What do people think about carpeted floors? I've recently seen an otherwise well-designed, custom-built hostel that has carpets. They are already stained even though they are new. I imagine a lot of backpackers drop things or throw up occasionally.
It seems like if an accident happens it's going to take longer to clean it out of a carpet than on a solid floor that can be mopped...
16 years
My house doesn't have carpet, which I am thankful for every time my cat throws up.
I think carpet is a really bad idea for hostels. They are difficult to clean and look dirty even in a new hostel. Also it is one more place where bed bugs and fleas can live.
16 years
How about built-in kitchen units?
It is of course the fashion to replace open shelves with built-in cupboards, because they 'look better', and they reduce dust and fat accumulation. But how many times have you opened 6 cupboard doors in a hostel kitchen before you find the item you wanted? And have you noticed how a cupboard typically holds only about half as much as a shelf area of the same size (because shelving within fitted cupboards is prescribed, and leaves a lot of space).
16 years
Here's a new hostel carpet that I photographed:
It's an otherwise well-designed hostel, but I'm not sure carpets were a good idea.
The shelves are a good idea too. I'll add it to the Start a Hostel guide. I've been updating it lately.
16 years
i've only worked in one hostel that didnt have carpetted floors - the globetrotter up here in edinburgh - and they had ugly ugly linolium flooring. hideous.
our carpets here are stained pretty badly in some places (when cleaners drop a bucket of bleach... it doesnt go well) and it doesnt look good. that said, any flooring in a hostel is going to be hard to keep unmarked and carpet feels nicer. im definately torn on this one; i think carpet is better from a guests point of view, but its bloody high maintenance and turns bad quickly. still havent made my mind up...
16 years
It's probably expensive, but I think my ideal floor material is wood.
A hostel in Taiwan:
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Here are some wood floors in Japan -- no shoes allowed indoors:
Not sure what these floors from Wombats are -- wood?
I've seen nice tile floors also...
16 years
looks like a wood laminate - but im sure klaus will correct me :P
id love to have real hardwood flooring but not, it aint cheap.
16 years
We have carpets in the rooms and are not unhappy with it. Cleaning with a vacuum cleaner is quick and easy and I think it makes the feeling of a room warmer and more homelike.
Bedbugs will find there space anyway, with or without carpets, with sleeping bags allowed or not.
We do once a year (in the winter time) a deep cleaning of the carpets and until now, despite of a few spots, our carpets look ok.
Wooden floors give the room a warm feeling as well, so this is a nice idea too. Depends on the country, in the warmer ones even tiles can be all right and still not converting the hostel into a hospital.
16 years
I added a section to the How to Start a Hostel Guide about carpets. I only have a photo of a stained carpet, but if anyone wants to add another perspective or photo, feel free to edit the page. I haven't worked in hostels with carpets so I can't add anything about the cleaning and maintenance...
Feel free to add your opinions anywhere to that page... :)
The Start a Hostel Guide is out of "draft mode" so I'm going to mention something about it in the email newsletter next week.
16 years
Dear All
Wooden floors are great within the rooms. It give guest a cleaner room feeling and for housekeeping an easier way of working. laminated flooring is also repairable in small sections if you have damage.
For the corridors I would advice carpet as you would want noise reduction from the people coming and going to the rooms.
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