15 years
I remember talking about this in another thread. If people become turned off to the idea of Hostels it will become more difficult for Entrepreneurs to open new hostels in this country.This is a case of mistaken identity.
"Hostels" as "homeless shelters" - coming to the USA?
Hostel Trends and News
I just saw an article about a "hostel" in a Missouri, USA website:
"Springfield Considers a Hostel in the Commercial Street District"
http://www.kspr.com/news/local/51524177.html
Just one block south of Commercial St., at Boonville and Pacific, sits an unassuming parking lot. That's despite some assumptions it should be the location of Springfield's first hostel.
"This is a place they could choose to stay," says the Executive Director of Victory Mission, Jim Harriger.
Harriger proposes a four-story facility there, which could house 210 men nightly, for $10 a night.
The article wasn't clear, but it sounds like they're using the word "hostel" to refer to a shelter of some kind. Victory Mission sounds like its mission is to help the needy, not provide dorm beds for travelers:
When Victory Mission begain in 1976, it was a hand out to those that needed help. Now, Victory Mission is a multi-faceted, Christian educational facility teaching the life and job skills needed to become productive citizens.
and:
http://www.victorymission.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogsection&id=5&Itemid=26
Jim Harriger told the Springfield City Council on Monday he felt a bill to delay new construction in the Commercial Street Historic District was aimed squarely at him.
Harriger, executive director of Victory Mission homeless shelter, plans to build a hostel for homeless travelers near Commercial Street that could accommodate up to 210 people.
But the city is seeking a one-year "administrative delay" on new building permits and zoning changes near Commercial.
It appears that due to this, the city is making restrictions on "hostels" that might affect actual travelers hostels in the future:
The memorandum also includes an amendment for the Hotels, Motels, Inns, Hostels, and Dormitories in the Center City District:
Hostels shall be limited to maximum occupancy of twenty-four (24) guests and not more than one (1) kitchen.
That would mean Harriger's proposal of 210 occupants wouldn't work. However, that was only a draft, not an official ordinance
I think it's detrimental for modern travelers hostels for the word "hostel" to be applied to homeless shelters or other kinds of shelters. I've only seen this usage of "hostel" in the UK and Ireland until now.
I think the problem is that many people don't know what a hostel is so anyone can say something about "hostels" and people will accept it. The city of Springfield, MO is considering limiting the size of hostels to 24 beds which could be shooting themselves in the foot from a tourism perspective as the hostel industry rapidly expands in the US. Tourism is almost 10% of Springfield's economy and it's right on Route 66 which makes it attractive to international backpackers. The city even claims the title "Birthplace of Route 66".
What do you think? Is using the word "hostel" to refer to homeless shelters detrimental to hostels?
- Comments
15 years
That use of the word is used in Australia too. If you do a job search on one of the major Australian job websites for hostel you get results for nurses and public health administrators.
I think the term hostel traditionally means accommodation with shared facilities. I think budget accommodation is always going to be looked down at by some people. And lets face it, there are plenty of hostel, and other budget accommodation owners that are just out there for a cheap buck.
I'd say most travelers are savvy enough to be able to distinguish the difference, it is a big issue if the city's regulations don't though.
Here is the City of Sydney's Visitor and Tourist Accommodation Control Plan.
You can see that backpacker accommodation is clearly defined. Maybe Springfield has something similar, or as a market that isn't established needs, to draft something similar?
15 years
I think the term hostel traditionally means accommodation with shared facilities. I think budget accommodation is always going to be looked down at by some people. And lets face it, there are plenty of hostel, and other budget accommodation owners that are just out there for a cheap buck.
It looks like the word "hotel" may have originally come from "hostel":
The word hotel is derived from the French hôtel (coming from hôte meaning host), which referred to a French version of a townhouse or any other building seeing frequent visitors, rather than a place offering accommodation. In contemporary French usage, hôtel now has the same meaning as the English term, and hôtel particulier is used for the old meaning. The French spelling, with the circumflex, was also used in English, but is now rare. The circumflex replaces the 's' found in the earlier hostel spelling, which over time took on a new, but closely related meaning. Grammatically, hotels usually take the definite article - hence "The Astoria Hotel" or simply "The Astoria".
The hostel industry is getting quite large. I think in most of the world, "hostel" typically refers to travelers' accommodation in dorms. I don't think it's good for hostels if additional countries start using the word "hostel" to refer to homeless shelters. :)
I'd say most travelers are savvy enough to be able to distinguish the difference, it is a big issue if the city's regulations don't though.
Experienced travelers can tell the difference, but new travelers, journalists, and other people get confused. I even get confused if a news article isn't written clearly. :)
Here is the City of Sydney's Visitor and Tourist Accommodation Control Plan.
You can see that backpacker accommodation is clearly defined. Maybe Springfield has something similar, or as a market that isn't established needs, to draft something similar?
Great document... I'll put it in the Wiki.
15 years
The hostel industry is getting quite large. I think in most of the world, "hostel" typically refers to travelers' accommodation in dorms. I don't think it's good for hostels if additional countries start using the word "hostel" to refer to homeless shelters. :)
That's a fair point, it would be nice if the word hostel wasn't used at all for homeless shelters.
Usually 'hostel' is qualified with 'youth', or 'backpackers' in Australia.
15 years
The twitter search thread reminded me that 'hostel' must also be used to describe on campus university accommodation in some countries. The way dorm is used in the USA I think.
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