September: Hostel Hall of Fame

Here at Stay the Night, we’re always sharing hostel industry news. We love to see hostels hitting the headlines, putting new digital marketing strategies into practice and generally making waves in the travel industry.

That’s why we have decided to create our very own ‘Hostel Hall of Fame’ – each month, we’ll be highlighting the online (and offline) successes of hostels around the world.

From using InstaStories effectively to attract potential guests to clinching a fantastic piece of coverage in the media, we want to share and celebrate your good news!

So here goes…

LONG STORY SHORT HOSTEL NAMED ONE OF THE BEST NEW LUXURY HOSTELS

To celebrate the launch of Kash Bhattacharya’s new book on luxury hostels, UK newspaper The Guardian put together a list of ‘10 of the best new luxury hostels’. We were thrilled (but not surprised) to see that our client Long Story Short was among the deserved winners!

Located in the vibrant student city of Olomouc, Long Story Short caters to ‘anyone who is looking for a break from the ordinary’. Built into a historical 17th century fort, the striking design is the first thing you will notice about this hostel – the designer, Denisa Strmiskova, has even received the prestigious Grand Prix national prize for architecture for the interiors here.

Add to that the stunning private rooms, unique dorms, a buzzing outdoor terrace and an in-house cafe offering a gourmet menu, and you have a truly luxurious hostel experience.

We loved our time here working with owner Eva and her brilliant team. It’s great to see Long Story Short going from strength to strength and getting the global recognition that it deserves.

SANT JORDI HOSTELS IMPRESS WITH SLEEK NEW VIDEO CONTENT

Last week, Barcelona based chain Sant Jordi Hostels published two videos on their social media platforms to promote the experiences they offer to guests and encourage direct bookings.

The videos – which were both no longer than 35 seconds – did a fantastic job in showcasing the kind of experiences both Sant Jordi Hostels and the destination can offer to their guests. With 64% of consumers making a purchase after watching branded social videos, the popular Spanish hostel chain have executed their video content well to both inspire and inform potential guests – we love it!

You can watch their videos here and here.

WYSTC AWARDED TWO HOSTELS AT GLOBAL YOUTH TRAVEL CEREMONY

On the final evening of the 2018 WYSTC conference last month in Edinburgh, delegates gathered at the National Museum of Scotland to celebrate the Global Youth Travel Awards – and two hostel chains were among the winners.

Abraham Hostel Tel Aviv were awarded ‘Best Social Space in a Hostel’, recognising their investment in transforming their space to be as comfortable, multi-functional and interactive as possible. Their open plan social space – described as the ‘beating heart of Abraham Hostel Tel Aviv’ – provides guests with the opportunity to cook in the fully-equipped kitchen, share food at the long communal tables, sit at the lively bar, take part in activities or enjoy live music. The design also impressed judges with its industrial-style elements blended with urban views of the city.

Generator also scooped the ‘Best Youth Travel Accommodation’ award in the consumer-voted awards category. This latest award is a testament to the chain’s commitment to offering exciting experiences to travellers across their 14 properties.

SOUTH AFRICAN HOSTEL WINS BIG AT NATIONAL TOURISM AWARDS

Salty Crax Backpackers won South Africa’s Lilizela Tourism Award in the ‘Backpacking and Hostelling’ category last month.

Each year, the Lilizela Tourism Awards – South Africa’s premier travel and tourism awards – recognise businesses in the industry who ‘work passionately and with pride to deliver a world-class product and service’ and contribute to developing the country’s global destination competitiveness.

Located in Table View, Cape Town, and situated near the beautiful white-sanded beaches of Blouberg, their accommodation is the perfect spot for water sports enthusiasts. The hostel offers a range of fun, budget-friendly packages for guests to enjoy which can include beginners lessons in activities such as surfing and sailing.

SAFESTAY REVENUE SOARS

In the latest sign of the hostel industry’s ‘boom’, Safestay – a high-end chain with hostels in the UK, Spain, Portugal and the Czech Republic – reported a 60% rise in revenue in the first half of 2018.

Safestay chairman Larry Lipman attributes this growth to a more diverse customer base telling City A.M.: “We’re seeing businessmen in suits, single travellers, mum and dads with babies – there is a huge customer base now.”

This growing demand from solo travellers, families and business people has seen Safestay double the number of nights sold in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017. After suffering a a pre-tax loss of £0.8m as it ramped up investment at the beginning of the year, the chain are now reaping the rewards as revenues soar 60% to £6.5m.

That’s all for September! If you have any exciting news over the next month, let us know and we’ll submit it to our October Hall of Fame.