musings on hostel life

Here are two and a half longstanding concerns I have about hostels.

Firstly, when I think of people staying in hostels, I think of young, fun people who probably like to go out and stay up late. Why, then, is the cutoff for breakfast always 9:30 or 10? Tooo early! Checkout time is usually around 10 too. Does it REALLY take them from 10 am to 6 pm to clean the hostel? If they were cleaning it that long, wouldn't it be cleaner?

Secondly, hostels cost way too much. Andrea and I calculated that if one of our hostels in England was full (12 beds at 19 pounds per bed), it would bring in almost 500 dollars per night. The room was about the size of 1-2 motel rooms, which in America would probably pull in 100-200 dollars per night. So where the fuck does that 500 dollars go? Why don't they take the difference off the price of my bed? I found a hitchhiking book that was "newly updated for 1973" in this hostel, and it listed the price of a bed as $1 per night and a meal at $1-2. Now, I can still get a meal for $1-2 if I'm eating at a supermarket, but the idea of a bed for $1 is ludicrous. I've never paid less than $6 or $8 and that was four years ago in Eastern Europe. Obvious conclusion: accommodation has inflated faster than other stuff.

Second and a halfly: All hostels should have lockers. There is no excuse for not having lockers. They're just not that expensive to put in, and most people have their own locks anyway. If they're not going to give you any privacy or personal space, at least they can give you peace of mind that your stuff won't be stolen.