How to Successfully Manage a Hostel
In order to manage a hostel it is initially important to establish exactly what is classed as a hostel. A hostel is not, as it has been defined by the merriam webster online dictionary, a 'supervised institutional residence' but in fact a place for both group and individual travellers to stay with a choice of either dormitory accommodation or private room, at budget price. Travellers should also be able to access common areas and communal facilities.
There are number of aspects to consider when you want to manage a hostel, these include the day to day running of a hostel, marketing your hostel and awareness of your competition. Here we will discuss issues relating to the day to day running of a hostel.
Security
Security is probably the biggest issue to address when managing your hostel. A hostel with a poor reputation with security is not a hostel which is going to last long in such a competitive market. Rooms and floors need to be secure with safety deposit boxes and luggage storage available for all travellers. If these facilities are available in the reception of a hostel then the reception needs to have double the security. Travellers need to feel that they can leave their belongings in safe hands. This leads us to the necessity of having a 24 hour reception. With flights and travellers able to arrive at any hour of the day, a good hostel will be ready to offer a clean and comfortable bed for anyone. On the flip side if travellers who are leaving late at night need to know that their belongings can be stored safely and that they are able to access them at any time.
24 hour reception
Reception needs to be an inviting place. Staff need to be friendly and knowledgable of that area. Reception is often the first point of call for travellers so staff need to be able to answer questions. Reception also needs to be a place of knowledge with posters, leaflets brochures - lots of ideas for travellers. Music in reception is also a must but remember to keep it eclectic to meet everybody's unique tastes. Keep a guestbook or suggestion box at reception for comments and any problems a traveller may have. It is better to hear any grievances first and resolve them before they end up on travel forums. This is also a good way to establish how happy visitors are with staying at your hostel.
Clean and Usable Kitchen
Travellers need a kitchen complete with utensils, washing up facilities and plenty of storage space. If a kitchen isn't clean, people cannot use it which then raises questions about the cleanliness of the rest of the hostel. Remember that food is a communal activity and helps travellers to meet each other so make this area one that is usable.
A very comfortable bed
Travellers sleep in different beds on a regular basis and so when a good comfortable one comes along they will try to stay in it as long as possible.
Reasonably priced washing facilities
Travellers expect to pay for washing facilities but this doesn't mean they are happy to spend large amounts on it, remember travellers are often on a budget. Offer travellers the facilities they need at a reasonable cost.
TV Room
A TV room in a hostel raises a debate. Some argue that television deters people from getting to know each other, others suggest TV is a home comfort that gives people a chance to chill out. Think about who is staying at your hostel. Many hostels with travellers on working visas will have people staying longer term whilst they are working. TV is often a relaxing evening activity for people after work. In poor weather, movie days or nights can be a really popular activity. Think about how often people talk about what's on or what's happened on TV, does it really deter people from communicating with each other.
Internet Access
WIFI is now essential in a hostel. Travellers are not the same as they once were. Laptops are now an important item to travel with and WIFI is expected. For those without laptops a hostel needs to provide easy internet access with facilities to skype, upload pictures and burn to cd and download music to ipods and mp3 players. These are essentials for travellers now so a good hostel needs to provide this for them.
Daytime Activities
In addition to staff being fully capable of suggesting activities to travellers if a hostel can offer daytrips to travellers at a budget price it can increase its chance of extended stays and positive word of mouth. Remember that sometimes travellers are only around for a few days and so need to fit in as much as possible in only a short space of time. Offer them the chance to see the sights but without the hassel of finding out about and booking them themselves.
Evening Activities
Many travellers and backpackers like to relax in the evenings and meet some of their fellow travellers and like minded people. Offering evening activities is a good way to make travellers feel comfortable to meet others. However, remember to assess who your visitors are. If an activity isn't popular think about why that is. Also, remember that travellers now come in all different shapes and sizes with lots of different interests. Evening activities need to reflect the demographic within your hostel.
Smoking and Drinking
Hostels should be non-smoking with areas for smokers to go. Drinking in the hostel is another debatable subject. If you are a dry hostel you need to offer another alternative such as an in house bar, with reasonably priced drinks, remembering that travellers are often on a budget. If you allow drinking in the hostel think about certain guidelines. Not everybody wants to be disturbed by travellers drinking through the night in their dorm room. Each of these aspects of running a hostel need to be constantly watched. As it was said previously the hostel and traveller market now operated on a huge scale and reputation counts for large part of a hostel's marketing. Don't offer or advertise something you can't achieve and take the time , or ask staff, to speak to visitors and travellers. Be interactive so that you can get feedback and gauge an idea as to the different kinds of travellers your hostel attracts.
For more ideas check out how to run a hostel which is an interactive forum which offers free business advice and resources for anyone in the travel and tourism industry.
Questions and Answers
Managing a hostel is not an easy thing feat to achieve. There are several things that need to be taken into consideration in order to ensure that customers are fully satisfied with the services offered and they come back.
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