If you are reading this it means you are most probably thinking about opening your own hostel one day. Congratulations! Welcome to the club of dreamers – and soon to doers!!!
Let HostelObserver accompany you on your journey from dreaming big to welcoming your first hostel guests.
In this post you will find in-depth and practical advice on how to properly do your research to find an ideal location for your hostel.
In the following weeks, you will also find the next steps on how to finance and how to set your hostel up efficiently and effectively. This way you will be able to avoid planning mistakes other hostel owners did – and avoid losing money.
Sounds like a plan? Then let me tell you something about this content:
This blogpost is based on my experience as a hostel manager in Berlin, combined with tons of blog posts and podcasts I found on the internet. I did the research for you and skimmed the internet to find every advice there is on how to open a hostel.
There is plenty of information out there and I encourage you to go through every link I post here individually for in-depth information.
In order to come up with one coherent and step by step guideline on how to plan, finance and open your hostel I compared and summarized those pieces of advice. As an add on, I mixed those findings with generic economical advice, common sense, and finally paired them with interviews which I was lucky enough to make with hostel managers along my travels.
To begin with, let us be on one page by defining the term “hostel”. For my research and decision making I used this simple, but on point, definition:
A hostel is a budget accommodation with a minimum of one dormitory and a common area!
Definition of a hostel found and acceppted on hostelgeeks.com.
This defintion implies that:
- A hostel has “budget accommodation”,
meaning, the offer is in the lower price range in comparison to the region.Moreover hostels offer accommodation by bed, not room only. - A hostel has a “minimum of one dormitory”,
which establishes the hostels`shared room character. - A hostel has a “common area”,
implements, that guests are encouraged to interact with each other as well as staff.
This said, there can be alterations and amendments to the definition. However, the core will be travellers looking for a cheap(er) accommodation COMBINED with the socializing aspect.
So here it is.
My ultimate guide on to how to successfully prepare and behave if you want to open your first, own hostel!
1. The preparation to open a hostel starts with the location, location, location!
Table of Contents
Among all the articles I read and all the good advice I got, undoubtedly, the first and most influential factor on a hostel strategy is its location.
Where you buy or rent a hostel will influence most of your other aspects of preparation – from learning a new language, paperwork, and funding, to the kind of guests you plan to host.
Moreover, it will make attracting new hostel guests much easier – because you will be able to build on existing structures bringing in or attracting guests.
Against this background I am sure you already have given the location some thoughts yourself. It is most probable that you have given the hostel location one (or all) of the three following considerations:
1) You have already fallen in love with a certain city or would like to open a hostel in the city you live in. In a sense, your location is set, and you want to open a hostel in it.
2) You want to open a hostel with a focus or theme, like your own hobby (e.g. hiking or biking) or for a specific age or guest group (such as younger party goers or older couples, or females only.) Hence your location is guided by an activity.
3) You are neither set on a specific location nor do you care much about who will stay with you – You just want to open a hostel. Hence you are open to any location.
Do you identify yourself in one of these categories?
Do you even meet more than one criteria? Great! All of the above mentioned scenarios are legit ways to start your journey.
If you have not thought about the hostel location yet – read on!
This post will help you get started with it.
There will be one principle guiding our thoughts and analysis of your chosen or potential location:
“There’s no point in setting up a (backpacker) hostel in an area
Found and liked on smallbusiness.com
that doesn’t receive many visitors.”
You will find some examples to verify this principle in the following hands-on-examples.
Before investing any money and getting your planning and thoughts deeper into the process, you will need to run a thorough research about any location. This preparation will take some time. However, remember:
Preparation is king in setting up a hostel.
A preparation will reveal your blind spots. Where you should improve or seek help. It might even show you the greatness of an opportunity you should take advantage of!
The research about finding the ideal location for a hostel can be broken down to three main factors that will determine the success of a hostel.
A. Potential and Attractiveness of the Location
B. Public and International Transport at the Location
C. Safety of the Location and Neighborhood
Beware:
The following three aspects might seem in prioritized order – but they are not!
They influence each other.
---> You should take every one of these aspects into account, even if you plan to serve a niche or being a pioneer in a region. Your location has to meet all of them in order to have relevant sleepover numbers and make a great travel experience.
The goal is to build up a stable and profitable hostel business from day one. One that will help you get your return on investment as soon as possible.
Therefore, proper research about the location is about minimizing risk and guaranteeing profitability from day one and even in the low season.
A. Assessing the Potential and Attractiveness of a Location for a New Hostel
In order to
In general, the aim is to find a place with a high and steady volume of budget travelers passing through!
A high and steady turnover of guests is important for at least two reasons:
Finding such a location might be an easy task for those who are open to any destination. However, it is about realistically assessing the potential of a location for those, who already have a specific destination for their hostel on their mind.
Step1: LOOK AT THE POPULARITY OF THE COUNTRY AND PLACE
You need to ask yourself if the destination is a well known tourist destination.
One easy as cake way to find out about which location is potentially attractive is to check if the destination is being recommended by mass media. For this, you can check are lists such as
- One of the oldest offline and online travel guides: The Lonely Planet.
- One of the most user content powered online travel guides: tripadvisor.
- One of the biggest OTA including flights, hostels, hotels and more: Booking.com.
- One of the biggest hostel and experience centered OTA: Hostelworld.
- and many more…
Some international ideas:
Finding a country suitable to open a hostel:
- The hostel platform hostelworld publishes their top 19 country destinations yearly. (And you can even find some of their featured hostels in those destinations when going through the post)
- The Lonely Planet has long been the go-to-site for humans with wanderlust. Find their top 10 destinations 2019 for backpackers here.
- Find 25 cheap and exciting backpacking destinations by trekeffect.com here.
- Tripsavvy provides a top 10 destination list by country based on a destination must have an ample supply of hostels and other low-budget accommodations. (Use this for your competitor analysis!)
- Featuring 52 cities and countries, the NY Times gives an extensive overview of attractive international desitnations for all kind of travellers. Find your inspiration here.
- Bloomberg lists its top 20 destinations for 2019 and provides insights about their seasonal changes on top. Find the data here.
- Based on their booking statistics, booking predicts the top 10 for 18 to 34 year old travelers here.
Find a city for a hostel internationally:
- Find the “Top 16 backpacking destinations for the ultimate adventure” by
city here. - Find “137 World cities ranked cheapest to most expensive: Backpacker Index for 2019” here.
- Find “Popular places to visit” in the list shown here.
Some ideas about finding a location for a hostel in Europe:
- Check out “Best destinations in Europe” by EuropeanBestDestinations here.
- Check out “56 European cities by price: Europe Backpacker Index for 2019” by PriceOfTravel here.
- Check out Travelers Choice-Destinations for Europe according to
tripadvisor here. - Check out the Best Places to Visit in Europe according to US News here.
- Discover the cheapest cities for backpacking in Europe according to LonelyPlanet here.
- Discover Europe’s Best Backpacker Destinations according to MyFunkyTravel here.
- Find the “18 Hidden Europe Gems” by DanFlyingSolo here.
Some sources to help you find a destination for a hostel in Africa:
- Discover 13 Africa and Middle East cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2019 by PriceOfTravel here.
- Get e general overview of Africa as a destination for backpackers on LonelyPlanet here.
- Check out the “Top African Spots to Chill for Budget Travelers” on TripSavvy here.
- Get an extensive overview of travel blogger and travel-related websites for Africa here.
Some sources to help you find a destination for a hostel in Asia:
- Explore “31 Asia cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2019” by PriceOfTravel here.
- Follow the Southeast Asia Route for Backpacker destinations by SoutheastasiaBackpacker here.
- Get a general overview of Asia as a destination for backpackers on LonelyPlanet here.
- Pick some travel reports by great Asian travel bloggers on the BucketListlyBlog.
Some sources to help you find a destination for a hostel in Australia and Pacific:
- Find a rather small selection of “6 Australia and New Zealand cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2019” by PriceOfTravel here.
- Get a general overview of Australian and Pacific destinations for backpackers on LonelyPlanet here.
- Read NomadicMatt’s overall travel tips for Australia here.
- Check out more travel bloggers who happen to love Australia and New Zealand on gorentals.
Some sources to help you find a destination for a hostel in the USA and Canada:
- Find a small selection of “13 North American cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2019” by PriceOfTravel here.
- Get a general overview of North American destinations for backpackers on LonelyPlanet here.
- Read NomadicMatt’s overall travel tips for the USA here.
- Pick your favorite US travel blogger sites on AmericanTravelBlogger.
Some sources to help you find a destination for a hostel in South & Central America:
- Find a small selection of “18 South and Central American cities by price: Backpacker Index for 2019” by PriceOfTravel
- Get a general overview of South American destinations for backpackers on LonelyPlanet.
- Follow the Female Solo Traveler the BlondeAbroad on her travel guide to South America.
- Get a general overview of Central American destinations for backpackers on LonelyPlanet.
- Make sure to pick the latest posts by travel blogs focused on South America featured on peruhop.
Extra Tipp:
Check out travel blogger`s blogs and their social media to review their itinerary.
Often, after they reach a certain level of online followers, travel bloggers become “travel influencers”. Destinations such as cities, countries, hotels or even hostels invite such influencers for marketing purposes. Their travel expenses are sponsored in order for the destination to be featured on their blog.
“More than half of those aged 18-65 booked their holidays based on Instagram posts, according to a new report by airline operator easyJet.”
says hostel marketing consultancy Stay the Night.
From this you can draw two conclusions:
The travel bloggers stories on the one hand influence travelers to visit a certain destination meaning, more guests coming to this destination. On the other hand such sponsored stories indicate, that certain regions or corporations invest money to improve their attractiveness to new guests.
Here are some list of bloggers to check out to find an attractive hostel destination:
- Find the “Top 10 Travel Bloggers You Should Already Be Following” according to under30experiences here.
- Check out some “Great Travel Blogs From Around The World To Inspire You” to find a hostel destination here.
- Find hidden gems in Eastern Europe with KamiAndTheRestOfTheWorld here.
- See which travel bloggers NomadicMatt follows here.
If you already have a special location in mind (and can`t find it among the above mentioned lists), the idea is to find out whether a lot of backpackers, (budget) travelers or hostel owners have already written about it online.
Google your “destination name” and keywords such as “backpacker”, “hostel”, “travel itinerary”, “what to do in”, “is X worth visiting” and so on. If your country and city is a real hidden gem, research information about “best cities in X country”, “what to do in country X”, “a week in X”, and so on, and check out, if your city made it on the list.
Be critical and honest about the location and answer the following questions:
- Is the location attractive throughout the whole year?
- What about rainy seasons?
- Could they make your location i
naccessible ? - How would you prepare for winters so cold closing down the only street that leads to your hostel?
Be realistic about how attractive the location is for example when one major attraction you seek to take advantage of (like a close by amusement park) is closed during low season.
Check out the local news about any marketing activities aiming at increasing tourism.
Look out if there are any plans for a new airport (for example, look for reports such as an Anker Report for Europe or
For further research, check out this interesting discussion about evaluating the potential of a tourism location on researchgate.net.
Extra tipp:
Find the niche!
Check out if there is a hidden demand that is not yet being satisfied.
Put yourself in the shoes of a traveller and skim community chats, social media, travel websites and blogs and listen to what people say. If you get across some people asking or even complaining about the lack of hostels in an area, this might be a good indicator for a hidden market or even growing demand.
You might end up being the first hostel in a city that scores high
on the potential analysis and this could be a great opportunity for you!
Step 2: LOOK AT THE ATTRACTIONS
Once you have identified an attractive location, a double test is important to see the potential for a hostel.
In case a region or bigger city has high quantity and good quality of nearby attractions, a constant sleepover stream is more probably.
Moreover, the kind of attractions and the number of sightseeing sites influence how long backpackers and other travelers will stay in a city, once they are already there.
Stephen, the owner of Washington International Student Center, one of the first hostels in the Washington DC area, let his decision about where to set up his second hostel, be guided by this rule of thumb:
“Check out how long people will want to stay in a city. If it’s just a day trip city like let’s say Philadelphia, people will not need a place to stay. Washington on the other hand, is a place where you need a couple of days to explore the whole city – even on a budget. And that’s where a hostel makes sense.”
Said Stephen, the owner of http://dchostel.com.
Moreover, attractions and sightseeing sites give insights about seasonal changes in a destination. A suburban or quiet estate may be beautiful and perfect for a rural retreat. But unless you have something very special in mind (like a “retreat hostel”), a variety of sights, restaurants and a vivid nightlife nearby are necessary to attract a paying crowd and staying guests.
Websites such as tripadvisor.com, getyourguide.com and culturetrip.com have plenty of information about things to do and stuff to see in most popular travel destinations. Go ahead and google “sightseeing in X”, “what to do in X” or “attractions in X”. Using facebook or instagram can help you find out about attractions in a region as well.
Lazy tip:
Lie back, go to youtube and check out videos about your destination.
Search for “top things to do in X” – which is the most common headline of videos taking the viewer on a 5-15 minute trip through a town or region.
Step 3: CHECK OUT THE COMPETITION
After identifying a location which is attractive for travelers and backpackers, check out the actual hostel situation.
Competition can be a good and a bad thing!
Existing competition means that the location is visited by backpackers. In this regards, the categories of whether a location is attractive would most probably be met. A new hostel could be a blessing, if those hostels were sold out permanently.
On the contrary, high density of competition could make your endeavors of opening a new hostel more difficult, since you would have to fight for your share of the existing market. If there are too many hostels already, the market could be saturated.
Consequentially, both scenarios are good indicators of the destination ́s attractiveness. It is up to you to interpret them in order to make the right decision.
And this is how you can do the interpretation.
CHECK OUT THE STATUS QUO:
First of all, an online check will reveal if there are other hostels already in the areas. A google search will give you the first insights into the number of competitions.
Any business which does not have a website, a facebook page or Instagram will probably not be much competition.
Try using local names for hostels, eg. “hostal”, albergue juvenil” or “albergue turístico” for hostels in Spanish speaking countries, “auberge” in France or Canada, or even “Jugendherberge” in German speaking countries.
ANALYZE THE FINDINDS
Take a closer look at the kind of competition than at only how many hostels are already present.
In the case of the United States
Nevertheless, such destinations are indeed highly frequented by tourists and even backpackers – it is only, that hostels are not that famous and established in those areas yet. Backpackers use Airbnb or go to motels or cheaper hotels because this is just what the market has been providing for ages.
Opening a hostel in such an area (if it met the attractiveness and later described criteria) could be a good example of pioneering in a destination.
In case of a high density of hostels, there is a trick on how to check the saturation of the market:
Check the rates each of those hostels charges per night. This way it is visible if there are a lot of beds still available for a short term booking request, a booking request during a major holiday or for a long term request.
If you have trouble finding a bed in any of these requests – best all of them – it might be a good indicator that being an addition to the hostel offer already available would not be such a bad idea.
In case your google research is negative for other hostels in the location you analyze, dig deeper and look at some numbers and background information in order to make an assumption about the potential of a destination.
In the case of the USA, figures show that tourist numbers are increasing (see an ITB report) while one can observe that people
The hostel business is definitely growing in the USA and even major European hostel chains such as the Generator are entering the market:
See https://hvs.com/article/7851-Hostel-Market-In-America-Potential-For-Growth
So with statements like these, there must be a factor influencing the divergence between numbers (growth) and reality (not too many established hostels in US areas yet). And
Luckily, in the case of the United States, one issue concerning hostel business on the market is easy to find when you read about hostel and hotel business news and how global players behave on the US market. articles like the one in the Wallstreet Journal or Skift show, that the genre “hostel” has not established itself yet.
Against this background, a competitor analysis done on the sole bases
Therefore, additionally one should have a look at the room offer and rates of the established hotels and motels. This way you will be able to see if established businesses offer budget accommodation.
And, as described earlier, one could use social media to do some research on where (budget) travel bloggers stayed in such locations to find out, whether established hotels indeed have an offer for backpackers – but just name it differently. Or those results could show you an
STEP 4: ANALYZE YOUR FINDINGS & REVIEW YOUR STRATEGY
Whether you had your location 1) set, 2) you wanted to open a hostel in a destination based on a certain activity or 3) or you had not decided on a location yet – how well do the locations you researched score in terms of “Potential and Attractiveness of the location” now, after you have done the research?
Sit down, review your research, and answer those questions for your situtaion:
1) Does the location you chose still make sense?
Did you find
2) Does the activity you thought about smake sense in the destination you chose?
Will the party hostel you dream about attract young travelers or is the destination you were looking at rather frequented by older travelers? Will your bike-friendly hostel serve many like-minded travelers or will you have to invest time and money to establish this among bike-averse tourists?
3) Did you locate a destination which has a big potential and is attractive throughout the year?
Well then, congratulations! You have made the first big step!
Once the location meets the attractiveness criteria, “your first trip needs to be to the city’s planning department.”
Says BentUnderwood in his 21 Tips for starting a hostel and I encourage you to read his article about it.
Because the next step is to narrow your location down to specific coordinates, therefore you need to find out which areas in the city are zoned to allow hostels.
With this knowledge, you can go further and decide on a neighborhood and guide your
And in order to find your final location, you have to account for two other factors, which influence the potential of your destination and will help you decide on where in a city to set up the hostel.
B. International and Public Transportation to your Destination and Hostel
According to the aforementioned definition, we categorize backpackers as „budget travelers“. This implies, that the majority of hostel guests will choose mass and public transportation over an own car or a taxi.
It is not only their often limited budget which favor this means of transportation. Thanks to a growing car sharing market, improved international public transportation in major cities, or a more sustainable lifestyle, more and more people make a conscious decision of not owning a car.
Moreover, backpackers are in general interested to use public transportation at the destination to get to know the city better and rather spend their money on more important things than on a taxi.
(interesting read about this by NomadicMatt).
In order to have an attractive location for the average hostel guest, your hostel should first of all be easily and affordably accessible by bus, train or flight.
Look at the given infrastructure to assess, how well the location is situated.
International transport ensures a steady and guaranteed inflow of tourists, while public transportation makes sure they find their way to your property.
Thinking about travel in the Western world, international transport can be an airport – especially if it hosts low cost carriers.
However, keep in mind that in Europe, busses have become a wallet friendly alternative to short-distance flights with companies such as flixbus.com and blablabus.com competing on the market. Flying has gotten cheaper and more affordable for the majority.
Moreover, environmental movements and often further away locations of airports and new, strict security procedures at the airport have made flying slower and somewhat tedious.
Therefore, the trend goes to more travelers opting to avoid airlines on short-to-medium distances and turning to busses or trains (read more here).
The following research will help you assess if and how easily your potential hostel guests will be able to arrive at your destination.
Step 1: Check out major international connections
Go to websites such as omio.com or fromAtoB.com and check out if there are plenty of connections between adjacent countries` capitals to your destination.
(Be smart - and also go the other way, and check the arrivals of busses, trains and flights on the nearest train and bus station and the closest airport)
Now check the prices of such connections. Are the prices affordable? Do they vary during low or high season? How much do they vary in high season? Make sure to compare the prices you find and realistically estimate whether those are prices which are high or low for a local or foreign traveler.
If prices are very high, you might have found a less attractive destination for the typical hostel guest. If prices vary, you might brace for seasonal changes.
Step 2: Check out local connectivity
Next to international transport, public transport is the accessibility within the city. This will not only guarantee arrivals of tourists to your chosen city – but help guests find their way to your hostel.
It is important that your guests are able to move around from and around your house easily and affordably to make the utmost great experience.
Nevertheless, there is a thought I found very insightful on how to decide on the location within the city:
„If you are in a small town then you need to be close to all of the attractions because people will not want to commute. If however you are in a very big and expensive city such as Hong Kong or San Francisco property prices will be so expensive that many budget hostels will be situated out of town so that backpackers can afford to stay there. As most big cities have good transport networks it will not be a problem for your guests to commute.“
Found on https://hostelbooked.com/blog/finding-right-location-for-hostel/.
According to this statement, central isn’t always necessary. Assuming a safe area with transportation links, a good vibe and facilities can compete with a central spot. Nevertheless, you have to make sure that the transport-network is really as secure, reliant and affordable as to be able to meet those criteria.
In order to do so, check out the local metro and bus websites. Look for places closer to transit-crossings or those with more than just one bus line coming. Make sure to check out the schedule and even google whether people talk about the busses or trains being on time or safe.
Beware: Don’t forget to account for noise and crowd when looking for a well connected destination. Often, being very close to a bus or metro stop implies heavy pedestrian traffic – especially in the morning and afternoon when locals make their way to or from work.
Nevertheless, if you plan to attract younger travelers and are eager to have your business open to party guests or even open a bar, you might want to be in a crowded and well frequented area.
If you are keep on aiming at the more mature traveller, don’t go for the cheapest and most crowded area. Your guests will value silence over saving some dollars therefore you might choose a location a little further from the centre.
In summary, make a sensitive choice about the location and how it will align with your potential guests needs and habits. But don’t be afraid to allow your potential guests some walking distance to your location. Even party guests will value a good night sleep and no morning wake up by the newsletter man.
Now you have found a city tha
Now let’s make sure, they will also leave your place with a smile, rather than a stroke: let’s look at the last, but not least, criteria about your location!
C. Finding a safe area for your hostel
Being a traveler myself I have securely and happily traveled countries and cities despite parents or friends warning me about their dangers. Most of the time it seems that others exaggerate when they tell you about certain neighborhoods or areas to avoid in order not to get stabbed, shot or robbed. Once there, you realize that using your brain and just being cautious is crucial and people friendlier than expected.
However, there is a difference between traveling and hosting people!
It is respons
Therefore, unless you get to know the area well enough to know its a safe place for all of your potential guests, think twice!
Keep in mind that any foreigners are always a target but with a hostel you are especially exposed to theft and other crimes. With a higher fluctuation of guests than in a hotel, there will be new people coming and going all of the time and people can quite easily enter your hostel and take your guests belongings. Unfortunately this is quite common and is the reason why the majority of hostels do not let non guests into the hostel.
Also, often backpackers could be coming home late and often drunk, so if you are located in a dangerous area you will have continual problems and subsequently bad reviews.
On average, the safer a region the more backpackers it will attract.
Tourists tend to check out the location they are going to visit beforehand. A lot will shy back when reading about a high crime rate. While run-down areas could be cheaper, most people won’t compromise safety for saving a few bucks. And bad reviews and sad news can harm your business.
A safety check will help and guide your property scouting and even final decision about in which building to open your hostel.
So here is some due diligence you should make when assessing how safe an area is:
- Use official websites, institutions
and word-of-mouth. - Go to your own countries travel advisory or (Ministry of Foreign Affairs website) to find up to date information about your aspired location. For the USA this would be eg. the Bureau of Consular Affairs, for Germany the Auswärtiges Amt, for Spain the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, and so on.
- Run a google search about your city and neighborhood.
- Go for the “news” section in google for miscellaneous news. Check out keywords such as “your city / neighborhood” and “crime (rate)”, “homicide”, “shooting”, “pick pockets”, “police”, “safety”, and so on.
- Check out travel bloggers stories about their latest trip. They often have a “How save is X” post about a region.
- Check out organization websites such as the OECD.
- Read some newspapers.
- You might even want to consider talking to locals and asking their honest opinion about their neighbourhood.
A location in a safe, well connected and fluctuated, attractive city or area, increases the chance of your hostel`s success!
Special Advice!
Location attractiveness, transportation and safety guarantee a lot of people will have a good and safe time at your hostel! But now comes an advice, that a lot of hostel owners wished they had before they invested in their new place:
Find a community you will be able to blend in!
This will guarantee that YOU yourself will have a good time in the place you choose! Because it’s you who will spend most of the time in and around your hostel. So be sure to make it a great place for you to stay too!
There are some reasons, how the community will affect your hostel business:
Think of what your own best travel and hostel experience was?
Did you ever just check in a hostel to never walk around the neighborhood? Have you ever gotten lost to ask a resident for directions back to your place? Have you ever not liked meeting a local at the hostel bar to chat about anything?
Now think about those situations if your neighbors do not approve of your hostel being there? What will locals most probably tell about your hostel? Will they guide lost backpackers back to your place without a harsh comment? Will they advice new arrivals to check out your place?
Probably not… So imagine how much damage could be made to your business if you only thought about your business!
While criteria such as fluctuation, safety and transportation – when missing – will cost you money, the lack of support from a community might cost you nerves (remember, karma is a b**).
Therefore, start your endeavors with the question in mind, as how your hostel will impact the locals and the environment.
Being the owner of a hostel, wanting to have the back of your neighbor isn’t just about them talking good about your hostel or telling lost tourists to check out your place instead of checking in to a more expensive hotel.
It is about them becoming your advocates and participants in future endeavors.
Being integrated in the community could help you get through the low season. Imagine being able to offer your place as a communal space in winter. Or finding out that your location is perfect for a new kind of sports only makes sense, if your community will jump on board too – opening stores or schools for exactly this kind of activity.
And how do you complement the community?
Listen to the locals! How do they think about other hostels or hotels? Are they happy their area is or is becoming a place for tourists? If not, what are they afraid of? Change is always difficult. And it will take time!
However, with empathy and openness one will more likely be accepted as the new place in town – than being there just for the money.
SUMMARY – The journey to your own hostel starts with the location!
When you have read so far, this means, you are serious about opening your own hostel soon.
You have read and understood that the first question to answer, before investing money in a hostel, is to find the perfect location for your hostel business.
This is amazing – as with this preparation you made the first and biggest step towards your own hostel!
This blogpost helped you assess the Potential and Attractiveness of the location in four steps:
- Looking at the popularity of the country or place
- Looking at the attractions
- Checking out the competition
- Analyzing your findings and reviewing your strategy
In this section you also received two extra tips.
One about how to find information about a region. The other gives insights on how to analyze if the demand for a hostel is still there in a well-known region.
Finally, you found a tip for the lazy ones. Those who like to get their information from a video on youtube (I love youtube videos, so no sarcasm here!).
Moreover, you were shown how to find out, whether international and public transportation to your destination and hostel is in your favor.
This was done in two steps:
- Checking out major international connections
- Checking out local connectivity
You learned about the importance of finding a safe area for your hostel. You could read about how to make a due diligence analysis when assessing how safe an area is.
Last but not least, you learned about how the community will affect your hostel business.
We hope this information will get you started on your way to your own hostel.
In the next post, we will gather information about how to prepare yourself for opening a hostel.
Moreover, we will continue
Want to be the first to read the upcoming blog posts: Subscribe to the newsletter!
We are are going to London next week for a few days and we are looking for a reasonable guide witch is able to advise also about good cheap restaurants, museums interesting for teens etc.
Hey, Los Angles is good for trip.there so many nice places to live and good hotels also.U can stay in these places-Beverly hills, Santa Monica,Near to Hollywood:
Hi there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it’s truly informative. i’m gonna watch out for brussels. I?ll be grateful if you continue this in future. Lots of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Thank you so much for your comment. Do you mean Brussels as to the hospitality industry there? Best Margarete