To open a guesthouse (affittacamere) in Bologna you need a surveyor, an accountant and someone who can make the rooms earn from day one. Do.Ma is the property manager that runs the numbers before you invest, tells you what to ask the other professionals and launches the property: furnishing, photos, listings, compliance and launch pricing. English spoken.
| Step | What happens | Who handles it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The numbers | Revenue per room, seasonal occupancy, costs and investment: decide whether it makes sense before buying or renovating | Do.Ma |
| 2. The area | Use class, habitability and the second planning variant rules in the busiest parts of the centre | Surveyor, with our input |
| 3. The rooms | How many rooms (up to six, in no more than two flats in the same building), how many private bathrooms, which furniture | Do.Ma with the surveyor |
| 4. The business | VAT number, ATECO code 55.20.51, Business Register, INPS | Accountant |
| 5. The SCIA | Certified start-of-activity notice to the Bologna town hall SUAP desk | Owner and surveyor |
| 6. Compliance | CIN, police reporting account, ISTAT data, tourist tax | Do.Ma |
| 7. The launch | Furnishing, professional photos, Booking.com and Airbnb listings, channel manager and one calendar | Do.Ma |
| 8. First reviews | Launch pricing to fill rooms without underselling, then daily revenue management | Do.Ma |
Most mistakes happen before opening: a property bought in an area where new tourist accommodation use is no longer granted, shared bathrooms where private ones were needed, six rooms where four would have earned more.
That is why our work starts with a room-by-room profit and loss, based on the properties we manage in Bologna. In our case study five rooms with private bathrooms in the centre, starting with no history and no reviews, passed 200,000 euros of gross revenue in the first year.
If the numbers do not work, we tell you before you spend.
Full management on the owner’s behalf. The SCIA and VAT number stay yours; we handle pricing, channels, guests, check-in, cleaning and compliance and send a monthly statement.
Revenue management and channels only. If someone already handles operations, we take care of pricing, listings and reviews.
Details on our guesthouse management page.
You need three people: a surveyor for use class, planning area and the building part of the SCIA, an accountant for VAT and contributions, and a manager who runs the numbers before you invest and launches the property. In Bologna this is what Do.Ma Property Management does with its “launching a new guesthouse” service.
With the numbers and the area: before buying or renovating, find out what each room can earn and whether new tourist accommodation use is still available there. VAT number and SCIA come after.
Yes. A guesthouse is run as a business, with ATECO code 55.20.51, Business Register and INPS registration.
Up to six, in no more than two furnished flats in the same building. More rooms do not always mean more revenue: we check it in the review.
It can be, with a suitable property, rooms with private bathrooms and room-by-room management. See real numbers and costs in how much a guesthouse earns in Bologna.
The first review is free. The fee for launch and management is agreed afterwards, based on the number of rooms and what you hand over.
Tell us about the property, area and budget: we reply with a first reading of the numbers and the checks to make. Free, no commitment.
This page is for information only and does not replace advice from a surveyor, accountant or lawyer. Updated 1 November 2026.