Insurance?

We still need to submit a full application, but the best quote we got so far is from Nationwide - about $850 annual premium. It took quite some shopping around.

thx.
sb*

Well, it's a good question. Someone slips in the shower or burns themselves on something in the kitchen. Also, there isn't a caretaker there 24/7 so something happens and we're sued for negligence. The policy we got also covers personal property up to $5K, so if there's a fire it covers damage to the furntiure and beds (damage to the property is covered by the landlords property insurance). There's a fire and it's our fault and the landlord sues us.

The previous owner operated for 4 yrs without insurance, so we definitely questioned it. But we're hoping to expand the operation to multiple locations.

We found a policy for $868 a year, through Nationwide. We went with it. I definitely wonder if it's a waste of money. But there's murphy's law, right? Having the insurance means we'll never need it, but if we don't have it something will happen and we'll wish we'd gotten it :rolleyes:

thx.
sb*

It would be good to receive feedback from other hostels in terms of the kind of accidents that they have had in their premises, or that they have heard of.

I had a guest cut himself pretty badly while cooking. A stovetop espresso pot exploded and burned one of my receptionists. I put stickers on my sliding glass doors to keep any more people from trying to walk through them without realizing that they’re closed (maybe my housekeeper is too good!) The most common safety issue for us is when people get drunk and trip on the stairs, especially if they drop glass bottles in the process.

The majority of the injuries that we have dealt with have been minor, and our insurance has never been involved in any of the situations.

Another hostel in town had a guy fall from the second story balcony into the street. I never heard an official report from the hostel as far as what happened, but through the grapevine I heard that he was not a guest, he was very drunk, and he was trying to climb in through an open window.

I wonder if backpackers are more risk-seeker or accident-prone than the regular hotel guest. For sure, a backpacker has more probability of having a kitchen accident than a guest at a hotel.

I would say yes, due to the drinking culture among backpackers.

Seem like pretty nasty little horror stories (the guest with the bad cut and the exploding espresso pot). Now, every time a see a guest using a knife at the kitchen, or when I see a coffee pot, I'll have visions of bloody cuts and exploding pots (That's good. That will keep me alert and looking for ways to prevent accidents).

Even though I can see any of those happening at any hostel, probably few hostels take preventive measures against such things, until they happen. On the other hand, what can you do to prevent a guest from mishandling a knife, other than warning him to be careful?

Also, even with well-designed stairs and balconies (with the proper dimensions, properly lit, non-skid materials, free of obstacles, etc.), there is always the probability that someone will trip at the stairs or fall off the balcony. And I feel there is not much we can do about it :( (Or can we? Any suggestions?) I know that some hostels close their balconies to people after a given hour at night. That can help to reduce the probability of an accident happening when someone has had one drink to many. But in the case of stairs, you cannot do that.

Any suggestions out there? Good ideas?

There is only so much you can do in the way of prevention, even if you tape pillows to the walls, and give them safety scissors people will find a way to get in trouble, your best bet is to invest in good insurance. The $1000 or so you will pay a year will protect you, your business and your investment. Basically the revenue from one bed filled for a month pays for my insurance for a year, so if someone gets hurt, hurts someone else, there are any accidents or someone dies (a girl from my hometown who fell out of a hostel window in Edinburgh and passed away, it was devastating)