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What is the priority to be in the membership of the Hostelling International ?

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Peter started this discussion 17 years 2 months ago

Shall I get a more turists if I shall be registered in the Hostelling International ?
Thank you

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Dorstener

15 years

I don´t think so....
Not NOW with the dollar sooooooo high.
Right now, 1 dollar is $3.66 so hostels are making a good buck...
Maybe at the end of 2010 when the economic hassle finds a way...

From my point of view, there are a few factors to mention that hostels will have tough times in Buenos Aires

a) There are too many for a demand that does exist but with the crisis may fall

b) "Real" (brazilian currency) is also dropping its value, and Rio and brazil in general are better known or more attractive than Buenos Aires in backpacker's mind. If u think about that, before the 2001 economic crisis in Argentina, Buenos Aires barely had hostels, because there were not many backpackers. It was only due to the crisis and the "Real" being so high in comparison with the "Peso" (argentinian currency) that Argentina revived from its ashes in terms of tourism...

c) Many hostels in Buenos Aires don't know how to run themselves. People opened hostels there just for the sake of it (actually thinking that it was good business - which i reckon it is) but had no idea on how to run a hostel, so those are the ones that will struggle...This is a fact, I have been approched twice in the last 2 months regarding people that opened hostels within the last 2 years and want to get rid of them. Why ??? Because even though the business is not being properly run, the property is worth a lot of money still.

d) San Telmo, a highly backpackers area, is becoming slowly less attractive for backpackers, being Palermo and Microcentro the remaining areas and Boedo the new area to be discovered...How many hostels do u have in San Telmo, i could easily name u a dozen....how many of those are brand new hostels (meaning opened during the last year)

e) HI Argentina is really well organized (monopolized if u want to put it that way as well)(Despite all their failures, HI Argentina is running a superb job of rotating passenger within HI hostels, which takes that huge market out of hostels outside the chain). Iguazu, Salta, Mendoza, Calafate, they are not an issue as HI has not too many beds in those destinations, but...Buenos Aires, they have (someone correct me if iam wrong) 12 hostels being that over 1500+ beds easy....This is not a BIG deal if u already have your own market (e.g. Estoril Hostel - Best rated hostel in Hostelworld for Buenos Aires - number 7 in the world - not a HI member) but for all the newbies.....

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But, they are not all bad facts, let's be a little bit positive about all this...

a) in the last 9 years, Argentina in general has done a great improvement in its tourism infrastructure (good policies mostly) and had the chance to show herself to the world, before being shadowed by Brazil.

b) It is said that the argentinian peso will drop even more, so even though the "Real" might drop, if the "Peso" keeps dropping it won't matter much.

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Josh Hostels

15 years

HW has closed the market for new hostels in Bs As? That´s incredibly stupid and highly unfair. It gives the ones who are "in" a clear competetive advantage. I would say that´s a clear abuse of their power as de-facto monopolist.

Definitely a bad turn...
What happens if they start doing this with other cities also?

Would be interested to hear WRI's perspective on it...

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Josh Hostels

15 years

...HI Argentina is running a superb job of rotating passenger within HI hostels, which takes that huge market out of hostels outside the chain...

HI Argentina does an amazing job of rotating backpackers through their hostels.
"Where are you headed next? Oh, let me check availability for you [types into instant messenger] -- They have a bed for you, would you like me to book it for you now here at the desk?"

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Dorstener

15 years

HI Argentina does an amazing job of rotating backpackers through their hostels.
"Where are you headed next? Oh, let me check availability for you [types into instant messenger] -- They have a bed for you, would you like me to book it for you now here at the desk?"

yep, simply as that. But if you check HI Bolivia, HI Colombia, HI Peru or even HI Australia (first world country) they don't emphasize on this....

And it took a lot of work to do so in Argentina (many hostels even complaint) but at the end it did bring huge profits, and actually smaller hostels where happier than bigger ones....

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Dorstener

15 years

Definitely a bad turn...
What happens if they start doing this with other cities also?

Would be interested to hear WRI's perspective on it...

That's a good question...but probably you have to find a country that matches the same conditions as the ones in Buenos Aires now....and that is not a everyday thing....

EDIT: i thought about this a little bit longer....probably cases like Prague could be in the same situation. Meaning, new backpackers destination, cheap rates compared to the rest of the neighboring countries and good fun and sights in the city itself....I know Prague is not CHEAP CHEAP, but it is still cheap within Europe....so defo, it is a really good question...

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santa klaus

15 years

That's a good question...but probably you have to find a country that matches the same conditions as the ones in Buenos Aires now....and that is not a everyday thing....

Maybe the USA.... soon!

The number of American backpackers this Winter is only half of what it was the previous Winter. The decline already started last Summer but we didn´t really notice because when you are full you don´t really look who buys your beds. Now we aren´t full so I had a look who isn´t buying them any more.

In Berlin, we had more German guests in February than Americans. I have worked in hostels since 1993 and in all those years that would have been unthinkable.

America is in deep doo-doo already, but the really big bomb has not blown up yet. That would be when the Dollar goes the same way as the Argentinean Peso did. The Saudi and Chinese governments are still preventing that, but who knows when they start to mind their own interests. Those are some really nice friends you have to rely on...

Mind you, the Argentineans couldn´t imagine in their worst nightmares what has actually happened to them, and it happened really quick and without any warning.

I´m not saying that will happen or even that it´s likely, but I´m not so sure about anything any more.

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Dorstener

15 years

Maybe the USA.... soon!

The number of American backpackers this Winter is only half of what it was the previous Winter. The decline already started last Summer but we didn´t really notice because when you are full you don´t really look who buys your beds. Now we aren´t full so I had a look who isn´t buying them any more.

In Berlin, we had more German guests in February than Americans. I have worked in hostels since 1993 and in all those years that would have been unthinkable.

America is in deep doo-doo already, but the really big bomb has not blown up yet. That would be when the Dollar goes the same way as the Argentinean Peso did. The Saudi and Chinese governments are still preventing that, but who knows when they start to mind their own interests. Those are some really nice friends you have to rely on...

Mind you, the Argentineans couldn´t imagine in their worst nightmares what has actually happened to them, and it happened really quick and without any warning.

I´m not saying that will happen or even that it´s likely, but I´m not so sure about anything any more.

I totally agree with you....the whole world is gonna notice the crisis, some more, some other people less...

But, we have to clear out that my explanations were referring to the "hostel-boom" that Buenos Aires is experiencing and in all those explanations, why hostelworld or HI were not opening spaces for more hostels there...

Going back to your explanation, i agree, and i reckon that most of the destinations where americans were their top customers are gonna be the most affected ones. The only doubt that i have regarding hostels and the crisis is that people that use to stay in 2/3/4 star hotels, can now find that commodity in hostels and paying less, so this could be really helpful for hostels to go through the crisis. So maybe hostels (at least in main cities) won't feel the crisis that much....

I've seen stats of big hostels (over 100+ beds with good services) and they are defo not struggling....so....that's actually my personal doubt....

Being hostels the last provider of the accommodation chain (this is totally arguable, but let's generalize a bit), would we get a benefit from the crisis or will we be affected like everybody else ???

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santa klaus

15 years

But, we have to clear out that my explanations were referring to the "hostel-boom" that Buenos Aires is experiencing and in all those explanations, why hostelworld or HI were not opening spaces for more hostels there...

I think the hostel-boom in Argentina was a direct result of their crisis. The Peso lost value, so travelling there became cheap. There was a lot of empty real estate and many people had no jobs and no hope of finding one - so what´s the obvious thing to do? Use your free time and some free real estate to start a hostel.

We have exactly the same ingredients in the USA now, except that the Dollar is still not going down. There´ll be a hostel boom in the USA anyway, but if the Dollar goes down significantly it´s going to happen really soon really fast - like in Argentina.

I've seen stats of big hostels (over 100+ beds with good services) and they are defo not struggling....so....that's actually my personal doubt....

Being hostels the last provider of the accommodation chain (this is totally arguable, but let's generalize a bit), would we get a benefit from the crisis or will we be affected like everybody else ???

You are right, we are not "struggling", but we notice some impact. Americans are disappearing fast while the number of European guests increases more slowly. If we can further increase the number of European guests we will be much better off because they pretty much travel all year round while Americans peak in Summer and come only in smaller numbers during off-season.

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Kapake

15 years

Here´s an example that there are no rules.
America del sur Hostel in Buenos Aires has opened in December 2008.
It´s already in Hostelworld, so...I´m clueless about my situation.

HELP!

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Kapake

15 years

From my point of view, there are a few factors to mention that hostels will have tough times in Buenos Aires

a) There are too many for a demand that does exist but with the crisis may fall.
We talked about the crisis yet. Which is affecting the exonomy of travellers, and for that reason non-backpackers are choosing more hostels than hotels.

b) "Real" (brazilian currency) is also dropping its value, and Rio and brazil in general are better known or more attractive than Buenos Aires in backpacker's mind. If u think about that, before the 2001 economic crisis in Argentina, Buenos Aires barely had hostels, because there were not many backpackers. It was only due to the crisis and the "Real" being so high in comparison with the "Peso" (argentinian currency) that Argentina revived from its ashes in terms of tourism...
There is no comparison between Brazil and Argentina. They are touristically very different and many backpackers that have been here can agree with me. It´s like choosin amsterdam instead of Rome...they have a different public, both cities are different. Comparison can be stated between Las vegas and Atlantic city...if you know what I mean

c) Many hostels in Buenos Aires don't know how to run themselves. People opened hostels there just for the sake of it (actually thinking that it was good business - which i reckon it is) but had no idea on how to run a hostel, so those are the ones that will struggle...This is a fact, I have been approched twice in the last 2 months regarding people that opened hostels within the last 2 years and want to get rid of them. Why ??? Because even though the business is not being properly run, the property is worth a lot of money still.
TRUE! This is why some hostels hire backpackers!

d) San Telmo, a highly backpackers area, is becoming slowly less attractive for backpackers, being Palermo and Microcentro the remaining areas and Boedo the new area to be discovered...How many hostels do u have in San Telmo, i could easily name u a dozen....how many of those are brand new hostels (meaning opened during the last year)
Well you have Milhouse Hostel and Hostel Estoril, both in San telmo. One excellent, the other one a party dirty hostel. you can find the same in any other area, new, old, good, bad.

e) HI Argentina is really well organized (monopolized if u want to put it that way as well)(Despite all their failures, HI Argentina is running a superb job of rotating passenger within HI hostels, which takes that huge market out of hostels outside the chain). Iguazu, Salta, Mendoza, Calafate, they are not an issue as HI has not too many beds in those destinations, but...Buenos Aires, they have (someone correct me if iam wrong) 12 hostels being that over 1500+ beds easy....This is not a BIG deal if u already have your own market (e.g. Estoril Hostel - Best rated hostel in Hostelworld for Buenos Aires - number 7 in the world - not a HI member) but for all the newbies.....
For Newbies that really sucks. We have tried it all, they keep old and dirty hostels instead of renewing themselves, untill they become the same as in Europe, an ancient depeche mode institution.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

But, they are not all bad facts, let's be a little bit positive about all this...

a) in the last 9 years, Argentina in general has done a great improvement in its tourism infrastructure (good policies mostly) and had the chance to show herself to the world, before being shadowed by Brazil.
Once again: Do not treat all southamerican countries as the same! No one compares London to Barcelona...I mean, Rio is amazing but has no comparisson to Buenos Aires, we do not even have beaches....

b) It is said that the argentinian peso will drop even more, so even though the "Real" might drop, if the "Peso" keeps dropping it won't matter much.
Most of the greatest improvement has to do with the peso loosing value...in any area...hostelling, hotelling, tourism in general!

With that said I´m still clueless on Hostelworld:mad:

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