For differrence between hotel,B&B etc, if I remember the definition for a hotel under the FP act was if the premises traded in accordance with the 1950something Hoteliers act which said if you could walk in off the street and book a bed, and the establishment made provision for a meal, then it was a hotel, whatever the owner decided to call his establishment.Hostel was a bit differrent I think, because it was for a 'select' type of person. 'permanent' type accommodation.
Extract from FIRE PRECAUTIONS ACT 1971 - CIRCULAR NO.1 which may be of some help.
Type of Establishment
6. Since the Fire Precautions (Hotels and Boarding Houses) Order came into operation on 1 June 1972, a number of fire authorities have sought out view as the whether or not certain types of establishment, such as those used habitually by transport drivers etc. came within its scope. In such cases, first, it does not matter what an establishment is called and no conclusion should be drawn from its name as to whether or not it is covered by the Order. For example, the business of a hotel keeper is not restricted to keeping the sort of hotel defined in section 1 of the Hotel Proprietors Act 1956 and the term would include a private hotel which, while it may not cater for travellers, still provides accommodation for members of the public generally. Again, in relation to keeping a boarding house, this is a general term which could apply to a variety of establishments which offer board and lodging but may be known as guest houses or even lodging houses and may have no name at all. In every case, the basic criterion is whether the accommodation is provided in the course of carrying on the business of a hotel or boarding house keeper.
7. Secondly, there is the question of the terms on which persons are admitted. If admission is conditional upon membership of a particular group or association, it is unlikely that this could be regarded as providing accommodation for "guests" as defined in the Order. But an establishment will not avoid control unless it is maintained exclusively for its members and it does not admit other persons generally to stay there.
Hostels
8. Hostels are, for the most part, unlikely to come within the scope of the Order. This is not because a hostel may provide accommodation which is of the dormitory type, or is at least shared, but because most hostels are houses of residence for a special category of persons, such as students, and many are run otherwise than by way of business. However, of they are run as a business venture, the question then arises as to what persons are admitted to the hostel. If admission is conditional upon membership of a particular group or association, then, again, it is unlikely that this could be regarded as providing accommodation for "guests" as defined in the Order.
