Organization of a hostel in non-residential premises. Choosing the organizational and legal form

To how to open a hostel ? This question is often asked by Russian entrepreneurs. After all, cheap housing is not only convenient for tourists and just visitors, but also can bring a good profit to its owner. Let’s take a look at what it takes to start this type of business.

What is a hostel?

Despite the fact that hostels have existed for more than a century, they appeared in Russia relatively recently. At its core, a hostel is a hostel, but not a service one, where workers or students are accommodated (although they also use the services of modern hostels), but private, for everyone. This is housing where not a room is rented, but a bed: in the living quarters, several beds are arranged for the inhabitants, and the toilet and bathroom (or shower room) are common to everyone.

For a long comfortable stay, hostels are of little use, but they have one undeniable dignity- cheapness. A bed in such a hotel costs several times less than in a regular one. Accordingly, the advantages of hostels can be appreciated by a variety of people:

travelers and tourists (especially those who do not use the services of travel agencies, but prefer to choose the route themselves);
correspondence students who come during the session to take exams;
employees of organizations on short-term business trips.

In a word, a hostel is a good option for those who need a roof over their heads for a short time, a place where you can sleep, wash up, and relax in between chores.

How to open a hostel in Moscow without breaking the law?

Now hostels are becoming more and more popular. They can be found in almost every city. At the same time, Moscow is the center of Russia, the center of places of study, work, business activity (and tourists in the capital will always find places to go and see). That is why the question of how to open a hostel, especially relevant in Moscow. Accordingly, we will focus mainly on Moscow standards - it’s good that in relation to hostels they practically do not differ from those in other cities.

To avoid this, you can register:

one of the forms of partnership (full or limited);
public or non-public JSC.

With regard to the hostel, it is most convenient to register as an individual entrepreneur or open your own LLC. The latter is even preferable: in case of ruin, all losses will fall on the organization, and not on personal property.

Where to open a hostel?

But suppose the registration has already taken place, there is a certificate in hand, a certified copy of the charter is in the folder, the seal has been ordered and received. What will be required next?

First of all, you will need a living space in which the hostel will be located. The following options are available here:

Build a building from scratch. This is the most expensive option, but the most promising in terms of business: you can initially plan the premises for a hostel, place living rooms, showers, toilets, etc. in a way that is more convenient. However, the absolutely prohibitive cost of land in Moscow makes this option extremely unlikely for an individual entrepreneur or a small company.
Purchase non-residential premises and after overhaul convert it into a habitable place. this option will also require considerable costs and approvals.
Use existing apartments. This method is now spreading more and more widely.

In the event that the hostel is opened on the basis of an apartment, it will be necessary to somehow legalize its status for use in entrepreneurial activity. The easiest way here is for an individual entrepreneur: if the housing already belongs to the entrepreneur, he is legally entitled to use it for business activities, so no transfer to a non-residential fund or anything else is required.

In the same case, if the hostel is opened on the basis of LLC or other commercial organization, necessary:

transfer the apartment to the ownership of the company (by issuing it, for example, as a contribution to the authorized capital);
or conclude a lease agreement (even if the owner of the apartment and the sole participant of the LLC are the same person, since from the point of view of the law they are completely different persons).

Coordination and contracts with organizations

If the apartment is used as commercial housing, then before how to open a hostel, it will be necessary to coordinate this with the supervisory authorities and conclude a number of agreements.

The minimum required for agreement is:

Conclusion fire inspection about the safety of the apartment as a hostel. This necessary thing, since the owner of the hotel is responsible for the life and health of his guests. This conclusion is especially important if the room was being renovated and the load on the power grid increased: the slightest short circuit or heating of the wiring could well lead to a fire.
Permission health service Rospotrebnadzor (formerly known as SES). The sanitary condition of the hostel premises must comply with current standards.

In addition, by deciding how to open a hostel, will have to negotiate with other organizations. For example, you will have to conclude a separate agreement for waste disposal (MSW). Typically, such agreements are concluded with residents, but since the apartment will be used as a commercial hostel without permanent residents, the volume of solid waste will increase markedly.

It can be useful to provide residents with access to the Internet (via Wi-Fi or in another way). The popularity of such a hostel will be high, but the service requires an agreement with the provider.

Regulatory requirements for a hostel

Dealing with that how to open a hostel, it should be noted that since 2014, GOST R 56184-2014 has been adopted in Russia, relating to this particular type of housing.

To comply with this GOST, the hostel will need:

at least 4 sq. m of living space for each bed (including bunk beds);
a distance of at least 75 cm from the bed of the upper tier to the ceiling (respectively, three-tier beds in most apartments are prohibited);
not less than 2.5 m height in residential premises, 2.1 - in the halls;
at least 1 toilet, washbasin and shower for 15 residents;
mandatory allocation in addition to the bedroom also common area for rest, food, reception of guests. Its absence is permissible only if the hostel has its own cafeteria or there are catering establishments within walking distance.

GOST also introduces norms for towels and bed linen: their change for residents should be carried out at least once every 5 days. However, this rule only applies if the owner of the hostel generally provides the residents with bed linen and towels without fail. The fact is that in this respect GOST is similar to railway standards regarding reserved seat cars, where you can not pay for a bed and sleep on a bare shelf.

For hostel beds, the rules are as follows:

dimensions - at least 80 by 190 cm (double beds 140 by 190 cm are also allowed);
the distance between the beds is at least 75 cm.

The bed is provided with a mattress with a cover, a pillow and a blanket. Bed linen, as already mentioned, may be included in the cost of living, but may also be issued for a fee.

Finally, for each tenant there should be either a bedside table for things and clothes, or a separate section in the closet, equipped with a lock.

Hostel staff

Deciding how to open a hostel, the owner must take care of the recruitment of staff who will serve the residents. In principle, an individual entrepreneur may well do this personally - however, it is unlikely that an entrepreneur will be able to sit in a hostel without getting out, accepting residents. For a commercial organization, hiring staff will be mandatory at all.

In practice, the minimum staff for a hostel is an administrator and 1 or 2 maids who clean the premises. In the event that the hostel provides additional services (food, laundry, etc.), other workers may be required.

Each of the staff members will need to conclude an employment contract (See A sample of a standard employment contract with an employee for 2014-2015 (download the form)). In addition, the owner of the hostel is obliged not only to pay wages, but also to deduct money to pension and medical funds, as well as comply with the requirements of labor legislation.

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 stable profit all year round.

From the article you will find out 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 pay regularly 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 the basement and basements. With no exceptions. Such a requirement is put forward Sanitary regulations and norms. The building must also meet the requirements fire safety.

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 surrounding the law banning hostels in residential buildings. 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? Perfectly. If you own it, then immediately proceed to the next paragraph and deal with normative 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 a hostel owner is to register individual entrepreneur or companies with limited liability. 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, the IP, provided that he works alone, is “deprived of the pleasure” of regularly reporting to Pension Fund and the social security 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 federal law “Technical regulation on fire safety requirements.

Concerning sanitary norms, then 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, the hostel itself (even the largest one) should have no more than 120 guests, and wet cleaning should be done at least once a 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 the owners of hostels to take care of the removal and disposal of garbage on their own.

It is necessary to conclude an agreement with a company for the export of solid household 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 a description and a return 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 get everything permits and will be able to work. for the budget and nervous system often more useful, 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.

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 received wide use 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 from 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. For this you need to go legal registration. Well, then the hosteler is obliged to comply with “hygienic standards for noise, sound, vibration, electromagnetic radiation and rules for 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 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 expenses:

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 2 room apartment living area of 32 sq. meters and 48 sq. meters total area For 14 guests you will need:

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;
TV set;
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.

Price 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. Given 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 advised to devote time to 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 the income from future entrepreneurial activities. For this, apply simple steps, including the monitoring of 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 Artur Mukhin, an expert on the hotel market. “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, public 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 have 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 as an individual entrepreneur or as the owner of a limited liability company;
rent suitable premises 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 register the 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 we are talking about the most diverse audience, 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 received 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 yard of the 21st dynamic century with growing tourist flows from year to year, with rapid 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.

How to open a hostel - step by step plan: Required documents, advertising promotion methods, equipment, detailed calculations and payback periods.

Capital investment in business: from 500 000 rubles
Hostel payback period: 1-2 years

Not so long ago, few people knew about this type of budget hotels as a hostel.

The practice, so widespread in Europe, has begun to gain popularity in Russia over the past 5-7 years.

The opportunity to live in a comfortable environment with everything you need for little money has caused great demand among the population.

Therefore, many entrepreneurs began to wonder, how to open a hostel.

Some of them have used this method of budget overnight stay and appreciated its benefits.

They have determined for themselves how they want to see the hostel, they know a lot of secrets and "tricks", but they absolutely do not understand the organizational side of the issue.

While others are experienced entrepreneurs who know how to profitably invest in real estate.

But organizing a hostel requires a more soulful approach than the ability to calculate costs.

What documents are needed to open a hostel?

Paperwork to open a hostel is something that intimidates first-time owners.

Actually, you shouldn't worry.

Yes, registering a business is a long and stressful process.

However, you can delegate the collection of papers to specialists for a fee.

The only thing you definitely shouldn't do is open a hostel without permission.

Such a move is fraught with fines, problems and a complete failure of the hostel idea.

To legally open a hostel, you will need the following documents:

or LLC;
certificate of tax registration;
a document confirming the ownership of the premises;
permission to operate the hostel based on the results of the inspection of the fire inspection and SES;
garbage collection agreement with the relevant organization.

The above list is the basis, which can be "overgrown" with additional papers, depending on the current legal requirements for business.

The relevance of the data before registering the hostel should be carefully checked.

It is better to play it safe at the start than to have problems with regulatory authorities in the future.

We analyze the market before opening a hostel

The mere fact that a hostel as a business must be in demand is not enough to organize the business.

It is important to analyze the niche in which you are going to open a hostel.

To do this, pay attention to competitors in the region and the general development trend of hostels.

Now there are more than 5,000 hostels and establishments of a similar format operating in the country.

Their number has doubled over the past 2 years, which indicates an accelerated pace of niche development and high customer demand.

It is noteworthy that half of the hostels are concentrated in two cities - St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Thus, in order to open your hostel in one of them, you will have to “fight” with competitors.

At the same time, the prospects for business development in big cities much better.

If we analyze the hostel organization formats, the leader is rooms with an average capacity (30-50 guests).

This business option is beneficial for entrepreneurs due to relatively modest capital investments and quick payback.

What are the risks of opening a hostel?

Such an idea, how to open a hostel in Moscow or St. Petersburg, has risks not only because of high competition ...

Any mini-hotel can face circumstances that can ruin a business.

Entrepreneurs must analyze potential risks before opening a hostel, and think over ways to minimize them.

Risk	What is dangerous for business?	How to avoid?
All kinds of emergency in the hostel	Emergencies can cause harm to the property of the hostel or its residents. In extreme cases, lead to a suspension of work.	Hostel property must be insured. Employees should be instructed on how to behave in emergency situations. It is important to equip the premises with fire extinguishing systems.
Seasonal fluctuations in demand	Decrease in income and profitability of the business.	It is important to be able to interest the client of the hostel during the recession. Think over an advertising campaign, enter special offers.
Poor hostel location	Audience reach is falling. Along with it - the profitability of the hostel.	The problem needs to be “cut in the bud” even before the opening of the hostel. Pay attention to a preliminary analysis of the location. Assess its prospects.
Low qualification of employees	Loss of clients, emergence of conflict situations.	You have to hire people in person. Do not save on training hostel workers.

How to open your hostel and promote it: advertising methods

It is important to understand not only how to open your own hostel according to all the rules of the law, but also how you will promote it to the masses.

And the service sector - those areas that can not do without a marketing strategy.

You should immediately tune in that high-quality cheap advertising does not exist.

There are rare exceptions, but you should not rely on them.

Consider 3 main channels for promoting hostel services:

Website and promotion of the hostel on the Internet.

A modern business cannot do without its own website.

Do not be stingy and order its creation to specialists.

After all, the electronic page will be the face of the hostel.

The site itself does not attract customers so actively, but rather is an important image attribute.

For guests to find you, use seo-optimization, contextual and banner advertising.

This pleasure is not cheap, but the effect is noticeable.

Another important element marketing policy of modern business.

Most of the hostel visitors are students, young people, and budget tourists.

They are attracted not just by the opportunity to spend the night, but by the spirit that reigns in hostels.

It is worth opening the pages of the hostel on Facebook and Vkontakte.

This will allow you to share news, hold promotions, collect feedback from guests and create your own special atmosphere that you want to plunge into.

Websites for booking hotels and hostels.

Few people are unaware of the existence of online accommodation booking resources.

Hostels that are not there lose up to 90% of their potential target audience.

Just listen to this number!

But the registration process is simple and, as a rule, free.

How to choose a building to open a hostel?

To choose a location and decide, how to open a hostel in non-residential premises or apartment, first select the format.

There are three main types:

A large hostel that is ready to accept more than 100 guests.

In Russia, this format is not in demand due to the lack of demand and the high financial entry threshold.

If you are still interested in this hostel option, you will need to rent a large non-residential premises.

To ensure fullness, work should be done to conclude agreements with firms that can hold seminars or conferences.

Hostel with medium capacity (30-50 guests).

The most requested. For their organization, they usually buy out 2-3 apartments located on the floor and combine them.

This is enough to equip the hostel with a kitchen, two bathrooms, a hall and 5-6 bedrooms.

AT ordinary apartment you can arrange a hostel for 10-15 guests.

The mini-format of the hostel is chosen by those who like to relax in a cozy home environment.

This option requires the least investment, but pays off over a long period.

The peculiarity of such hostels is that the price of a bed can be 10-15% higher than that of competitors.

And this will be justified, because the level of comfort in mini-hostels is much higher.

advantage - the close location of the hostel to the city center;
it’s good if there are interesting sights nearby the hostel;
it is important for guests that there is a good transport interchange near the hostel;
it should be easy for visitors to find the hostel, so a noticeable sign, signs are needed.

Hostel as a business: necessary equipment

Those who have already stayed in hostels more than once know perfectly well what they should be equipped with.

If knowledge is limited own apartment and expensive hotels, here is an indicative list of the necessary equipment:

Equipment	Description	Price (in rubles)
Furniture	Usually hostels buy wooden furniture. From the basic, you will need: a wardrobe in the hallway, a large shelf for shoes, beds and bedside tables in the bedrooms, a table and chairs in the kitchen, sofas and armchairs in the rest room.	100 000
Technology in the hostel	The list of necessary equipment depends on what services will be provided in the hostel. Minimum set includes: wifi router, washing machine, iron, refrigerator and microwave, plasma tv, luggage storage for valuables.	90 000
Other things for the hostel	Do not forget that you have to provide guests with textile accessories. Experience shows that for each sleeping place the hostel will need 3 sets of bed linen. You will quickly see that such a reserve justifies itself. A sign of good taste is the issuance of towels and disposable slippers to customers.	80 000
Creation of comfort	As already mentioned, a hostel is not just a "bedroom". This entourage place, which for many is associated with a special setting. A good hostel has its own distinctive style, which create interior details. It can be interesting pillows, panels, a rack with books, special lamps.	30 000

Calendar plan how to open a hostel from scratch

To plan how to open a hostel from scratch, it is worth compiling calendar plan.

It will allow you to monitor whether all stages of the organization are going according to the planned schedule.

Hostel opening stages	1 month	2 months	3 months
Registration of an individual entrepreneur or LLC
Carrying out marketing research
Conclusion of a lease agreement
Repair and redevelopment of premises
Staff search for a hostel
Obtaining permits from SES and fire inspection
Advertising campaign planning
Purchase of equipment and furniture
Internet connection
Installation of equipment in the hostel
Interior design
Start of the hostel

It is worth noting that in the business plan of the hostel, the calendar plan should be supplied not only with deadlines, but also with an indication of performers and responsible persons.

Recruitment for the hostel

In order to open a hostel in an apartment or non-residential premises, you will need to assemble a team of professionals who will work there.

Often family members are involved.

It is important to take people "from the outside" only with work experience.

A big plus is the knowledge of foreign languages.

The number of staff depends on the size of the hostel.

Often the level of cleanliness is weakness hostels.

To avoid problems, sign a contract with for periodic general cleaning.

Also, do not forget about laundry, and conclude an agreement with a dry cleaner for the provision of this service.

How much does it cost to open a hostel?

"The biggest risk in business worldwide is the risk of being inefficient."
Mikhail Prokhorov

So from organizational issues, we came to the question of how much does it cost to open a hostel?

Regular investments in the work of the hostel

We must not forget that a business needs not only start-up investments.

To operate the hostel, you will need to invest a certain amount every month.

Payback periods and profitability of the hostel as a business

Due to the price advantage over expensive hotels, the hostel pays off faster and requires less investment.

Dry calculations show that 100% load of the hostel will bring about 115,000 rubles per month.

However, at the beginning of the hostel and the low season, such an indicator cannot be achieved.

It is realistic to achieve 75-85% profitability of the hostel with active use advertising methods.

With this indicator, it is possible to recoup the investment in 1-2 years.

How to make good money by opening your hostel, you will learn from the video:

The hostel is a place for a budget holiday, but not for the poor.

Guests should not see shabby doors, broken locks, mold, or a broken electric kettle.

Follow the details at the hostel.

Many people stay in a hostel for the sake of impressions.

Develop a special hostel style.

It could be the subject Soviet Union or psychedelic creative space.

Many guests are tourists.

Enter additional services in the hostel: excursions, the ability to call an inexpensive taxi, free cards cities.

thinking through how to open a hostel, it is worth managing only personal funds, not credit.

But when things go uphill, you can contact the bank or investors to get money for the development of the business.

In this case, the risks are lower, and it is easier to get consent from sponsors.

After you promote one point, you should think about opening new hostels.

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Ilya Maseev - about the nuances of the hostel industry and the peculiarities of working with booking aggregators

IT tools used by Ilya Maseev

Booking.com
Microsoft Office suite

Entrepreneur Ilya Maseev from Yaroslavl shares his living space with strangers. He turned his three-room apartment into the Kefir hostel, which can accommodate 6 people at the same time. In just a few months of work, the institution got to the top steps of the ranking of the world's most popular booking service Booking.com, and the investment in the project was returned six months after its launch.

Ilya Maseev, 21 years old, entrepreneur, 4th year student of the Yaroslavl Faculty of Law state university them. P.G. Demidova. In 2015 he organized a hostel " Kefir ", designed to accommodate six people. Investments in the project amounted to about 100 thousand rubles.

TV idea

Idea own business was born to Ilya Maseev in November 2014, it happened, as usual, by accident - I saw on television a story about a hostel in an apartment. Then the young man realized that his three-room apartment, in which he lives alone, is the best suited for these purposes. In addition, from the point of view of potential tourists, it is quite conveniently located: 5-6 minutes walk to the station, 15-20 minutes walk to historical center cities. Parents supported Ilya in his decision.

First, the student took up the study of the documents and state standards necessary for opening a hostel. For the future lawyer, this was not particularly difficult. Registration as such was not required. Under existing legislation, a hostel can be owned by a person who is not registered as an individual entrepreneur. "We have studied regulatory framework and realized that there would be no special legal problems during the creation and opening, and decided that we should try, ”recalls Ilya.

There was almost no need to remake the apartment for the needs of the hostel. In GOSTs, using formulas, the area for each guest is calculated (from 4 sq.m. of living space per person), the distance from the upper tier of beds to the ceiling, and bed standards are indicated. All Ilya and his family had to do was redecorating.

Most of the furnishings were purchased from IKEA in Moscow. Part of the furniture (cabinets, shelves and table) Ilya and his family designed and made themselves. The main difficulties arose with bunk beds. It turned out that in Yaroslavl they are sold only in children's version. As a result, I had to order beds at a factory in Cherepovets.

The hostel opened in March 2015. It took only 4 months from the idea of the project to its implementation. The name "Kefir" arose thanks to a simple marketing move invented by the creators of the hostel. “We understood that we needed some kind of feature, we had to somehow stand out, and at the same time not get bogged down in costs,” says Ilya. - Therefore, we had the idea to treat each guest with a glass of kefir and some pastries. We let foreign guests understand the meaning of our name, as they say, “in practice”. To a person who does not know what kefir is, it is not so easy to explain this.

From Canada to China

Ilya Maseev chose the popular Booking.com booking system as the main channel for promoting Kefir. The site has a hostel page, by going to which you can book a place for the desired date. When registering on Booking.com, the page is created step by step; when creating it, you only need to select those items that are present in the object, as well as add photos. The future page is being studied by the site moderators and after a couple of days it becomes open to the public.

Booking and cancellation notifications are automatically sent to Ilya's email and phone. Every month Booking.com. issues an invoice of 15% of bookings through this website.

These costs are justified - it is through this hotel booking service that Kefir receives the bulk of its clientele. “I am satisfied with the cooperation with Booking. Thanks to Booking, we have reached the global level. Guests stayed with us not only from all over Russia, but also from Europe, China, Kazakhstan, Canada,” admits Ilya.

Windfall payback

A night stay in "Kefir" costs a tourist 600 rubles. In the summer, Ilya conducted an experiment: he reduced the price to 500 rubles per day, and at this price the hostel worked all summer. Ilya is also planning discounts for the next summer season. “The main struggle for the client begins in the summer. In the off-season, you won’t earn much on discounts and promotions, since the general flow of tourists is still small, ”Ilya believes.

In total, about 100 thousand rubles were spent on the launch of the project. This amount includes the cost of cosmetic repairs, the purchase of beds, mattresses, bed linen, furniture, etc. According to the owner, the project was supposed to reach self-sufficiency within a year. In fact, it was possible to return the invested funds already in August.

Total per month in high season current expenses Ilya Maseev for a hostel is 12,000-13,000 rubles. These are utility bills. expendable materials, commissions for the Booking.com booking system. Also, these expenses include a “signature” glass of kefir with a sandwich, tea and coffee with cookies and slippers, which are provided free of charge to each guest.

Taking into account the cost of laundry, the amount of monthly expenses increases to 15,000 rubles. Ilya uses the laundry service. Sometimes it may be necessary to wash the linen from all sleeping places in one day. At home, this is physically impossible.

Ilya is going to spend the money earned during the operation of Kefir on mini-repairs (painting, etc.), as well as on the installation of air conditioners. Without them, sometimes it was stuffy in the summer. To entertain guests, Ilya plans to purchase game console. The student also expects to save up funds for additional investments in the hostel by next summer.

Payment in "Kefir" is made only in cash. The owners of the hostel are still assessing how “justified” the introduction of payment by cards with their small volumes.

Points for kefir

The average score of Kefir according to customer reviews on Booking is 9.5 out of 10 possible (based on 40 reviews), the price / quality ratio is 9.7. Among customer ratings, there are often dozens.

“According to customer reviews, we have the highest scores in Yaroslavl among all hotels and hostels, even including large and famous ones. We understand that keeping 6 beds in order is much easier than a few tens or hundreds. But still, this is a very serious achievement for us, ”Ilya notes.

The reviews often mention comfort, cleanliness and home furnishings small hostel. Guests also like the "interior with a soul", thoughtful layout of the room, clean plumbing. “A lot of nice little things” such as books, games and geographic Maps. The hospitality and friendliness of the owner, whom some reviewers call the "administrator", is mentioned more than once. The move with a glass of kefir as a treat for each client also worked - many remembered it.

Together with guests

In "Kefir" there are two rooms for three places. The third room is a large room recreation of guests, combined with a kitchen-dining room. Ilya does not have his own room in the hostel. When all the places are occupied by guests, he spends the night in another apartment.

With the opening of the hostel, Ilya had to spend some time getting used to the new status of the apartment and the changed daily routine. But now he feels absolutely comfortable in the role of the owner of the hostel. He has some inconvenience only in cases where guests book an early or night check-in.

You can book a place through the Booking.com website or by calling Ilya personally. Once it turned out that 8 people came to the hostel for 6 people. “There was a technical error in the booking system, or played a role human factor- Ilya recalls. - I had to urgently buy 2 bedroom sets, and place "unscheduled guests" in common room. In the future, such situations did not recur.

Ilya Maseev has no problems with disgruntled neighbors. Tourists stay with him for the most part disciplined and well-mannered. In addition, most of the apartments in the entrance, where the mini-hotel is located, are rented out. “There are no problems with neighbors. Clients come to us quite adequate. We have practically no issues with the discipline of the guests. I can’t even remember any “out of bounds” cases related to violations of order or silence, ”says Ilya.

Ilya and his family do the work related to running the hostel on their own, without hiring additional staff. When Ilya cannot be in an institution, his parents replace him. Ilya and his family do not cook food for guests - in hostels the guests themselves do it, they have open access to all kitchen utensils. Breakfasts for customers are ordered from partners.

Recently, due to negative customer reviews, Ilya had to change the breakfast supplier. “Complaints and comments, of course, we take into account in our work. When we started getting regular complaints about breakfast, we stopped serving our meal delivery partner. Very little time has passed since the change of supplier, but we have already received the first positive reviews", - says Ilya.

He has free time only when there are no guests. The seasonal specificity of the business helps to combine running a hostel with study. “In winter, in this regard, it is freer. In the summer there are more guests, but there is no study, so there is a certain balance of time between study and the hostel,” Ilya believes.

"Vkontakte" with clients

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