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Proposed New York Hostel Legislation (Survey)

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Rucksack Brian started this discussion 11 years 7 months ago

Please complete this important survey regarding the proposed legislation for hostels in NYC.

As many hostel operators around the world are aware, New York City has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of hostels over the past few years as a result of city enforcement of rules and regulations that made it very difficult to operate a true hostel in the city. However, recently the city seems to have recognized the error of their ways and made a course correction. Mayor Bloomberg and legislators have stated: “Our goal is to attract 175,000 more young tourists to our city each year which will create more than 1,000 new jobs for New Yorkers.”

Hostelworld has been working closely with the legislators in New York and is planning to propose new legislation for hostels in New York City. HostelManagment.com has been in communication with John O'Donnell, Chief Operating Officer for Hostelworld, and he has welcomed input on this issue from the HostelManagement.com membership. Feedback from the international hostel industry is needed in order to ensure that this important legislation is appropriate for hostel operators of all shapes and sizes and consistent with global hostel standards.

We are asking all members to participate in this important survey. Your input is very important since a proposal like this could be used later as a precedent for legislation in other regions and this could directly affect your business. All answers from individual hostels will be kept strictly confidential. Hostel location information has been requested by the legislators as they have stated they are primarily interested in input from U.S. operators and foreign investors. However, input from other regions may be considered especially if the proposed NYC legislation is dramatically different than the current global hostel standard.

Begin The Survey Now

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BooAnytripFail

11 years

IRONY... OK so let's just get this straight. Hostelworld!!! The company that caused the incredible explosion of non hostel properties to enter the hostel market in NYC over the past 10years has a say in the definition of a hostel??? Hostelworld signed up any fleabag motel/hotel, lofts with 5 to 40 beds, broken down apartments in dodgy areas, unsold spec condos and burned out vans etc etc in NYC in the mid part of the last decade. It was no wonder that NYC shut them all down! Yes, unfortunately lot's of decent, well intentioned, well run, excellent properties were negatively effected by this clamp down. HW was a huge part of the rampant entrance of decadent, unsafe properties entering the hostel market in NYC and the rest of the world. It was and continues to be for the most part, an unbridled, unregulated and unsafe way of doing business.

Please complete the survey however. HW obviously created this survey. Will they use these standards and this newly created definition of a hostel(that HW is somehow helping NYC create) in all the cities they sell beds in? Will they list properties that do not meet these standards? This "standardization" move is spreading. Other cities are watching this very closely. HW has opened a huge can of worms by not quality checking any of the properties they sign up. Every city has these types of properties listed on HW.

Look up the story of Elisa Lam. HW put her into that property.

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Rucksack Brian

11 years

Hostelworld!!! The company that caused the incredible explosion of non hostel properties to enter the hostel market in NYC over the past 10years has a say in the definition of a hostel???

Not just a say in the definition. They are writing the definition.

HW obviously created this survey.

HW wrote the proposed legislation, but they had no part in writing the survey. These questions came from Hostel Management.

The survey questions were designed to see what the hostel operators themselves think are appropriate standards and to ensure that the legislation is consistent with the global hostel standards. Is the wording okay as it is? Is it inappropriate or unnecessary? Is it biased in favor of certain hostels models or restrictive against others? The survey will tell us.

Will they use these standards and this newly created definition of a hostel(that HW is somehow helping NYC create) in all the cities they sell beds in?

This is my concern too. If HW uses the proposed standards as a blanket requirement for all cities it could have a major impact on the global hostel industry. That's why it's so important that the final legislation should be suitable for all types of hostels. We need feedback from as many hostels as possible to determine what the proper standards should be. Then any changes that the industry deems necessary can be proposed. This is our chance to voice our opinions about laws that could directly affect all of our businesses. We need to have a say in this.

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lasagna

11 years

Does anybody have the NYC draft???

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Rucksack Brian

11 years

Here is the latest version of the draft.

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gordo

11 years

Does anyone have a copy of the legislation that current non-profit hostels operate under in NYC?

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BooAnytripFail

11 years

Thanks for up loading the draft. Wow. This legislation will really have a huge effect. Very few current hostels in NYC meet this code.

§ 26-103 Licensed hostel services. A license shall not be issued or renewed for a licensed hostel unless, in addition to sleeping accommodations, the hostel provides the following services for guests:
1. A restaurant, coffee shop, cafeteria or drinking establishment located in the hostel with direct access for guests from within the hostel.

5. One or more common lounge areas for guests with a combined minimum floor space of not less than fifteen square feet per occupant. Such required minimum floor space shall be exclusive of closets, bathrooms and private halls and other similar spaces but may include space used as a common kitchen for the use of all guests.

3. Spacing between beds and bunk bed combinations. No bed or bunk bed combination shall be placed within three feet of another bed or bunk bed combination located within the same hostel unit or private room,

9. Beds. All beds and bunk bed combinations shall be metal or other noncombustible materials. (NO WOOD BEDS)

12. Dimensions. A hostelunit or private room shall have at least 400 cubic feet of air spacefor each bed therein. For the purposes of this subdivision each bed of a bunk bed combination shall be counted separately.
(Do the math on what 400 cubic feet of airspace means, most rooms are 8feet tall so the room dimensions have to be 50 square feet per bed (not per bunk!)This means that a 6 bed dorm has to be 300square feet and an 8 bed dorm has to be 400 square feet.)

I'll say it again I wonder if Hostelworld because they are so involved in this process will apply this deifinition to all properties it lists.

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gordo

11 years

There is absolutely NO chance HW would use these criteria on all properties it lists, no chance whatsoever - it would eliminate WAAAAAY too many existing hostels and make it incredibly difficult for more hostels to join. Theyre trying to expand not retract. HW is involved because NYC is a massive market, MASSIVE and as it stands theyre not getting a penny out of the place.

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BooAnytripFail

11 years

Wait and see how many other cities adopt this criteria as a result.

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gordo

11 years

Why would they do that? A great many countries already have legislated standards for hostels and most are actually trying to encourage tourism. I really cant imagine any city council saying to themselves 'oh hey, NYC put incredibly onerous conditions on the operation of hostels, maybe we should do they same?' What possible purpose would it serve? The only risk would be in cities that currently don't have specific requirements basing any future legislation on NYC's example.

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BooAnytripFail

11 years

Pretty simple. Notice the 3 month inspections? The inclusion of food? Very simple: fees, taxes, licenses and non conformance penalties etc. Based on the proposed legislation, the opportunity to make money for NYC has increased exponentially from the status quo. Other cities are watching very closely. San Fransisco, San Diego, Barcelona, Toronto, Auckland, Brisbane are re drafting legislation right now? Public safety? The actual usage of these types of buildings has not changed much. The accepted definition of a hostel has been lacking so no enforceable standards are present in many cities.

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