Insurance for hotels, guesthouses and inns in Germany
A hotel is restaurant, residential building and spa under one roof, around the clock. Guests fall in the shower, a laptop disappears from a room, legionella turns up in the hot water, and a fire on the third floor affects every room. Unlike a restaurant, as an accommodation business you are liable under German law for guests' belongings even when you are not at fault. This page shows what you must cover and what it costs.
Am I liable if something is stolen from a guest's room?
Yes, even if you did nothing wrong. Under § 701 BGB an accommodation business is liable for belongings guests bring in, limited to a hundred times the room rate for one night, at least €600 and at most €3,500; for cash and valuables the limit is €800 unless you accepted them for safekeeping. This innkeeper's liability has to be included expressly in your public liability policy.
What goes wrong in this trade
01
Fire in the guest house
Guests who smoke, kettles in rooms, laundry and kitchen: a fire endangers people who do not know their way around the building.
02
Falls in bathrooms and on stairs
Wet showers, steps in an old building, the way to the breakfast room: guests fall, and the claims are high.
03
Guests' belongings
Stolen laptops, lost suitcases and damaged cars in the hotel garage end up with you through innkeeper's liability.
04
Legionella and hygiene
Hot water systems, whirlpool and sauna must be tested. A positive result can close floors and make guests ill.
05
Water from above
More than 20 bathrooms in one building means a pipe is always leaking somewhere, and the rooms below cannot be let.
06
Booking system hacked
Card data, passports and bookings: hotels are a popular target for attacks and data theft.
Helps you keep skilled staff in service, kitchen and housekeeping.
What it costs: example prices
Hotels pay more than restaurants because the building, guests around the clock and guests' belongings come into play. What counts is the number of beds and rooms, restaurant, spa, events and whether you own the building.
Insurance
Example
Typical range
Business liability
Guesthouse or inn with up to 15 rooms, €3 million cover
about €400 to €1,000 a year
Business liability
Hotel with 25 to 50 rooms and restaurant, up to €1 million turnover
about €1,000 to €2,500 a year
Business contents
Furnishings and supplies of a 30 room hotel, around €400,000
about €1,000 to €2,500 a year
Business interruption
Loss of income for up to 18 months, added to the contents policy
about €600 to €1,800 a year on top
Cyber insurance
Hotel with booking system and card payments
about €500 to €1,500 a year
For comparison: For a small hotel, basic cover of public liability, contents and loss of income costs about as much a year as 25 nights in a double room.
Guide prices as of September 2026,
based on published tariff examples and on our own quoting practice.
Buildings insurance depends on rebuild value and location and is not included here;
Six claims of the kind hotels and guesthouses really see, all on one fully booked Saturday. Click through the day and see who pays.
Damage so far€291,500
In room 214 the toilet cistern overflowed during the night. Three rooms below cannot be let.
€16,000 · Paid by: Business contents
A guest slips in the shower and breaks a wrist.
€9,000 · Paid by: Business liability
A guest reports that a laptop and camera have vanished from the room.
€3,500 · Paid by: Business liability
The booking system is encrypted, card data has leaked and guests have to be notified.
€35,000 · Paid by: Cyber insurance
Torrential rain: the basement with laundry and drinks store stands half a metre under water.
€48,000 · Paid by: Natural hazard cover
A tumble dryer catches fire and smoke spreads across two floors. Evacuation and six weeks of partial closure.
€180,000 · Paid by: Business interruption
Which package would you have had?
Paid by insurance: €0
Out of your own pocket: €291,500
Illustrative amounts before any excess.
What is paid depends on the policy terms.
Practical tips from your broker
Have innkeeper's liability under § 701 BGB written into public liability expressly, plus separately any cars you take into your care in a garage or valet parking.
Choose at least €5 million cover for injuries, and more like €10 million with a spa and events.
Offer a safe: liability for valuables then applies only to the extent you accept them, and disputes stay manageable.
Plan loss of income cover for 18 to 24 months, because rebuilding a hotel rarely goes faster.
Include natural hazards, especially near rivers, in valleys and in regions with heavy snow.
Keep legionella testing and fire safety up to date; insurers ask about them after a claim.
Why NAMMERT for your business
We know innkeeper's liability
As a broker we compare several insurers and check whether guests' belongings, garage and safe are really included, because that is where many hotel policies fall short.
We have handled claims ourselves
In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. We put that knowledge to work when new value and downtime are negotiated after a fire.
Building, business and family in one place
Building, business, vehicles and your private cover are handled together. In family hotels where home and business share a roof, that avoids gaps.
A family business ourselves since 1989
Advice costs you nothing, as the insurer pays our commission. We know what it is like when business and family belong together.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and answers
What insurance does a hotel in Germany need?
Public liability with innkeeper's liability, contents insurance, loss of income cover and,
if you own the building, buildings insurance with natural hazards.
For the booking system and card payments, cyber insurance makes sense.
How much does insurance for a guesthouse cost?
Public liability for a small guesthouse starts at about €400 a year.
With contents and loss of income, guesthouses usually pay between €1,200 and €2,800,
excluding the building.
Am I liable for cars in my hotel car park?
Not under § 701 BGB, which excludes vehicles from innkeeper's liability.
But if you take cars into your care, for instance in a supervised garage or with valet parking,
you are liable under that arrangement,
and it must be in your public liability policy.
Does insurance pay for legionella?
Public liability covers guests' injuries.
Lost takings from an official closure are paid only by business closure insurance;
standard loss of income cover requires physical damage.
Am I liable for guests in holiday apartments run by the hotel?
If you let the apartments as part of the hotel with service,
the rules for accommodation businesses apply.
Tell the insurer about them so they are in the policy.
Are my staff insured?
At work through the BGN, the statutory accident insurer for food and hospitality.
A company pension and group accident cover help when recruiting skilled staff.
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