Hospitality business ideas you can start from home
17 ideas
Hospitality does not always need a restaurant or a high street unit. These 17 ideas use a spare room, an annexe, a farmhouse or simply your kitchen table.
Spare-room bed and breakfast
Let a few spare rooms in your own home to tourists and business travellers, with breakfast included.
- £1k-5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Non-smoking holiday let in your annexe
Let a self-contained annexe, cabin or garden room to guests on a no-smoking basis, charged per night.
- £1.5k-7.5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Small-scale catering kit hire from home
Hire out urns, chafing dishes, crockery and glassware for parties and community events from a garage or outbuilding.
- £1k-5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Home-based travel agent
Plan and book holidays for friends, family and local people from your own home, earning commission on each booking.
- £200-2k
- Side hustle
- From home
Spare room guest stays
Rent a spare room in your own home to paying guests by the night, with a simple breakfast if you like.
- £200-1.5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Spare room B&B in your own home
Welcome guests into one to three spare rooms and serve them a home-cooked breakfast.
- £1k-5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Short-stay let of an annexe or spare home
Let a self-contained annexe, cabin or spare property to holidaymakers when it would otherwise sit empty.
- £1k-5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Home-based cruise travel adviser
Help friends, family and local people choose and book cruises from home, earning commission from the cruise lines.
- £200-2k
- Side hustle
- From home
Local holiday cottage letting agent
Market and manage holiday cottages and cabins for local owners, and earn commission on each booking.
- £500-3.5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Serviced accommodation manager for owners
Run furnished short-stay lets for owners who want guests and bookings handled for them, and earn a share of the rent.
- £300-2k
- Side hustle
- From home
Holiday let in your spare room or annexe
Let a spare room, annexe or garden room to short-stay guests and keep your start-up costs low.
- £1k-5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Pilgrim bunkroom at home
Offer simple, low-cost beds to walkers from a spare room or outbuilding on or near a pilgrim route.
- £3k-15k
- Side hustle
- From home
Farmhouse bed and breakfast
Turn spare rooms in your farmhouse into a B&B for guests who want a real countryside stay.
- £3k-15k
- Side hustle
- From home
Home-based rail travel adviser
Plan and book rail journeys for people who find fares and routes confusing, working by phone and online.
- £200-1.5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Spare rooms for lodgers or guests
Rent a spare room in your home to a lodger, worker or traveller by the night, week or month.
- £300-1.5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Local holiday let manager
Look after a few local holiday homes for owners: bookings, guests and turnovers, for a commission.
- £300-2.5k
- Side hustle
- From home
Holiday let and short-stay manager
Look after second homes and holiday lets for owners: bookings, guest messages, cleaning changeovers and keys.
- £500-3.5k
- Part-time
- From home
About these ideas
Some, such as a spare room B&B or a holiday let in your annexe, welcome guests into your property. Others, like a home-based travel agent or small-scale catering kit hire, serve customers without them staying with you. Ideas like these tend to suit people who enjoy looking after others, have space they are not using, or want to build on a love of travel and food. Before choosing, think about how much of your home you are willing to share, how much time you can give to guests or bookings, and what your mortgage, lease or insurance allows. Check local planning and licensing requirements early.
Questions
Can I run a hospitality business from my home in the UK?
Often you can, but it depends on your property and plans. Check your planning position with your local council, your mortgage or tenancy terms, and your insurance cover before taking guests or storing business equipment at home.
What should I check before letting a spare room or annexe to guests?
Look at fire safety, insurance, food hygiene if you serve breakfast, and any registration or licensing your council expects. Also check how income is taxed, and whether your lease or mortgage lender needs to give permission.
Which home-based hospitality ideas need the least space?
Travel-focused ideas such as a home-based travel agent or cruise adviser mainly need a quiet workspace and a reliable connection. Property management roles can also work without hosting anyone. Check any training, accreditation or booking-protection requirements for travel sales.