Hotel Insurance from £25.00/month

Hotels and guesthouses usually consider buildings or contents, public and employers' liability, and business interruption insurance. Declare restaurants, events and leisure facilities explicitly. Guest-property limits, legionella exclusions and interruption triggers need checking: a hotel package does not automatically insure every cancelled booking, missing valuable or closure unrelated to insured physical damage.

Cover this trade usually needs

Key risks

• A kitchen fire affects bedroom occupancy even when the guest rooms are undamaged.
• An insured closure spans the peak booking season and income takes time to recover.
• A guest injury occurs at a pool or spa not disclosed in the original proposal.
• Food served at a wedding leads to allegations from several guests.
• A water-system problem prompts a dispute about maintenance duties and liability exclusions.

Regulations and licences

• The Home Office sleeping-accommodation fire assessment guide cited here applies to England.
• Fire safety and licensing requirements differ across the UK; review the rules for the hotel’s location.
• HSE states that employers and those controlling premises must assess and manage legionella risks.

What we check before quoting

• We ask for bedrooms, occupancy, annual revenue and the importance of peak-season or event bookings.
• We review the building’s construction, listed status, fire precautions and refurbishment work.
• We list restaurants, bars, weddings, pools, spas and third-party treatment providers.
• We ask about water-hygiene controls and how guest valuables are handled.
• We check tenant or freeholder responsibilities and the time needed to restore trading after damage.

Gaps we see most often

• Insuring bedrooms but leaving weddings or leisure facilities outside the business description.
• Assuming legionella liability is included without reading exclusions and conditions.
• Confusing guest-property liability with unrestricted all-risks cover for every valuable.
• Using a short interruption period that ends before occupancy and bookings recover.

Limits clients and contracts usually ask for

• Property sums should reflect rebuilding and replacement, not the hotel’s sale price.
• Where employers’ liability is compulsory, at least £5m is required.
• Review guest-property sublimits and seasonal interruption calculations alongside the headline policy limits.

B&B, boutique hotel or event venue?

• A small B&B still needs its paying-guest use declared and appropriate fire precautions.
• A restaurant or wedding venue adds food, alcohol and event responsibilities beyond overnight stays.
• Pools, spa treatments and outsourced leisure services require a clear allocation of liability and explicit disclosure.

Key facts and sources

• The Home Office sleeping-accommodation guide covers premises including B&Bs and guesthouses and applies to England. Home Office — Fire safety risk assessment: sleeping accommodation
• HSE says employers and those in control of premises must assess and manage legionella risks, including relevant water systems and spa pools. HSE — Legionella and Legionnaires’ disease

Common questions

Will hotel insurance pay for every cancelled booking?

No. Business interruption depends on the insured triggers and wording. A cancellation without an insured event is not automatically covered; check separate cancellation or non-damage extensions if relevant.

Are guests’ valuables covered without a limit?

Usually not. Check whether the policy covers your liability or the property itself, and review item limits, safekeeping conditions and exclusions.

Must I declare weddings, a pool or spa treatments?

Yes. Describe all facilities and activities, including those provided by third parties. Ask for written confirmation of the relevant liability cover.

Is legionella liability standard on every hotel policy?

No. Review exclusions, any extension and maintenance conditions. HSE’s water-system risk guidance remains important regardless of what the insurance includes.

How long should hotel interruption cover last?

Assess repair time, planning or listed-building constraints, staffing and the recovery of future bookings. Seasonality matters: losing a peak period may affect income after the building reopens.