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Start a new 4 floor-hostel without elevator - asking for advice

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nhoaithanh started this discussion 9 years 11 months ago

Hi,
I am planning to build a new hostel from scratch. The hostel has 4 floors including ground floor. What do you think if my hostel does not have elevator? Do pack packers accept walking to the room at the 4th floor and not make negative feedback to the hostel?

Thanks
Tony Nguyen

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ShelliF

9 years

Hello Leipzig

I've worked at a very popular hostel in San Francisco that happens to occupy the 3rd and 4th floors of a building with no elevator. Most of the time it isn't a problem, occasionally people marked us down on rating sites because of it, but people will find all sorts of reasons to mark a place down that you wouldn't expect. One of the biggest things that I think helped was the staff offering to help carry backpacks or luggage. Friendly services can go a long way with people.

Cheers and good luck with your hostel!
Shelli

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Rucksack Brian

9 years

Hi nhoaithanh,

When you say, “4 floors including ground floor” I’m assuming that a backpacker would need to climb a maximum of three flights of stairs. Is that correct?

That doesn’t sound extreme to me, but that still doesn’t mean travelers won’t complain. It’s very important to clearly state up front that you do not have an elevator before the guests make their booking so they can decide if it’s necessary for them or not.

Since people don’t usually read property descriptions anyway, you might try a photographic approach. Here's a quick brainstorm: Take a picture of your staircase and superimpose text that says something like “There’s no elevator here. Real backpackers take the stairs.” Or perhaps actually put a sign near the stairs that says something like, “If you start singing the Rocky theme now, you’ll be a champion when you reach the top.” Then put a photo of that sign with the steps next to it online. It’s still no guarantee that people will be happy about the physical exertion, but at least it presents the real situation with a lighthearted spin.

You could also take the approach of listing all the positive benefits of taking the stairs instead of an elevator. Take a look at the poster in this thread for an example.: The power of positivity

For some more opinions, here is an older thread about the same topic: Do I really need an elevator in my hostel?

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nhoaithanh

9 years

Dear Shelli and Rucksack Brain,

Thank in advance for your valuable feedbacks. My hostel is under phase of architecture design. With carefully consideration, I think that I will invest a elevator to enhance the value of the hostel.

With best regards,

Tony Nguyen

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zomac

9 years

Your hostel is Vietnam? It seems that most hostels in Vietnam also don't have an elevator. Some people will certainly complain (if not about the elevator, it would be something else), but they don't have much choices left if most hostels in your area don't have an elevator too.

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