Hostel is a type of tourist accommodation for economy accommodation (we can say that it is a type of hotel), which provides guests for a short or long period of time a bed in a shared room. You can talk about the hostel as a hotel with limited service.
Hostels most often provide a bed in a dormitory (room) for 2 or more people (you are moved into a room with other people). It is convenient to stay in hostels with a large group and take one room, but you can find hostels and with 2-bed rooms, where you can comfortably accommodate a couple, and the level of comfort may well correspond to a cheap hotel. Sanitary facilities may be represented by a toilet and bath in the room (private bathroom), or on the floor for several rooms (sared bathroom). Another option, quite rare, when the toilet and bathroom are separate for each room, but are not located in the room itself, but on the floor across the hall. Access to them in this case may be limited to a lock. Well, one of the most modern types of hostels is a capsule, although sometimes it is positioned as a capsule hotel.
Advantages of hostels
- The main advantage is, of course, the low price. This is especially true for independent tourists and travelers traveling on their own. After all, almost the entire room stock of traditional hotels and hostels is designed to accommodate two guests or families, there are very few single rooms. And in the hostel you can stay at a price three or more times cheaper than a hotel room, which is especially important for long and single trips.
- Another plus of hostels is their atmosphere. As a rule, they stay young people, experienced travelers. And these are almost always sociable and cheerful people, and so the hostels form an atmosphere of communication and fun. All guests get to know each other, socialize, spend evenings together and have entire parties. The administration of hostels also contributes to this by creating special areas for socializing in their establishments, and sometimes participate in this themselves.
Disadvantages of hostels
There is a similar type of accommodation and certain inconveniences that some people do not like. If any of the following bothers you, it is better to give up this type of accommodation:
- Roommates with strangers you are seeing for the first time. More often than not, sleeping quarters are designed for 8 or more people, someone may snore, someone’s alarm clock will ring early in the morning, etc. This is not to everyone’s liking.
- As a rule, there is a minimum of furniture, or none at all. All your things will have to leave in bags or backpack on the floor, or right on the bed.
- Most hostels have shared bathrooms and toilets for one bedroom or even an entire floor. This means you have to brush your teeth, shower, or go to the bathroom side by side with other people. Of course, showers and toilets are closed, but in general, you will have to forget about privacy.
- Many hostels offer a minimal set of services: no reception, no cleaning of the bed and change of linen until you check out, no free soap and shampoo, no pool. Sometimes there is no hot water.