The Pleasing Principle
As illustrated by a few folks who commented on my last post, "What Kind of a Hosteller Are You?", you can't please all of the people all of the time, and as a hostel manager I"m well acquainted with that truth.
From two guests staying in the same dorm, one thinking the room is too hot and the other believing it's too cold, to reviews on the Internet alternately claiming that I"m running a lawless party hostel or that we're a yawn-a-thon, people see the same things differently. I come up against this every day, but all I've learned is that trying to make everybody happy is a Sisyphean task...
The most recent example of this problem has come along with the now-common practice of guests travelling with a laptop, and their need for an Internet connection. When we first hooked up our common areas with free wireless years ago, we were ahead of the curve in providing it and I know a lot of guests booked with us because of it. (How do I know? Because every time the wireless went down, I"d hear, "I only booked with you because you said you had free wireless!")
Soon though, I - along with a number of our guests - began to notice that the vibe was being sucked out of the hostel; our limited common area space had been overtaken by silent, laptop-tapping zombies, and there was less space for guests who just wanted to hang out and, you know, actually speak to each other. We"d pleased the tech types but now the social set was unhappy, and true to type, vocal about it. To mitigate, we expanded the wireless throughout the entire building, and though all our guests are now happier, I am not.
The trend remains: with more and more people travelling with laptops, there"s a decrease in interaction between guests. It depresses me because I think the best thing about staying at a hostel is the potential to meet other travellers, and I hate to see that slipping away.
So, the increased wireless coverage has cleared out some common room space again and we"ve got a ton of organized activities that get guests together, still many are just as happy to be MSNing everybody at home. But who am I to judge what constitutes anyone"s good time -- especially considering that I wouldn"t even think about traveling without my own laptop. I know, I"m a hypocrite.
As with so many issues here at the hostel, I would worry more about it if it wasn"t for alcohol. Not my own consumption, mind, but for the travellers". Later on in the evening when guests start opening a beer or two, people tend to get less interested in laptops and more interested in human interaction, and besides, it"s hard to type with a drink in your hand. But not even liquor can please everyone, and once those folks chime in with concerns about noise and rowdiness, the whole process starts over again. I told you. Sisyphean.
P.S. Next time I promise to talk about something other than laptops and booze.
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Comments
by Olive Thorne - 2009-01-29 17:32
As an much older person, I found this dialogue interesting especially as I don't travel with a laptop. I was quite astonished when I last stayed in a hostel to see so many of the breakfast tables occupied by non-speaking humans using laptops. I felt I must be out of tune because of my age so I discussed it with some young people. I said I thought it must be a burden to have to travel with a laptop especially as theft is so prevalent. I was informed that it's not a burden because a laptop today is essential when travelling. Thinking about it, I guess hostellers today travel for very different reasons. I always thought it was great to be away and come home to share my travel experiences with friends and family and while I was away to be able to share my personal experiences with those from other countries. I guess laptops present a different way of travelling. I think there needs to be some offsetting of the consequences of laptops. Where I last stayed the hostel management sponsored a volunteer who conducted tours of local highlights for interested multi-national residents. Upon return from one of these tours, it was marvelous how much communication improved between residents in spite of laptops!
by John - 2009-01-29 15:21
Interesting discussion but I'm with Keith. I suggest that its diversity most HI hostellers are seeking - not everyone and everything being identical. If that was the case, all hostellers would be boringly the same, hostles would all look alike (probably beige) and then there goes the cultural differences that HI is known for and encourages. As for me, whenever I am hostelling, I enjoy the conversations, the differences I see in the people I meet and the ambiance of the hostel. Hopefully, hostleeing will not go the 'Motel 6' route and continue to embrace the diffierences. I side with Keith. You can't be all things to all people, all the time but it can be interesting trying to find the correct balance that suits the majority of travelers.
by Keith - 2009-01-13 14:55
Thanks for your comment, Neil. The standards and common practices that are required to be a part of the HI network specifically work to ensure that there is some level of similarity between facilities. And that's a good thing, in terms of our guests knowing what they'll get when they book with HI. It can sometimes be difficult to carve out a specific identity in addition to 'HI hostel', and when you try to do that as we have at the hostel I manage you still get a very mixed crowd. For example, my hostel is above a nightclub and right in the middle of an area packed with bars and clubs. We market that, trying specifically to attract people who are going to enjoy that atmosphere. However, we also happen to have a great number of ensuite private rooms, and those rooms attract a bit older and sometimes more conservative demographic. So weve got people staying with us who are keen to party mixed with a lot of folks who are less inclined to be up until all hours. And because we cant specifically pick and choose our guests, were probably always going to get a mix, even though we market more to one type of guest than the other. I personally like to have a variety of people staying with us I think it enhances the experience overall but it can sometimes lead to guests being at cross-purposes.
by Neil - 2009-01-13 08:35
Is it just me, or are you missing the obvious answer? You shouldn't be trying to please everyone. You should figure out what kind of an atmosphere you're trying to foster, and run with it. Make sure your marketing materials make it clear what kind of customer you cater to. Then you wouldn't be getting one comment complaining about the yawn-a-thon and another about the rowdiness. Instead of two unhappy people, you'd have one. I enjoy socializing and never travel for pleasure with a laptop. But drunken hostelers are the absolutely worst people in the world to socialize with. Cooking things that smell good has always proved to be a more effective social lubricant in my mind.
by david - 2009-01-29 23:01
I thought it worth mentioning, most hostels i stayed at were happy to book your next nights hostel stay for you. therefor i didnt need a laptop, and the odd time ive needed a computer ,ive found internet cafes abound, and are cheap, i may be biased here ,as i dont actually own a laptop
by david - 2009-01-29 22:50
I find the whole laptop disscussion another reason why i am no longer going to be youth hosteling any longer. I travelled to the u.k. last year ,and turkey and accross canada and returned to vancouver via the usa. i have stayed in hostels most of my life due to there locations , the very interesting peoples from all over the world ,and the local information, but alas sadly, they havent improved greatly over the past 40 years, because of the above positives stated ,i persevered. But the prices!! are on average more than a bed & breakfast so that makes shared rooms and dorms with prison comfort beds hard to take, I suppose like buisness if a place isnt turning a significant profit its goodbye hostel, I find laptops, in hostels ,bars,open 24 hrs, and loud obnoxious drunk and selfish people not worth the stay. Also most of the hostels i liked, are either closed (see profits) or rented out months in advance to groups and schools etc. In the peak districts ,in england out of about ten hostels i couldnt find a bed for the night unless i stayed at one of the flag ship hostels which would of been the equivelent of staying in a citycentre hotel I for one would gladly go back to a 11pm doors locked curfew ,and a small task to be done in the morning before leaving , if it would bring the costs back down. also i believe a few buildings were even donated to the hostel scociety in order to realize its origional intent. To make the great outdoors available to all peoples , not just the ones with money i cannot afford hotels and motels etc . so for me anyway i guess it will be back to a bedroll under bushes or the side of a field, the stars and a tarp but as for the Keiths in the system ,my hats off to you, for your efforts to keep most people enlightened and interacting ,theres so many good people running hostels my thanks to you
As for laptops, I leave mine
by Roman Kierzek - 2010-11-19 18:21
As for laptops, I leave mine at home. Mobile phone, I leave that at home too. When I stay at a hostel I'm on an adventure. I don 't have time for cyber space chatter. For those that are busily tapping away on their keyboard, well, they're adventure differs from mine. Viva la difference.
I couldn't travel for
by Joy - 2010-11-21 08:54
I couldn't travel for extended periods without my little Acer laptop. It''s how I book all the extras... side trips and tours, etc. It's worth it for the extra activities I can squeeze in with the convenience of research time on my own laptop.
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