If in a hostel, sharing builds the whole experience, with the pandemic how do things get?
The experience of meeting people in a hostel goes far beyond the idea of sharing rooms. After all, even in those where there are options for private rooms, the purpose of staying in a hostel is precisely in shared environments where you can learn from different cultures around the world, and drink and eat with people you may never have had the opportunity to meet on other occasions.
Trying to look at some solutions, hostels around the world have been trying to adapt and understand what is possible to do to make this multicultural experience survive the pandemic.
See what are the measures that the main hostels from different countries are taking during this period:
Half of the guests
Dorms, where an average of 15 people slept before and reached up to 20 people or more, should now receive half of their capacity.
The measure has already been adopted, for example, at Swanky Mint Hostel, in Croatia. Guests are distributed by the upper and lower bunks to ensure that there are sufficient distance between them.
In the UK, some hostels are preparing shared rooms for families only. Other hostels are even building capsule-shaped dormitories.
Small social areas
If the social areas are one of the main attractions in hostels, now the spaces that usually have TV rooms, pool tables, games and many sofas where you could sit right next to other guests, are restricted right now.
There are hostels that have placed markings on the floor to ensure that guests do not get too close to each other.
In addition, many places, such as Yellow Hostel in Rome, for example, do not allow more than 3 people in the kitchen at the same time.
The receptions are also different. Now, the guest’s first contact with the hostel staff takes place with an acrylic plate in the middle, separating the customer from the receptionist.
Long stay
Some hostels are encouraging extended stays in private rooms. For this, many offer attractive discounts, which ends up being an advantage for those who need help to practice social distancing or for those who are digital nomadic.
The demand for this type of attraction has increased by people who are already tired of the home office and is looking for a different place to sleep, rest or work. As an example, Che Lagarto from Rio de Janeiro has adopted this strategy.
Digital payment
If card payments were already popularizing even before the pandemic, now there are hostels that have this as a rule. This is the case of the European chain St. Christopher’s Inns.
The good thing about this change is that most hostels offer advantages and good price conditions for those who pay online, especially if the reservation is made in advance.