Skip to main content

A Follow-up Discussion about Hostels - Additional Insights from the Staff

Image
By
Last week, we reviewed some reasons why hostels are becoming more popular among travelers and investors, but that alone, is not a complete story because we are still missing one important piece of the puzzle – i.e., additional insights from the staff who is actually working in a hostel. As a result, I especially invited Joanne Lam to share her experience of working in a hostel with us, who is currently working in the Green Tortoise San Francisco Hostel and a master’s student at the Collins College of Hospitality Management (Cal Poly Pomona). 

Picture of @Jo_Lam
Here are some highlights of what she shared: 


Joanne’s Work Experience in Hostels

“I’ve been working in a hostel for a total of about two years. ..." 

Who Stays in Hostels

"... Many of them are backpackers, solo travelers, or simply with a few friends traveling for a long period of time; anywhere between two weeks to six months. Our guests all have very unique personalities. They seek connections everywhere they go. They are flexible and welcoming to new adventures on a daily basis..."


Why People Choose to Stay in Hostels

“... Our guests choose to stay in a hostel over other hotels because of the vibe, the community, the activities and being able to be themselves in any given situation. Many choose us because their friends have had great experiences with us, and they want to experience the Green Tortoise experience themselves..."


How Hostels Keep Everyone Engaged

“The free breakfast and free dinners are a huge part of how we engage the travelers. Free dinners are similar to a family meal, where we encourage travelers to help with the preparation of the meals. Our nightly social events range from pub-crawls, live music, to dinner outings in the area. We also create a list of activities happening in and around San Francisco on a weekly basis for our guests, especially events that are more local than touristic..." 

Who is Working in Hostels

“Our associates working for the Green Tortoise San Francisco are quite unique and yet at the same time, very much alike. We have staff from all over the world such as Australia, New Zealand, as well as Italy..." 


The Relationship between the Management Team and the Staff

“This may sound cheesy, but we’re a family. It’s the Green Tortoise family. The relationship between the associates and travelers are very friendly, comfortable and incredibly interactive..." 

The Work Environment in Hostels

"... Every day is an adventure to meet different travelers and hear their stories..."

Trends Affecting Hostels

"... The health and wellness travel trend booming in recent years have also made an impact on the hostel business. Travelers can cook in hostel kitchens, and not have to go out to eat as much whether it’s for health or economic reasons..."
   
Note that Every Hostel is Unique

“I believe one very unique aspect of hostels currently is that each hostel, and or organization of hostels offer different activities and environment..." 

About the Author - Joanne Lam

Joanne Lam is a master’s student in The Collins College of Hospitality Management at California Polytechnic University Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona). She is currently investigating how hostels can be used to build a more culturally intelligent world. Having lived in Hong Kong, Cambodia, and Boston - where she received her BA degree in Communication Studies from Emerson College - she is an avid traveler of the world who is always seeking for new adventures, new stories to tell, and new ways to build a utopian society. Her blog, Stuck Like A Pincushion, is a compilation of photographs, stories, and thoughts of her daily interactions. Joanne’s perspectives on travel and the hospitality industry is largely influenced by her own experiences. There is only one way to describe what she’s all about- as the tagline on her blog writes: “live to exist outside our bodies in the lives and thoughts of others.” To stay tune with Joanne’s daily musings, follow Joanne Lam on Instagram and Twitter.

Want to know more hostels? Visit MultiBriefs.com or leave Joanne or me a note. 

#Q&A #Hostels #Travel #Tourism #Trends

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Luxury vs. Millennials and Their Technology: The Ritz-Carlton (By Julia Shorr)

By
Embodying the finest luxury experience, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC has been established since 1983. In 1998, Marriott International purchased the brand offering it more opportunity for growth while being independently owned and operated. They are known for their enhanced service level as the motto states, “Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen”. The luxury brand now carries 97 hotels and resorts internationally and is attempting to keep the aspects of luxury while keeping up with the trends of the technologically improving generations. The Varying Demographics of the Target Market The Ritz-Carlton’s typical target market includes: business executives, corporate, leisure travelers, typically middle-aged persons and elders, and families from the upper and upper-middle class section of society .   This infers a large range of types of travelers in which all are similar in that they are not opposed to spending extra for the luxurious ambiance. However, with
1 comment
Read more

The challenges of SB 93 (California Senate Bill No. 93) will impose on the employers and their human resource management team (by Brittany Schaffer)

By
The COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020, and it has caused massive changes within a short period of time. One of the most rememberable effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was that businesses had to come to a complete halt, forcing them to lay off employees. California's unemployment rates went up.  Now that the stay-at-home orders have lifted, people start to come out. Businesses are now reopening, looking to rehire their laid-off employees. Before the pandemic, employers had the option of recalling only a certain number of laid-off employees they would want to rehire based on employees' job performance. That option had been changed after Governor Gavin Newsome signed into law - Senate Bill 93, which went into effect on April 16th, 2021. The California Senate Bill No. 93 (SB 93) According to SB 93, companies in specific industries, mainly the hospitality industry, have the obligation to provide job opportunities in written form to qualified employees being laid off due to COVI
Post a Comment
Read more

Want to win in future competitions? Invest in data-driven decisions now

By
Speaking of the permanent changes in the hospitality industry, many people will probably agree that demands for “bleisure”/“work-from-anywhere” travel and contactless self-service will continue to grow in the near future. Not everyone, however, realizes that data-driven decisions will become a key driver for growth in the industry, which has already affected how we do business now.   Automatic service enables businesses to capture more operational and consumer data for business decisions   One advantage of using automatic service comes from its ability to spontaneously capture and store real-time operational and consumer data for additional analysis. In the old-time when businesses still relied on workers to serve customers, operational data were collected usually through careful book-keeping, documentations, and observations; consumer data through market research were often limited to their perceptions, behavioral intentions, or past experience.     Now that automatic service is provi
Post a Comment
Read more