Report

How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?

Promoting the Hostel Movement

Josh started this discussion 16 years 11 months ago

I think that hosteling would be more popular in the US if more Americans knew what a hostel is.

This is an example of a phone call that I've had a few times from a hostel front desk:

"Hi this is Josh from [name] hostel"

"You're calling from which hospital?"

"No, hostel, H-O-S-T-E-L. Like a hotel, but a hostel."

"Hotel?"

"Hostel, like youth hostel"

"Which hospital did you say you were at?"

:confused:

I think that hosteling would do a lot better in the US if more Americans knew what hostels were. Many Americans have only heard about hostels because of the horror movie.

I think that many people in the US are driving around the country and traveling places, but only staying at hotels and motels.

If more Americans knew about hostels it would be good for hostels everywhere because there would be a new group of people who suddenly realize that traveling isn't as expensive as it sounds.

Does anyone have ideas on how to make the idea of hosteling more known in the USA?

Just brainstorming some ideas:

A coordinated effort for US hostels to give slideshows about hostels and traveling. When I stayed at one of the California HI hostels Edward Hasbrouck came by and gave a presentation on how to travel around the world. He was promoting his book and airtreks.com, but what if more hostels offered presentations/slideshows and invited students to events at the hostel...? I think that HI USA is doing this at the hostels that they run, but I'm not sure if many other hostels are doing it.
Hostels mentioned in TV or movies (not just horror movies)
More coverage of hostels and backpacker travel in major media like NYT. This is already happening more often lately.

If you are from the US, how did you first hear about hostels?

Comments

Report

Scotch Argus

16 years

I agree pretty much with what Commader's said regarding the difficulties of opening hostels in the USA. Cheaper motel/hotel options foremost, also the lack of the market of people who've grown up with hostels. In my experience in the UK hostels in rural areas are extensively used by British people, often those walking, climbing, biking or paddling. It's seen as a natural thing to do when you're pursuing outdoor activities. I don't think this is the case in the USA.

I do wonder how much of the market really wants to share sleeping accommodation though. As a HI hostel we used to get a lot of dorm bed bookings, but now it's mostly enquiries and bookings for private rooms. I think despite what people say the dorm aspect of hostelling is dying. 10 years ago most hostel beds sold would have been in dorms - now I'd say the majority would be in private rooms. Sure people like the self catering facilities and common rooms etc, but for a bed I think they'd rather share with friends/family or on their own. In the larger cities you can still have larger dorms if you can sell them at a cheaper price (like those crowded pictures) but only because there is no option at the price range - I doubt people would choose to be packed in if it weren't for the price. I think starting a hostel in the US with the idea of selling dorm beds would be extremely difficult in the modern market (outside the prime tourist destinations already mentioned)

Australia is always mentioned as a large country with a well developed hostel industry, but I think it has one crucial difference to the USA, and this is the presence of a whole army of working holiday makers on long saty visas. Whilst they may not be locals, there are hostels full of these people from all sorts of countries all up the east coast of Australia. Some might only stay a few weeks, and some longer, but they are constantly replenished with fresh blood. and when they leave where they work they go on the well worn trail up the east coast, either via plane to Cairns and Uluru, and maybe Melbourne, populating hostels along the way, as they are by far the cheapest option. If there were motel rooms in Australia at $30 per room they'd probably stay there.

Unless there's a major change in US policy regarding Working Holiday makers I doubt that you'll ever get an industry like there is in Australia. Even if you did get a change in the law, you'd have to compete against a highly developed budget motel industry that doesn't exist in Europe, or even Australia.

As an aside I think public transport is fine in Australia - you can easily get between major destinations, and once in the cities there is public transport which is easy to use and well patronised. I've been to large american cities where public transport is practically non-existant or seriously under-funded. This would make it hard to open a hostel and expect to get people who aren't driving - unless you are right in the middle of the action - which will usually make opening your business more expensive.

Report

uktrail

16 years

Scotch Argus's points are good, and certainly justify the trend towards more private rooms in hostels. But they ignore the solo traveller. If all hostels were to stop having dorms and have only private rooms, then solo travellers would have to pay £30-£40 for a bed. In other words, they would be discriminated against.

I guess that, if this happened, systems such as couchsurfing would greatly expand. And, hey presto, there would be dorms again, but run with little regulation.

Report

aboriginalhostel

16 years

That just looks awfully cramped to me.

Indeed. Can you imagine this hostel actually have won the Hoscar in 2003?

According what I've heard, it was a pretty neat place back then. Around 100 beds total on one floor of the building...

So I guess someone got the $$$-fever, and thought if it works with 100 beds, it will work even bigger. Now the entire building hosts 700(!) beds, a stressed out reception and it looks like the cleaning staff doesn't know what to do.

I met the manager once along with his colleague, both looked very stressed out, but I guess cramping the place wasn't their idea...

IMHO what the place needs in the first move is reducing the beds to at least 3-400, fixing the hot water (how many complaints, please?) and motivating the staff, especially the cleaners...

I think despite what people say the dorm aspect of hostelling is dying.

If that's true, hostels need to be on the WWF list immediately as we are near to be extincted then.

How many people you've seen booked into private rooms and using the common room, talking to other guests, going out with them?

Without dorms, hostels won't be anything else but a cheap hotel and to tell the truth, most hostels are far away from hotels, B&Bs or even guest houses quality. Why is your place better than these other accommodations?

We have to use our advantages and target our clientele.

Another thing, how come dorms are rising in Asia and South America?

Report

gordo

16 years

the single biggest factor for australian hostels IMO is that east coast trek. EVERYONE goes from sydney... north. they ALL follow the coast, yes a lot work - but they tend to work other jobs (fruit picking etc) for a few weeks before movning on.

what the US lacks is a standard route. you can do the east coast, the west coast, the south, a cross country... but that divides a relatively small (and i still believe that if the US dropped its drinking age to 18, theyd get a LOT more travellers) number of backpackers across quite a few paths. Back in Oz, its a matter of getting people to Melbourne (not hard), Adelaide (why would you go?) and Perth (nice weather, surfing... not much else). If you've got a hostel north of sydney, on the beach, you're laughing.

Report

aboriginalhostel

16 years

what the US lacks is a standard route.

Funny or not, there must be routes in the US as well, just like in Oz, same as in Europe, Asia, or South America. The standard is just not statistically proved yet! ;)

US is a big country indeed, but people usually sort out their journey by their time, budget and sights they are interested in. All logic. Same reasons why there are many people go to the Gold coast but barely to Perth. Backpackers' biggest cost is traveling, the more you can see and least you spend on transportation extends your trip.

Otherwise backpackers rush in expensive cities and ease in cheap destinations...

If I'd do backpacking US, I'd try the East coast along Interstate 1 from Boston down to Florida (NYC is a must), or the West coast from Seattle down to San Diego.

However, if I'd have plenty time to kill, I'd do across the country, just all way down on route 66... :rolleyes:

Report

santa klaus

16 years

Indeed. Can you imagine this hostel actually have won the Hoscar in 2003?

That wasn´t very hard back then. We were in the monthly top ten almost every single month in 2003 and 2004 with ratings around 85%. It was the time when the small hostels in Budapest, Krakow and Lisbon which win everything now were not yet there. We won a lot of Hoscars, too. Ah, the old days! :)

So I guess someone got the $$$-fever, and thought if it works with 100 beds, it will work even bigger. Now the entire building hosts 700(!) beds, a stressed out reception and it looks like the cleaning staff doesn't know what to do.

I met the manager once along with his colleague, both looked very stressed out, but I guess cramping the place wasn't their idea...

IMHO what the place needs in the first move is reducing the beds to at least 3-400, fixing the hot water (how many complaints, please?) and motivating the staff, especially the cleaners...

I figure the cost of a building in a location like that in London must be absolutely crazy, so I´m not surprised they try to use every square inch for beds.

I don´t think a 700-bed hostel can´t be good though. We have 350 in Berlin and it works pretty well. Sure, you can´t do a job like Olga if you have 20 different receptionists and they don´t even know most of their guests, let alone talk Nietzsche to them as long as they want. It´ll be a machine, but it can be a well-oiled one, which most guests appreciate just as much. The one thing you have to avoid is getting cynical. If the management gets cynical (i.e. by not fixing the hot water for whatever reason), the rest of the staff will get cynical pretty soon, too. And then you´ll end up with a 57% cleanliness rating pretty fast.

If that's true, hostels need to be on the WWF list immediately as we are near to be extincted then.

How many people you've seen booked into private rooms and using the common room, talking to other guests, going out with them?

Without dorms, hostels won't be anything else but a cheap hotel and to tell the truth, most hostels are far away from hotels, B&Bs or even guest houses quality. Why is your place better than these other accommodations?

We have to use our advantages and target our clientele.

A small hostel with only private rooms is not a hostel - that much is right.

HOWEVER! I think one of the very few edges big hostels have over small ones is that they have the recources to run a smooth, professional operation. Picadilly obviously doesn´t (or can´t because the rent is so friggin expensive that there´s simply no cash left for providing decent service).
If you have 700 beds, you can very well have 500 of them in doubles and small private dorms. You´ll still have 200 guests in coach class and those, along with the odd flashpacking people who don´t lock up themselves in their privates, will keep the social scene alive.

Another thing, how come dorms are rising in Asia and South America?

Because that´s where the good old backpackers go. I travelled four times to South America before I even started to travel in Europe.

Report

Scotch Argus

16 years

If that's true, hostels need to be on the WWF list immediately as we are near to be extincted then.

How many people you've seen booked into private rooms and using the common room, talking to other guests, going out with them?

Without dorms, hostels won't be anything else but a cheap hotel and to tell the truth, most hostels are far away from hotels, B&Bs or even guest houses quality. Why is your place better than these other accommodations?

We have to use our advantages and target our clientele.

Another thing, how come dorms are rising in Asia and South America?

I wasn't trying to say that we'd never have any dorms, it's just that commercially a business has to move with the market. Your homepage has 3 pictures of the rooms, two of which are small privates, and one dorm. Obviously that's the impression you want to give people, which I'd agree with.

I don't think guests have to socialise with others if they don't want to, but plenty of people who have private rooms socialise with others. Get a few private rooms of Spaniards booked and the place turns into a Spanish party. To me the common room, dining room and self catering facilities offer a lot to the customer. If you book a hotel room or B&B, often all you have is your room, and especially at budget hotels there are often no other facilities, so you're stuck with your room and the TV. I don't think dorms are the sole defining characteristic of a hostel. I've been to some cheap city hostels that only have large dorms, but limited or no self catering (maybe a microwave and that's it) and no common areas besides a bar where you're supposed to buy something to sit there. To me this is a pale imitation of a hostel, even though it has dorms.

I think there is still a market for dorms, though it's decreasing. We still have the majority of our beds in dorms here, although work is being carried out to make more smaller rooms, which we really need if we want to offer what people want. All my opinion is that if people are starting a hostel and they aren't in the middle of a major tourist centre (NYC, London or major European city) it's going to be hard if you base everything on dorm occupancy.

As far as what we offer above B&B's and hotels etc the self catering facilities, common areas, free internet, and of course the main one is price. You can get beds for £13 (€14.50) each in a 5 bed sharing private room. You'd be unlikely to find a B&B or hotel in this area for that price. Even £16 each for a twin is lower than other options about here.

As far as South America and Asia goes, I don't really know, but I'd imagine there is a greater percentage of "true" backpackers who want the cheapest accommodation. Which getting back to the USA, is one reason it'll always be difficult - outside the main tourist areas you're going to find it hard to undercut the budget motels.

Report

santa klaus

16 years

I agree pretty much with what Commader's said regarding the difficulties of opening hostels in the USA. Cheaper motel/hotel options foremost, also the lack of the market of people who've grown up with hostels. In my experience in the UK hostels in rural areas are extensively used by British people, often those walking, climbing, biking or paddling. It's seen as a natural thing to do when you're pursuing outdoor activities. I don't think this is the case in the USA.

Wait a minute! That is not the case anywhere in continental Europe either.
There is certainly not "lack of the market of people who've grown up with hostels" in America! Most of our guests are American!

I do wonder how much of the market really wants to share sleeping accommodation though. As a HI hostel we used to get a lot of dorm bed bookings, but now it's mostly enquiries and bookings for private rooms. I think despite what people say the dorm aspect of hostelling is dying. 10 years ago most hostel beds sold would have been in dorms - now I'd say the majority would be in private rooms. Sure people like the self catering facilities and common rooms etc, but for a bed I think they'd rather share with friends/family or on their own. In the larger cities you can still have larger dorms if you can sell them at a cheaper price (like those crowded pictures) but only because there is no option at the price range - I doubt people would choose to be packed in if it weren't for the price. I think starting a hostel in the US with the idea of selling dorm beds would be extremely difficult in the modern market (outside the prime tourist destinations already mentioned)

You are right, it would be just as difficult as it is getting now for rural hostels in the UK. The market is indeed changing, but I don´t think the dorm aspect is totally dying.

As an aside I think public transport is fine in Australia - you can easily get between major destinations, and once in the cities there is public transport which is easy to use and well patronised. I've been to large american cities where public transport is practically non-existant or seriously under-funded. This would make it hard to open a hostel and expect to get people who aren't driving - unless you are right in the middle of the action - which will usually make opening your business more expensive.

I agree. The only American city I know is Atlanta - I was pretty amazed that a city bigger than Berlin (if you include the suburbs) has only two underground lines (this is Berlin´s underground system).
I think that has finally sunk in now though.

Report

santa klaus

16 years

I don't think guests have to socialise with others if they don't want to, but plenty of people who have private rooms socialise with others. Get a few private rooms of Spaniards booked and the place turns into a Spanish party.

Hahaha, so true. I recently got the impression that one of our hostels has turned into a Brazilian colony. I checked the numbers and saw there are never more than 20 of them staying at any one time, although it rather appears that maybe all but 20 are Brazilians. :D
I figure lots of Latinos are travelling to America, and they would certainly use a hostel wherever they find one. So no worries about your social scene in an American hostel!

I've been to some cheap city hostels that only have large dorms, but limited or no self catering (maybe a microwave and that's it) and no common areas besides a bar where you're supposed to buy something to sit there. To me this is a pale imitation of a hostel, even though it has dorms.

I plead guilty.

When we opened our first hostel in Vienna, there was no kitchen. Neither in the second one in Munich. It took me five years of molesting the bosses to convince them. Unfortunately, it´s sometimes difficult with the bureaucracy, too: they only know two sorts of kitchen here: a private one like you have at home and a restaurant kitchen with zillions of regulations. There is no such thing as a public guest kitchen for them. They just wouldn´t approve it. Now we have a kitchen in three of our hostels, only Munich has none - because the landlord wouldn´t approve it (fire hazard, he says... :rolleyes:)

It has to be said though, not that many guests actually use it. Ours are probably not bigger than yours, but we have around 300 beds in each hostel - the kitchen rarely gets very crowded.

Report

Josh Hostels

16 years

what the US lacks is a standard route.

Funny or not, there must be routes in the US as well, just like in Oz, same as in Europe, Asia, or South America. The standard is just not statistically proved yet!

I think this is true... there are some simple routes (often not very exciting) but it would help to create better ones.

I think it would help to create routes if guidebooks gave some encouragement about what the good routes are. If people only do LA -> Las Vegas -> St. Louis -> Miami they might not like their trip very much (I got that impression by asking backpackers where they've been and what they thought of the US).

Hostels could also develop routes by creating informal networks and making clear transportation routes between them.

Booking engines could recommend itineraries with details on how to travel them. Transportation is the tough part.

If I'd do backpacking US, I'd try the East coast along Interstate 1 from Boston down to Florida (NYC is a must), or the West coast from Seattle down to San Diego.

Those would be great trips...

Search form

Report 'How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Report 'Re: How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Report 'Re: How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Report 'Re: How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Report 'Re: How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Report 'Re: How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Report 'Re: How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Report 'Re: How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Report 'Re: How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Report 'Re: How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Report 'Re: How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?'?

Pages

Join the world's largest community of hostel professionals.

Check Your Email