I thought that some of the space-saving ideas in this video were interesting -- check it out:
Graham Hill: Less stuff, more happiness

I am wondering if anyone offers this? We plan on using the clothes line to dry our linens on a nice day, guest can use it so save money on the dryer(plus wear and tear on our dryer) and the also use it to dry out sleeping bags and tents after hiking and camping....any thoughts?

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Hi,

It seems that for hostels, every little thing matters, but most of all... STAFF matters.

So, how to find perfect, outgoing, extroverts? What characteristics should one search for when doing interview?

There is a newly opened hostel in Ko-Samui, Thailand

Their bunk beds in the dorm room have a small screen and headphone so that guests can enjoy their movie without annoying others.

check it out in their website.
http://ibedsamui.com/

This was the problem last year:

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Last winter I designed and made 4 posts above the tables providing 40 extra power points. The cost was less than 150 Euro. AND, you will note, that they swing up into the roof when people are dancing on the tables!!

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PS There is a prize of a cold beer for the first person to tell me who, in the first photo, is working hard whilst everyone else is at the beach.

PPS You have to come here to collect your prize!

When I was travelling, I met a pretty nice and polite hostel owner who cared his guest so much to an extent that he made a comprehensive 150-page manual guide about every detail of his hostel. When a guest asked anything, he smiled, and said politely and confidently "Turn to the page 62 and you will see it". On the surface of the refrigerator for self-service mini bar, there were 11 rules!

we all hate "rude service", "ill knowledgeable staff", "dirty rooms" , "overcharging", "unattended locker room" , "cold water shower" and most people work hard to avoid it, but besides these common factors that contribute to a negative review, have you seen any "hostels has made something with a good motive but in a way that you feel dissatisfied.

What are these?

In a blog post entitled “The Hostel Owner’s Guide: The How-to’s…Please!” Blogger Michael Hodson gives advice to hostel owners about what backpackers expect from us.

Here is the “Guide to Hostel Basics” that every hostel owner should commit to. If the hostel you are staying in doesn’t do these basic steps, give them the link and tell them to get on it.

Well folks, here you go!

From Michael:

• Provide secure lockers in the dorms
• Free coffee
• Free wifi
• Provide a towel
• Have Local maps with the basics labeled
• Post Michael’s “Hostel Rules” list (which I think is excellent and echoes many of the suggestions in the Good Guests Guide)
• Enforce your rules
• Provide reasonable mattresses and pillows
• Have a community area
• Hot showers / good plumbing
• Toilet paper in all bathrooms
• Cute people working your front desk

Other readers added:

• Put plenty of hooks in all showers
• Put shelves in bathrooms and dormrooms
• Pots, pans, oil, and spices in the kitchen
• Adequate bathrooms for the capacity of the hostel
• Adequate number of power points
• Provide a complimentary breakfast

Many of these things have been discussed at great length in this forum. While the actual cost of some of these suggestions is not quite as insignificant as the blog would suggest, it sounds like a pretty decent set of guidelines to me.

As experienced hostel owners, are there other suggestions that you would add to this list?

Hello everyone!
I am a student from the university of Barcelona and I am doing a project about the creation of a hostel.
I did a survey to know your opinion about the hostels and your experiences.
This is the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LKN6FSW
I will only take you 2 minutes!

Thank you for your help!
Happy new year

Dafne

Hi,

First of all hello to everyone. I am sorry if I post this in the wrong forum. second of all, sorry for my bad english.

I just want to ask if it is practical to have both hostelworld and hostelbookers for my reservation booking? Or should I just stick with the most popular?

I have both because I thought that some tourist might not know hostelbookers and some might not know hostelworld. But the problem is I have to split my rooms into 2.

please let me know what you guys think. Thank you.