# 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.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-hotel.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## 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.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No compulsory insurance, but innkeeper's liability under § 701 BGB (German Civil Code): up to a hundred times the room rate, at least €600 and at most €3,500 per guest, even without fault
- **Biggest risk:** A fire with evacuation, injuries and closure for months
- **Basic cover from:** about €400 a year for the public liability policy of a small guesthouse
- **Statutory accident insurer:** BGN, the Berufsgenossenschaft for food and hospitality; mandatory for every business with staff
- **Often forgotten:** Liability for guests' belongings under § 701 BGB has to be included in public liability
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 55.10 Hotels, Gasthöfe und Pensionen, 55.90 Sonstige Beherbergungsstätten

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **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.
- **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.
- **Guests' belongings:** Stolen laptops, lost suitcases and damaged cars in the hotel garage end up with you through innkeeper's liability.
- **Legionella and hygiene:** Hot water systems, whirlpool and sauna must be tested. A positive result can close floors and make guests ill.
- **Water from above:** More than 20 bathrooms in one building means a pipe is always leaking somewhere, and the rooms below cannot be let.
- **Booking system hacked:** Card data, passports and bookings: hotels are a popular target for attacks and data theft.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 5, Fire and water 5, Theft 3, Cyber 3, Downtime 5, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays for guests' injuries, innkeeper's liability for belongings and damage arising from restaurant, sauna and events. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Commercial buildings** (Essential): If you own the building: replaces it at new value after fire, burst pipes, storm and hail. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Business contents** (Essential): Replaces room furnishings, kitchen, linen and supplies after fire, water, storm and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business interruption** (Essential): Pays wages, loan repayments and lost profit while rooms cannot be let after damage. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php
- **Natural hazard cover** (Strongly advised): Covers floods, torrential rain and snow load, which are common in holiday regions. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-natural-hazards.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Strongly advised): Helps with a hacked booking system, stolen card data and extortion. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Depends on the business): Covers the locking system, reception, kitchen and spa equipment against power surges and operating errors. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For disputes with booking portals, guests, staff or authorities. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php
- **Company pension (bAV)** (Depends on the business): Helps you keep skilled staff in service, kitchen and housekeeping. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-company-pension.php

## 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; we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [KVMPLUS: Betriebshaftpflicht für Restaurant und Hotel](https://kvmplus.de/blog/versicherungsblog/beste-betriebshaftpflicht-fuer-restaurant-gastronomie-und-hotelbetriebe-2026/)
- [betriebshaftpflicht24.de: Betriebshaftpflicht Hotel](https://www.betriebshaftpflicht24.de/betriebshaftpflicht-hotel.html)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Guesthouse** (bed and breakfast or guesthouse, up to 15 rooms): Business liability, Business contents, Business interruption. Together: about €1,200 to €2,800 a year
- **Hotel** (hotel or inn with restaurant in its own building): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Business contents, Business interruption, Natural hazard cover. Together: about €4,000 to €10,000 a year
- **All round** (hotel with spa, conferences and a digital booking system): Business liability, Commercial buildings, Business contents, Business interruption, Natural hazard cover, Cyber insurance, Electronic equipment, Business legal expenses. Together: about €8,000 to €20,000 a year

## The worst day in the hotel

Six claims of the kind hotels and guesthouses really see, all on one fully booked Saturday. Click through the day and see who pays.

- 06:30: In room 214 the toilet cistern overflowed during the night. Three rooms below cannot be let. (€16,000, Paid by: Business contents)
- 08:50: A guest slips in the shower and breaks a wrist. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:20: A guest reports that a laptop and camera have vanished from the room. (€3,500, Paid by: Business liability)
- 14:00: The booking system is encrypted, card data has leaked and guests have to be notified. (€35,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 18:40: Torrential rain: the basement with laundry and drinks store stands half a metre under water. (€48,000, Paid by: Natural hazard cover)
- 02:10: A tumble dryer catches fire and smoke spreads across two floors. Evacuation and six weeks of partial closure. (€180,000, Paid by: Business interruption)

**Damage so far:** €291,500

## 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 settled claims ourselves:** In boat insurance we settle 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.

## FAQ

### 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.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-hotel.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.