Hostels aren’t for everyone, but many people like them. Hostels are thriving in the economic crisis. Sometimes when I’m traveling in hostels I get sick of staying in dorms, but even an occasional bad hostel experience is part of the adventure. The good outweighs the bad.

I recommend giving hostels another try. Book a private room if you don’t want to share a dorm. The advantage to a private room at a hostel as opposed to a hotel, is that the atmosphere is more social. You also may get more for the same price.

Josh

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It has only been in the last three years that i’ve stayed in anything other than a hostel.

Three inter-rails and a year in Asia were all in hostels. They are by default more sociable than hotels – and cheaper!

You are being unfair and dare i say it stereotyping into the stratosphere…

Where did you stay in a hostel?

With common sense you can be safe, clean, eat well and have a laugh.

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I think YHA-UK hostels in the Lake District are probably different than some of the newer independent “flashpackers” that are springing up everywhere.

For example, look up Smart City Backpackers in Edinburgh. 5 star hostel accommodation. They spent something like $17 million USD to build the hostel. That one is a huge hostel with 620 beds, but many smaller ones have similar “flashpacker” facilities.

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Well I am hostel fan.I would preffer staying in a hostel rather in room alone. The hostel are for to meet people to know different culture and to make friends. In a hotel you won’t find those thinks. Yes there are noisy and some not quite safe but till now every hostel I’ve been was just great. Nice people and nice atmosphere. In Berlin I’ve never been but I can recomend a hostel in Barcelona, Malaga, Madrid, Prague, Budapest, Belgrad ..always I’ve made the right choice.

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The stereotype of the hostel as glorified university dorms does exist. They’re still popular, but, they’re not really for me anymore. Been there, done that, had the t-shirt stolen.

Like Josh mentions, I’ve seen a increase in the “flashpacker” style hostel/budget accommodation in the past few years. It will be interesting to see how these places evolve, especially in this stressed economic climate.

I’ve also noticed some hostels are trying to offer more private or semi-private rooms and other “comforts” along with their dorms to cater to the non-student crowd, be they families, the 35 and over crowd, and even pensioners.

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I agree in some ways… it really depends on your purpose and the party that you’re traveling with. If staying with family, I definitely think a lot of hostels are lacking in accommodations for this type of traveler. If you need concentration, one may check out a local guest house or family provided room.
I guess in most regions, you ‘get what you pay for’. I try to keep my expectations low so I am not disappointed. When choosing a hostel, I personally look more for social atmosphere and certain amenities. Cheers!

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@Francoise
Hostels are doing well in the economic crisis. Hostelling International’s main website reported 14% increase in bookings in 2008. Even in December, bookings were up by 7.5% over 2007.

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Hostels are great, and yes, hostels are not just for students. As the other commenters say, they’re far from the dorm room and mucky floors establishments of yore. Though the UK ones really do need to pick their game up, stayed in a horrible one in Kensington a few years back.

Their success is all about value, the good ones are cheap, clean, and sociable.

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I often stay in hostels when possible, but will usually get a private room. Most hostels offer private rooms in addition to dorm rooms. I will only stay in a dorm room if there are no other options.

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It depends on the hostel. Many are quiet. Check reviews first on sites like Hostelworld.com and Hostelz.com to make sure you’re not booking a party hostel. Another good place to ask about a specific hostel is on Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree forum.

I’m staying at a hostel in Dublin right now and it’s quiet.

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We’ve stayed in hostels in Australia and NZ. If you do your research you can find hostels which are aimed more towards the, how can I put this, the mature traveller. It’s worth doing you homework before booking.

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Many hostels are battling the precise perception problem you bring up: all hostels are full of sloppy students and make for a wretched experience. Whereas this is far from the reality, the perception itself is valid and will only be changed over time as people realize how far the “typical” hostel has evolved.

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If you’re travelling on a budget I’d definitely go for the hostel, but staying in a private en-suite room, which many of them now have. In the UK, many people use hostels for family travel and increasingly they have some en suite rooms. Hostels like the circus hostel in Berlin have private en suite rooms & appartments on offer. We were planning to stay in an apartment in the Circus hostel in Berlin this spring but it was booked, so we’ve upgraded to the new Circus hotel which also has apartments.

You often get better internet access too than budget hotels.

There are also hotels like the Rooms Deluxe in Valencia which cross over between hostel and hotel – nice en suite rooms, but with self-catering facilities too.

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Came across this before and you might find it interesting http://www.hostelworld.com/petition/ Hostelworld are trying to redifine the meaning of the word “hostel” to be more up to date. I think you are a little out of date in your opinion- don’t knock the hostels- more offer private rooms now & are no longer very studenty!

I’m not into the idea of the room sharing but would always consider a hostel when travelling- a lot are better than the budget hotels (1 or 2 stars).

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A lot of hostels have private rooms, so you don’t have to share with other people. The thing that makes it a hostel is the fact that there’s a kitchen and laundry for guests to use. Some of them are Party Central but definitely not all, and the ones run by YHA tend to be quite strict.

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I stayed in dozens of hostels some years ago. Some were great – good rooms, swimming pool, good facilities, and if you were lucky, room mates who didn’t snore or break wind too frequently.

Other hostels – woeful. Cramped rooms, poor facilities, naff showers, noisy – not great. Having browsed the hostel sites, it seems a lot more have private rooms these days. Yes, private rooms can be noisy too – depends of course on the other people, room position and and hostel location.

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