Hotel & Hospitality Insurance
Hotel Insurance Coverages
Innkeepers Liability
When a guest’s luggage, jewelry, or laptop is lost, stolen, or damaged while in your care, your standard property policy usually won’t respond. Innkeepers liability covers guest belongings in rooms, safes, and storage areas. It’s one of the most important coverages for any hotel or motel, and one of the most commonly overlooked.
Liquor Liability
If your hotel has a bar, restaurant, or lounge, or even hosts a complimentary evening reception, alcohol service creates liability. Liquor liability protects you if an intoxicated guest causes injury or property damage, a risk that general liability policies typically exclude.
Business Income & Interruption
A fire, storm, or burst pipe can close rooms or your entire property for months. Business income coverage replaces lost revenue and helps pay ongoing expenses like payroll, loan payments, and franchise fees while you rebuild, so a covered loss doesn’t become a business-ending one.
Equipment Breakdown
Hotels depend on HVAC, boilers, kitchen equipment, and laundry machines running every day. Equipment breakdown coverage pays to repair or replace them after a sudden mechanical or electrical failure, along with the lost income and spoiled food that can follow.
Commercial Umbrella
A serious guest injury, pool accident, or shuttle crash can produce a claim that goes far past your primary policy limits. Commercial umbrella insurance adds an extra layer of protection above your general liability, auto, liquor liability, and employer’s liability policies, and it’s often require by franchise agreements and lenders.
Crime & Employee Dishonesty
Hotels handle cash, credit cards, and guest information around the clock, which creates real exposure to theft. Crime insurance protects you from losses like employee theft, forgery, stolen money and securities, and computer or funds transfer fraud, none of which a standard liability or property policy usually covers.
Flood, Wind & Ordinance or Law
Standard property policies exclude flood, and many Southeast properties carry separate wind or hail deductibles that can be a percentage of the building’s value. Ordinance or law coverage pays the added cost of rebuilding to current building codes after a covered loss, which is essential for older hotels and motels.
Commercial Auto, Hired & Non-Owned Auto, and Garagekeepers
Airport shuttles, valet parking, and employees running errands in their own cars all create auto exposure for your hotel. Commercial auto covers the vehicles you own, hired and non-owned auto covers employees driving rented or personal vehicles for work, and garagekeepers protects guest vehicles in your care. Transportation isn’t a side line for us: we own and operate fleets ourselves, so we know how to protect your shuttle and valet operations the right way.
Running a hotel means caring for guests, employees, and a property that never closes. At Southeastern Insurance Agency, we help hotel, motel, and hospitality owners across the Southeast and Midwest protect all three with insurance built around how their properties actually operate. As an independent commercial insurance agency, we compare coverage from multiple carriers and hospitality programs to find the right protection at the right price, without paying for coverage you don’t need.
Who We Insure
Independent hotels and motels
Franchise and branded hotels
Extended-stay properties
Boutique hotels and inns
Bed and breakfasts
Hotels with restaurants, bars, pools, and event space
Key Risks Hotel Owners Face
Hotels face a unique mix of risks that most standard
Guest injuries from slips and falls, pools, fitness centers, and parking areas
Lost or stolen guest belongings from rooms, safes, and luggage storage
Property damage from fire, storms, flooding, and burst pipes
Lost income when rooms or the entire property must close for repairs
Employee injuries in housekeeping, maintenance, and food service
Alcohol service at bars, restaurants, and guest receptions
Shuttle, valet, and employee driving exposures
Theft, fraud, and data breaches involving cash, credit cards, and guest information
Franchise and lender requirements that set minimum coverages and limits
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Most hotels need general liability, commerical property, workers’ compensation, and business income coverage as a foundation. Depending on your operation, you may need innkeepers liability, liquor liability, commercial auto, umbrella, cyber, and equipment breakdown coverage. We’ll review your property and services to build a program that fits how you actually operate.
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Cost depends on your property’s size, location, construction, number of rooms, amenities like pools or restaurants, and claims history. Coastal and storm-prone areas can also affect property rates. The best way to know is a quote built on your hotel’s details, and we shop multiple carriers to find you the best value.
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Only if your policy includes innkeepers liability. Standard commercial property insurance covers your building and contents, not your guests’ luggage, jewelry, or electronics. Many states also limit a hotel’s liability for guest property, but only if required notices are properly posted.
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Often, yes. Even complimentary drinks at an evening reception or happy hour can create liability if an intoxicated guest causes injury or damage. We’ll review how alcohol is served at your property to make sure you’re protected.
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Most major brands set minimum coverages and limits in the franchise agreement, often including higher umbrella limits and naming the franchisor as an additional insured. Lenders may have their own requirements too. We’ll review your franchise and loan documents to make sure your policies meet every requirement.
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Your workers’ comp premium is driven largely by your experience mod, which reflects your claims history. Strong hiring practices, safety training, quick injury reporting, and a return-to-work program all help keep claims down and your mod low. We also review class codes and payroll to catch errors that can cause overcharges.
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An independent agency isn’t tied to one insurance company, so we can compare options from multiple carriers and hospitality programs. Our focus is finding the right coverage at the right price for your property, not selling you more than you need.