Youth hostels: the new generation

In 2006, facing increasing debts, the Youth Hostel Association in Britain announced a series of closures over three years. Around 30 hostels got the ax in an effort for the association to keep afloat. There are over 200 hostels remaining in England and Wales and some of the money from the closures will go towards increasing the standards of those remaining.

Hostels around Europe are changing with an increasing number of small bedrooms and private showers available instead of the traditional hostel style of communal living. Britain’s YHA is being forced into making similar changes. One new hostel opening in Whitby will follow the new model.

The Abbey House hostel will have a tearoom and restaurant in place of the usual communal kitchen. In fact, offering good food is becoming an increasing draw of the modern YHA hostels. YHA kitchens are now focusing on locally produced foods, particularly fresh vegetables and fruit, as well as fair trade tea and coffee.

Hostels targeted for closure are those with significant renovations to undertake or with considerably low occupancy. Not all of them remain closed for long. Ten of the hostels sold by YHA last year have become YHA hostels once more.

Despite the renovations and closures and the changing face of hostels in Britain today, the YHA has committed to keeping the spirit of many of their distinctive and long-running hostels alive. The YHA strategy 2006 document states that small hostels in the countryside who are “regarded with much affection by their guests, many of whom are older people,” will continue, just so long as they can keep their occupancy levels up.

www.yha.org.uk