Guest House License

The Ministry of Tourism has launched a voluntary scheme for the approval of Guest Houses or Guest House Approval to standardize the accommodation of hotel in budget category for both Domestic and International tourists in the country. The scheme objective is to encourage quality standards and upgraded facilities in a large number of Guest Houses and unregulated accommodation units. Let us look in detail about the procedure for the Approval of Guest Houses in this article.

Eligibility Criteria

In general, the following are the eligibility criteria for the Guest Houses seeking approval.

There must be a minimum of 6 lettable rooms with the proper ventilation and must be with the distance of 6 metres to approach road for Taxi or Ambulance (the minimum width of 6 metres road would not be mandatory in those cities, where the Guest Houses on the road width of fewer than 6 metres are permitted as per the bye-laws and local rules)
The size of the room to be a minimum of 120 sq. ft. for the double bed (or more). For the single bedroom, the size of the room to be a minimum of 80 sq.ft.
25% of the hotel rooms must have air–conditioning and heating facilities.
There must be sufficient lighting, wardrobe, opaque curtains, shelves or screening on all the windows of the rooms.
There must be a reception facility with the telephone.
The dining room to be neat for serving breakfast and dinner with proper cutlery and glassware (dining room would not be mandatory in the cases where the local bye-laws of the respective State or local body)
Segregated wet and dry garbage disposal system must be available
Cleanliness and Hygiene: Front areas, public areas, rooms, kitchen, refrigerator, store, pantry, dining area or bar (where applicable as per the bye-laws), garbage area, staff facilities and back areas including the maintenance areas.
Note: A minimum of 60% marks are required under this criterion for the Mark Sheet regarding Cleanliness and Hygiene.
Tie-up with the nearby Hospital or Doctor-on-Call facility
There must be fire and emergency measures and also safe-keeping facilities at the reception
The pest control of all front of the house, guest rooms, kitchen, staff facilities and back areas to be done regularly.
The registration to be done with the local authorities such as Police, Municipality, Electricity, Water, Fire, State Tourism Department or Corporation.
The CCTV cameras in the public areas along with the data backup are mandatory.

Documents Required

The below listed are the checklist/documentation that has to be submitted by the Guest Houses applying for approval.

Name of the Guest House
Name and address of the promoters/owners along with the statement on their business antecedents
A complete postal address of the Guest House along with the contact details like telephone number, fax or E-mail address

Documents regarding the status of the promoter/owner

If Private/Public Limited Company with the proofs of Memorandum and Articles of Association.
If Partnership, a proof of Partnership Deed and Certificate of Registration
If proprietary concern, name, address of proprietor and Certificate of Registration to be submitted
Location of the hotel along with the postal address

Documents regarding the details of the site

Distance in Kilometers from Railway station and airport
Located on State or National Highway
Distance from the city centre/downtown/shopping area etc.
Located between which major towns or cities

Documents that specify the details of the Guest House

Area (in sq. meters)
Title – owned or leased with the proofs of sale and lease deed
Copy of Land/Property Use Permission to run Guest House from appropriate authority or registration from the local authorities
Details of public areas along with the size in sq. Ft (lobby/lounge, restaurants, bar, utility shop, business centre, health club, etc.
Details of the Fire Fighting Measures, hydrants, etc.
Details of measures for energy saving and water conservation and other initiatives.
Facilities for power back–up (generators etc.)
eco-friendly practices
Security-related features

Certificates/No Objection Certificates

Certificate/licence from Municipality/Corporation to state that the establishment is registered as a Guest House with the clearance by the concerned authority to the establishment on sanitary/hygienic point of view.
Certificate or licence from the component police department authorizing the running of a Guest House.
No Objection Certificate with respect to the fire fighting arrangements from the Fire Service Department
Public liability insurance
Bar Licence (required were permissible as per the local laws and regulations)
Money Changers Licence (if any)
Sanctioned building plans/occupancy certificate.
If approved earlier, a proof of the earlier Certificate of Approval that is issued by the Ministry of Tourism.
Segregation of areas for smoking and non- smoking under the rules.
Any other Clearance or Licence from the local authority (if required)

Note: The above-specified certificates/NOCs are the responsibility of the owners, promoters, respective company as the case may be. The approval from the Ministry is no substitute for any statutory approval and the approval provided is liable to be withdrawn without any notice in case of violations or misrepresentation of facts.

Procedure for the Approval of Guest Houses

The applicant has to follow the below application procedure for the Approval of Guest Houses. Access the Website Step 1: The application for the approval process of Guest Houses can be submitted online by accessing the official website?of Classification, Approval and Occupancy of Hotels. New User Registration Step 2: In the case of a new user, the applicant will have to get registered in the official portal by clicking on the “New Registration” link which will direct to the registration page. Step 3: Here, the applicant has to fill out the registration form with all requested details such as OTA name, Address, Pin Code, Phone number, select the Type of Hotel, Owner Status, Contact Person details, etc. Also create the user id, password and enter the image text given and then click on the submit button. Login to Portal Step 4: Then log in with the registered User ID and Password. Step 5: After Login, a new window will appear, where the applicant will have to Apply for the Approval of Guest Houses or have to upload the “Approval Letter” if already an approved hotelier. Application Form Step 6: The following form will get opened after clicking on the link “Apply for Approval of Guest Houses”. Fill out the Right Credentials Step 7: The details of hotelier have to fill out all the requested details in the approval form. Step 8: After entering all the details, the applicant will have to click on the “save and proceed” button. Upload Documents Step 9: Now upload all the documents that are mentioned above then click on “save and proceed” button. Step 10: The uploaded documents that are received from applicants after scrutiny in all respects would be acknowledged online. Payment Process Step 11: Applications for Approval of Operational Motels with the requisite fee is payable only by Debit/Credit Card/RTGS/NEFT. Step 12: The application fee that is payable for the approval and renewal of a Guest House is Rs.5000/-. The demand draft to be made payable to "Pay and Accounts Officer, Ministry of Tourism, New Delhi". Inspection Process Step 13: Upon receipt of the application complete in all respects, the hotel will be inspected by the Hotel and Restaurant Approval & Classification Committee (HRACC). The HRACC would inspect a Motel at any time without notice before as the Guest House is expected to maintain the necessary standards at all times. The Committee would request that its members be held overnight to inspect the level of services. Certificate of approval will be issued under the signatures of the concerned Regional Director subject to the approval of the Competent Authority. The approved guest house must adhere to the tenets of the Code of Conduct for Safe & Honourable Tourism. Incomplete applications or any deficiencies/rectification that is pointed out by the HRACC during the inspection will result in rejection of the application.

Time Frame and Validity

The Guest Houses seeking for the approval must apply 3 months prior to the expiry of the current period of the approval. Any changes in the plans for management of the Guest Houses must be informed to the HRACC, Government of India, Ministry. The approval would be valid for a period of maximum 5 years from the date of issuance of the orders or in case of the re-approval from the date of expiry of the previous approval provided that the application has been received within the specified time, along with all the valid documents.