Plan a hotel, guest house or leisure building that works for guests

For hoteliers, B&B owners, holiday let operators and gym or leisure operators planning a new building, conversion, extension or refurbishment. Compare quotes from professionals who design hospitality and leisure spaces.

Hotels and leisure buildings are judged by guests every day, so they need to look good, run efficiently and keep people safe in a building they don’t know. Projects range from converting a large house into a guest house or boutique hotel, adding bedrooms or a spa to an existing hotel, or turning outbuildings into holiday lets, to fitting out a gym or designing a leisure centre with a pool. A good designer balances the guest experience with the hidden side of the building: housekeeping and laundry routes, kitchens and deliveries, plant rooms, sound insulation between rooms, fire escape for sleeping guests and access for disabled visitors.

How a professional can help

• Room layouts and mix: They plan bedroom sizes, en-suites or bathroom pods and the mix of room types to suit your market, making corridors and repeated layouts efficient without the building feeling institutional.
• Front and back of house: They separate guest areas from service routes, placing reception, bars, restaurants and lounges where guests want them, and housekeeping, laundry, kitchens, stores and deliveries where staff can work efficiently.
• Sound, fire and access: They design sound insulation between bedrooms, fire escape for sleeping guests and wheelchair-accessible rooms and routes, so the building meets Building Regulations and your duties to disabled guests.
• Gyms, pools and spas: They allow for heavy floor loads and vibration from free weights, ventilation and humidity control for pool halls and spas, plant rooms for water treatment, and hard-wearing changing rooms.
• Conversions and change of use: They assess whether a house, pub, office or farm building can work as a hotel, guest house or holiday let, and prepare the planning application and drawings for the conversion.
• Interiors and brand standards: They develop interiors, lighting and signage that create the atmosphere you want, and work to an operator’s or franchise’s design standards where these apply.

Is this right for you?

• You want to convert a house or other building into a guest house, B&B or small hotel.
• You run a hotel and want to add bedrooms, a spa, a restaurant or event space, or refresh tired areas.
• You’re creating holiday lets or glamping accommodation and need drawings and approvals.
• You’re opening a gym, fitness studio or leisure facility and need a layout that handles equipment, noise and ventilation.

How the project usually runs

• Business brief and feasibility: You explain your market, the rooms or facilities you want and how the business will run; the designer tests whether the site or building can deliver it.
• Concept design: They prepare layouts and visuals for guest areas, bedrooms and back of house, refining them with your operator, interior designer and cost adviser.
• Planning and licensing: They submit the planning application, and listed building consent if needed, and coordinate with any licence application if you’ll serve alcohol or put on entertainment.
• Technical design and fit-out details: The design is developed into detailed drawings covering fire safety, acoustics, ventilation, kitchens and pool or spa plant, then priced by contractors or fit-out specialists.
• Construction and opening: During the works the team answers site queries and checks quality, then hands over the information you need to open, including the fire safety records your fire risk assessment will rely on.

What affects the cost

• Whether it is a new building, a conversion of an existing property or a refurbishment of an operating hotel.
• The number and type of bedrooms, and the extent of restaurants, bars, event spaces and spa facilities.
• Pools, spas and gyms, which bring specialist structural, ventilation and water treatment design.
• A listed building or conservation area setting, which calls for extra design care and consents.
• Phasing the work so an existing hotel or leisure centre can stay open to guests.
• How much interior design, lighting and furniture specification you want included.

Planning, licensing and safety for hospitality

• In England, hotels and guest houses are Class C1, so turning a house into one usually needs planning permission, while a shop can often become a gym within Class E. Other UK nations have their own use classes.
• Holiday let rules differ across the UK: hosts in Scotland need a short-term let licence, councils in Wales can require planning permission in some areas, London has its own limit, and the rules change often, so check the current position.
• Anyone providing paid guest accommodation, even a small B&B, needs a fire risk assessment, and fire safety law differs between the UK nations.
• Selling alcohol or putting on entertainment usually needs a licence, which is separate from planning permission; licensing systems differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Questions people ask

Do I need planning permission to run a B&B or guest house?

It depends on the scale. Letting a room or two in your own home may not be a change of use, but once the business becomes the main use of the building, it usually is. In England a guest house is Class C1, separate from a family home, and the rules differ in the other UK nations. Your council or professional can advise on your situation.

What makes a hotel conversion different from a home renovation?

Guests sleep in a building they don’t know, so fire safety standards are higher: expect fire doors, protected escape routes, fire alarms and emergency lighting. Building Regulations set sound insulation standards for bedrooms, the building must be accessible to disabled guests, and kitchens and laundries need ventilation and drainage suited to commercial use. These requirements shape the layout from the start.

Can I convert farm buildings into holiday lets?

Often, but it needs the right approvals. Permitted development rights for converting farm buildings differ across the UK and come with strict conditions, so many holiday let schemes need full planning permission. The council will look at the building’s condition, access, landscape impact and the local economy, and a structural survey and checks for bats and nesting birds are usually needed early.

What should I think about when designing a gym?

Free weights and machines bring heavy point loads and impact noise, so floors may need strengthening and acoustic matting, especially above or next to other occupiers. Gyms also need good ventilation and cooling, changing rooms and showers, accessible routes and enough electrical capacity. If the gym is in a shared building, check the lease and whether noise could affect neighbours before signing.

Can we keep the hotel open while it’s refurbished?

Often, if the work is carefully phased. Floors or wings can be closed in turn, with guest routes kept separate from the works, fire alarms and escape routes maintained throughout and noisy work limited to agreed hours. Your designer and contractor plan the sequence together, and your fire risk assessment will need updating as the building changes.

Available across the UK

Professionals cover the whole of the UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Planning and Building Regulations differ between the four nations, and your professional will work to the rules that apply where your property is.

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