaining a small (for 15-20 people) hostel reaches from 3 to 7 thousand rubles a month, said the owner of the mini-hotel Sergey Koromyslov. Approximately such figures were given by other businessmen.

Promotion: effective methods and cost

The promotion of a hostel, of course, requires consistency from the entrepreneur and, most importantly, an understanding of the importance of this event for business success. As the reviews of most customers show, they chose this or that hotel using Yandex or Google. Therefore, in this matter, one should not neglect the seo-promotion of the hotel website. Many hostels called it the most important and effective PR mechanism. Also, businessmen were advised to take the time contextual advertising and active promotion through social networks.

Such promotional activities cost 30-50 thousand rubles, but they fully justify themselves.

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

When compiling a business plan with calculations, entrepreneurs calculate income from the future entrepreneurial activity. For this, simple steps are applied, including monitoring similar hotels. Simply put, hostels disguised as customers call competitors and then try to develop their own price list.

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

Thus, a hostel with 20 beds at 75% occupancy will bring the hosteler a monthly income in the amount of:

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

If you subtract the cost of wages, maintenance of housing, utilities and unforeseen expenses, it turns out a profit in the amount of 100 - 150 thousand rubles. Thus, the profitability does not exceed 30%, while the break-even point can be passed in about a year.

Step-by-step plan for opening a hostel from scratch

Hostels are becoming a very trendy business. For the first 2 months of this year, search engines recorded an increase in requests for a hostel business plan with estimates of 30-45%. People are also interested in what steps you need to go through to open your own mini hotel. To become a hostel, you must do the following:

register individual entrepreneur or as the owner of a limited liability company;
rent a suitable room if you do not have your own apartment;
draw up contracts for the removal of garbage and carrying out deratization and disinfestation;
obtain permission from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station, the local authority of the Fire Service and Rospotrebnadzor;
develop a business plan for the hostel with a list of repairs;
draw up a detailed investment estimate, including 20% for contingencies;
carry out repairs with an emphasis on anti-vandal performance;
purchase furniture, equipment;
hire staff;
develop a website and implement its seo-promotion.

After that, you can already accept clients.

OPF and documents

You need to choose a form of business. If you read articles on the Internet, then the conclusion suggests itself that it is best for a hosteler to be an individual entrepreneur. Then taxes are paid according to a simplified system (6% of revenue) and it is easier to keep accounting yourself. However, experienced businessmen arrange a hotel as an LLC with a minimum authorized capital. Moreover, the premises are leased to the hotel. It is clear that the right of ownership is removed from the risk of raiding or bankruptcy.

After a businessman chooses an OPF, he is faced with the question of what documents are needed to open a business. It should be noted that today it is easy to form a package of required papers - it is good that specialized online services have appeared. The same applies to bookkeeping, which can be outsourced inexpensively.

Is it worth it to franchise?

It is not so important for a poor traveler who owns the inn - the main thing is that for little money they are allowed to spend the night, travelers wrote back in the Middle Ages. Today the situation has not changed.

“Franchises are good when the brand and technology are important,” says Artur Mukhin. - But in hostels, the profitability is low, and the service is minimalist. It is hardly reasonable to give someone royalties under these conditions.”

In any case, the choice is up to the businessman.

Hostel - risky business?

Realists advise underestimating possible risks entrepreneurship, especially those who were "bewitched" by the business idea of a hostel. It's one thing when a company of tourists who have known each other for a long time moves in, or if quiet pensioners-travelers become clients. Another thing is when it comes to the most diverse public, in which there are malicious violators of the internal regulations.

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

Among the common problems are vandalism, conflicts between clients, problems in relationships with residents of the house where the hostel is located.

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

However, in order not to make mistakes, it is necessary to carefully work out the business plan of the hostel. This is exactly what seasoned entrepreneurs advise.

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 in professionally, achieve new heights and success, do what you 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 words we can say that the hostel is a mini-hotel, which, as a rule, occupies small area and specializing in providing low-cost temporary housing for tourists, young people, students, guest workers and anyone else 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 premises 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.

Based on preliminary calculations, it can be concluded that 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, wage employees, taxes). 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 strengths It should be noted: a relatively low threshold required to enter the market (from 350 thousand rubles), a simplified taxation system. Weaknesses are the profitability and payback period of the project. As for the possibilities, in this sense it must be emphasized that the opening of a hostel is a very promising direction in 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. A 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 you need to do is register with in due course Sole Proprietorship or LLC, purchase cash machine and register it in tax office, obtain the appropriate permits from the fire service and SES.

How to choose the right room?

Opening a hostel starts with a search suitable premises. 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 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

planning start-up capital to open 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, shelving, bedside tables, electrical and household appliances. Do not save on quality, otherwise in the future you will have to spend money again 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, one cannot 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 a hostel largely depends on proper organization 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 holding a wide 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 handed out 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.

Accommodation in a hostel during the holidays is becoming popular. In addition to the main audience of students, other travelers have also moved into the inexpensive segment of the hotel business. Even foreigners are very interested in Russian hostels.

How to make money on this wave by opening your hostel from scratch? Let's see.

Drawing plans: find a room and create a hostel in it

The first thing to do is to find a good place. What does "good" mean?

The hostel is easy to get to

The location is two hours walk from the nearest bus or subway stop? It is not suitable for business. Travelers are divided into two groups: some think over the route, others go "wherever their eyes look." And no one plans to rest in such places.

Easy to get out of the hostel

What's even more important. A motel in the middle of nowhere won't make much money anymore. A motel in the middle of nowhere without attractions won't make any money at all.

As a result, the most needed places to create a hostel are in the center of Moscow. High traffic, proximity to transport, good views. Guests who have chosen the hostel for business trip, as well as tourists on vacation, will be able to quickly get anywhere.

Alternatively, a hostel can take on a narrower niche if it "settles" on distant attractions. Cons: Fewer customers, business more dependent on the season. Pros: there is a tangible advantage over competitors. Rent outside the center - below.

Technical details of organizing a hostel from scratch

What footage of the premises will be required to open a hostel? Usually - about 150 square meters or more. Depending on how many guests are planned. The most common solution is from 10 to 15 beds in two or three rooms.

Less is not in demand and will not pay off the costs. Travelers turn to hotels for private rooms. More is not very convenient. It is more difficult to find the area, higher costs for rent, supply and risks.

The hotel business is seasonal, guests will arrive unevenly, and too large a room will greatly lose profit. In addition, even in the non-residential stock, it will be necessary to reckon with the load on the local power grid and other utility restrictions.

How to create a hostel with the right layout?

The classic hostel begins with a major renovation in the chosen premises. The former room is not suitable for a room for 6 people.

This is important: accommodation standards require at least 75 centimeters between beds, and at least 5 square meters per guest.

Routine renovations are done in a few bright, light colors to attract customers but not interfere with a relaxing holiday.

For individual design, consult with the designer. These are almost one-time costs, but they should be approached seriously and responsibly: the hostel “brings” a new appearance for a long time.

Interested in the hospitality business? Find out more about how you can buy a hostel in Moscow from the owner, how much it will cost and how quickly your investment will pay off.

Staff and equipment - to be satisfied with the hostel

The premises have been found, the marafet has been set up. The next step in organizing a hostel is people and equipment. Before the guests arrive, there is still a lot of work: at the reception desk they should be met by sociable and responsible administrators. English language- good, but not always necessary.

Here, guests receive the keys to their rooms, linen, leave things in the storage rooms. Then they will need beds, appliances in the kitchen, appliances in the bathrooms and toilets. Optional seating area. It is individual for each hostel, but the classic recipe is wifi router, chairs, TV, board games.

Approximate cost:

The price of a bunk bed is about 13 thousand rubles. You will need 5 pieces (≈ 65’000 ₽)
Bed sheets. Full set - 1.5 - 2 thousand. 10 pieces. (≈ 17’000 ₽)
Several pear chairs ≈ 6’000 ₽ for 4 pieces.
Fully equip a bathroom - from 30 to 60 thousand rubles. A minimum of two rooms is required.
A kitchen with everything you need can cost about 30 - 35 thousand rubles.

In total - about 215 thousand rubles. The cost of utilities and Wi-Fi will be significantly less, but monthly.

The hostel will also need a cleaning lady and an accountant. In both cases, it makes sense to use a ready-made service - it's cheaper and more rational than keeping staff for these positions.

Inexpensive marketing to make the hostel recognizable

Congratulations! You have overcome the stages of "how to open a hostel" and "how to organize a hostel". It's time to think about advertising.

How to attract customers when all preliminary work done? For this there are many thematic sites, including FastTravel, Trivago, Booking and others.

Some of them post ads for free. But this does not eliminate the need for your own website and accounts in in social networks where customers can leave their opinions and feedback.

What are good reviews? Negative ones provide material for development, good ones create a reputation. And reputation is main source income in the hotel business.

Hostel income and documents for a quiet life

Where does the hostel get the lion's share of their income to cover all of the above? Of course, with the provision of beds.

But there are other types of profit. For example, you can find machines that make caramel or popcorn and take over the way movie theaters and American motels make money. Or put any other complex equipment (sometimes they take money even for using a microwave or refrigerator).

Some hostels provide parking, breakfast, or video games for a fee. On the territory of the mini-hotel you can put ATMs or machines with drinks or sweets.

If there are many guests, it is worth negotiating with local attractions and museums about hosting advertising for tourists.

All this is considered commercial activities, and the hostels themselves, according to the legislation of the Russian Federation, fall under the category of simplified taxation. No special licenses are required, but you will need permission from firefighters (the room must meet minimum standards) and the sanitary and epidemiological service.

In addition, an agreement on garbage collection and an agreement on the lease of premises (or papers confirming ownership) are important.