We respect your privacy
This is a question many accommodation providers ask themselves if they have the possibility of preparing breakfast for their guests and would like to include it in their offer in order to further increase their tourism income.
But is this legally allowed, and under what conditions?
What does the law say?
The Hospitality and Catering Industry Act, which is relevant for the field of private accommodation rental, prescribes that, in addition to accommodation services, hospitality services in a household also include breakfast services for guests to whom the accommodation provider provides accommodation services.
At first glance, it may seem that breakfast can be introduced without any additional requirements, but in practice this is not the case.
Additional rules and limitations
The issue of serving breakfast is regulated in more detail by the Ordinance on Amendments and Supplements to the Ordinance on the Classification and Categorization of Facilities in which Hospitality Services are Provided in Households.
This ordinance states that an accommodation provider may offer food services, namely breakfast, to their guests, while lunch and dinner may only be offered if there is no hospitality establishment within a radius of 15 kilometres that provides such services.
A detailed list of requirements can be found in the ordinance at the following link: Ordinance on the classification and categorization of facilities providing hospitality services in households.
What conditions must you meet?
Food preparation area
For facilities in the apartment and holiday home category, the legal preparation and serving of breakfast requires a separate room for food preparation, separated from the dining area .
The food preparation room must have:
- openable windows and openings fitted with insect screens
- a floor made of waterproof and non-slip material
- walls covered with waterproof material up to a height of 2.0 m
- fire-resistant fabric for extinguishing fires
- a first aid kit
- a space or cabinet for cleaning and disinfection products
- a ventilated room or outdoor area with waste containers
- a double sink or two single sinks
- a dishwasher for tableware
- equipment for the thermal preparation of food, as well as a hood for extracting steam, smoke and odours
- a washbasin for kitchen staff
- a sufficient number of refrigeration units with temperature control for separate storage of different types of food
- a toilet cubicle with an anteroom and washbasin for staff
- other requirements prescribed by the ordinance
Dining area
The dining area must meet the following conditions:
- a space for serving meals with tables and chairs
- a tablecloth or placemat on the table
- a cloth napkin or paper napkin per person
- heating and cooling provided in the room
- coat hangers
What is not allowed?
It is not permitted to prepare breakfast in a private kitchen and deliver it to guests in the apartment without meeting the prescribed requirements. This way of serving breakfast is considered illegal.
Registering the service in the categorization decision
Even if you meet all technical and sanitary requirements, you may not offer breakfast until this service is explicitly stated in the Decision approving the provision of hospitality services in a household, that is, in the categorization decision.
To have the service registered, it is necessary to submit a request to the competent authority, which will conduct an on-site inspection and verify whether all prescribed conditions are fulfilled.
Is it worth offering breakfast?
For many guests, breakfast is an important criterion when choosing accommodation, and they often filter available options by this service already during their search. This can help your accommodation stand out from the competition.
For example, if you charge breakfast at €8 per person per day, host 4 guests, and are booked for 75 days, this means an additional €2,400 in income by the end of the season.
Our advice
It is up to each accommodation provider to decide whether they want to offer breakfast or not, but if you do decide to provide this service, make sure you do so in accordance with legal regulations.
