There are tens of thousands of hotels, guest houses, motels, and caravan parks across the UK, catering for millions of domestic and foreign tourists each year. Even more rooms are rented out privately during peak season and over bank holiday weekends. Inevitably in this high volume industry which focuses on the personal care of its customers, mistakes will be made, accidents will happen, and hotel guests will end up getting injured as a result. Most accidents at hotels are due to poor maintenance of one form or another. Staff shortages and lack of effective supervision of guests is another major cause of hotel accidents. Newer hotels may also have intrinsic design flaws that pose a hazard to the health and safety of guests, but have not previously been noticed by the hotel's management.

Just as at home, there are a wide range of accidents that can occur at hotels, and a similarly broad range of injuries that may result. Guests may fall and injure themselves in various circumstances, such as when slipping on a recently cleaned floor, or tripping over a frayed carpet. Bathrooms should have the necessary safety fittings to reduce the risk of slips and falls. All public areas, including corridors, stairs and elevators should be properly maintained, and free from hazardous defects. This includes hotels providing decent lighting in communal areas to reduce the risk of guests falling over. Furniture in bedrooms should be in good condition, as well as fittings on walls and ceilings. Any electrical appliance in a room and hot taps in a bathroom must be in good working order, and free from defects which may cause shocks or burns.

Other dangers at hotels include falls over electrical cables, or other obstacles left in corridors and communal areas. Faulty radiators in hotel rooms may leak dangerous carbon monoxide gas, or a fire may break out, often the result of gas cylinder explosions. The hotel's grounds and facilities must also be properly maintained. Hazards include broken glass, cracked paving stones and tiles, exposed concrete, and uneven surfaces. Hotel swimming pools must be treated with the correct chemicals, and a trained lifeguard should always be always on duty to supervise swimmers. Hotels must provide sufficient staff to monitor guests at all times. This is of particular importance in hotel bars and restaurants, where spilled food, drinks and broken glass will need to be immediately cleared up. Food hygiene standards must also be high to prevent the risk of viruses, illnesses and diseases spreading among guests. Bed bugs are yet another unfortunate menace at some British hotels.

Hotels must hold public liability insurance to protect them in the event of guests getting injured due to the negligence of the hotel's management or its staff. They are obliged to take all reasonable measures to protect their guests from the risk of accidents and injuries. This includes ensuring sufficient numbers of trained staff are on duty to assist guests, and providing these staff with a safe system of work that promptly deals with potential hazards as they arise. British holidaymakers who have purchased a foreign trip as a package deal are also protected by The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tour Regulations 1992. This means that the UK tour operator owes a duty of care to their customers while they are overseas, and will be held responsible under UK law for injuries resulting from the negligence of a foreign holiday resort's management or staff.