Albergo Diffuso – multi-building hotel – volunteering projects section. Photo: alberghidiffusi.it

What is an Albergo Diffuso?

What are the differences between Albergo diffuso (Multi-building hotels), B&B, and traditional hotels?

There are many differences:

• a multi-building hotel is a hotel, in which houses/rooms must be completely empty; in a B&B the owner usually lives there.
• Regulatory reasons: B&Bs are a form of homestay and supplementing income, while hotels are full-time occupation/entrepreneurial activities.
• Cultural reasons: a “multi-building hotel” is an Italian model (from the word “Albergo Diffuso”). Bed & breakfast is an English term.
• there are ‘dimensional’ reasons: B&Bs usually have at most 3 or 4 rooms, while hotels – have at least 7 rooms (and usually many more).

A multi-building hotel can be different properties in the same city, while a B&B is just one house or one property.

Differences with a traditional hotel:

•  The multi-building hotel is usually the result of a recovery/renovation of pre-existing properties; it is never built from scratch, as could be done with a hotel.
• also, Albergo Diffuso has a “horizontal development”. In order to open a multi-building hotel, you need at least two separate properties or more. A traditional hotel has a “vertical development”: one floor of rooms above the other.
• From a structural point of view, an AD, unlike a hotel, has two halls: the traditional one, inside, and one outside, often an alley or a small square where one can meet with the neighbourhood and the local community.
• Differences in management. The hotel management is often standard, very professional, especially in the cities. For an Albergo Diffuso on the other hand, the management must have a local flavour, it cannot be standard. In a multi-building hotel, one does not only sell rooms, but also the lifestyle of a place where the tourist can feel like a “temporary” resident.

How to use this page

Click on the announcements that interest you the most. Check the date of the publication (some opportunities might be already expired). If the announcement is still valid, look for the ‘contact details’ section. It is usually at the end of the project description. In that section, you can find free ways to get in touch with the hosting organization (website, e-mail, phone numbers, application form). Send the host a message and wait for a reply.

Note❗

For several reasons, you may not always receive an answer from the hosts.  Sometimes candidate messages are too many, so the hosts won’t always be able to reply to all of the emails. For more information, please read our FAQ.

You may also want to check these volunteer sections:

1. Hostels
2. Backpacker hostels
3. Hotels
4. Albergo diffuso
5. Campings
6. Receptions
7. Resorts
8. Retreats
9. Guesthouse
10. Homestead
11. Bed&breakfast

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