# Martyn’s Law for hotels, hostels and holiday parks > Hotels, hostels and holiday parks need to count guests, staff and overlapping activities. Check your expected peak and tier. Hotels, hostels and holiday parks are listed uses under Martyn’s Law, including accommodation available only to paying guests. They may qualify from 200 people reasonably expected together, with enhanced duties from 800, provided the other premises tests are met. Count staff, contractors and volunteers alongside guests, and consider conferences, weddings and other overlapping activities. The aim of the law is that your team could help guests, many of whom will not know the building well, to safety if there were ever an attack. ## At a glance - **Likely tier**: Depends on the greatest expected number present together - **Thresholds**: Standard at 200–799; enhanced at 800 or more - **Count**: Guests, other attendees and staff in the qualifying use area - **When**: Expected in spring 2027; exact date unconfirmed ## Define the accommodation premises A qualifying premises assessment starts with the building, part of a building or group of buildings and associated land. Payment or guest-only access does not prevent a use from counting as access by visiting members of the public. For a holiday park, map accommodation buildings, reception, leisure facilities and land used with them. Where buildings form one group of premises, their numbers are added together. Check separately operated facilities rather than assuming every business has the same boundary. For a hotel with several uses, consider the principal use over time. Identify who controls the premises in connection with that use, rather than simply naming the duty manager. [Check your tier](https://wardcote.co.uk/check-your-tier) ## Count guests and activities that overlap Room numbers alone may not explain the greatest expected number on site. Review guests, conference delegates, wedding attendees, restaurant visitors and staff who may be present together. Count people once, even where they use several facilities. Include employees, contractors and volunteers in the qualifying use area. Consider the overlap between a conference finishing, an evening reception starting and overnight guests returning. A daily total of arrivals is not the same as simultaneous attendance. Use a reasonable method supported by evidence, such as booking records, attendance history or relevant capacity restrictions. Predictable holiday peaks count. Record your assumptions where bookings do not directly show how many people are present. [How to count people](https://wardcote.co.uk/martyns-law/counting-people) ## Agree arrangements with wedding and conference hirers For ordinary venue hire, legal responsibility stays with the premises operator rather than transferring to the hirer. Hire terms can set requirements for organisers, and procedures need to reach hirers as well as staff and contractors. Agree who briefs temporary teams, who communicates with attendees and how venue staff contact the organiser. Check arrangements for evening handovers and areas that guests use without attending the function. A qualifying event is an exception: the person controlling the premises for that event becomes responsible for it. Enhanced premises do not need separate notifications for individual events held there. [Understand the responsible person](https://wardcote.co.uk/martyns-law/responsible-person) · [Check event duties](https://wardcote.co.uk/martyns-law/events) ## Prepare for guests who do not know the building Once duties commence, standard premises will need to notify the SIA and have appropriate procedures, so far as reasonably practicable, for evacuation, moving people to a safer place inside, preventing entry or exit, and communication when terrorism is suspected. Consider guests in bedrooms, reception, dining rooms and outdoor facilities. Decide how a small night team would pass on instructions and who can operate access controls. Check how information reaches guests who need help understanding or acting on it. Standard tier requires no formal risk assessment or written plan, although documenting procedures is recommended. Do not simply copy a fire evacuation arrangement: guidance says these procedures should differ from fire plans. [The four public protection procedures](https://wardcote.co.uk/martyns-law/public-protection-procedures) ## Check larger sites and occasional public events Premises expecting 800 or more people from time to time will be enhanced tier. They will need additional assessed measures, a required document and, where the responsible person is an organisation, a designated senior individual. A genuine one-off public event at other premises may qualify if 800 or more are expected together, admission is checked and all other event tests are met. A private invitation-only wedding does not qualify as an event, but predictable weddings can still inform the premises count. Wardcote can provide hands-on enhanced tier support from an experienced team it works with for enhanced venues and events. [Enhanced tier support](https://wardcote.co.uk/enhanced-tier-assessment) ## Start with bookings and shift arrangements Core duties are not yet enforceable. Commencement is expected in spring 2027, with the exact date still unconfirmed. Gather peak booking evidence and discuss procedures with day, evening and night teams. The law does not require buying software or specialist services. Wardcote’s standard-tier subscription helps venues write procedures, brief teams, keep records and prepare the SIA notification. You can start free from the pricing page. [Wardcote’s standard-tier software](https://wardcote.co.uk/pricing) ## Questions ### Does Martyn’s Law apply if only paying guests can enter? Yes, it can. Guest-only access does not prevent hotels, hostels or holiday parks from qualifying, subject to the other premises tests. ### Can we use the number of beds as our count? It may inform your calculation, but also consider other people present together. Conferences, restaurants, functions and staff can affect the expected peak. ### Does a private wedding need an event notification? Private invitation-only events do not qualify as events. Predictable wedding attendance can still affect the assessment of the premises. ### Does the wedding organiser take over our responsibility? Ordinary hire does not transfer the premises operator’s legal responsibility. A separate qualifying event has its own responsible person, based on control for that event. ### Do holiday park staff and volunteers count? Yes. Count employees, contractors and volunteers in the qualifying use area, adding them where your booking figures exclude them. ## Sources - [The Act as enacted](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2025/10/enacted) - [Home Office statutory guidance](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025/terrorism-protection-of-premises-act-2025-statutory-guidance) - [Home Office myth buster](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69281f35b3b9afff34e960f0/martyns-law-mythbuster.pdf) - [SIA role and commencement update](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/understanding-martyns-law-and-the-sias-role-as-regulator) ## Related - [Martyn’s Law crowd management and event security](https://wardcote.co.uk/martyns-law/events) - [How to count people for Martyn’s Law](https://wardcote.co.uk/martyns-law/counting-people) - [Who is the responsible person under Martyn’s Law?](https://wardcote.co.uk/martyns-law/responsible-person) - [The four public protection procedures](https://wardcote.co.uk/martyns-law/public-protection-procedures) --- Source: https://wardcote.co.uk/martyns-law/hotels · Last reviewed 2026-10-16 · Wardcote, venue and event security. General guidance, not legal advice.