A hostel success story:
Business is booming at Northwest Portland International Hostel.
So much so that Jim Kennett, founder and program operator, recently purchased the historic Elliston Building next door, at Northwest 18th Avenue and Glisan Street. He committed more than $100,000 and a year of sweat equity, installing bathrooms and kitchen facilities, while adding 50 dormitory beds and 10 private rooms to the 38-bed facility.
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"We've been filled most nights throughout the summer," Kennett said of the former boarding house thought to have been built in 1889. "People who stay in hostels are special kind of travelers who want to experience other cultures and aren't easily discouraged, even when our government imposes restrictions on them."
Kennett says tighter airline security hasn't hindered travel to Portland. With rooms ranging from $17 to $59 a night, Northwest Hostel has the second-highest occupancy rate in the United States — 11,000 visitors last year, placing it just behind Hawaii — among the 5 million-member Hostelling International.
Read the full article Hostel's success spurs expansion.
Also, visit the web site for the Portland HI Hostels.
