Different Types Tourism Accommodation
All Short Term rentals will need to have a Registration number, provided by the state agency Failte Ireland from 2025. All properties need to be quality Assured and this service is provided by ISCF.ie or Failte Ireland. For generations people have visited the Cliffs of Moher, for the views. Accommodation in the area was useful but not essential but with the new era of sustainable tourism many small family owned businesses will attract a new type of customer to stay
The hotel sector has been the main provider of accommodation for generations as they can accommodate a large numbers of people at one time, are easily booked and can provide a wide range of services to guests. Travel agents love them as can book a group at one time into the building, and can get rates (prices) over a year in advance making it easier to sell.
In recent year this has changed for a variety of reasons. Since Covid-19 people are more comfortable staying in family units or small groups and this trend will continue inn years to come. The other types of Short term rental accommodation need to be developed in a similar way to hotels, with easy booking, clear services, links to food, drink and activity provision in the area. Take a look at the options here and discuss with our consultants how you can set up a Short Term Rental business.
Bed and Breakfast
The bed and breakfast/ chambres d’hotel have been part of the tourism offering for many years and were at the height of use from 1970- 1990’s . Guests stay in the owners home and are given breakfast before they depart. Since Covid-19 there are less of these as older owners did not re-open after Covid lockdowns. They are labour intensive and few people are opening Bed and Breakfast due to regulations.
Boat Hire
Boat hire has been an offering along waterways for many years. Barges and cruiser boats were considered a leisure holiday along backwaters. Now boats are also looked on as places to stay and rent overnight tied up on a marina, along a towpath particularity in urban areas. IN the EU Register for STR this accommodation will also have to be included with a registration number for each boat.
Bunkhouse or Hostel
This accommodation was widely available as a cheeper option for students before Covid-19. There is a variety of these business in urban areas, or in rural areas where there are walking, bike or mountain climbing trails. These accommodation units can be use all year around with families wishing to stay in single family units in rural areas in summer months. The surfers and mountain bike enthusiasts are more interested winter months.
Campsite
The caravan and camping sector has been a major part of the accommodation offering in the EU for generations with large holiday parks with cabins, mobile homes or tents already pitched and ready for occupancy. There are less sites in the UK, though there are some large sites. IReland has a much lower rate of campsite, due to planning restrictions in recent years. There are many more people travelling indecently in camper vans since Covid-19 and this trend will continue. IT was always a way to see the country in Australia where accommodation was limited in rural areas, but now is the chosen way to travel for many people. Camper vans will need serviced sites with power and water services, a dump site for toilet waste ( black waste/ chemical toilet). This contains chemicals to kill bacteria and service ports called Chemical Disposal Points (CDP) or black Waste disposal. Need 40 parking bays or more to make this economically viable. The site also needs to be in an area where people want to visit.
Self-Catering
Self-catering has been a rental house for generations, in both urban and rural areas. In Spain each unit has its own Registration number and the EU has decided that all self-catering along with other types of short-term accommodation will need a registration number by 2026.
Farm stays are called Agritourism in rural areas of Italy and Austria, adding to the farmers income.
Cottages in rural areas have been renovated to rent as Self-catering and supplement family income. In some areas of Ireland there were tax incentives to build groups of houses in coastal areas in the 1908-90’s and you may see traditional thatch cottage groups of house in some areas
Shepherds huts have become a tourism offering with each unit sleeping up to 3 people. They have a stove, and bathroom in most cases.
Glamping pods come on site fully formed and are dropped to the base already build by the owner. The pods contain accommodation for 2-6 people, a bathroom, eating area and small kitchen. External seating with a view is usually provided
Glamping units can be build on site by owners with all the facilities as the pre-built unit and an external cooking and seating area.
Off Grid Unit
Off Grid units are build in a factory and are dropped on site with all materials build already. Solar power, dry toilets and no wifi. The aim is for a luxury get-away-from-technology feel to these units which are place in remote areas. They need planning permission as do all of the above types of accommodation.
Student Accommodation
Blocks of student accommodation have been built for centuries near universities with Oxford university having rooms for students. In recent years student accommodation has been built near college campuses blocks of units with 4 to 8 students sharing apartments within the units. This accommodation is rented to tourists when colleges are closed in summer months on a nightly basis.
Hotels
Hotel are expensive to build and need a guaranteed footfall to make them viable. Large urban areas with a high number of domestic and international tourists will be needed. In Ireland in 2023 the cost of a hotel build per room was €230,000. It would take a large number of guests and a very high bed occupancy rate per annum to return income on this investment. Hotels are multipurpose buildings with income from food in restaurant, function and conference rooms for events and weddings, bars, gym, pool and wellness centre. They also need parking and delivery system. They do not focus on tourism only as need to earn income from many sources and they also labour intensive with a high wages bill. Hotels are intrusive on the landscape in rural areas and do not fit in many areas. They are less obvious in urban areas where the buildings blend in with others and can be built as tall as local planning will allow.