The Savvy Life

When most of us think of hostels, we think of teenagers tramping their way across Europe with a backpack and rail pass. Aisling White of Hostelworld.com explains that they are much more.

What is the difference between a hostel and a hotel?
Hostels offer a far more sociable atmosphere than hotels with common areas and communal kitchens encouraging guests to interact and meet fellow travelers. Staying in hostels gives an exciting new take on traveling that you simply don’t get in hotels. It gives you a chance to meet new people and find out about the hidden gems that backpackers are usually the first to find. Travel broadens your horizons - hostels stretch them just that little bit further! Hostels also have excellent locations, and are usually closest to the heart of the action. In terms of quality of hostels versus hotels the difference is getting smaller and smaller as the standard of hostels has improved considerably. We at hostelworld.com are doing a lot of work to try and change the face of hostels, some of which now rival a hotel in terms of rooms and facilities with private en suite rooms, swimming pools, Jacuzzis and bars and restaurants available in many of them.

How many hostels are there in the US?
We work with over 600 hostels in the USA.

What can a visitor expect in the way of food? (i.e. are continental breakfasts or afternoon snacks the norm or the exception?)
Many hostels offer free continental breakfasts to their guests, giving them added value to the already great value price of a hostel. However this is dependent on the hostel and is not available across the board. Having said that all hostels offer kitchen facilities where everyone can store their own purchases and make their own breakfasts.

What is the likelihood of finding rooms as a walk in, as opposed to making reservations?
In order to be guaranteed a room in a hostel it is preferable to book a room in advance. Some hostels may hold a few rooms for walk ins but this is never guaranteed. You're best off booking online in advance even if it is just a few weeks before.

How far in advance should you make reservations?
A few days or a week in advance is usually ok, especially if you are traveling mid week. Weekends tend to get booked up a bit quicker but if there is an event or festival on, it is advisable to book as far in advance as possible as places tend to get booked out very quickly. Also to have a better chance of getting your room preference (especially if for example a private room is required) and at the best possible rate, it is better to book in advance.

Do hostels have peak seasons? (i.e. don't bother looking for a room around Spring Break, but there are always rooms available in the middle of winter?)
Yes hostels would have peak seasons dependent on their location, i.e. beach hostels would be very busy in the summer as would city hostels. Hostels that are close to festivals or big sporting events would also be extremely popular at those times of the year. But that’s not to say you shouldn’t check for availability at peak season in a particular location as hostels often have rooms available when hotels might be booked out.

What are the typical price ranges in US hostels?
Prices vary from city to city and by room type (i.e. dorm or private room) but the average price would be from $15-$30 per person.

How would someone go about getting a job in a hostel? What kind of pay rate could one expect There are a number of ways people can go about getting a job in a hostel – contacting the hostel directly, looking at message boards on websites or in the hostels themselves, looking on hostel websites, recruitment agencies, hostel newsletters to customers, etc. Regarding rate of pay, we couldn’t comment on that as we don’t work in the hostels themselves; we facilitate online bookings. 

Thanks to Stacy Nartker of The Castle Group for her contributions to this article.