Opening a guesthouse – business idea in Slovenia, EU

In the past years, Slovenia has recorded an increase in tourist activity. Tourists from all around are visiting Slovenia and many Slovenian towns have had sixth consecutive record-breaking year when it comes to tourism. Such a high demand also requires providing accommodation to all the travelers visiting Slovenia, which might ignite a good idea for your business in Europe. In addition to other accommodation types, like hotel, hostel or private short-term accommodation, you can also consider opening a guesthouse and start your business in Slovenia, EU.

Data d.o.o. has had over 28 years of experience in supporting entrepreneurship. Our team has developed and grown and we have over 40 specialists willing to consult you on several fields of business conduct. We provide our own legal department which can explain to you the requirements for your guest house. Additionally, we also provide accountancy services, tax consultation and services of virtual office.

What is a guesthouse?

A guesthouse is a space which offers both the possibility of accommodation as well as providing services related to offering food and beverages. The first step would be to register a company in Slovenia. Non-EU citizens can register an LTD company with 7500€ founding capital. Most foreigners cannot buy property in Slovenia as natural persons, which is why opening a company is also necessary if you are planning to purchase real estate in Slovenia.

What conditions do you have to fulfill for this business activity?

Within a guesthouse, you also provide services related to serving food or food products. For these purposes you would need to obtain an operating permit for the business premises. The administrative unit or the Ministry of Infrastructure and Spatial Planning issues this permit.

A guesthouse has to provide at least one or more rooms with one or more beds. It also needs to have spaces where you prepare and serve food and beverages. Within its range of business activities, you would need to include at least accommodation with breakfast, a short variety of warm and cold food (full-board or half-board) and a variety of drinks of all sorts.

You need to ensure that there is a contact person available 24 hours a day. Additionally, you have to provide security for keys and valuables. You have to ensure a telephone for outgoing calls, message-forwarding service for guests, carrying and keeping the luggage (upon guests’ wishes).

Categorization of the accommodation facility for the guesthouse

Even a guesthouse is subjected to categorization in form of stars or apples. You can apply for the categorization online and keep the original on the premises. Up until 3 stars it is sufficient to do self-assessment for the categorization. For higher categorization, you need an outside evaluator with years of experience in the tourism field and with appropriate qualification.

You need to enroll your guesthouse to the Registry of accommodation facilities (RNO) and report the stays of your guests through the web-portal eTurizem. Also, you need to keep records of your guests in printed or electronic form.

Requirements regarding cleanliness and food services

In a guesthouse, you need to ensure clean linens and changing of the linens at least 1 per week, as well as changing towels every other day or on demand.

The dining area needs to provide continental breakfast and clean tablecloths. You need to serve the meals in clean and undamaged dishes. It needs to be visibly marked, where the food serving begins and ends.

You need to ensure safety at work or employees and ensure food safety. This means you need to mark the food products correctly and ensure traceability of the product. Additionally, you need to establish an internal control in accordance to HACCP standards and register the food establishment at the Health Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia (ZIRS).

The outdoor areas also need to be appropriately managed and marked. You also need to visibly mark the name and business seat of the guesthouse as well as the category. Inscriptions have to be written in Slovene language in addition to international translations.

Business hours and price list for the guesthouse

Within the guesthouse, you need to post the price list of the services you are offering. You need to set the business hours, which the municipality has to approve at least 15 days before starting to offer the services. When you have it, you need to post it on a visible area at the entrance.

You would also need to abide by the legislation regarding the restrictions in selling alcohol and tobacco products.

If you have additional questions regarding company registration in Slovenia, EU, send us an e-mail to [email protected]. You can also contact us over the phone 00386 1 6006 270 or 00386 40 530 718 (Viber, WhatsApp). You can also follow us on Facebook.