Independent and boutique hotels

Guesthouses, bed & breakfasts and inns

Branded and franchised hotels

Country house, resort and spa hotels

City-centre and business hotels

Hotels with restaurants, bars and event spaces

Hotels with spa, pool or leisure facilities

Multi-site hotel groups and portfolios

Serviced and contract accommodation (corporate, holiday or contract-let)

Guest and Public Liability

Slips and falls, pool and spa incidents, and food-related claims are among the most frequent liability exposures for hotels. Public liability cover is an important element for any hotel with guest-facing operations, and limits should reflect footfall and facilities.

Property and Reinstatement

Hotels are often complex or period buildings. Buildings cover is arranged on a reinstatement basis, and sums insured should reflect the full rebuilding cost rather than market value. Listed status and non-standard construction can affect both cover and pricing.

Fire and Kitchen Risk

Hotels with commercial kitchens face elevated fire risk from extraction systems and cooking equipment. Kitchen fire suppression and good risk management can support better terms, and business interruption cover should reflect the complexity of these risks.

Business Interruption

Hotels carry high fixed costs that continue even when trading stops. Cover may be arranged on a revenue or gross profit basis depending on the cost structure, with an indemnity period long enough to reinstate the property and rebuild occupancy.

Employers' Liability

Hotels typically employ reception, housekeeping, kitchen and maintenance staff, making employers' liability a statutory requirement under UK law. Cover should extend to seasonal, part-time and agency workers.

Terrorism and Location

Standard property wordings often exclude terrorism, and the relevance of cover is frequently driven by location, with city-centre and landmark properties weighing it more heavily.

Guest Data and Cyber

Hotels hold large volumes of guest payment and personal data and rely on booking and property-management systems, which makes cyber an increasingly relevant exposure.

Ownership, Operation and Franchise

Where the owner and operator differ, responsibility for cover is usually split between the building and the trade. Franchised hotels often need to meet the franchisor's minimum insurance requirements.

Buildings Insurance

Covers the cost of repairing or reinstating the hotel building following damage from fire, flood, escape of water, storm or malicious damage. Typically relevant for freeholders and often a condition of a lease or mortgage. Our guide to commercial building insurance explains how reinstatement values are assessed.

Public Liability Insurance

Protects against claims from guests and visitors who suffer injury or property damage on your premises or as a result of your business activities.

Employers' Liability Insurance

A statutory requirement for any hotel employing staff, protecting against compensation claims from employees who are injured or become ill in connection with their work.

Business Interruption Insurance

Covers loss of revenue or gross profit when a hotel is forced to close or reduce trading following an insured event, with an indemnity period reflecting the time to reinstate and rebuild trade.

Contents, Stock and Fixtures

Covers furniture, fixtures, fittings, equipment, linen and food and beverage stock against damage or theft, with spoilage cover available for refrigerated stock.

Terrorism Insurance

Addresses the gap left by the standard terrorism exclusion in property and business interruption wordings — often considered for city-centre and landmark hotels.

Management Liability

Combines Directors & Officers (D&O), Employment Practices Liability (EPL) and Crime cover — protecting the business and its directors against management, employment and dishonesty exposures.

Cyber Insurance

Responds to data breaches, ransomware and outages affecting booking and payment systems where hotels hold significant guest data.

Legal Expenses, Money, Engineering & Fleet

Further covers a hotel may add — legal expenses for employment and contract disputes, money for cash on site, engineering for lifts and plant, and fleet for hotel vehicles and courtesy cars.