The YHA - now available with X Factor.

Cell Block H.

I remember my first ever night at a YHA Hostel.  I also remember what I said when I left that place – ‘Never, ever, again.’ I had fallen asleep in a four bunk room in the Lakes with two of my mates and woke up to find a complete stranger in the bed above me. No one had told me that we were sharing a room. I mean, he could have been an axe murderer or something.

The experience did nothing to dispel the notion that hostels were more-or-less the same as asylum seekers detention centres, crammed with old bunk beds, peeling wallpaper, stained carpets and over populated bathrooms. True, they offered the basic necessities - a clean bed, a bathroom and a kitchen, but that was pretty much it. If you were really lucky, you might have been given a towel.

It was Alison that persuaded me to give them another try, as she had spent years using them whilst she tramped round the world.  So when we took a month’s trip down under in 2002 with slightly different itineraries, I tentatively booked one night in the Cairns YHA whilst she went to New Zealand ahead of me. I didn’t dare risk a dorm room, so I booked a private twin. To my surprise, I loved it. The people were friendly, the kitchen was handy, and I never once felt like a spare part. There was even a swimming pool. I moved onto the Holiday Inn in Sydney the next day, and it seemed cold and lifeless in comparison. I didn't know at the time, but it was to be the start of a much longer term relationship than I would ever have imagined. Never say never, after all.  

There was still one nagging problem - they could be a bit hit and miss. You could still find bad hostels; we had to switch hostels in Auckland because ours was grotty, and others can have some regimental rules, including closing in daylight hours (YHA Whitepark Bay Park, Northern Ireland) and early curfews (YHA Ambleside) - where I took my twenty or so closest friends for my stag do, which I am not sure they ever did forgive me for. But in general, things were definitely getting better.

Newer hostels started popping up all over the place, bringing with them private rooms, en suite bathrooms, modern kitchens, outdoor terraces, air-conditioning and internet facilities. Instead of being in converted hotels or guesthouses they were more often now in purpose built buildings. They may have still bordered on being more functional than inspirational, but at least they were modern, warm and welcoming. And they were still great value. In the past few years, there has been an even bigger transformation, and it isn’t just me who noticed.

Rooftop terrace at Sydney Harbour YHA

 “Fantastic Experience - don't miss this one”, “Sensational”, “Top Notch”, ”Perfect, just Perfect.”

The kind of reviews you might expect for a Michelin star restaurant, a Broadway show, or for a seven star hotel in the Arabian Gulf. Not the kind of comments you might expect for a YHA. In fact, these are just a tiny selection of reviews for the newly opened Sydney Harbour YHA. The rest are all as consistently positive. And don’t for one minute think that Hostel visitors are easy to please. They are some of the harshest critics around – they demand everything a five star hotel guest would, but expect it all for under a tenner.  Incredibly, this hostel has actually been built suspended over an historical dig site, with open view observation platforms. 

Apollo Bay Eco-Hostel YHA.

 “Stunning”, “Fantastic Place”, “Most Luxurious ever”, “Wonderful experience,” "Gorgeous.”

These are for a different YHA, this time the YHA Eco-Hostel in Apollo Bay. You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking their own marketing people got a little over zealous and had been frantically submitting reviews themselves. Apparently not, as the comments go on and on and on. This YHA features rooms with balconies, and a rooftop view to die for. Its just a two minute walk to one of the most picturesque bays in the whole of Victoria.

I have stayed in both these hostels and I have been gob smacked, twice.

Leading architects are designing jaw dropping structures of glass and steel. They feature swish rooftop terraces, fully loaded kitchens, surround sound digital TV cinema rooms, outdoor barbeques, private bathrooms and Starbuck-esque style chill out lounges. They typically lead the way in sustainable eco-friendly hospitality too. And it’s not just limited to Australia. I have found similar YHA retreats in New Zealand and in the UK. Believe it or not, I started booking into a YHA at St Pancras in London for business trips when my colleagues were staying in 5 Star hotels. I just didn't have the courage to admit it to anyone.

Chill-Out Lounges to rival Starbucks

So where did it all go right? Well, hats off to the YHA. They must have spotted a couple of key trends early on – demand for independent travel was soaring, and their customers were getting older. They were still the same people who been nurtured on  backpackers hostels, but they wanted a little bit more and had more money to pay for it.  On the age front, you rarely hear the Y in YHA quoted nowadays.   The average age in a hostel is probably closer to thirty than twenty. The older generation wanted better quality, more convenient locations and better facilities. And they wanted to take their new families. They still wanted great value accommodation; they just didn’t want to share a bedroom or bathroom and they were willing to pay for it. The Boutique Hostel* was born. Ten years ago that would have been an oxymoron. Nowadays it’s the norm.  

The YHA won’t find itself in any of those books that highlight most successful business turnarounds in the noughties. They ought to be, it's been nothing short of remarkable.

*You have to believe me. I didn’t plagiarise the term ‘boutique hostel.’ I thought I had just invented a cool new phrase to describe this new breed of hostel – after I finished the article I googled it and found a whopping 275,000 results. It proves that there is in fact no such thing as a new idea. For me anyway.

#yhaaustralia, #yha, #hostel