Home Affairs Department - Hotels & Guesthouses

Hotels & Guesthouses

Introduction

According to the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance (Cap. 349), premises are a hotel or guesthouse if the premises are held out as providing sleeping accommodation to any persons presenting themselves who are willing to pay a fee for the sleeping accommodation for a period less than 28 consecutive days.

Under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation (Exclusion) Order, premises in which all accommodation is exclusively provided on the basis of a minimum period of 28 continuous days for each letting and no waiver, refund or reduction of fees will be made if the letting is for any reason shortened to less than 28 continuous days are excluded from the application of the Ordinance.

Premises under the scope of control

Hotel
Guesthouse (General)
Guesthouse (Holiday Camp)
Guesthouse (Holiday Flat)

Application for a Licence

Any new establishments must apply for a Licence from the Authority before commencing operation. Validity periods of licences range from 12 to 84 months. Licences are subject to renewal upon their expiration. Holder of a licence should apply for a renewal not less than 3 months to 6 months prior to the expiry of the licence. For details on application for a licence, please refer to A Guide to Licence Applications under Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance (Cap. 349) (PDF).

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that his premises do comply with the lease conditions, Deed of Mutual Covenant and other regulations or laws of Hong Kong.

How to apply

Application forms can be obtained from the Office of the Licensing Authority or downloaded from the Home Affairs Department's website of http://www.had.gov.hk/en/other_information/forms.htm. Completed forms are to be returned to the address as stated on the application forms.