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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.
Edited by: David Lepeska
David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.
Published on June 7, 2022
Investment range
$661,550 - $2,124,100
Revenue potential
$1.1 million - $1.6 million p.a.
Time to build
6 – 12 months
Profit potential
$274,000 - $410,000 p.a.
Industry trend
Growing
Commitment
Full-time
Starting your hotel? Here are the most vital considerations:
You May Also Wonder:
How profitable are hotels?
Hotels can be very profitable. You’ll need a good concept, an excellent location, and offer great customer service to be successful.
How should I price my hotel rooms?
The prices you charge will depend on the amenities you’ve built, and the quality of your rooms and furnishings. A luxury hotel or a boutique hotel in a great location can be $300 or more per night, while many chain hotels might charge $100 to $150 per night. Check local market prices to make sure you’re competitive.
Is it hard to start a hotel?
Starting a hotel can be a challenging and complex process that requires significant planning, financial investment, and knowledge of the hospitality industry.
What is the most profitable part of a hotel?
Revenue from room bookings and occupancy rates often play a significant role in a hotel’s profitability. However, other revenue streams such as food and beverage services, conference or event spaces, spa facilities, or additional amenities like fitness centers or swimming pools can also contribute significantly to overall profitability.
How many rooms should my hotel have to be successful?
Consider factors such as the competitiveness of the local market, existing accommodation options, and potential demand generators like nearby attractions, events, or business centers. By understanding the market dynamics and aligning the room count with the target market’s needs, you can increase the chances of success.
How can I differentiate my hotel from competitors in the area?
Highlight your hotel’s distinctive features, such as special amenities, architectural elements, or design aspects. Emphasize personalized service by training your staff to provide exceptional customer service and tailored experiences. Offer unique amenities or experiences that set your hotel apart.
Starting a hotel has pros and cons to consider before deciding if it’s right for you.
Trends in the hotel industry include:
Challenges in the hotel industry include:
Startup costs for a hotel range from $650,000 to $2 million or more. Costs include at least a 30% down payment on the land and building construction, room furnishings, towels and sheets, equipment, and a labor and operating budget. Costs will be dependent on the amenities you put in your hotel, such as a pool, gym, spa, and restaurant.
If you were to buy a franchise such as a Holiday Inn or Hampton Inn instead of building your own, you’ll spend significantly more on franchise fees and construction.
If you do not have a background in the hospitality business, you can get an online degree from a school like Bryant and Stratton.
You’ll need a handful of items to successfully launch your hotel business, including:
| Start-up Costs | Ballpark Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Setting up a business name and corporation | $150 - $200 | $175 |
| Business licenses and permits | $100 - $300 | $200 |
| Insurance | $100-$300 | $200 |
| Business cards and brochures | $200 - $300 | $250 |
| Website setup | $1,000 - $3,000 | $2,000 |
| 30% down payment on land and building construction | $300,000 - $1,500,000 | $900,000 |
| Furnishings and supplies | $200,000 - $400,000 | $300,000 |
| Computer system and other supplies | $10,000 - $20,000 | $15,000 |
| Labor and operating budget | $150,000 - $200,000 | $175,000 |
| Total | $661,550 - $2,124,100 | $1,392,825 |
The prices you charge will depend on the amenities you’ve built, and the quality of your rooms and furnishings. A luxury hotel or a boutique hotel in a great location can be $300 or more per night, while many chain hotels might charge $100 to $150 per night. These calculations will assume an average price of $150 and that your hotel will have 50 rooms. Successful hotel profit margins are about 25%.
In your first year or two, you could have 40% occupancy on average, bringing in $1,095,000 in annual revenue. This would mean $274,000 in profit, assuming that 25% margin. As your brand gains recognition, you might increase your average occupancy rate to 60%. With annual revenue of $1,642,000, you’d make a great profit of $410,000.
There are a few barriers to entry for a hotel. Your biggest challenges will be:
Now that you know what’s involved in starting a hotel, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market.
Market research will give you the upper hand, even if you’re already positive that you have a perfect product or service. Conducting market research is important, because it can help you understand your customers better, who your competitors are, and your business landscape.
Research hotels in your area and online to examine their services, price points, and customer reviews. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the local market is missing a boutique hotel with a spa, or a small hotel with a restaurant and room service.
You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as operating as a discount hotel or a luxury hotel.
This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away.
You can offer any number of amenities in your hotel, many of which are included in the room price. You can earn additional revenue by having a restaurant or spa. You can also make money from vending machines and business services, such as printing and copying.
The prices you charge will depend on the amenities you’ve built, and the quality of your rooms and furnishings. A luxury hotel or a boutique hotel in a great location can be $300 or more per night, while many chain hotels might charge $100 to $150 per night. Check your local market prices to make sure you’re competitive. Your profit margin after the costs of labor and overhead should be about 25%.
Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.
Your target market will be travelers, whether for business or pleasure. You should spread out your marketing to include sites like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Choosing the right location for your hotel is essential for attracting guests and ensuring its success. Look for a spot in a popular and convenient area, such as a bustling city center, a beachfront, or a tourist destination. Consider accessibility and convenience, ensuring that the location is easily reachable by public transportation and has ample parking.
Additionally, assess the competition in the area and aim to differentiate your hotel by offering unique amenities or services, such as a rooftop bar or a spa. Depending on the type of hotel you plan to start, you may also want to consider the proximity to local attractions, business centers, or other resources.
By strategically choosing the right location, you can establish a profitable and successful hotel that provides exceptional service and stands out in the competitive hospitality industry.
Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:
Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these.
Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.
Here are the key components of a business plan:
If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist to create a top-notch business plan for you.
Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.
Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business!
Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you’re planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to hotels.
If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state.
Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your hotel will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely.
Here are the main options:
We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using an online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization, and answer any questions you might have.
Choose Your State
The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number, or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN.
Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.
The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist, and taxes can be filed online.
It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you’re completing them correctly.
Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:
Bank and SBA loans are probably the best option, other than friends and family, for funding a hotel business. You might also try crowdfunding if you have an innovative concept.
At some point, if you’re successful and want to open new locations, you may be able to attract angel investors or venture capital.
Starting a hotel business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.
You’ll likely need a Certificate of Occupancy Permit, which is issued by the building department official who has jurisdiction over your facility. The Certificate of Occupancy Permit will indicate which rooms are approved as dwelling units.
Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits.
You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more.
You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package. They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.
This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.
If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.
Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account.
Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your hotel business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.
Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account.
Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.
Here are some types of insurance to consider:
As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business.
Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks.
You may want to use industry-specific software, such as inRoad, TripActions, or Cloudbeds, to manage your bookings, room inventory, pricing, and payments.
Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism.
You can create your own website using website builders. This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.
They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google.
Here are some powerful marketing strategies for your future business:
Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that sets it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your hotel meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire.
Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your hotel business could be:
You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a hotel, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in hotels for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections.
The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in hotels. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership.
If you’re starting out small from a home office, you may not need any employees. But as your business grows, you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for a hotel business include:
At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need.
Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed, Glassdoor, or ZipRecruiter. Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent.
Hotels are bouncing back big-time as people get back out and travel. Starting a new hotel requires a major investment, but it provides a crucial service and can be very lucrative. If you have a passion for hospitality and serving your guests, you could build a major hotel chain that goes national, even global!
Now that you know what’s involved, it’s time to break ground on your successful hotel.
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Hotels are bouncing back big-time as people get back out and travel. Starting a new hotel requires a major investment, but it provides a crucial service and can be very lucrative. If you have a passion for hospitality and serving your guests, you could build a major hotel chain that goes national, even global!