An article in the New York Times alerts its readers to the joys of hostelling across the pond, with particular reference to London Central YH. Reporter Jennifer Conlin stayed there last month with her teenage daughters, and liked what she found:
[A]s we walked through the sliding glass doors into the entrance hall, I admired the floor-to-ceiling illuminated map of the London Tube system, as well as a good-looking 40-something man with a briefcase getting off the elevator. Already, things seemed different.
The girls quickly disappeared into what in my day would have been called the common room – typically a gathering place for grubby guests, complete with threadbare springy sofas, a rattling tea cart and a makeshift library of discarded travel books in every language but your own.
I braced myself and followed behind only to be shocked by the scene before me. The room could have been a model set for the Ikea catalog with brightly colored sofas and chairs arranged around sparkling white laminated tables.
One wall was decorated with enlarged photos of London landmarks – a red mailbox, an Oxford Street sign, the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Flanking the wall was a blackboard with information on the latest museum exhibitions, food and clothing markets, and shows. Mounted to the ceiling were several flat-screen televisions, including one showing a slide show of people partying in the hostel where we stood; Florence was mesmerized.
YHA’s Duncan Simpson gave the view from Matlock:
“Ten to 15 years ago, hostels were more commonly associated with the countryside for hikers and walkers,” said Duncan Simpson, head of communications for YHA Ltd., a youth hostel organization for England and Wales and a Hostelling International affiliate. “But we operate in cities and are now attracting customers who not only come to us because it is good value for the money, but also because they want a different, more relaxed experience than you get at a hotel.”
YHA’s newest project in London, the $1.5 million renovation of the St. Pancras hostel, hopes to attract yet another growing customer base — the family. It has rooms designed for families, Wi-Fi in the common rooms, a restaurant open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., even cribs
“At a hostel you don’t have to worry that your child is going to knock over an ornamental lamp in the lobby,” Mr. Simpson said. “The whole atmosphere is more casual.”
It’s good to see a YHA hostel getting such good coverage (including some good pictures), and follows London Central’s good showing in the “Hoscars” earlier this year. I just hope it doesn’t lead to an influx of American visitors to Black Sail, all wondering where the Ikea furniture and ceiling-mounted tellies are…