An End to the Breakfast Levy?
Chris Darmon mentioned it at the Groups Conference, and now Karl’s confirmed it on the YHA forum, the compulsory bed and breakfast policy in force at many popular hostels is being reviewed. Some hostels will have to remain B&B (because they don’t have members kitchens), but others may return to the old book-it-if-you-want-it system.
Personally, I’d be glad to see the back of this policy. Hostels are supposed to be catering (no pun intended) to people on a budget. Charging them an extra three or four quid for a breakfast that they could make themselves for much less does not fit in with this ethos. Furthermore, if you need to make an early start, or you have special dietary requirements, the breakfast you have to pay for may be of no use to you.
That’s not to say hostel breakfasts aren’t any good – I’ve had some excellent ones, but customers should have the choice of whether to buy one, or to make one (or even to skip one if they fancy a little extra time in bed or on the hill).
I also hope that any decision is applied even-handedly, to groups as well as to individuals. If it’s OK for a dozen individual members to make their own breakfasts, it should be OK for a dozen individuals who happen to be members of a YHA group. I know my own group has not been able to stay at some hostels because we’re not willing to abandon self catering.
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You might need to rephrase that first paragraph. One of the hostels that’s dropped B&B is St Pancras – one of the hostels without an s/c kitchen.
I can confirm that from the end of March 2009 YHAs at Manchester, Ambleside and St Pauls will revert back to non-inclusive B+B pricing. These Youth Hostels will be carefully monitored for three months. The findings will be reported to the Board to assess what may/may not happen to the remaining 26 B+B inclusive YHA sites. It proves YHA is listening to feedback from guests. Thanks for your continued support.
P.S my name is ‘Karl’ and not ‘Carl’ – I’m sensitive to these things you know! he he he.
I hope this does not mean keeping the price as it is now and charging extra for the breakfast! Such a move could be easily hidden under flexible pricing!
I can’t win can I! I want to reassure you that flexible pricing will mean that the overnight price remains highly competative. Comparing before and after will be impossible, but I expect the rack rate overnight price will be lower than it would have been if breakfast had been included in the price. Breakfast charges will continue to be very attractive, especially when you compare YHA to others in the budget accomodation sector.
Karl, name corrected – sorry ’bout that. Thanks for posting the news about the non-B&B trial, those three hostels sound like a reasonable cross-section of current B&B hostels, let’s see what happens!
Many thanks for the name change.