 Anyone aware that some 2 star hostels are on a closure hitlist. Something to do with being unable to provide upmarket facilities? Capel Y Ffin near Offa's Dyke path and a spit from Hay is one.
What do people think about such a "commercial" view of Youth Hostels?
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 It's crap. They should remeber what they are for
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YHA are knobbers.
capel-y-ffin is a great hostel, like dufton and those little ones in mid-wales i can't spell ot get to by car.
if they follow the SYHA they just want to keep the ones school parties and tourists to edinburgh, glasgow, sterling and skye go to. sod the rest.
independent hostels are the future, the YHA's are so busy looking for 'niches' they abandon 90% of their funtion.
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Dr Damp said,
"YHA are knobbers."
I take it you mean the accountants at YHA or financial, commercial directors or those of that ilk?
If so I couldn't agree more.
The ethos of the YHA is being shat on from a great height. We should be able to do something shouldn't we?
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>bump<
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 With you iron !!!
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Sut mae Tony bach? Or, sut da chi? yn gog.
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 At the end of the day the YHA has to at least break even and preferably have some cash to invest in either new hostels or improvements to existing ones.
There has to be a balance of resources, yes there should ideal be hostels where they are needed but if they are not well enough used the money could be better spent elsewhere.
In addition, a poor quality hostel could damage the "brand" of the YHA in the minds of it's visitors and thus put them off using hostels again.
After the Foot in Mouth incident they played the "we've lost loads of income and will have to close hostels" card in order to get govenment grants, so maybe they are just after some cash to sort this problem out.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1470473.stm
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At the end of the day the YHA has to at least break even and preferably have some cash to invest in either new hostels or improvements to existing ones.
There has to be a balance of resources, yes there should ideal be hostels where they are needed but if they are not well enough used the money could be better spent elsewhere.
In addition, a poor quality hostel could damage the "brand" of the YHA in the minds of it's visitors and thus put them off using hostels again.
After the Foot in Mouth incident they played the "we've lost loads of income and will have to close hostels" card in order to get govenment grants, so maybe they are just after some cash to sort this problem out.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/1470473.stm So why are places like Black Sail still open? The reason they gave for closing Capel y Ffin was that it had to be upgraded but it would cost too much. Why did they think it had to be upgraded? It certainly is better appointed than a lot of more remote hostels with more spartan facilities. As for damaging the brand, the trustees can manage that on their own and everyone I know who has stayed at the hostel regards it with affection. It registered about 4,500 visitors a year during it's open seasons and you'd have to book months ahead to make sure of a bed. It's in a prime spot and is in excellent condition with B road access. I'm sure it would fetch a tidy sum if sold for private residential development. Hmm, now there's a thought. 
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| Edited: 06/03/10 20:28 |
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 I do, however, agree with you though. 
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I thought I had the right as I started the thread.
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.jpg) <dips toe in> There are plenty of independent bunkhouses/hostels that offer superior facilities than some YHA hostels. These tend to be 'add ons' to an already successful business such as a farm or a pub and may not necessarily make a large enough profit to be self sufficient, just an extra income source. The YHA hostels have to be either self sufficient or supported by hostels in more profitable locations (city centres for example). The ones that are neither remote/unique or profitable don't stand much chance against the independents.
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 i was the last person to stay at ystradfellte YH. its demise was a sad loss. in east london, the yha closed the really lovely epping (i was the last person to stay there too!) and opened a really flash one at cheshunt. the new one has to member kitchens yet a 4 star rating and a 4 star charge. the yha star rating is a really good indicator of yh quality but it works in reverse. 4 star hostel have loads of shite you dont need like restaurants, whereas 1 or 2 star hostels have the best locations (and prices).
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Did you see the letter in the latest TGO stating that at the new Edinburgh Hostel photo id was required on arrival? Currently the hostel is 5 star, I assume it will go up to 6 star when they introduce the body scanners.
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