How to make hostelling more popular in the USA?

I think it would be very great if the independent hostels in the US get together and build a community. They can select money for marketing themselves. It's cheaper to do that together than to do it on your own. For example the German Backpacker Network or the Swiss Backpacker Network works very well.

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:

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?

I think the Y generation will be more receptive to Traveling and staying in Hostels than any Generation before them. They are tech savy and see work as a part of life not the meaning of life as with previous generations. I think this is another reason to have a Hostel Trade Association to promote awarness and to establish a "code of conduct" for Hostels. I think this is important so hostels do not become ingrained into the pysche of Generation Y as a Glorified Homeless shelter.

Sadly, we won't name or advertise our place as "hostel". If you check the list of hostels in Washington, DC, only a few call themselves "hostel". :( About the zoning, if you get a commercial building, you can name your place whatever you want, but again, the Hostel movie is really haunting American. :eek:

I'm puzzled by your comment. Why don't the places in DC call themselves a hostel? What does the movie Hostel have to do with anything? Folks who are serious about travelers aren't going to let a silly horror movie stop them from staying at a hostel, they know better. There are a few places around here that call themselves everything from a guesthouse, to a boarding house, to an apartment rental, to a hotel. But who exactly are they fooling with these terms when they're set up like hostels and to book them you must go through booking sites called Hostelworld, Hostelbookers, etc. If it quacks like a duck, it's a duck. :D

Domestic travel is a huge industry in the US. An American traveling around their own county is like an EU citizen traveling around the EU. I've traveled around America a lot, I would like to stay at hostels, I hate the generic Walmart-like atmosphere of hotels/motels, but every time I research a hostel to stay at, I run into things like this:

'Apple Hostels of Philadelphia is an international hostel that caters mostly to travelers from other countries. We do not rent our beds out to persons moving to Philadelphia or simply looking for a cheap place to stay. In order to protect the safety of our guests, we require that each of our guests provide a foreign passport, a Canadian driver’s license or out-of-state college ID and government-issued ID to check in. You may also be asked to provide proof of current international travel.'

How can you possibly grow a domestic hostel industry if you don't want domestic travelers? Houston is much further away from Philadelphia than Toronto, but apparently the hostel doesn't want the traveler from Houston.

This presents a huge problem to smaller hostels in the US that would mainly rely on domestic travelers. The entire country between the Appalachians and Rockies has amazingly cheap start-up costs. But would-be customers see that they're not welcome at most of the current hostels and give up on the concept all together.