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Online Business Insurance Broker

MOTEL INSURANCE

Purpose-built cover for motel owners & operators.

Trusted by motel operators from Townsville to Toodyay - we've placed cover for motels of every size, across every state. Let us take care of your motel insurance, while you look after the business

Call 1800 008 005
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Band in town? Someone get stuck into the mini bar? Guests pinch more than shampoo?
We've got cover for that — and a lot more.

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WHY CHOOSE OBIB

Not a generic business pack

We understand motel-specific risks (theft by guests, glass, loss of profits after damage, liability

for guest injury, etc). We work with specialist motel underwriters, not just standard commercial

insurers. 


We've saved motel clients up to $15,000 on their premiums.


Ask us about the savings you can make, if you combine the Motel Insurance with Building

Insurance. 

Get a Free Quote

SPECIALIST COVERS

Enhanced cover built for motel owners & operators

Packages can include:

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Property Damage

Protects your building and/or contents against damage.

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Business Interruption

Protects your profits or rent after damage to the property.

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Public & Products Liability

Protects you from claims of negligence which caused property damage or personal injury.

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Theft

Broader than burglary covers, protecting you from items being stolen.

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Money

Protect against theft of money.

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Glass

Replacement value with no limit plus additional covers on signs/signwriting.

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Machinery Breakdown

Equipment plus options to include any loss of food.

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Electronic Equipment Breakdown

Like Machinery breakdown, but for electronic items.

Frequently Asked Questions

This depends on the policy wording, but in most cases yes — malicious damage caused by a guest acting on their own is generally covered under the standard property damage section. The exclusion for malicious acts in most policies only applies to acts carried out by you or someone acting with your knowledge or consent — a guest trashing a room on their own wouldn’t fall under that exclusion.

That said, policy wordings do vary across insurers, so it’s worth confirming this with your broker when comparing quotes. Our brokers check this specifically when reviewing options for motel operators.

  • Theft by guests is generally covered under a standard theft extension, subject to policy conditions.
  • Employee theft of money — most motel packages include some protection here. The Money section typically covers cash stolen by an employee following a forcible and violent entry, and many policies also include an Employee Dishonesty extension covering loss of cash, contents or stock due to staff fraud or dishonesty. The scope and limit of this cover does vary, so it’s worth checking what’s included when comparing quotes.
  • If you want broader fidelity cover beyond what’s built into the Money section, a standalone Employee Dishonesty extension can usually be added — particularly worth considering if staff regularly handle cash or have unsupervised access to guest rooms and valuables.

Yes — Business Interruption (BI) is specifically designed to cover the loss of revenue (or rental income if you’re a property owner) while your motel is unable to trade following an insured event like fire, storm or flood damage. The key things to get right are:

  • The indemnity period (how long you’re covered for — 12 months is common but may not be enough for a major rebuild)
  • The sum insured (based on your annual gross profit or rent, not your premium)

Underinsurance on BI is one of the most common problems we see. Our brokers will walk you through how to calculate the right figure.

Yes. We place motel insurance for properties across Australia — from capital cities to regional towns and genuinely remote locations. Some insurers are more restrictive on construction type (e.g. timber frame) or location (e.g. cyclone-prone areas in North Queensland), which is exactly why having access to multiple insurers matters. We’ll find the right fit regardless of where your motel is located.

Absolutely. We work with both motel operators (who run the business) and property owners (who own the building and lease to an operator). The cover required is different in each case:

  • Property owners typically need building cover, landlord liability and loss of rent under BI
  • Operators typically need contents, business property, liability and BI based on gross profit

If you own and operate, we can combine both into one package — and combining building and motel cover with the same insurer can produce meaningful premium savings.

We provide at least 10 tailored quotes within 24 hours. Our brokers don’t just send you a list of numbers — each quote comes with a recommendation on which options best suit your needs and why, so you can make an informed decision without having to decode policy documents yourself.

Yes — and unlike many insurers and brokers, we charge no extra fee or interest for monthly instalments. The monthly option costs exactly the same as paying annually. No hidden charges, no finance fees.

It varies by property, but our motel clients have saved anywhere from a few hundred dollars to nearly $15,000 on their annual premiums. The savings tend to be largest when clients have been with the same insurer for several years without shopping the market. If you haven’t had your motel insurance independently reviewed recently, there’s a good chance you’re overpaying.

Three ways:

  1. Call us on 1800 008 005 — it’s the fastest option and we can get accurate quotes with the right information straight away
  2. Upload your current renewal schedule or complete the form HERE  — we’ll do the rest
  3. Email your current schedule to quote@obib.com.au

We’ll come back to you within one business day with at least 10 options and a clear recommendation.

Motels that switched and saved


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"OBIB were quick to respond to my request for a quote and efficient and helpful in assisting me to make a claim. Best of all they saved me around $10,000 (around 50%) on my Business Insurance Premiums. Also when we had a downturn in business due to COVID-19, they were able to assist with my request to defer the monthly payments. Craig was very helpful and friendly."

Kathy

Former owner of Mayfield Motel


"I am very happy with the absolutely professional and prompt manner in which Online Business Insurance Brokers personnel have dealt with our Business Insurance request. It is very evident that the team at this brokerage put a lot of effort into tailoring and sourcing our business insurance with an outcome that has given us well addressed coverage, significant savings (nearly $15,000) plus the option to make interest free monthly repayments. This brokerage communicates well and is easy to interact with. Well done folks."

John

Winter Sun Motel - Rockhampton


"Camryn from OBIB has been a pleasure to work with from the very beginning. She was able to get us a much better deal on our commercial business' and building insurance and has worked diligently on other queries from us. I would 100% recommend her to anyone looking for a better price on their insurance. Thank you Camryn, you're an asset to this business."

Hannah

Barham Bridge Motor Inn

Paying interest to pay monthly? You shouldn't be.

All our options can be paid by monthly installments at no extra cost. Get 10+ tailored quotes within 24 hours.

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