Here are some ratings from a new hostel that just opened. From their first 3 Hostelworld.com reviews their rating is just 57%. It's hard to believe a hostel wouldn't be working hard to make sure their first guests were very happy. 40% staff rating and 53% cleanliness right after opening?
Is it just bad luck or maybe a few mistakes in the beginning?
Santa Klaus mentioned something interesting a couple of days ago -- hostels that get abysmal reviews are bad for hostels in general because the person might not stay in hostels again and might tell their friends that hostels are bad in general.
One example is the person(s) who keeps trying to add this photo of a dirty hostel dorm room to the Wikipedia page about hostels saying that photos of dirty hostels are more realistic than the current photos. (I had added photos of clean hostels to the Wikipedia page and deleted the photos of dirty hostels.)
Another example is angry reviews that say things like "stay away from hostels period".
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15 years
hm...
this hostel has bad review on 'fun' and 'staff'.
Did they open when not everything was ready(funitures etc)?
When there are not so many people, it is sorta boring to stay.
And need to train employees... or the owner needs to care about their customers more.
I like to go to hostels where they actually help me w/ directions and other questions.
15 years
I believe that the main reason is that employees did not know exactly what they were supposed to do.
I would assume that anyone starting a job would try to be the best possible version of themselves as employees...lol-
Regarding cleanning...it depends on the person...I´ve been having a 100% in cleaning and order, and a couple of weeks ago I had a couple and they both complaint like hell regarding that issue. Of course, I apologized, sent someone to re clean the suite, and the truth is, they said it wasn´t very clean...so, ok...we gave them a free day and hoped for them to leave ASAP! I can assure you I´m pretty intense about order...I have people on my staff that complain about me...LOL
THen, the pic that Josh shows is not "DIRTY HOSTEL" It´s just plain mess! If you check under the bed, where the bed feet are...there is no dust or anything like that... ITS A HELL OF A MESS, coz paxs just decorated the dorm with clothing...
Bad reviews call for a re opening event or something like that.
Also, give discounts for recomendations, send e mails to the paxes that gave good reviews. Work on public relations... etc, etc.
I hope thay get better and learn from there mistakes...
15 years
One example is the person(s) who keeps trying to add this photo of a dirty hostel dorm room to the Wikipedia page about hostels saying that photos of dirty hostels are more realistic than the current photos. (I had added photos of clean hostels to the Wikipedia page and deleted the photos of dirty hostels.)
I'm going to speak up here on this one and say I find nothing wrong with the photo of what you call a dirty hostel dorm room. It looks a lot like the typical hostels I've stayed at while backpackers were living in it. I'm pretty sure once guests leave and housekeeping cleans the room up it looks just as nice as any of those other places' photo you added. Plus, I think there's a big difference between dirty and messy. I think the photo is very realistic, sorry. Hostels come in all shapes and sizes and to show just one side is misleading. Not all places look pristine like only germaphobes visit them. :)
15 years
Agree about the dorm photo - the room looks basically clean, but with people gear strewn about making it messy. Not sure what someone would want - housekeeping to go and tidy up backpacks and clothes? Some people get touchy if you start interferring with their possessions when cleaning. I think anyone who can't handle a messy (i.e. other customers mess) dorm probably won't be suited to sharing accommodation.
Regards the poor reviews of the new hostel, obviously I have no idea about the individual hostel, and it may be terrrible. It does indicate the problem when you only haev a few reviews. A few bad reviews can make you look terrible. It may be deserved, or could be associated with a few teething problems. Say the hot water system went out a few days after opening - your reviews will be bad if people can't get a hot shower, even if it was jsut bad luck and fixed as soon as possible. I've certainly had cases of bad reviews left by people who've been asked to stop smoking in dorms (which is illegal in the UK). This leaves a bad taste for them, and they then leave a bad review.
15 years
...I find nothing wrong with the photo of what you call a dirty hostel dorm room. It looks a lot like the typical hostels I've stayed at while backpackers were living in it. I'm pretty sure once guests leave and housekeeping cleans the room up it looks just as nice as any of those other places' photo you added.
The reason I don't like this photo of the dirty/messy dorm room is that everything about the photo looks unappealing -- it's grainy and a mess and doesn't give a good impression of hostelling for the Wikipedia page.
Some dorms look like that but they don't have to. I think it's okay for hostels to tell guests not to leave their things all over the room: "please don't leave your stuff on the floor or on other beds"... and/or provide shelves or large lockers where guests can put their stuff. If the hostel provides large lockers guests will often put their stuff in them. The housekeepers are going to have a hard time cleaning the room like that. Housekeepers usually won't touch backpackers' things...
Shelves:
Lockers that can fit large backpacks:
(click the photos for more info about them)
15 years
My ideal for a locker would be something like this:
The way some gym lockers are done would be very handy for the hostels as you can store the bag, hang your clothes and have some shelf space for shoes and other stuff.
15 years
My ideal for a locker would be something like this:
The way some gym lockers are done would be very handy for the hostels as you can store the bag, hang your clothes and have some shelf space for shoes and other stuff.
It looks practical, but is it durable? Another question I would have is its unit price compared to other types of Lockers? Does that make of locker have a warranty?
15 years
It looks practical, but is it durable? Another question I would have is its unit price compared to other types of Lockers? Does that make of locker have a warranty?
Thats something I'm looking at. They would have to be cheap enough and security would have to be good as well. We are now starting to look around and see what is out there from the various companies in Japan as well as looking at getting quotes for custom built lockers.
15 years
> I believe that the main reason is that employees did not know exactly what they were supposed to do.
15 years
What do you do in your hostels to avoid that? What are all the points you go through with them? I take a normal description of work task for granted, but what about those special situations?
Rather than spelling out every situation that could possibly arise, I simply make it clear to all of my staff that I have hand picked them because I am confident in their abilities and instincts. I tell all of them that I want them to take ownership of the hostel, that they are empowered to make any decision that needs to be made during their shift, and that I will back them up on anything they decide. (If they make a bad call, then we'll deal with it later, but I applaud them for taking the initiative and handling the situation as they see fit) So far, it hasnt come back to bite me yet!
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