For the past week, I have been lucky enough to stay in a truly remarkable hostel. I came to Puerto Escondido on Mexico’s southern coast for a bit of relaxation while doing a colonial city hop through Mexico and booked Villa Mango through Booking.com because of their extremely high guest reviews. My original stay of 1 night has now magically morphed into 7 yet I am still reluctant to leave. I have stayed in hundreds of hostels over the years and during my stay, I have been trying to figure out what makes this particular place so unique. Memories of other amazing hostel experiences have been popping into my mind so I decided to create a checklist to help both hostel owners and other hostel dwellers attain hostel-nirvana 🙂
- Create a good atmosphere! I know that this is easier said than done but creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere for guests is worth its weight in gold. I arrived at Villa Mango around 5 pm, hot, sweaty and slightly nauseous after a 7 hour bus ride from Oaxaca. The big rambling villa was full of activity and immediately upon checking me in, Marco (the 36 year old owner) asked me if I wanted to go to the beach with some other guests. I quickly changed my clothes, grabbed my bathing suit and was squashed into a taxi with 3 other hostel guests. We then spent a lovely evening watching the sunset and drinking beers on the beach. The next 6 days were spent lounging around the common areas together, having a BBQ, and many, many trips to the beach. Many, many years ago, I stayed in a hostel in Slovakia that had a similar atmosphere. The owners encouraged people to hang out together and it was easy to find someone to hike some of the beautiful trails surrounding the hostel. The hostel was in the middle of nowhere yet people came to stay in it based on the reputation. Now, that is the sign of an amazing hostel!
- Keep it clean! This SHOULD go without saying but you would be amazed at how many disgustingly dirty hostels I have stayed in. From filthy sheets to kitchens that smell like a garbage can to bathrooms that haven’t seen a broom or mop in weeks, it is shocking how little some hostel owners and managers care about cleanliness. COVID crisis aside, this can actually be a big public health issue and no one wants to have a disease outbreak linked to their hostel.
- Fast wifi. While sometimes it pains me to see the amount of people glued to their phones instead of meeting their new housemates, fast wifi is imperative. Zoom calls and Netflix are now the norm for bored and lonely backpackers and more and more people are able to work remotely and while hostels are not always considered the best “work space”, it is important to ensure that you are meeting minimum speed standards.
- Keep a well-equipped kitchen! I very rarely cook in hostels because I find it nearly as expensive as going out for street food or to a cheap restaurant and I hate dragging food around with me as I move from place to place (and let’s face it, I hate cooking.) but it is important to keep a stocked kitchen, especially if you want to have more extended stay guests (which helps cut down on operational costs). I stayed in one hostel in Mexico City where the kitchen was on the 3rd floor and reception on the 1st floor. They didn’t even provide forks or spoons in the kitchen itself and requested that you “check them out” at reception. I completely understand that hostels have to deal with theft but it is a pity when your dinner is piping hot and waiting for you and you have to run down a few flights of stairs to get an eating utensil…….
- Educate your staff! More and more people I know have tried to ease off of OTAs like Booking.com and Hostelword and opt to go directly to hostels when they arrive in the city and ask about availability/price. Many, many times people have complained that the price they get quoted is higher by reception is higher than what they saw online. If staff members don’t understand that you pay commission on OTA bookings or simply don’t care about revenue, you are losing money as a hostel or hotel owner. A few weeks ago, I walked into an OYO property in Cozumel and asked for the price. It was almost twice as much as what was listed on Booking.com. When I pointed this out, I was then told to book on Booking.com then. I had to explain to the front desk agent that I was trying to help them out during a pandemic and book direct so that they could save more money. He reluctantly decided to match the price. That should never, ever happen and really impacts the guest experience.
- Have a nice common area. Common areas are incredibly important when running a hostel. I personally choose to stay in hostels because of the social scene (traveling solo for extended periods can get pretty lonely.) If your property does not have a common area where guests can mingle, they are basically limited to whoever is in their room. Also, without common areas, you run the risk of late night gab-fests between new friends which is pretty disappointing for anyone who is not lucky enough to be privy to the conversation.
- Bonus Points: Have some furry friends around! While this may not be everyone’s cup of tea, having hostel pets is a sure fire way to make people feel more at home. Not many weary backpackers can resist the cuddles of an adorable four-legged friend. I often tell people that if I get reincarnated, I want to come back as a hostel pet.
Great article!