Does "flashpacking hostel" mean "hotel"?

[Hostels]

Here's an article by Hostelbookers about "Flashpacking Hostels"
http://www.hostelbookers.com/article...cking-hostels/

The first property on the list is Daddy Long Legs Boutique Hotel in South Africa. They only have private hotel rooms and the cheapest one I could find is $80 USD per night. The word "hotel" in the property's name isn't mentioned in the article.

The Mikuniya Ryokan in Japan is called a "Luxury Spa Hostel" in the article but they only have private rooms which are $156 USD per night.

Neither property uses the word "hostel" anywhere in their descriptions. One is definitely a hotel and the other is a ryokan.

My opinion is that it isn't good for hostels for hotels to be sold as "hostels". It isn't good for backpackers either. Solo backpackers who are looking for a hostel are typically looking for a dorm bed -- not to book "two beds" in a hotel room.


Related pages:

• definition of hostel
• Discussion about what is a hostel