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The Daily Insight

How much do small hotel owners make?

Author

Emma Jordan

Published Feb 10, 2026

The profit, or the money you get to take home, is the money that’s made after all the business expenses are paid off. While the industry is pretty tight-lipped about it, it’s estimated that the average profit turned by a hotel chain owner is between $40,000 and $60,000 per year (source).

How much does it cost to open a small hotel?

The average cost of starting a hotel in the US ranges from $750,000-$1,000,000 for a small motel, to the national average being around $22,000,000 for a hotel with around 115 rooms, and much higher for luxury and high-rise hotels (source.)

Can small hotels be profitable?

Working in volume, they are able to keep costs low and profits higher than hotels that deliver a more localized experience. According to CBRE’s Trends survey, boutique hotels achieved a gross operating profit margin of 33.8 percent in 2017 versus the 38.3 percent average for all hotels included in their survey.

What is the profit margin of a hotel?

Using information from CBRE’s Trends® in the Hotel Industry database, at 39.8 percent, hotels have historically averaged a GOP margin of 11.6 percent. Of course, the greater levels of operating efficiency do not provide enough joy to overcome the pain of an average 79.1 percent year-over-year decline in GOP.

Is it possible to open your own hotel?

Unfortunately, you can’t just open your doors and expect your hotel to be successful automatically. It takes careful research, management, and financial planning to make a hotel a success. Keep all of this in mind when planning to open your own hotel.

How to run a small hotel or guest house?

Understand your primary market. This will help you cater your services to your likely customers. Small hotels and guest houses usually attract vacationers who will stay for just a few nights.

Where did the first organized Hotelkeeping take place?

The lead-in organized hotel-keeping, as we see it today, was taken by the emerging nations of Europe, especially Switzerland. The early establishment was mainly patronized by the aristocracy and took shape in chalets (small cottages) and small hotels that provided a variety of services.

Which is the cradle of the hotel industry?

While Europe can safely be regarded as the cradle of the organized hotel business, it is in the American continent that one sees the evolution of the modern hotel industry over the past century.