Comments on: Historic Hostels Impress Reporters http://www.yhagroup.org.uk/archives/historic-hostels-impress-reporters News & Views for Local YHA Groups Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:19:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Life member http://www.yhagroup.org.uk/archives/historic-hostels-impress-reporters/comment-page-1#comment-141162 Life member Wed, 12 Aug 2009 13:06:38 +0000 http://www.yhagroup.org.uk/?p=539#comment-141162 Unless there is a radical change in strategy, hostelling will continue to decline until there will only be a handful of symbolic hostels left. The organisation is in terminal demogrpahic decline. Why? A number of key factors, primarily that SYHA have lost touch with the youth market (as individuals) and also have no serious interest in youth groups/schools particularly from low income backgrounds. Up until 15 years ago SYHA had a virtual monopoly on cheap hostel type accommodation. Today there are over 100 thriving Independent hostels. Alas the private sector is doing what youth hostels used to do, but better. The honest question has to be, unless they provide budget accommodation for youth groups (and i don;t think £75 per night for a family for 4 is affordable)to encourage them to discover the great outdoors, then who or what are hostels for? Why should a badly run organisation who caters for the middle aged, middle class have charitable status?? Unless there is a radical change in strategy, hostelling will continue to decline until there will only be a handful of symbolic hostels left.
The organisation is in terminal demogrpahic decline. Why?
A number of key factors, primarily that SYHA have lost touch with the youth market (as individuals) and also have no serious interest in youth groups/schools particularly from low income backgrounds. Up until 15 years ago SYHA had a virtual monopoly on cheap hostel type accommodation. Today there are over 100 thriving Independent hostels. Alas the private sector is doing what youth hostels used to do, but better.

The honest question has to be, unless they provide budget accommodation for youth groups (and i don;t think £75 per night for a family for 4 is affordable)to encourage them to discover the great outdoors, then who or what are hostels for? Why should a badly run organisation who caters for the middle aged, middle class have charitable status??

]]> By: Lounge Lizard http://www.yhagroup.org.uk/archives/historic-hostels-impress-reporters/comment-page-1#comment-140491 Lounge Lizard Sun, 02 Aug 2009 08:50:04 +0000 http://www.yhagroup.org.uk/?p=539#comment-140491 "Without the over 40s there would be no hostels" - not really a problem if everyone takes to Youth Hostelling around their fourtieth birthday, but that simply doesn't happen and all us now over 40 started hostelling as teenagers at which time all ages used Youth Hostels. So can the YHA really expect anyone to be using their hostels thirty or so years from now when all us over 40s are too infirm to put our boots on or are alraedy at that great Youth hostel in the sky ? Discuss ! “Without the over 40s there would be no hostels” – not really a problem if everyone takes to Youth Hostelling around their fourtieth birthday, but that simply doesn’t happen and all us now over 40 started hostelling as teenagers at which time all ages used Youth Hostels.
So can the YHA really expect anyone to be using their hostels thirty or so years from now when all us over 40s are too infirm to put our boots on or are alraedy at that great Youth hostel in the sky ?
Discuss !

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