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"Same goes for camping … I’d much rather just a field than all this modern stuff with showers and all sorts…"
Shit me the cost of camping ..... hooow much .... even those without facilities these days seem to think they can charge top dollar.... 20+ quid a night for a spot in a field ?
Aye, love spending nights in the van on biking weekends, but most of the time it's cheaper to stay in YH than pay for a spot at a campsite.
[i]Pook wrote:[/i]
The peak supply and demand argument is bullshit though surely?
In quiet times, you don’t get proportionately fewer staff per customer and vice versa when it’s busy.
More customers = more staff. It’s a 1:1 ratio surely. At busy times on holiday, do you – the individual – get more care from a holiday company? No. It’s the same . I daresay less.
Profiteering pure and simple.
That's a batshit mental argument which completely ignores supply and demand!
Just ran the numbers for a weekend in May at the Aberdeen SYHA vs Malmaisson (they are on the same street).
2 people doube room (ensuite) we have:-
SYHA - £178 (inc. Continental Breakfast) NB: I accept that the SYHA will do shared rooms for a lot less than that.
Malmaisson - £218 (without breakfast)
I'll be honest I didn't expect the numbers to be so close.
Just looked at another hotel/bar on the same street and they say they'd do B&B for £140. So looking at those number the SYHA are around what a mid range hotel would charge.
I've not stayed in an "English" YHA hostel; I have stayed in a lot of Scottish (SYHA) hostels and independent hostels as well as hostels across Europe.
It is interesting that SYHA have just rebranded as Hostelling Scotland. They no longer see a need to put the emphasis on Youth. They also felt it put off a lot of people who perhaps haven't been in a hostel for 20+ yrs but who would actually fit with what they are now.
Quite a lot of YH customers are actually foreign travellers on tour. Private rooms, mixed rooms etc are things that have been "the norm" on the continent for years. As a family I'll pay extra for those. On my own I'm happy to share for bargain rates.
In terms of the Aberdeen Hostel - I expect the facilities are not far off a reasonable hotel; and I'd bet more people stay in Mal Maison and have an expensive b/fast, and maybe a beer in the bar the night before than do in the hostel. The average customer spend at checkout will be very different.
It is interesting that SYHA have just rebranded as Hostelling Scotland. They no longer see a need to put the emphasis on Youth. They also felt it put off a lot of people who perhaps haven’t been in a hostel for 20+ yrs but who would actually fit with what they are now.
It's a bit sad IMHO ... firstly that there isn't the facility for youths to gain this travel experience but also that perhaps many are not getting the opportunity when time rich and finance poor.
My late teens I had lots of time and very little money... YHA's both UK and wider provided a way for me to spend this time gaining experiences that are much harder to have once you are an adult with a job and "career path".
It's also a useful life skill learning to live on a budget.