You know how we're always talking about the importance of fire safety? Well, I’ve got some blazing hot info for you. For a while now, I've talked about a serious flaw with ionization type smoke detectors. Sure, they're great at detecting burnt toast at 2am in the morning (we've all been there...
How many of you have memories from your earliest days of backpacking that include finding dorms ranging from ‘I guess this will do’ to ‘this is appalling but hey, it’s cheap!’ A main fixture was of course the rickety bunk bed that woke you every time the other person slightly moved in their sleep...
After my recent trip to Ukraine, I would like to ask you a question. We often don't like to think about these things but how could YOUR hostel serve the citizens of your country in an emergency?I personally witnessed the resilience and the optimism of the Ukrainian people and made a video to...
The video above is not the best I can do, but there is limited time these days. Message from Darren OverbyFor over 30 years, I have worked to create international peace through hostels. While many people feel hostels are simply a cheap place to stay, I have always known they are so...
(Note: The information in this blog post is also available in the video above. Why not subscribe to our YouTube channel?) Is your hostel not showing up as high as you would like in Google search results? Do you want more direct bookings, but realize that travelers...
The Childers Backpackers Fire happened in 2000 and it had a profound effect on me as a hostel owner. 15 backpackers died and many were injured. Since 2000, there have been many other hostel fires so fire safety is something every hostel owner should pay attention to. In this week'...
I routinely talk with aspiring owners to help them realize their dream of owning their own hostel. However, I felt this conversation with aspiring hostel owner, Brett Berghauer, was unique. Brett's questions really seemed to get at the heart of what hostel ownership is all about. It also led me to...
Headlines in OurHostels - Episode #3This is a weekly Hostel Management video where we will let you know what's happening on the site and what's new in the world of hosteling.
Here's the first episode of Headlines in OurHostels. This is a new weekly video on YouTube where I'll summarize the latest news and posts from our site and share video submissions from our global community of hostel owners, managers, staff, and guests. The idea here is, is that you don't have...
Everyone has been asking, "What's happened to Rucksack Brian?", "When are we going to be doing Unconferences again?". Well, I had an opportunity to catch up with Brian in a Zoom call, of course, and in this video, we talk about hostels, the future of our industry, the future of...
"How do I market shared spaces after a virus & pandemic that encouraged us to stay apart??" This may be one of many questions you're navigating as we begin feeling the hopeful light at the end of the tunnel. Are you ready for your hostel to start thriving once more? That one probably...
