ALOH Hostels in Honolulu Wins Multiple Hoscar Awards
It’s a milestone for a hostel to win just a single Hoscar award; it’s a rare feat for a hostel to win multiple awards in several categories. The ALOH Hostel brand, in Honolulu, Hawaii, achieved that rare feat when it took home three different Hoscar awards in 2026. ALOH operates three different hostels in Honolulu: The Beach Waikiki by ALOH, Seaside Hawaiin Hostel, and Honu Waikiki Hostel.
The Beach Waikiki won both Best Hostel in the US & Central America and Best Medium Hostel in the US & Central America. As a brand, ALOH won the Best Hostel Chain in the US & Central America. Zain, one of the owners of ALOH Hostels, took time to chat over the phone about the award and detailed some of the things that helped his operation receive such high praise from guests.
“It just kind of happened organically, but the social aspect of our hostels really helps. The inclusivity for all our guests, how we bring people together, I think, is the biggest thing I took away (from the feedback),” said Zain. The ALOH brand benefits from having all three of its locations within a few-mile radius of one another, making it easy for guests to interact and mingle with other guests even when they are staying at different locations. One thing that helps promote that social culture is a popular WhatsApp group that ALOH uses, merging the three locations into one social chain where backpackers can find and connect with other travelers to plan activities, explore the island, and get together for social hours.
“Between our three locations, having people join the free events that we host really helps them get the value out of it. They’re meeting people from other locations, and also the staff at each one,” said Zain. The activities at ALOH range from sunrise hikes, sunset excursions, happy hours, and other social events held at the various locations. At all hours of the day, guests can be found connecting in the group chat, arranging shared airport rides, car rentals, and beach excursions with other guests. For solo travelers, the group chat is an immense benefit, especially for those with ambitions to see and explore the island of Oahu, and to do it on a budget.
The group chat is something that Zain said grew out of the COVID pandemic, and it has since exploded to the point where the chat is being used at all times of the day by backpackers at all three ALOH locations. Having spent a decade traveling through hostels around the world, reaching more than 100 in his time traveling, Zain said that he pulled a little bit from different hostels to shape the sort of social environment and operation he wanted for ALOH.
Building Community
Winning multiple Hoscar awards was a surprise to the team at ALOH, but Zain acknowledged how the recognition has affirmed that they’re doing things the right way, even if there are always ways to improve the hostel and create even more opportunities to leave lasting impressions on guests.
When touching on things that other hostels around the US and world could do to enhance the guest experience, Zain emphasized the value of creating community in the hostel and creating some way to bring people together.
“If you can have some form of (virtual) chat, it’s easier for your customers to come in and get into plans right away, especially first-time hostel guests,” said Zain. “Having a friendly front desk team is also big. They’re the ones who can give great local recommendations to guests.”
Additionally, Zain acknowledged how at ALOH, they try to take care of their team members, offering their paid staff members some of the most competitive wages in the area.
“You take care of your team members, they take care of the guests, and the guests take care of you,” said Zain.
