Hospitality business ideas you run from your own premises
103 ideas
Running hospitality from your own premises gives you control over atmosphere, opening hours and the customer experience, but it also ties you to a building or piece of land. These 103 ideas range from a small live music bar or venue and a neighbourhood beer hall to a farm stay with guest rooms or a hut, or a small motorhome stopover on your land.
Dryland sled dog ride centre
Run guided wheeled-rig rides with your own team of sled dogs on forest tracks or farmland for tourists and day-trippers.
- £12k-55k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Whole-property non-smoking holiday cottage
Run a cottage, flat or house as a self-catering holiday let with a no-smoking rule, rented by the stay.
- £5k-25k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Catering and event equipment hire business
Rent ovens, furniture and serving equipment to caterers and event hosts from a small unit, with van delivery.
- £40k-150k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Independent high street travel agency
Open a small local travel shop offering tailor-made holidays, group trips and face-to-face advice.
- £8k-35k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Small field campsite
Open a few tent and campervan pitches on spare land and welcome campers for the summer season.
- £3k-15k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Self-catering holiday let
Furnish an annexe, cabin or small property and let it to guests for short stays.
- £3k-15k
- Part-time
- Own premises
Small bed and breakfast
Run a few guest rooms with a cooked breakfast, as a full-time home-and-business life.
- £5k-25k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Day boat hire at a canal or river base
Rent small day boats by the hour or day to visitors from a landing stage on a canal or river.
- £15k-80k
- Part-time
- Own premises
One or two camping cabins on your land
Add a simple cabin to spare land and rent it by the night to couples, families and walkers.
- £8k-35k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Small owner-run hotel
Run a small hotel of around 6 to 12 rooms, serving breakfast and looking after guests yourself.
- £40k-200k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Small hotel with restaurant and bar
Run a small hotel that also serves dinner and drinks to guests and local diners, bringing in more income per visitor.
- £80k-400k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Single holiday apartment let
Furnish one flat and rent it to holidaymakers by the night through booking sites.
- £2k-10k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Holiday house for weekly and short stays
Furnish a house you own or control and let it to holidaymakers by the night or week.
- £5k-25k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Day-ticket fishing lake with camping pitches
Open a small pond or lake to anglers for day tickets, with a few simple pitches for overnight stays.
- £3k-15k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Lakeside fishing lodges and pods
Offer anglers comfortable pods or lodges beside a stocked lake, with fishing included in the stay.
- £30k-150k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Small motorhome stopover on your land
Turn a spare field or paddock into a handful of pitches for motorhome owners staying overnight.
- £1.5k-8k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Serviced motorhome park with hardstanding pitches
Run a larger park with hook-ups, hardstandings and facilities, open for much of the year.
- £300k-1200k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Farm tours and visit days
Show visitors your working farm on guided tours, with animal feeding and a cuppa.
- £500-2.5k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Farm stay with guest rooms or a hut
Host guests overnight in a spare room or shepherd's hut, with farm tours included.
- £3k-15k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Small farm field campsite
Open a field or two on your farm to tent and campervan guests during the summer months.
- £3k-15k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Full-service holiday let management
Run a hands-on agency with a small team handling bookings, changeovers and guest care for owners.
- £3k-15k
- Full-time
- Own premises
Single log cabin holiday let
Put one timber cabin on land you own and let it to holidaymakers by the night or the week.
- £15k-60k
- Side hustle
- Own premises
Farm stay with guided riding breaks
Offer B&B-style stays and guided hacks to guests using the spare rooms, horses and land you already have.
- £3k-15k
- Part-time
- Own premises
Self-catering ranch stays with horse activities
Convert barns or cabins into holiday lets and run riding, trekking and farm experiences as a full-time rural getaway.
- £250k-900k
- Full-time
- Own premises
About these ideas
They suit people who like hosting, can handle evenings and weekends, and are ready to take on a lease, a purchase or a site they already own. Before anything else, think about location, footfall and what the premises are currently allowed to be used for. Then look at licensing, insurance, food hygiene and fire safety, and work out your running costs before you commit.
More ideas
- Small live music bar or venue
- Serviced flat let on a landlord's lease
- Small couple-run country house hotel
- Holiday let in a flat you already own
- Rent-to-rent holiday apartment
- Self-catering holiday cottage or flat
- Shepherd's hut or pod holiday let on your land
- Small town or city hostel
- One serviced apartment as a side business
- Small portfolio of serviced apartments
- Campsite with pods and touring pitches
- Full-time B&B or small guesthouse
- Small camping cabin site
- Farm campsite with pods or bell tents
- Small log cabin holiday site
- Rural bunkhouse for walkers and cyclists
- Party and meeting room hire
- Function room venue with food and bar
- Small pilgrim hostel in its own building
- Self-catering farm cottage
- Glamping pods or shepherd huts on the farm
- Small roadside motel
- Small retreat house with your own programmes
- Small boarding house for workers and long stays
- Pub with rooms on a tenancy or lease
- Buy and run a small village inn
- Retreat venue hired by visiting teachers and groups
- Holiday let agency with a local office
- Neighbourhood cocktail bar
- Bartending school with its own training bar
- Neighbourhood fish and chip shop
- Pool hall with a bar
- Pool club with hourly table hire
- Small shisha lounge with soft drinks and snacks
- Small tiki bar with its own premises
- Small espresso bar with a counter
- Small independent club venue
- Independent lounge bar
- Independent tea room
- Local takeaway and fast food shop
- Small rock music club with its own venue
- Neighbourhood bar in your own premises
- Brewpub with its own beer and kitchen
- Micropub with a small brew kit
- Your own LGBTQ+ bar or nightclub
- Karaoke bar with private rooms
- Mahjong house with your own premises
- Seasonal pop-up beer garden
- Year-round beer garden with a small bar
- Delivery-only fast food kitchen
- Neighbourhood bar with live music nights
- Gig venue bar with ticketed shows
- Small standing-only neighbourhood bar
- Internet cafe with printing and drinks
- Gaming internet cafe
- Neighbourhood wine bar
- Neighbourhood LGBTQ+ bar
- Neighbourhood tapas bar
- Neighbourhood sports bar
- Your own salsa bar
- Irish-style pub on a tenancy
- Independent Irish bar and kitchen
- Micropub in a small unit
- Tenanted or leased pub
- Small neighbourhood dart bar
- Darts-focused local pub on a tenancy
- Sit-down fish and chip restaurant
- Take over an existing eat-in chippy
- Cat cafe with its own premises
- Queer bar with its own premises
- Neighbourhood piano bar
- Oxygen cocktail bar in a small unit
- Private-room karaoke bar
- Gastropub run on a lease or tenancy
- Run the food side of a pub
- Small cider bar with a local following
- Neighbourhood beer hall
- Escape room centre with themed rooms
- Lesbian and queer women's bar
Questions
Do I need to own the premises to start a hospitality business?
Not necessarily. Many people lease, take over an existing business or use land they already own. Check the lease terms, rent reviews, your landlord's consent for your intended use and how long you could be committed before you sign anything.
What licences and permissions should I check for hospitality premises in the UK?
Check whether you need a premises licence for alcohol or late-night entertainment, food business registration, and planning permission or change of use. Requirements vary by council and by type of venue, so speak to your local authority early.
How do I choose between a bar, a stay-based business and a food outlet?
Compare startup costs, opening hours, staffing needs and how seasonal demand is. Consider what you enjoy doing day to day, how much space you have and whether local competition leaves room for your idea. Test demand before you commit.