Each week, we give you a run down of the latest hostel industry insights and offer our take (we can also provide a variety of GIFs for your entertainment, too!).
1. MOXY GETTING FOXY WITH BUMBLE
“Bumble users and Moxy guests visiting BumbleSpots through the end of the year will experience a number of fun offerings and benefits, including food discounts and a custom drink menu of 2-for-1 specialty cocktails.” – Source.
Moxy Hotels – Marriot International’s millennial focussed brand which launched in 2014 – has announced a partnership with female-first networking app, Bumble this week in a further bid to attract the next-Gen traveller.
The collaboration – named ‘BumbleSpot #attheMoxy’ – is aiming to empower meaningful connections by setting up inclusive environments for Bumble users to meet those they have been chatting to via the app online.
Moxy is Bumble’s first nationwide US partner to be designated as a ‘BumbleSpot’ with selected hotels chosen exclusively for people to meet for dating, friendship or professional networking.
“Moxy is a hotel centred around play. We believe you can discover more about a person in an hour of play than a year of conversation. What a better place to put down your phone and meet a connection face to face?” said Toni Stoeckl, Global Brand Leader, Moxy Hotels and Vice President, Marriott International.
“Many of us are connected to our phones and technology 24/7, so we wanted to work with Bumble to encourage people to feel empowered to take the plunge and reap the benefits of meeting a connection in real life.”
Collaborations between a hostel and a local business could be a fantastic way to reward guests with exclusive offers and boost brand awareness. While Moxy may have a huge platform, this isn’t necessarily needed for hostels to partner up with like-minded businesses to offer guests a little extra ‘add-on’ as a reward for their decision to book a stay.
2. ARE HOSTELS IN DANGER OF ‘LOSING THEIR SOUL’?
“The irony is that for everything hostels have given the wider travel and hospitality industry none of these new entrants want to be known as a hostel.” – Source.
We’ve known the vibrant energy, potential and passion of the hostel industry for a long time – and recently, established hotel chains have taken note and want a piece of the action too.
As money flows into the hostel market, Skift took a ‘deep dive’ into the transforming industry and posed the question, ‘will the new corporatization cost hostels the soul of their original mission?’
Over the past few years, we have seen the likes of Accor Hotels bring hostel-like concept Jo&Joe to life and Marriot’s International millennial targeted Moxy Hotels storm the US market. Most recently, Hilton announced their new ‘Motto’ hotel concept with the aim of taking a slice of the luxury hostel market – they will attempt to emulate by providing social spaces and putting a significant emphasis on ‘Instagrammable’ food and beverage vendors.
Undoubtedly, it’s an exciting time – younger generations are travelling more than ever, the global standard of hostels has soared before the hospitality industry’s eyes and the experiences on offer to guests are phenomenal.
While the big guns have seen the potential of the hostel concept, Skift ask a concerned question, ‘Is a sector that was built on charitable goodwill in danger of losing its soul?’
Well, is it? Debate around using the word ‘hostel’ itself has caused quite a commotion. Just a few weeks ago, Generator – who arguably as a brand have done the most to change past perceptions of hostels – officially dropped the word hostel from it’s name. Others entering the market are opting for terms such as ‘hybrid, ‘open house’ or poshtel.
Some disagree however – “I can understand why it was used to maybe to get your customers to understand that hostels had improved, but I always believed that the word hostel itself should be improved because hostels are great places,” said Anne Dolan, co-founder of Clink Hostels.
It’s not just the changing name – the type of hostels popping up are transforming too. As modern travellers seek chic facilities and ‘Instagrammable’…everything from the places they stay, the rise of the design hostel has been huge.
Alastair Thomann, CEO of Generator commented: “I think those you’re gonna see move more and more towards boutique. If I see the hostels that are opening up in our markets that we’re operating in. They’re amazing. They’re all going for design. They’re very luxurious. They’re all almost boutique hotels.”
Through all of this, the heart of a hostel is the experience they offer to guests. As the industry continues to grow, twist and turn, it will certainly be interesting to see how travellers react to these new hostel concepts entering the market. Can these new faces truly emulate the hostel experience? We can only wait and see…
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