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Bleak or chic? Definition of a hostel changing

WORLDWIDE | Tuesday, 3 February 2009 | Views [794] | Comments [3]

Hostelworld.com Avalon House, Dublin

At least once in your travels you’ll stay somewhere which pushes your definition of a suitable place to stay. For me, it was a dodgy place in Pakxe in Laos, close to the Thai boarder. The illegal mezzanine floor accessible by a dodgy bamboo ladder into an airless room the size of 2 thin, single mattresses side by side wasn’t the issue; it was the 44 gallon drum oozing with slime in the “bathroom”, which raised my eyebrows and prompted a quick exit the next day.

Whether it is the bed bugs or noisy neighbours, hostels sometimes undeservedly have a bad reputation for cold showers and crusty mac’n cheese on the stove. Of course there are always exceptions, with hostels nowadays rivalling boutique hotels in terms of facilities and location. Made for “flashpackers”, many chic hostels now offer private rooms, ensuites, pools and free internet, bars and restaurants and a unique social experience unmatched by hotels.

Our friends at Hostelworld are trying to change the definition of the word hostel in many of the popular dictionaries which currently term a hostel as “shelters for the homeless” or “supervised lodging for young people on bicycle trips”. More than 1,200 people have signed the petition so far, supporting the campaign to redefine “hostel” as a “Budget, fun, sociable accommodation for people of all ages.”

According to Hostelworld’s library research, the term ‘hostel’ comes from the Latin ‘hospes’ for guests and has been applied to lodging houses of all standards throughout the ages. It became synonymous with cheap, no-frills accommodation after the war when youth hostelling became popular and into the 1960s when students needed affordable rooms while travelling around Europe on tight budgets.

How do you define a hostel? Do you agree with the Hostelworld definition? What is your best (or worst) hostel experience? Share your experiences in the comments, or simply join in the Hostelworld.com petition at www.hostelworld.com/petition.

Katrina Greeves
Partnership Manager - Asia Pacific
WorldNomads.com

katrina [at] worldnomads.com

Tags: worldnomads.com, hostelworld.com, hostel, accommodation

Comments

1

We define "hostel" as:

"...budget-oriented dormitory accommodation that accepts individual travelers (typically backpackers) for short-term stays, and that provides common areas and communal facilities."

It's only a hostel if solo travelers can show up and get a single dorm bed.

Josh Apr 12, 2009 4:26 AM

2

to me, the difference between a hotel and a hostel still remains the price and the social aspect. i love the definition “Budget, fun, sociable accommodation for people of all ages.”

as a traveler who stays in hostels, i'm not looking for a single bunk so the 'official' definition means nothing to me. while the above definition up for petition relates 100% to what i'm looking for as a traveler.

Rich Apr 15, 2009 1:34 AM

3

@Rich

Some hostel dorms are more expensive than hotel rooms and there is no social scene. They are still hostels because they have dorm beds. *Good* hostels are typically more social and cheaper than hotels, but not always. The defining line is that hostels offer shared dormitory accommodation. Otherwise they are guesthouses, B&Bs, apartments, boutique hotels, or some other kind of accommodation. (There is nothing wrong with not being a hostel, but properties that only offer private rooms aren't hostels.)

The main problem is that calling hotels "hostels" is bad for genuine hostels, and by extension, bad for travelers...

Josh Aug 16, 2009 11:12 AM