I was quite delighted of this and I guess I have acquired some knowledge of hostels after sleeping all those nights in shared dorms with strangers.
I definitely have my say in what makes and what brakes a hostel, so here's my
List of things today's backpacker would be looking for in a (Western) hostel:
- A WELL EQUIPPED kitchen !
-The kitchen has to be spacey, clean and last but not least WELL EQUIPPED ! And this is a must. Sometimes I book my hostel ahead (from hostelworld.com) and when I do, I read the comments. A couple of times I've decided not to stay at some hostel when I've noticed complaints about the sucky kitchen. I mean, how are you supposed to cook food without pots and pans?
- Lockers
-For travelers traveling with laptops and expensive cameras, it can be a pain in the ass having to choose a hostel that offers no safety deposit boxes. Hiding your valuables in a dorm room of seventeen can be risky, especially when you know from own experience how poor and desperate for money some backpackers can be.
Photo by Jasmine Färling - Free WiFi
-Not a must but certainly a plus - cause let's face it, we all love to upload our travel pics on Facebook (and make our friends jealous!). Also, some of us keep a travel blog while traveling. The lack of WiFi is usually the thing that can easily convert your potential customers to your competitors reception.
- A Common Area
-Sometimes you pick your hostel depending on the recommendations you've heard. And what will make YOUR hostel stand out of millions of others? The atmosphere. And the only way to create the right one - a laid back & fun one - is by people. It's quite a mystery how some business owner's just don't realize to invest enough in the common area, since it is THE place to meet other travelers. It's the people that make the place. And if you fail to remember this, your customers will see your hostel as just another hostel.
That's the (tangible) things I've come up so far.
What do YOU look for in a hostel?
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