running a hostel before internet and now, communication of hostels

Hello!

I am a communication science student and also this summer have had my first hostel experience. I never stayed in a hostel before, but I nevertheless got an opportunity to work in one. I am from Croatia where hostels are relatively new concept. A lot of people when u tell them about hostels, mistake it for a hotel and when u tell them how hostels work their reaction often is : "You share room with complete strangers?". Another thing is that they have idea of hostels as dirty places, with stinky , moneyless backpackers. That is the reason why I chose to write a project about hostels.

Since I am a communication science student, part of my project has to have a part about communication. So, I have written about making a hostel reservation through Hostelworld, have explained how the whole thing works etc.

But I need also to write about the way how hostels operated before the age of internet. I understand it was mostly through word of mouth, that people had to show up at the place not knowing in advance whether there will be availabilities or not. I have also heard an interesting story about hostels in Hungary, "runners", their bodyguards etc. :)

So, if anyone can help me with that, if someone has been into hosteling before the era of internet, has worked or managed some hostel then and can help me by telling me about their external and internal communication then, I would greatly appreciate it.

Tnx. :)