When you open your own hotel, you need to be aware of the fact that staff can become a high cost factor. So the question from the outset is: Do you want to open a hotel or a guesthouse?
A guesthouse can be operated from one room, while a shuttercraft hotel consists of a complete building or a large part of a building. A guesthouse offers no or very limited food, which is usually limited to breakfast. A guesthouse could therefore be run as a one-person business with a low financial risk, while a hotel of a certain size usually has a higher personnel expenditure in housekeeping, the kitchen and the reception area. The latter, however, can be kept within limits with an automatic express check-in and check-out system, so that in smaller hotels the reception no longer has to be manned until late at night. Whether you choose one or the other is ultimately a question of your business plan and your personal preferences: With a guesthouse, the costs are lower, but so is the room rate. With a hotel, on the other hand, both the costs and the revenues are higher in the ideal case.
Found a hotel with none or five stars?
A hotel with five stars or even five stars superior promises highest comfort in equipment and service. If you are looking for luxurious accommodation, you can follow the objective ratings given by the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Deutscher Hotel- und Gaststättenverband). The hotel category is assessed according to a wide variety of criteria, which are rewarded with certain points. The star status results from the total number of all points. But especially with a hotel for business travellers, many stars are not always the best: Some companies now stipulate that employees may not stay in four- or five-star hotels.
Since hotel classification is voluntary, even some well-equipped hotels can deliberately no longer be classified today in order to avoid falling into the expense trap. However, even if a new hotel is opened, guests do not have any quick indications for a first assessment. And it can take some time until the first evaluations are written on travel portals.
Alternative Boarding House
Due to the increasing mobility of people, long-term overnight accommodations are increasingly in demand. Most boarding houses are well and stylishly equipped and have a small kitchen area so that guests can prepare their own small meals. The advantage for you as the operator is that you only have to provide housekeeping and, if necessary, a caretaker.
This keeps personnel costs low. If necessary, you can also offer a mixed form, for example by letting the guests decide for themselves whether they book breakfast or prepare it themselves in a small kitchenette.
Found a family hotel or a business hotel?
The type of hotel you open depends largely on the location analysis: The question is,
Which hotels already exist,
Whether tourists arrive or business people and
How many capacities already exist in total.
Even a special theme, such as an igloo, prison or tree house hotel can give you unique selling points. It is important that your idea and therefore also your concept and cost calculation are coherent and comprehensible.
Open hotel with restaurant for external guests?
Depending on the location, market situation and personal preferences, it may be desirable and sensible to integrate a restaurant for external guests. Imagine you are opening a hotel with a terrace on Lake Starnberg? The rule here is: first impressions count. Therefore, in addition to a good kitchen, an inviting furnishing of the outdoor area is the A&O. Or is your hotel close to several industrial sites? Then good cuisine offers enormous potential for business lunches and business lunches. However, you always have to look at the costs, especially the personnel costs, in comparison to the revenues.
When furnishing the restaurant, you should adapt the style to the kitchen: Are there more bistro dishes or haute cuisine? Is there a specific country-specific orientation planned, for example Italian, Greek or Spanish? Are guests more likely to come for a quick lunch, or would they like to spend a nice, long evening in your restaurant? You should choose the furniture and also the colours of the frames and upholstery accordingly, because there are many different styles and finishes. The longer you study the subject and the more expert advice you get, the more sophisticated the solution will be.