How to open a hostel correctly. How to open a hostel - hostel business plan with calculations

08.08.2023

Today, the real estate market is developing most actively, and the hotel business is experiencing a special ascension, because every day a considerable number of hostels and other mini-hotels are opening. This kind of excitement is associated with the popularization of travel, both within the country and abroad. That is why novice entrepreneurs have a question - what is a hostel and how does it work and how to open a hostel from scratch? Read about how to do this correctly and legally in this article.

What is a hostel

A hostel is the same hotel, but different in its layout and concept. In this place, every tourist can spend the night for 10-15 dollars. The main essence of a hostel is not a place to stay, but live communication with tourists from different cities and countries. This is necessary to expand the cultural worldview, since in this way you can learn about other cultures, countries, their customs, etc.

Also distinguishing a hostel from a regular hotel is a shared kitchen, shower and bathroom, and sleeping accommodations with different capacity. For example, in one room, 4 people can sleep on different beds. In this case, the space in the room should be divided in such a way that guests do not interfere with each other.

Pros and cons of a hostel as a business

There are quite a few benefits at the opening of the hostel:

The opportunity to realize various creative ideas in terms of interior design by making a themed hotel.
Large customer flow and demand for inexpensive housing.
Due to the fact that a mini hotel is considered a small enterprise, there will be many fewer problems with paperwork.
Lack of competitors, since in our country the concept of a hostel is just beginning to emerge.
Independent hostel layout.
The possibility of expansion shortly after the opening and the considerable prospect of opening an entire network of mini hotels throughout the country, and in the future, abroad.

But still, such a business has its own flaws. Basically, they are associated with some features of this type of hotel:

Lack of opportunity to assign stars of distinction to your business.
Risks that the owner may face when opening a business that is still atypical for our region (low occupancy at first and other shortcomings that are compensated for in the future).
Various client flow, which may include not particularly pleasant and clean clients. But, as they say, people are different, but business is business.

Where to open

Well, where and how to organize a hostel? - this is the first question that newcomers to the hotel business ask. There are several options for where it is best to open a hostel:

Rent or buy the premises and completely refurbish it.
Use your own apartment (mainly in which no one lives, for example, if it was inherited) and convert it into a modern hostel in a residential building.

How to open a hostel from scratch in an apartment? Refurbishment of an apartment that is already owned sounds much more attractive, since you can save on purchasing or renting housing, which will allow you to expand your start-up capital and implement more ideas using additional funds. But, before opening a hostel in your home, you need to take into account the fact that the owner will need to remodel the living space, since the concept of such an establishment provides for the almost complete absence of hotel rooms. Registration of redevelopment will cost the owner 10 thousand rubles.

It is important to know: In order to legally register your business, there must be at least five square meters per client, and the gap between the beds must not be less than seventy-five centimeters.

Hostel in law

So, how to open a hostel in an apartment legally. In order to formalize all documents at the legislative level and provide services to your clients as a small entrepreneur with all the ensuing consequences, you will need to undergo preliminary registration of business activity. According to the current legislation, all hosteliers must carry out their activities by paying a single state tax and are payers of the 3rd tax group.

In addition, residential premises must comply with state standards, according to which various services will be provided. Certificates of compliance with conditions are issued by specialized bodies that have been accredited in accordance with the current state standards. After completing all the necessary documents, you can safely open your own mini-hotel.

It is important to know: It should also be taken into account that all received documents must be available to customers and be located in the buyer’s corner along with a book of complaints and suggestions. Thus, guests will be able to familiarize themselves with compliance with all standards.

How to choose the right staff

If you want your brainchild to function like a clock, you need to hire a team of responsible professionals who understand their work. If for hotels such a retinue will cost more than one hundred thousand rubles, then for a small hotel it is a mere trifle, since you may only need 2-3 specialists.

Hostel zoning option

Let's move on to arrangement

In order to fully equip the hostel, you will need 250-300 thousand rubles, taking into account full payback in a year or two.

Hostel business plan with calculations.

Location of the mini hotel taking into account nearby competitors

As a rule, demand creates supply, and despite the fact that the hostel business is not yet as actively developed as abroad, the active demand for inexpensive accommodation while traveling gives rise to more and more competitors. It is advisable to locate a mini hotel in the city center, where there will be good transport links, many shops and shopping centers, as well as the opportunity to quickly explore the main attractions of the city.

Before opening, it is recommended to study the area you have chosen for the presence of competitors and, if there are any, then you need to come up with a way to lure customers to your side. This could be: active advertising, creative design of the living space, adequate pricing, etc. The view from the window that will be open to the guests is also very important, since this is the first thing they will see in the morning, and this, as I rule, consolidates the overall impression of the hotel. The next visit of clients to your guest house also depends on other important factors.

Where to spend start-up capital. Hostel project

So, the problems with housing have already been resolved. All that remains is to arrange it all in the proper form. Today, small family-type boutique hotels, where the design of each room was created by a famous designer, are very popular. In order to attract more customers and make your business truly creative, you can implement a similar idea, but only in a budget variation. Vintage style has become widespread, creating a cozy but at the same time extraordinary atmosphere. This is exactly what we will be inspired by when creating the overall interior.

Vintage in the interior

First of all, you need to purchase vintage furniture. You can purchase specially aged fittings at a hardware store or save money and buy truly vintage furniture (by the way, the second option will not only help you save money, but will also bring an indescribable atmosphere to your living room). The cost of a full set of furniture in a store will be 100 thousand rubles, and in vintage furniture 50-70 thousand.
Next, you need to purchase the necessary equipment: TV, Wi-Fi router, heaters, coffee machine, washing machine, refrigerator, etc. In this case, it is better not to save money and buy everything new, since vintageness should be in moderation, or the unusual atmosphere created by furniture and accessories will be lost. An average set of necessary machinery and equipment will cost 80 thousand rubles with delivery directly from the store.
Bed linen must be chosen from a quality manufacturer and not made from synthetic materials, otherwise sleeping on such sheets and duvet covers will be uncomfortable and hot. In addition, according to standards, mattresses must be orthopedic in order for clients to be comfortable. A set of bed linen and mattresses for an average mini hotel will cost 18-20 thousand rubles.
Vintage decoration. One wall in the main hall or hall must be stylized as antique. Paste thick photo wallpapers with images of ancient St. Petersburg or Moscow, display black and white photographs on the adjacent wall and assemble a collage from them. The cost of such registration will be 20-25 thousand rubles.
Completing the interior with special accessories. Well, in order to finally complement the interior you have created, you will need to buy a lot of different figurines, paintings and other things. You can buy everything directly from the store, which will cost 15-20 thousand rubles, or buy really vintage items at flea markets, buying and selling sites (for example, on Avito), which will allow you to save half of the money set aside for the final transformation.

In total, the above-mentioned 250-300 thousand rubles were spent on registration. But, do not forget about the additional expenses that await a businessman at almost every step.

Marketing program and advertising

In order for as many people as possible to know about your hostel, you will need to spend several tens of thousands of rubles on advertising. This includes: creating your own website or blog on a social network, advertising around the city (billboards, leaflets, flyers, etc.), as well as creating your own unique logo that will show off at the entrance to your mini-hotel.

In-line costs

This column may include payment of utilities, payment of wages, repair of broken equipment, furniture and other expenses that are necessary to maintain the hotel in good condition. In addition, do not forget about the costs of paying for the Internet and cable television.

Payback

As you can see, to open your own hostel, on average you need half a million rubles. Agree, the amount is not small and naturally, most businessmen are interested in the payback of such a business. Naturally, the hotel business will pay off in any case, but another question remains. When?

As a rule, a mini-hotel fully pays for itself in 2-3 years (the first six months do not count, since in most establishments there is stagnation of visitors, when the total occupancy of the hostel is 30%). In order to avoid such downtime and start recouping the money spent earlier, it is recommended to carry out special promotions during periods of stagnation, reducing housing prices by 50-70%. Naturally, such a “generosity attraction” will attract new guests.

The hotel business is experiencing a special ascension. This kind of excitement is associated with the popularization of travel, both within the country and abroad.

The hotel business is characterized by high profitability and quick payback, so this line of activity attracts many aspiring entrepreneurs. The most profitable option is a hostel or mini-hotel. These establishments are very popular because they do not require large financial investments and at the same time bring good profits. In this article we will talk about how to open a hostel from scratch and attract the attention of clients to it.

Where to begin?

A ready-made business plan for opening a hostel can be found on the Internet. But it’s better to create it yourself. In this case, you will be able to take into account all the important points and roughly calculate future expenses.

The document must consist of the following points:

Planned budget;
Technical equipment;
Location;
Approximate list of services;
Advertising.

To get an answer to the most important question, is it profitable to open a hostel, you also need to conduct a thorough market analysis and assess the level of competition.

The target audience

At its core, a hostel is not an ordinary cheap hotel, but a real subculture, which differs significantly from inexpensive hotels intended for people with low incomes. Mostly, students who do not have the means to rent a room in an expensive hotel stay in such establishments.

The main requirements that young people place on hostels are:

Purity;
Access to the Internet;
Availability of a kitchen and bathroom with necessary household appliances;
Convenient location.

If you have a desire, I want to open a hostel, where to start this process? Experts recommend first identifying the target audience. This will allow you to understand whether your service will be in demand in a given region.

Location

Next, we’ll figure out the location of the hotel, that is, we’ll try to decide where to open a hostel. It is most profitable to start such a business in large cities that are often visited by tourists. By the way, this is a great business idea for Crimea. During the holiday season, inexpensive housing in resort towns is in great demand, so in the summer such a hotel will bring good profits. But in winter you will have to switch to saving mode, since during the cold season tourists rarely visit the Crimean peninsula.

So, what do you need to open a hostel? First of all, this is the room. The best option is a former hostel. But in this case, you will have to renovate the rooms and purchase furniture.

Newcomers often wonder if it is possible to open a hostel in an apartment? Of course, it is possible, but for this you need to obtain permits and fulfill all the requirements established by law. If in doubt, it is better to open a hotel there. Owning your own home is a big plus, since renting is too expensive these days. It is advisable that the apartment is on the first floor. In one room you can arrange 3-4 beds, so you can accommodate 9-12 guests in the apartment at the same time. Over time, when you reach a net profit, you can buy out several neighboring apartments and thereby expand your business. Before opening a hostel in an apartment, you need to make good repairs and equip all rooms in accordance with the requirements of the SES and fire inspection. We hope you have received a comprehensive answer to the question of whether it is possible to open a hostel in an apartment building.

Registration of activities

Now let's talk about how to legally open a hostel in an apartment. Working illegally will not work, as you may be subject to huge fines. Therefore, before starting such activities, register an individual entrepreneur or LLC. It won't take much of your time or money.

In addition, before opening a hostel from scratch in an apartment, as mentioned above, you need to carefully study all the requirements of the SES and firefighters. To avoid any problems in the future, be sure to familiarize yourself with the laws on tourism activities.

If you open a hostel in a residential area, you will have to enter into an agreement with each guest and issue it as a separate registration card. To make your life easier, you can transfer your apartment to non-residential use. Another requirement is a separate entrance to the establishment and written consent of all neighbors. In principle, this is all you need to open a hostel in an apartment.

Repair and equipment

Arrangement of a mini-hotel is a separate issue that requires a serious approach. There are special rules here, without which you will not be able to open your establishment. First of all, 5-6 square meters should be allocated for one person living in a hostel. meters of area. You also need to take into account that one washbasin is designed for six guests, a toilet for twelve people and a shower for fifteen guests.

If you want to open a hostel in a residential building, be sure to take care of sound insulation. This will help you avoid problems with guests and neighbors. In addition, ensure high-quality heating, ventilation and lighting of the rooms. Select one free room and arrange a relaxation area in it. Place a comfortable sofa, several armchairs, a TV and a table for games in the room. It is also advisable to purchase an inexpensive laptop and a Wi-Fi adapter.

It is better to have bunk beds in a multi-bed room. The kitchen should have kitchen furniture, as well as a refrigerator, coffee maker, microwave and washing machine. In the bathroom you need to install a shower stall, 2-3 washbasins and a toilet. Before equipping a bathroom, you need to make high-quality repairs to it.

So, let's calculate how much it costs to open a hostel?

Furniture and equipment:

Beds – 10–15 thousand rubles;
Refrigerator – 15 thousand rubles;
Coffee maker – 2 thousand rubles;
Microwave – 3 thousand rubles;
Kitchen furniture – 15 thousand rubles;
Washing machine – 8 thousand rubles;
Shower cabin - 11 thousand rubles;
Washbasins and toilet – 7 thousand rubles;
Bathroom renovation – 30 thousand rubles.

In total, you will have to spend approximately 110 thousand rubles or more on the arrangement of the hostel. The amount will depend on the area of the room, the quality of repairs and furniture and other characteristics. If you are ready for such expenses, you can safely get down to business.

A hostel is an excellent option, because during a crisis people start saving money and therefore prefer to stay in cheap hotels. Before setting up a hostel in it, think carefully about everything again. If you don’t have enough time to engage in such a business, you can purchase luxury housing and rent it out to foreigners. According to experts, such activities in some cases bring more profit than hostels.

Staff

Everyone knows that the demand and popularity of an establishment largely depends on the quality of service. If you want your hostel to make a good profit, you need to be responsible when choosing staff.

For a small establishment, it is enough to hire a manager, an administrator and 1-2 maids. If you are financially able, hire a cook and a kitchen assistant.

The administrator is the face of the hotel. He is responsible for receiving guests and placing them. For such a position you need to find a responsive, sociable person. It is advisable that he speaks English in case foreigners move in with you.

Financial investments

It is not so easy to say exactly how much money will be needed to open such a business. Beginners who are interested in how to open a hostel in a private house can start such a business with minimal investment. But in order to implement a larger-scale project with the purchase of a franchise, you will have to collect large start-up capital. It is also difficult to determine the payback period. This largely depends on what city you want to open a business in, how well the location is chosen, as well as the pricing policy of your establishment. Before opening a hostel in a non-residential premises, you need to perform preliminary calculations according to the following scheme:

Rent – 10 thousand dollars;
Arrangement of rooms - 12 thousand dollars;
Purchase of household appliances – 8 thousand dollars;
Employee salary – 3 thousand dollars;
Paperwork – $500;
Advertising – $500;
Additional expenses – 2 thousand dollars.

From this example it can be seen that the minimum threshold for entering this business is approximately 36 thousand dollars. If you own your own property, you can exclude rental costs.

In general, this is enough, which brings a decent stable profit. If you are still in doubt, buy a franchise. Working under the wing of a well-known brand is a win-win option that will allow you to achieve a quick payback.

Profit

In large cities, one bed costs $8–14 per day. If you accommodate 15 guests daily, on average you can earn $4,500 per month. But, as a rule, hostel occupancy is about 60%, which means that you will receive a stable monthly income of about $2,300.

If you subtract utility bills and taxes from this amount, you will be left with approximately $2,000. This is enough, because during the crisis, incomes of the population began to decline, so not only traveling youth, but also adults with little income began to settle in hostels.

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Attracting clients

If you want your business to bring good profits, one desire, I want to open a hostel, is not enough. First of all, you need to take care of an effective advertising campaign.

The best advertising for a hostel is the recommendations of your friends and acquaintances, as well as promotion through various student clubs and Internet conferences. In addition, you can place advertisements on international websites. Another effective way of promotion is business cards and leaflets. They can be distributed at airports, train stations, cafes and various educational institutions, that is, wherever there may be potential clients. Many hostel owners post advertisements on online booking services. This service is inexpensive, approximately 200–300 rubles per month, so it is quite affordable for beginning entrepreneurs.

This article contains useful information on how to open a hostel, what steps need to be taken for this, how to register such a business with the Federal Tax Service and obtain permits from other authorities. How much money is needed to open, how much can you earn, and how to properly organize and promote a business on the market.

Hostel is a new, but quite promising direction in the hotel services market. However, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, it is impossible to unequivocally answer the question “Is it profitable to do this business?” After all, it all depends on the region and the scale of the hostel itself - a single hostel or an entire network.

There are several main advantages of the described business:

low barrier to entry into the market;
relatively small initial investments and further monthly costs;
annual increase in the popularity of hostels;
large target audience.

It should be noted that as of 2016, in the vast majority of regions of Russia, the number of hostels is low, and the demand for such services is constantly growing. Therefore, the most active entrepreneurs understand that while the market is not oversaturated with offers, they must act.

Below we will describe all the features of the business and what is needed to launch it.

The target audience

It is clear that the main income comes from hostel clients. The more there are, the higher the profit. But who are these clients?

The main audience of the hostel, regardless of the region, are tourists on a limited budget and students. The former are active in spring and summer. While the latter become guests during the academic year during sessions. Often during the study period, a hostel looks more like a student dormitory than a hotel. And this is a common practice that exists all over the world.

The hostel's services are often used by young married couples. Every family here has their own reasons.

A large flow of customers is observed in recreation areas, in the city center, historical centers, as well as in resort towns. The more attractive a locality is for tourists, the more guests the hostel receives. Profitability in this case will be high.

Therefore, the main thing is not only to know your target audience, but also to choose the right location for the establishment. This is discussed in detail below.

How much does it take to open?

At the initial stage, to open a hostel, you will need about 200 thousand rubles. This is the minimum amount for an average establishment. What does it include?

Room equipment:

bunk beds - from 10 thousand rubles/unit.

Recreation area equipment:

laptop/s - from 20 thousand rubles per 1 piece;
Wi-Fi adapter - up to 1 thousand rubles;
Internet payment - up to 500 rubles/month;

Kitchen equipment

kitchen set - up to 20 thousand rubles;
refrigerator - up to 18 thousand rubles;
microwave - up to 6 thousand rubles;
coffee maker - up to 5 thousand rubles;
washing machine - up to 12 thousand rubles.

Bathroom equipment

toilets - up to 4 thousand rubles/piece;
washbasins - up to 2 thousand rubles/piece;
shower stall - up to 12 thousand rubles.
turnkey bathroom equipment - up to 40 thousand rubles.

The given figures show that the initial budget depends on the number of rooms and equipment. At the same time, you must remember to pay state fees when registering a business, as well as the amount of rent or purchase of premises.

200 thousand rubles spent on starting a business. can return in six months, provided that the hostel is constantly loaded at 35% - 40%, then the break-even point will be within 70%. But again, accurate numbers can only be obtained by calculating specific costs and possible profits.

How to register a hostel?

To officially register a hostel, you can register as an individual entrepreneur or open an LLC. The best option would be an individual entrepreneur. The taxation system for hostels is UTII.

The most profitable option for opening a hostel would be to purchase ready-made space and then refurbish it. The construction of a new building is extremely expensive, since the full payback of the business will have to wait more than 3-5 years.

Finished areas, in the form of residential apartments, must be removed from the housing stock. To do this, you need the following documentation:

documents confirming ownership;
technical passport of the apartment;
apartment plan;
premises redevelopment project;
floor plan of the building.

If the mini-hostel will be located in an apartment in a residential building, then you need to remember the relevant legal acts and administrative codes. That is, the activity should in no way interfere with or cause discomfort to other residents of the house.

Hostel location

To get a good and constant flow of clients, the hostel should be located near the station or in the city center. But it is worth considering that real estate in such places is expensive. Therefore, sometimes it is expensive to maintain an inexpensive hostel in the center. It is optimal to choose a residential area within the city with developed transport links.

To decide on the location of the establishment, you need to study the tourist routes of the city. The closer the hostel is located to them, the greater the flow of clients.

As for real estate, sometimes entrepreneurs buy buildings for demolition. However, most often they are in disrepair and repairs will cost a large amount. And these are again unreasonable costs that will take a long time to pay off.

A hostel can also be opened in a former dormitory building. However, the profit here will directly depend on the rent. Therefore, it is not always beneficial.

The most profitable option is to open a hostel in a 3-room apartment. It can easily accommodate up to 9 sleeping places.

The following requirements apply to apartment hostels:

There must be at least 5 sq.m. per client. m. of living space.
The distance between the beds is from 75 cm.
Availability of hot water and necessary bathroom equipment.
Free Internet via Wi-Fi technology.
Comfortable and functional furniture.
Kitchen equipped with all necessary appliances.
Availability of a landline telephone.

Hostel in non-residential premises

A hostel can also be opened in non-residential premises. If, for example, it was decided to locate the establishment in the city center, but there are no residential buildings for rent. But for this, all actions will have to be documented. In particular, this applies to the redevelopment of premises, construction, repair and other work.

For non-residential premises, you need to create a project with all the statements, TSN, etc. All this must be agreed upon with the fire inspectorate and the SES. Only after obtaining permits can you begin to redevelop and organize the hostel.

In the case of non-residential premises, it is better to spend money on additional services of a designer and constructor. This will help get rid of a number of difficulties when decorating a hostel.

Basic requirements for the premises

In order not to get into trouble or receive fines for non-compliance with legal regulations, you need to know the basic requirements applicable to hostel premises. These include:

It is prohibited to open a hostel on the ground floors or in basements.
Compliance with fire safety and sanitary standards.
Good sound insulation in all residential areas of the hostel.
Availability of air conditioning.
The arrangement of the bathroom must comply with the following standards: 1 toilet for 12 people, 1 shower for 15 people, 1 sink for 6 people.
The size of one bed is 0.8x1.9 meters.
Availability of free internet.
Equipped storage room for clients' belongings.

More detailed information about the requirements for hostel premises can be found in the local fire inspectorate and SES.

Equipment and furniture

The main furniture for a hostel is bunk beds. In the kitchen you need to install a refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, washing machine and the necessary kitchen equipment. The bathroom must have a shower, toilet and at least 2 washbasins (see “Basic requirements for the premises”).

In the recreation area you can place one or more laptops with an Internet connection.

Also, before equipping the hostel, it is necessary to carry out repair work (finishing the premises, repairs, remodeling, etc.).

Hostel staff

In order to competently organize the effective operation of the hostel and create a favorable environment for clients, it is necessary to have the following employees on staff:

Administrator for accommodating clients, organizing guest amenities, answering calls and monitoring the sanitary condition of the hostel. If the establishment is large with a workload of more than 60%, then it is advisable to hire two administrators.
Accountant for hostel accounting. This specialist can be hired to save on salary.
Maid for cleaning the hostel premises, disinfecting the bathroom, purchasing cleaning products, cleaning equipment, etc. There is also no need to hire such a specialist full time - 2-3 hours a day is enough.

Hostel promotion

Local media (TV, newspapers).
Posting advertisements and distributing leaflets.
Placement of signs on the building.
Advertising the hostel via the Internet using your own website and.
Advertising the hostel on social networks through groups and communities with the target audience.

It’s worth paying attention to the World Association of Hostels - useful contacts in this service sector will not be superfluous and will help you bring in more clients.

It was already mentioned above that the target audience includes students. Therefore, advertising should be placed near educational institutions and in places where students gather.

As for tourists, it is advisable to establish mutually beneficial relationships with travel companies. They will bring the bulk of clients.

For effective advertising on the Internet, where the vast majority of clients are located, it is necessary to create an official website with detailed information and add it to the Yandex.Direct and Google.AdWords advertising networks. On social networks, good returns from advertising can be obtained through targeting. You can read more about all these tools on the official websites of advertising networks.

How much can you earn from a hostel?

This question interests entrepreneurs more than others. After all, any business is started precisely to make a profit. And what its size is in the case of a hostel will be calculated below.

The average price per person per day is about $25. In small cities it may be less, in large cities it may be more. If the hostel is occupied at 80%, the monthly income will be approximately $5,000. Hence, the return on this amount is 30%, and the profit is 50%. Don’t forget about utilities, rent and other mandatory payments.

Possible risks

At the initial stage, the hostel occupancy will not exceed 30% - 35%. Therefore, you should not count on big profits in the first six months. It is better to pay more attention to advertising, then all risks will be reduced to a minimum.

In resort towns you may experience difficulties with clientele. In the spring and summer there will be profit, but in the off-season there is a risk of receiving only losses.

The flow of hostel clients directly depends on the political and economic situation in the country. The worse it is, the lower the influx of tourists and, accordingly, the lower profits.

Otherwise there is nothing to fear. Especially if the business is clearly thought out, an effective marketing strategy and an adequate pricing policy have been developed.

All homeowners understand that an apartment can be rented out - entirely or room by room, for a long period with a monthly or daily payment, but few people know that it is possible to open a hostel on the available square meters and offer citizens not rooms, but beds. This solution may turn out to be more profitable. But is the game worth the candle, what are the pros and cons of such a non-standard approach? And is it so easy to implement this unusual idea?

This article is a reference and information material; all information in it is presented for informational purposes and is for informational purposes only.

By the letter of the law
This may seem surprising, but to turn an apartment into a hostel in legal terms, you need very little: you don’t even need to convert the residential premises into non-residential premises. True, there is no such thing as a “hostel” in Russian legislation, but the Housing Code allows the use of apartments not only for permanent, but also for temporary residence of citizens, as well as for commercial purposes, that is, the owner can rent out his property , and it doesn’t matter - in whole or in parts. “Thus, the law does not directly prohibit the use of residential premises for the provision of hotel services,” states lawyer Oleg Sukhov, head of the legal center of the same name.

And as you know, what is not prohibited is permitted. Therefore, in theory, an apartment can even be turned into a mini-hotel, if, of course, it is large enough, because a hotel still assumes the presence of separate rooms, but a classic hostel (by the way, the word is in English - hostel - and translated means “dormitory ") offers sleeping places in rooms, that is, for organizing a hostel, in principle, even a one-room apartment, and even more so a two-room apartment, is suitable.

Nevertheless, just deciding that, say, starting tomorrow I will open a hostel in the apartment, of course, will not be enough. “Firstly, regular activities to provide the right to reside in an apartment to an unlimited number of people meet all the characteristics of entrepreneurial activity (this will be “activities to provide other places for temporary residence” according to OKVED or “accommodation services for temporary residence of tourists” according to OKUN. - From ed.), so the owner needs to register as an individual entrepreneur or organize a limited liability company,” says Evgeny Zimin, head of the legal department of Blackwood. And this, in turn, implies relationships with the tax service and payment of taxes.

“And in addition, in accordance with Federal Law No. 294-FZ “On the protection of the rights of legal entities and individual entrepreneurs in the exercise of state control (supervision) and municipal control,” the owner of the residential premises is obliged to send a corresponding notification about his activities to Rospotrebnadzor,” - reports Sergey Konovalov, luxury real estate rental specialist at CENTURY 21 Impulse Realty agency.“This can be done either by registered mail via regular mail or by an electronically signed document via email,” adds Maria Litinetskaya, General Director of Metrium Group. The procedure is simple, but mandatory if you don’t want to have problems in the future: according to lawyer Oleg Sukhov, a fine of 10 to 20 thousand rubles is imposed for violating the notification procedure.

Having fulfilled the two above requirements, you can safely hang up a sign and open a hostel in your apartment.

Registration of relations
True, you first need to think about how to formalize relations with guests: according to the law, you can rent out residential premises to other persons only on the basis of an agreement. Moreover, this can only be a rental agreement, and agreements for the provision of hotel services and the like, as reported by Evgeny Zimin (Blackwood), are permitted only if the premises are transferred to non-residential use. Thus, before opening a hostel, you need to be smart and develop a bed rental agreement, which you will have to sign with each tenant. And if you have doubts about your own abilities, then it is better to involve professional lawyers to draw up an agreement.

Such a document can have any form and content, all the little things can be written down in it, or only the most important points can be reflected, but in any case, “it must contain a list of the rights and obligations of the apartment owner and guest, as well as the duration and price of stay,” - says Evgeny Zimin (Blackwood). “And in the bed rental agreement, it would not be amiss to make a direct indication that the guest receives the right to use the common property of the apartment building,” advises lawyer Oleg Sukhov; this will help in case of disagreements with neighbors.

And besides, in order to avoid problems with regulatory authorities and disputes with guests, a cash receipt and/or a receipt for payment for the bed must be attached to the contract. “Moreover, the receipt must at least contain information about who rents out the housing, the consumer’s last name, first name and patronymic, information about the bed provided and its cost,” explains Sergey Konovalov (CENTURY 21 Impulse Realty agency).

Also, it would be a good idea for a newly minted hostelier to think over a set of rules for living in a hostel, and hand over to the residents an agreement to follow these rules for signature; this will to some extent help maintain order, silence and cleanliness.

Neighbors and checks
And order and cleanliness in the hostel are very important! This is the key to a good relationship with your neighbors. In general, the law does not oblige you to inform your neighbors that the residential premises will be rented out, but sooner or later they will definitely find out that they have a hostel nearby, and the public’s reaction can be unpredictable, because some, especially older people, at the word A “hostel” is imagined to be almost a den with drug dealers, and even those who are aware of the activities of hostels do not really want strangers walking in their entrance. Therefore, ideally, as Sergey Konovalov (CENTURY 21 Impulse Realty agency) advises, it is worth explaining to the neighbors how the apartment will be rented, promising them the safety of public property, cleanliness and peace, and obtaining the approval of the owners of other apartments at a general meeting. To do this you need to get 2/3 of the votes.

If it is not possible to obtain the consent of the neighbors, then you need to especially carefully monitor the order, silence and cleanliness in the house and entrance, competently building relationships with guests. “After all, often all conflicts with residents of an apartment building arise due to the use of common property. Guests enter the entrance, take elevators, smoke on the platforms, make noise, including at night... Naturally, the neighbors don’t like all this, but if the existence of the hostel does not cause inconvenience, most likely the residents will calm down,” - says lawyer Oleg Sukhov. But inconvenience can provoke complaints to the police and local authorities. “As a result, the owner of the hostel will be fined, they will be required to eliminate the source of violation of public order, or they will decide to close the establishment altogether, if there are very good reasons for this, and the residents of the house turn out to be quite persistent,” explains Elena Mishina, development director of the MIEL-Commercial Real Estate company. But even if it doesn’t come down to fines and the closure of the hostel, inspections by various regulatory authorities will be ensured.

Typically, officials and the police rarely pay close attention to hostels in residential premises: firstly, you can’t take much from them - the business is not very rich, and secondly, it’s not so easy to find formal grounds for fines and extortion of bribes . For example, there are no special fire safety requirements for apartments, so hostels are not of interest to the fire inspectorate. And if no redevelopment has been carried out in the residential premises, that is, it meets the requirements of SanPiN 2.1.2.2645-101, then Rospotrebnadzor or the sanitary and epidemiological inspection have no interest in it. “Thus, most often hostels come to the attention of law enforcement or supervisory authorities after conflicts with residents of the house that arise due to noise, unsanitary conditions and other things,” says lawyer Oleg Sukhov, therefore the important task of the hostelier is to avoid such conflicts by maintaining friendship with neighbors and their loyalty. Naturally, this is not always possible - a lot depends on the guests, but you should definitely strive for this.

A question of benefit
And if there are no problems with neighbors and supervisory authorities, then the hostel can turn out to be quite a profitable business compared to renting out an entire apartment for a long period or even daily rent. Firstly, today there is a demand for hostels: “Rooms in hotels and hotels in the capital are not cheap, and at the same time they are often overcrowded. Against this backdrop, hostels are becoming popular among young people and active travelers on a budget,” states Timur Abdullin, development director of the Uphill consulting group.“And secondly, although beds in a hostel are much lower in price than the monthly or daily rent for a room or the entire apartment, in total the income from rented beds can be higher,” says lawyer Oleg Sukhov.

“For example, the average rental rate for a one-room economy class apartment within the Third Transport Ring is 42 thousand rubles; for the daily rental of such an object you can get 2-3 thousand rubles. per day, that is, 60-90 thousand rubles. per month,” says Elena Mishina (“MIEL-Commercial Real Estate”). And if you turn a one-room apartment into, say, a 4-6-bed hostel (which is quite realistic), then the average cost of a bed in a capital hostel is 650 rubles. per day, per day you can get 2.6 - 3.9 thousand rubles, and per month - 78 – 117 thousand rubles. Profits may be higher if the one-room apartment is spacious and can accommodate more people.

The example is similar with a two-room apartment: “If you rent out a two-room apartment for a long time, you can get from 40 thousand rubles. per month. If you organize a hostel in such an apartment, you can accommodate up to 17 people (based on the housing norm of 5 cubic meters per person; at this norm, even a very standard two-room apartment with an area of 60 square meters can accommodate 12 people). In this case, the net profit (taking into account taxes and maintenance costs) can be about 260 thousand rubles. per month. And to get 40 thousand rubles, as with long-term rent, it is enough for at least 3 people to live in the hostel every day. These are fairly general figures, but they are indicative - the possible profit from a hostel is 5-6 times higher than when renting for a long time,” says Timur Abdullin (“Uphill”), presenting his calculations in tables:

Calculation of possible profits when organizing hostels
Hostel	Cost per day (RUB)	Number of people (max.), based on the norm of 5 cubic meters. meters per person	Cost per month (RUB)	Income tax	Profit	Service	Max. net profit at full load
1-room apartment	650	12	234 000	30 420	203 580	20 000	183 580	3
2-room apartment	650	17	331 500	43 095	288 405	20 000	268 405	3
3-room apartment	650	30	585 000	76 050	508 950	20 000	488 950	4

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, where 6 people can stay at the same time. In just a few months of operation, the establishment reached the top ranks of the world’s most popular booking service Booking.сom, and the investment in the project was returned within six months after its launch.

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

Idea from TV

The idea of his own business was born to Ilya Maseev in November 2014; it happened, as usual, by accident - I saw a story on television about a hostel in an apartment. Then the young man realized that his three-room apartment, in which he lives alone, is perfectly 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 the historical center of the city. Parents supported Ilya in his decision.

First, the student began studying the documents and GOSTs necessary to open a hostel. For the future lawyer this was not particularly difficult. Registration as such was not required. According to existing legislation, a hostel can be owned by a person who is not registered as an individual entrepreneur. “We studied the regulatory framework and realized that there would be no special legal problems when creating and opening, and decided that we should try,” recalls Ilya.

There was almost no need to remodel the apartment to suit 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 standards for beds are indicated. All Ilya and his family needed to do was cosmetic repairs.

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

The hostel opened in March 2015. Only 4 months passed from the idea of the project to its implementation. The name “Kefir” arose thanks to a simple marketing ploy invented by the creators of the hostel. “We understood that we needed some kind of feature, we needed to stand out somehow, and at the same time not get bogged down in costs,” says Ilya. “That’s why we came up with the idea of treating each guest to a glass of kefir and some pastries. We let foreign guests understand the meaning of our name, as they say, “in practice.” It’s not so easy to explain to a person who doesn’t know what kefir is.”

From Canada to China

Ilya Maseev chose the popular booking system Booking.сom as the main channel for promoting Kefir. The website has a hostel page, by going to which you can reserve 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, and also add photos. The future page is studied by site moderators and after a couple of days it becomes open to public access.

Notifications about bookings and cancellations are automatically sent to Ilya’s email and phone. Every month Booking.сom. invoices 15% of bookings made through this site.

These costs are justified - it is through this hotel booking service that Kefir receives the bulk of its clientele. “I am pleased 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, and Canada,” admits Ilya.

Unexpected payback

A night's stay at 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 operated all summer. Ilya is also planning discounts for the next summer season. “The main struggle for clients begins in the summer. In the off-season, you won’t earn much from discounts and promotions, since the overall flow of tourists is still small,” says Ilya.

In total, it took about 100 thousand rubles to launch 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 should have reached self-sufficiency within a year. In fact, it was possible to return the invested funds already in August.

In total, for a month at the height of the season, Ilya Maseev’s current expenses for a hostel amount to 12,000-13,000 rubles. These are utility bills, consumables, commissions for the Booking.com reservation system. These expenses also include a “branded” glass of kefir with a sandwich, tea-coffee with cookies and slippers, which are provided free of charge to each guest.

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

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

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

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 score is 9.7. There are often dozens of customer ratings.

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

Reviews often mention the comfort, cleanliness and homely atmosphere of a small hostel. Guests also like the “interior with soul”, thoughtful layout of the room, and clean plumbing. “Many pleasant little things” such as books, games and geographical maps are not left unattended. The hospitality and friendliness of the owner, whom some review authors 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 the guests

“Kefir” has two rooms with three beds each. The third room is a large guest lounge, 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 as a hostel owner. Some inconveniences arise only in cases where guests order early or night check-in.

You can reserve a place through the Booking.com website or by calling Ilya personally. One day it turned out that 8 people arrived at a hostel with 6 beds. “There was a technical error in the booking system, or the human factor played a role,” recalls Ilya. – We had to urgently buy 2 additional bedroom sets and place “unscheduled guests” in the common room. Such situations did not recur in the future.”

Ilya Maseev has no problems with disgruntled neighbors. The tourists who stay with him are mostly disciplined and well-mannered. In addition, most of the apartments in the entrance where the mini-hotel is located are for rent. “There are no problems with neighbors. The clients who come to us are quite reasonable. We have virtually no issues with guest discipline. I can’t even remember any “out of scope” cases related to violations of order or silence,” says Ilya.

Ilya and his family do the work associated with running the hostel on their own, without hiring additional staff. When Ilya cannot be in the institution, his parents replace him. Ilya and his family do not prepare food for the guests - in hostels this is done by the guests themselves, they have open access to all kitchen utensils. Breakfasts for clients are ordered from partners.

Recently, due to negative customer reviews, Ilya had to change breakfast supplier. “We, of course, take complaints and comments into account in our work. When we began to receive regular complaints about breakfast, we discontinued 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 only has free time when there are no guests. The seasonal nature of the business helps to combine running a hostel with studying. “In winter there is more freedom in this regard. In the summer there are more guests, but there is no studying, so there is a certain balance of time between studying and the hostel,” says Ilya.

VKontakte with clients

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