The Perfect Hostel

Being that I've spent the last month and a half living in them, I've come to have a perspective on what makes a good hostel and what makes a bad one. Here are all the services, amenities, and considerations that a good hostel needs to have.

Location. This is subject to debate. Ideally, the perfect hostel is only a short walk from the train station to prevent the backpacker from having to carry his pack a long distance. However, the perfect hostel is also close to all the major sights and city activity. Lastly, the hostel is simultaneously situated in the heart of all night life activity in the city.

This can be difficult to achieve since the city layout may not allow for an ideal location. In this case, locality with the train station is favored followed by locality with the night life (the shorter the drunken walk back the better). Complementary or discounted transportation is then offered to other points of interest is offered by the perfect hostel.

Facilities. The perfect hostel offers a cozy and friendly atmosphere. A lounge area is offered on the first floor just off the path from the stairs to the door. In addition to the number of couches, it also has a widescreen TV, DVD player, and a huge collection of DVDs (in English) that bored travelers can watch for free. Adjoining this room is the internet room with several stations offering FREE internet access with open network cables for the few backpackers who carry a laptop... not to mention the free wireless access offered throughout the building. Walk through a door and find the self-service kitchen with an array of tables and chairs, where backpackers can make their own lunch and dinner if desired (free breakfast is provided). The refrigerator and cupboard here have a simple and easy labeling system to ensure that food is known to be private or common and recent or old. The bar joins these areas but has it's own tables and chairs. It opens at night to offer backpackers cheap drinks (apart from its happy hour(s)). And by cheap, I mean that it hardly benefits a backpacker to visit the local grocery store to by beer. The perfect hostel also provides a self service laundry room. Here backpackers can buy a small quantity of detergent to use with the free washers and dryers (I find it hard to believe the fixed and variable costs of these really require as big a fee as they do in most hostels). Lastly, a secure left luggage room is provided for all day use by backpackers checking in that day or checking out.

The Reception Desk. The perfect hostel has 24 hour reception that accepts all major credit and debit cards (Those that aren't open all day should at least provide a luggage room while not open). A young, enthusiastic staff is must. They are the face of the hostel. Upon arrival, they are responsible for informing the backpacker of the times and location of all the services available from the hostel. They are knowledgeable about everything a backpacker would want to know about the city. Moreover, they can make excellent recommendations for places to go, things to see, and inexpensive shortcuts to visit the city as well as provide free booking capabilities for such activities.

Rooms. The perfect hostel offers rooms ranging from single bed rooms with showers to dorm rooms with communal showers. In suite showers would be in the perfect hostel but aren't completely necessary. Regardless, the shower stall is equipped with adequate fixtures to secure the shower head above the person taking a shower and provides abundant shelving. The stalls of communal showers are segregated into a shower and a changing area, which contains clothing and valuables while the person is taking a shower and is locked from the inside. It is also designed such that no water splashes or spills out of the shower into the changing area.

The rooms, themselves, are spacious enough. The beds are comfortable and bunked, but one power outlet is provided for each bed. In addition, a big locker is provided for each backpacker to secure his backpack while staying in the hostel. Each locker also contained a power outlet to allow battery powered devices to be securely recharged during the night or day.

Services. The perfect hostel provides all the basic services like free internet and free breakfast. It also provides time tables for all major methods of travel, with prices. It's capable of booking travel arrangements and hostels, and knows the best way to get to all nearby popular destinations.

Lastly and most importantly, the perfect hostel also provides the small and gentle means to force the otherwise independent and chaotic group of backpackers into a community (only the best of hostels have done this). Day trips, free drinks, games or competitions, independent transportation, or interesting daily activities can all do it.

Any other suggestions?