“Following the passion” and “traveling the world”, these two things have a huge fan base.
But among these, there is only one winner.
Traveling it is, of course!
Just kidding. (Not really!)
Well, I didn’t know that traveling was winning in such a dramatic way till I recently talked with two of my colleagues, Shreeya and Harshajit.
They were exploring these beautiful accommodations on the internet and told me how they wanted to visit all these places to experience amazing stays there.
Now, I am an amateur when it comes to traveling (thanks to my parents), so I stayed quiet.
But I noticed one thing that was the highlight of their conversation – “Hostels are better than other accommodations! They provide real, raw, and a comfortable experience with the added magic of crazy fun.”
And I decided to dig into this remark a bit more.
So here in this blog, along with discussing how hostels are providing exhilarating experiences to guests, we will widely look into the future of hostels and what new they are bringing in.
Table of Content
Why Are Hostels Popular Among Travelers?
Hostels are ideal accommodations for solo travelers, backpackers, hitchhikers, and young tourists. Of all the people staying in hostels, 72% are solo travelers. Now this proves that the experience of a hostel is genuinely something else. It must have been homelike, comfy, and adventurous to build a strong niche among solo travelers.
With all the hostellers living together, sharing rooms, sleeping on bunks, socializing on rooftops, and participating in fun activities, people find hostels the most welcoming accommodation.
All these things help hostels leave an ever-lasting impression on travelers.
It should also be noted that the new hostel chains and their creative ideas have added magic to this industry. From choosing the perfect locations to building amiable infrastructures, they have successfully managed to create a wholesome experience for travelers.
Also, hostels may have young people as their mainstream niche but other age groups are also keen in exploring them. Because when people are traveling they love to fetch the experience of youthfulness. And hostels seem to be an ideal place to get it from.
On top of all, the affordability of hostels just adds up to the delights of travelers.
Hostels and Their Future Potential
Hostels are no longer limited to just bunker beds and community halls. That’s long gone!
Then, what is the future of hostels? What does it look like? Will they be successful?
Well, the new hostel chains like a&o Hostels, Zostels, Backpackers, Nomads World, Mad Monkey, GoSTOPS, Madpackers, and many more have already proved their unparalleled capability in the travel industry and there’s a lot more in their bucket. The future of hostels is going to madden their fanbase for sure.
Also, there is no doubt that with the tremendous rise of the traveling buzz, the new and creative strategies of the hostel industry are going to be a big hit.
To back this up, let’s have a quick look at how hostels are adding value to their property and welcoming a prosperous future ahead.
Hostels and Their Add-ons
Though many hostel chains are surging ahead with new trends and setting the benchmark for the industry, there are still those which need to improve their pace. For helping them out, I am listing the ideas modern hostels can opt to add more flavors to their traveler’s experiences. Here it goes:
1. Budget hotels
With time, hostels have upgraded themselves. Most hostels now offer private rooms and the rest are eventually following the trend to broaden their guest spectrum. This way hostels are also functioning as budget hotels.
Let’s understand this with a scenario:
A few years ago, Samay had traveled to Kasol for his college trip and stayed at Serene Hostel which had a beautiful river-facing view. Now, Samay is taking his family there and wants to experience the same scenic beauty. But staying in a dorm with his family doesn’t appeal to him. Although when he searched on this hostel’s website, he found that this hostel is now offering private rooms as well. So, he could still go to this amazing location without worrying about his family’s privacy.
And in my opinion, most of the hostels are situated in exotic places and hence seem to attract a wide range of travelers. Therefore, filling in as budget hotels is coming naturally in the hostel market. And in this way, they are optimizing their reservations.
2. Thrilling themes
Going to a party is fun but going to a Halloween party is what excites people!
Simply put, themes add extra flare everywhere. And this is what hostels are harnessing successfully.
Let’s look at a real scenario where you and your gang of cousins are bored of visiting the same old places of Poona. And one of your cousins suggests a staycation at a haunted place (I am this cousin!). Then you come across ‘The Hidden Hour’ – A horror-themed hostel that gives you a safe but horror experience altogether.
But this isn’t it!
While I was researching, I found the quirkiest themes that hostels are offering. There’s a lookup-themed Prison hostel in Goa! In Udaipur “Hostelcrawl” is giving a real-time Hogwarts experience to all the Potterheads. Fascinating enough?
These amusing and funky themes are what make hostels stand out and spice up the user experience.
3. Innovative infra
One of the prime aspects of hostels is to facilitate the dorms with flexible infrastructure. The way hostels furnish a small room with all basic requirements and still manage to craft a spacious look fascinates travelers a lot.
My colleague Harshajit mentioned that the interiors and exteriors in modern hostels are so creatively designed that they are enough to grab anyone’s interest. And travelers do look out willingly to design their personal rooms at home like the ones in hostels.
This is true! I mean check out the hostels on the internet, they are literally a treat to your eyes. You will get stunned by the vibrant colors, makeshift furniture, eccentric decor, and eye-catchy graffiti.
Apart from these, hostels are now taking extra care of the hostellers by prioritizing their work commitments.
For instance, Moustache cowork hostels in Goa provide everything a digital nomad requires. Besides 24/7 wifi, they have dedicated coworking spaces, laptops, stationery, and other types of equipment to support the hostellers with the new workation trends.
4. Savor experience
According to a source, 40% of backpackers travel just to experience new cultures.
One of the ways hostels can lure these backpackers is by giving a local touch to their services, maybe by arranging a free tour for them of the localities and the culture around – including clothing, historic places, food, dance, music, etc.
Hence, the secret sauce to hostels’ successful future will always be, the experience.
Though they are still handling it very well with the evening rooftop sessions, singing and dancing beside the bonfire experience and funny socializing games, etc., there is more.
Let’s start to dig it with Zostels’ amazing “Meet your fellow travelers” policy.
So, Zostels purposely shuffle the travelers visiting together and allot them dorms with strangers to spice up their socializing experience. Likewise, Gostops has designed a whole new section named “goEXPERIENCES” for this purpose which offers planned and guided trips and treks to the hostellers thus adding a package of outdoor experiences to their indoor ones.
5. Technology
In this digitally driven world, we can’t go ahead without discussing a solid take on technology. The way it is molding every business, no wonder hostels must leverage it for performing at their best.
Also, over 70% of the hostellers are millennials and I have already discussed in one of my previous blogs that millennials are tech-savvy. Therefore, to keep a strong hold on this audience, you need to shake hands with technology.
In fact, a few things that you can never overlook to secure a prosperous future are: Listing your hostel on effective OTAs, moving forward with mobile technology, and most importantly opting for an ideal Hostel Management Software.
All these technological advancements are a must if you want to conquer the future challenges of the hostel industry.
What About Your Hostel and Its Future?
There is no doubt, that the hostel industry is booming as the travel buzz is at its peak. Also with the rising popularity of in-budget and solo trips, the future of the hostel industry is also taking a positive direction.
I am sure hostels are also aware of the fact that travelers prefer them over hotels when it comes to experience. And hence, they are working every day on boosting their experience factor even more.
But the question is, are you as a hostel owner keeping up with this futuristic approach? Are you adding enough to your hosteller’s experience plate?
If not, then start today by taking one thing at a time. See what is it that you can add to your hostel right away, and how you would implement the remaining ones.
Apart from this, never let down any chance or a new idea of keeping your hostellers engaged and entertained because ultimately that’s the key.
Keep the vibe high in your rooftop entertainment. Happy Hostelling!
