Definition of a Hostel

[uktrail]

I am coming more and more across places which call themselves 'hostel' in their name, but which have more the character of a B&B/Guest House/Pension.

Hostels do of course vary over a wide range of standards from a simple country farmhouse with self-catering and 8-bed dorms only, through to facilities with dorms and private rooms with TV and en-suite and all meals available.

The British tourist bureaus have definitions which distinguish between 'Hostel', 'Bunkhouse' and 'Camping Barn' in terms of facilities and awarding stars. But I think we should agree on a definition of 'Hostel' with worldwide application. This forum seems a good place to determine such a definition.

Relevant points:
1) You might say: To be a hostel, there must be dorm beds. I would say: Not quite so. What is essential is: They don't charge more for an individual traveller than for one of a couple. I think indeed this is the crucial definition. So if a facility charges, say, £16 per person for a couple in a double room, and £16 for an individual and chooses to put him in a single room, they are eligible. But if they charge £18 for an individual traveller, they are NOT ELIGIBLE.

2) A common room. Some hostels fail on this -- there's one in Edinburgh that brings your breakfast to your bedroom and has no common area. Some are pretty poor, with a sofa and chair in the reception hall having to suffice. Some have a common room with chairs in a semicircle facing a TV, which is not very congenial. Some have a common room which is so placed that people don't bother to discover it.

3) A self-catering kitchen. I would like to make this an essential criterion, but unfortunately that would leave out many facilities, some of them excellent in other ways. In some countries this is not normal at all. Some have a limited kitchen, eg microwaves and 2 stools to sit at. Some are miserly with equpment -- 2 battered pans, no soup bowls, no dishwashing soap -- and I've seen kitchens with no equipment AT ALL!

It is quite common now for hostels to try to cater for different types of traveller from the backpacker to the family and business visitor, and the YHA does this. New facilities call themselves 'hotel and hostel' in the hope of attracting all types, but they haven't always grasped what a hostel really is. For example, they seem determined that everybody wants privacy.

The definition I use is:

A hostel must provide budget-price accommodation, including 1-night stays, must welcome individual travellers and must not charge them more than a member of a couple or group. A hostel must have a common room where guests can sit and chat, or eat communally.

[Hostels]

This is a good thread because I have a similar issue a few times per week.

When I started the site I started getting requests to be "listed" on hostelmanagement.com so I made a hostel directory. Then a lot of hotels that cater to backpackers started signing up. To be nice I added a few "backpacker hotels" but then it started getting out of control so I stopped.

The hotels started getting aggressive about it -- one even told me they were converting a private room into a dormitory just to get listed on this site

It's difficult to know where to draw the line with some properties. Right now the only requirement to get listed in the directory is to have dormitory accommodation. I haven't thought about it beyond that. I think a common area is important, even if it is outside... otherwise it might as well just be a capsule hotel:

[uktrail]

Are those BEDS???? Even Dolgoch (no heating or lighting in dorms) feels luxury after that!

Originally Posted by Hostels

This is a good thread because I have a similar issue a few times per week.

The hotels started getting aggressive about it -- one even told me they were converting a private room into a dormitory just to get listed on this site

Haha: I had almost exactly this. I had an application to be listed on small-hostels.com . There, we also have a criterion of Max 30 beds. This facility in Krakow sent their details, quietly ignoring the bed criterion (their web site said they have 40). I looked and found they only had private rooms. So I told them of our criteria. They replied quickly, saying:

We can change our price. Now we have special price - 6, 7 euro for one person.
I hope that You change Your opinion.

[Hostels]

Originally Posted by uktrail

Are those BEDS???? Even Dolgoch (no heating or lighting in dorms) feels luxury after that!

Yeah... Japanese capsule hotels... It's a dorm bed (sort of), but couldn't be described as a hostel.

Originally Posted by uktrail

I looked and found they only had private rooms. So I told them of our criteria. They replied quickly, saying: "We can change our price."

It's funny how desperate people are to get listed on Web sites, even if it's the wrong target audience.

I check every application on the hostel booking sites by searching for availability. If there are no dorm beds on the "available rooms" it's a good clue that they are a hotel.

I think my description is pretty clear, but I still constantly get hotels submitting properties, even temporarily changing their business name to "hostel" on their application:

We only list backpacker hostels—we no longer list hotels, B&Bs, studios, apartments or other accommodation.

If your property offers dormitory-style accommodation in any of the rooms, then you may add your property to the directory. If you do not provide shared, dormitory-style accommodation in your property, we will probably not list it on this site.

[Tim]

We only list hostels on BUG. We define this on our Hostel Manager's FAQ page as follows:

BUG only lists and reviews hostels - no hotels, B&Bs, hostals, pensiones, apartments or resorts - just hostels!

To qualify as a hostel you must offer accommodation for independent travellers in shared dormitory-style rooms. We do not list places that cater only to groups or places where you have to book the entire room.

[Hostels]

That is good to hear. Many of the hostel guides have gone into hotels also -- even to the point of promoting hotels over hostels.

The reason I am interested in hostels is that it brings together unusual combinations of people from around the world who would normally never encounter each other.

A hotel isn't the same thing even if it caters to people who are wearing a backpack and carrying a Lonely Planet guidebook.

[boofer]

Hello,

We talking any time, what is a Hostel? In our Network Germany we have rules for members. You can read this in our statute.

I have one problem with guestshouses they have over 150 beds. For me is that not a Hostel.
I looking for a name of houses like this.
Here some example:
P.C. - peoples comb
C.f.P. - comb for peoples
C.f.T. - comb for travelers


Any other ideas ?

[aboriginalhostel]

A hostel MUST have:

1. At least 50% dorm beds of its full capacity.
2. Accept walk-ins and individuals.
3. Traveler facilities (Laundry, Kitchen, Internet access, Common areas)
4. Budget oriented price policy
5. Personal atmosphere

If anyone has ideas for more criteria, please feel free to add to the list!

I think groups and long term stays kill the atmosphere, but a lot of big hostels can't afford to avoid them... not offending anyone!

[Hostels]

I wanted to follow up on this thread because it would be good to have a standard definition of a hostel for this site. I still get people submitting luxury resorts to the hostel directory

Interesting that Hostelworld says, "Today, many hostels are not unlike budget hotels where the only significant difference is the price."
(I don't agree with that.)

What do people think of this list (combined from the posts above) -- is there anything else that would exclude a property from being called a "hostel"?

• Provides dormitory bed accommodation
• Budget-oriented pricing
• Accepts individual travelers
• Common areas and communal facilities

Is it still a "hostel" if it requires 3-night minimum stay or only has 1 dorm room and 3 private rooms? (meaning less than 50% dorm beds)

How would you define a "guesthouse"? Many properties in Japan call themselves "guesthouses" when they would be called "hostels" if they were located elsewhere. Are there any attributes that make a property a "guesthouse" as opposed to a "hostel"?

[Tim]

I still call it a hostel if there is some dormitory accommodation, even though if it is one room out of 20 and even if it is a two-bed dorm. The idea is that a single traveller can share a room with someone they are not travelling with.

I don't agree with Hostelworld's definition. The easiest way for Hostelworld to have more hostels on their site is to redefine what a hostel is. If that were the case budget motel chains like Formule 1 would be classed as hostels.

In my opinion a hostel is an accommodation establishment that:

• provides dormitory accommodation (there should be the option of staying in a shared room)
• accepts independent travellers (you don't need to be in a group)
• accepts short term guests (a shared house is not a hostel)