8 Minimal Requirements For A Hostel
Posted: August 13, 2022
I have travelled in 101 countries, not including the UK, over the course of 30 years.
I estimate that I have slept in more than 1500 hostels/hotels/ homestays/ guesthouses.
Call them what you will. But with such palmarès, what hostels should be providing as the minimum requirements, I am the most qualified person I know.
I estimate that I have slept in more than 1500 hostels/hotels/ homestays/ guesthouses.
Call them what you will. But with such palmarès, what hostels should be providing as the minimum requirements, I am the most qualified person I know.
Here are my 8 requirements that a hostel should be providing as standard
1. Beds:
Whether single/double or bunk-bed setup, beds need to provide the traveller with some degree of comfort. The mattresses need to be firm, there needs to be adequate support underneath, nothing worse than a home made bed without enough slats.
The sheets need to be a good quality and fit the bed. My experience in León last week. The mattresses were crap, the sheets didn't fit correctly and were of cheap fabric.
On a bunkbed there needs to be enough room so one can sit up in bed.
The sheets need to be a good quality and fit the bed. My experience in León last week. The mattresses were crap, the sheets didn't fit correctly and were of cheap fabric.
On a bunkbed there needs to be enough room so one can sit up in bed.
2. The Kitchen:
If a hostel has X number beds, then it should be a miminal requirement that there are enough knives and forks, cups and plates, together with pots and vegetable knives to cope with X number of guests all wanting to cook, mostly at the same time.
My hostel in Esteli is a prime example of how not to set up a kitchen: 24 beds, 6 cups, 1 vegetable knife, 45 dinner plates.
My hostel in Esteli is a prime example of how not to set up a kitchen: 24 beds, 6 cups, 1 vegetable knife, 45 dinner plates.
3. Lockers:
Sturdy lockers need to be provided as standard. And 1 essential of the locker is than there should be at least 1 USB port inside the locker, preferably a regular socket so that your electronic devices can be charged whilst you are out or sleeping without being concerned that a fellow traveller will help themselves. It happens. It happens a lot.
In 1500 different hostels I have probably spent 1000 nights in shared rooms and the number of lockers with a USB port inside the locker can by counted on one hand. Hostel owners, get with it.
In 1500 different hostels I have probably spent 1000 nights in shared rooms and the number of lockers with a USB port inside the locker can by counted on one hand. Hostel owners, get with it.
4. Outlets/Sockets:
Nothing worse than the only power outlet on the wall set at chest height with no table or cupboard that you can put your devices on.
5. The Bathroom:
Top essential of a hostel bathroom is to provide soap. Encourage dirty scummy travellers to wash their hands after using the bathroom. I shake my head in disbelief at the hostel that doesn't provide soap in the bathroom.
6. Wi-Fi:
Modems can only cope with a certain number of devices connected to it at any given time. And given that most travellers have a laptop or tablet and a mobile phone, if you have a hostel with more than 10 inmates, you need more than one modem. Period.
7. Laundry:
Budget travellers are a mostly smelly bunch.
I recall the requirements set out by a CouchSurfing host in Thailand: You will shower twice per day and you wash your clothes, daily.
The backpacker is generally a smelly individual. Not always because of their reluctance to use the shower, but because they are lazy. Too lazy to do their own laundry. So the hapless mummy's boy, travels with a weeks worth of underwear and T Shirts, each time, waiting 6 days or what ever before getting their clothes washed using the hostels laundry service but in the mean time, 6 days worth of smelly clothes are packed and left to fester and rot inside their backpacks.
I was criticized once for travelling like I do, for I must be so smelly if I travelled with such few items if clothing.
I travel with soap powder. I use a dry bag and I wash my clothes each evening.
Hostels need to provide a washing line.
I recall the requirements set out by a CouchSurfing host in Thailand: You will shower twice per day and you wash your clothes, daily.
The backpacker is generally a smelly individual. Not always because of their reluctance to use the shower, but because they are lazy. Too lazy to do their own laundry. So the hapless mummy's boy, travels with a weeks worth of underwear and T Shirts, each time, waiting 6 days or what ever before getting their clothes washed using the hostels laundry service but in the mean time, 6 days worth of smelly clothes are packed and left to fester and rot inside their backpacks.
I was criticized once for travelling like I do, for I must be so smelly if I travelled with such few items if clothing.
I travel with soap powder. I use a dry bag and I wash my clothes each evening.
Hostels need to provide a washing line.
8. Free Drinking Water:
In countries where the tap water contains too many microbes, drinking water should be provided. The 20 literally bottles aren't always so convenient. You can get filters fitted to the tap to provide safe drinking water, on tap!
So if you are a hostel owner, invite me for a night or 3 and I'll tell you exactly how you can improve the facilities offered and thus improve your rating and wait for it, get more happy guests which will turn into a bigger income.
So if you are a hostel owner, invite me for a night or 3 and I'll tell you exactly how you can improve the facilities offered and thus improve your rating and wait for it, get more happy guests which will turn into a bigger income.
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