2 Canadian Hostels featured in Seattle Times (Brian Cantwell)

New breed of hostel worth a look in tight times (June 23, 2009)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travelswithbrian/2009371684_new_breed_of_hostel_is_worth_a_look_in_tight-money_times.html

My daughter and I are curled up in our room at the Painted Turtle Guesthouse, she on the top bunk of her bunkbed, reading a Christopher Moore book, and me with my laptop on the queen-size bed that completes our "family room" in this 20-room inn.

It's called a guesthouse, and while it's still a hostel -- and a member of Hostelling International, the worldwide standard-bearer of the hostel world -- it's definitely on the cutting edge of a genre that's worth a fresh look in this era of tightened belts.

Here's the hostel:

A related article from June 22, 2009:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/travelswithbrian/2009367486_were_not_hostile_to_hostels.html

Like most recent converts to any fanaticism, we tend to be evangelical about hosteling. But we'll try to give you an honest report on the places we stay this trip.

Here's what we've found about the Victoria International Hostel:

...

Things that make it different from a hotel (good as well as not-so): the friendly, laid-back (and often pierced and tattooed) staffers at the front desk who treat you like a friend, not a client, and not only know the best places to eat but also where to get the best buy on a phone card; the shared kitchen, where you can cook your own breakfast and meet other travelers (but mark any food you leave in the fridge; signs warn against food theft); the unusual number of guests from overseas, with guests this night from France, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Mexico, Canada and the United States. It's easy to strike up a conversation if you want.