YHA Announces Closure of 32 hostels

[Tony Raven]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
> On 31 Jan 2006 08:06:52 -0800, "Bronzie"
> <[email protected]> said in
> <[email protected]>:
>
>> http://www.yha.org.uk/Join_YHA/YHA_Updates/Network_renewal_gets_green_light.html
>>
>
> Are they having a laugh? Bakewell not a popular destination? And
> closing Ivinghoe? Llangollen? Matlock? SANDOWN? LYNTON? I don't
> dispute that YHA finds few people staying there, but that's a
> reflection on the errant stupidity of modern youth - these are all
> great places! I visited all of them in my youth. Bah! Youth today!
> Where's my cardigan?
>


Ah an aficionado of the "The Customers Just Don't Get It" school of
marketing excuses.

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Just zis Guy,
you know? ('[email protected]') wrote:

> On 31 Jan 2006 08:06:52 -0800, "Bronzie"
> <[email protected]> said in
> <[email protected]>:
>
>>http://www.yha.org.uk/Join_YHA/YHA_Updates/Network_renewal_gets_green_light.html
>
> Are they having a laugh? Bakewell not a popular destination? And
> closing Ivinghoe? Llangollen? Matlock? SANDOWN? LYNTON? I don't
> dispute that YHA finds few people staying there, but that's a
> reflection on the errant stupidity of modern youth - these are all
> great places! I visited all of them in my youth. Bah! Youth today!

The problem is not youth, it's hostels. The YHA has made its hostels
relatively uninviting and relatively hard to use, so the youth go to the
independent hostels, with fewer rules and less beurocracy, which are
springing up everywhere /because/ there is a hole in the market -
created by the YHA abandoning their core role.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Friends don't send friends HTML formatted emails.

 

[Arthur Clune]

Tony Raven wrote:

>>
>> Are they having a laugh? Bakewell not a popular destination? And
>> closing Ivinghoe? Llangollen? Matlock? SANDOWN? LYNTON? I don't
>
> Ah an aficionado of the "The Customers Just Don't Get It" school of
> marketing excuses.

Has this become /.? Did anyone read TFA? Or indeed my earlier post
where I quoted bits of it.

Some of these are to be replaced with new hostels in the same location.

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune

 

[Arthur Clune]

Simon Brooke wrote:

>
> The problem is not youth, it's hostels. The YHA has made its hostels
> relatively uninviting and relatively hard to use, so the youth go to the
> independent hostels, with fewer rules and less beurocracy, which are
> springing up everywhere /because/ there is a hole in the market -
> created by the YHA abandoning their core role.

One of the main problems I have with bunkhouses, independant hostels
etc is just finding a (semi-)complete list of them so I can plan.

Is there a book (or better a website) that lists some non-trival
subset of them?

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune

 

[Dan Gregory]

Arthur Clune wrote:
> Simon Brooke wrote:
>
>
>>The problem is not youth, it's hostels. The YHA has made its hostels
>>relatively uninviting and relatively hard to use, so the youth go to the
>>independent hostels, with fewer rules and less beurocracy, which are
>>springing up everywhere /because/ there is a hole in the market -
>>created by the YHA abandoning their core role.
>
>
> One of the main problems I have with bunkhouses, independant hostels
> etc is just finding a (semi-)complete list of them so I can plan.
>
> Is there a book (or better a website) that lists some non-trival
> subset of them?
There was "The Independent Hostel Guide" published by The Backpackers
Press. I haven't seen a recent copy though.
All the best
Dan Gregory
Ah here we go
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...ops-2_books-uk_10254070_1/026-7367925-1225256

 

[mark]

"Arthur Clune" wrote ...
> One of the main problems I have with bunkhouses, independant hostels
> etc is just finding a (semi-)complete list of them so I can plan.
>
> Is there a book (or better a website) that lists some non-trival
> subset of them?
>
> Arthur

http://www.hostels.com/index.php

HTH,
--
mark

 

[Peter Clinch]

mark wrote:
> "Arthur Clune" wrote ...
>
>>One of the main problems I have with bunkhouses, independant hostels
>>etc is just finding a (semi-)complete list of them so I can plan.
>>
>>Is there a book (or better a website) that lists some non-trival
>>subset of them?

> http://www.hostels.com/index.php

Or for specifically Scottish ones, try http://www.hostel-scotland.co.uk/

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Arthur Clune]

mark wrote:
>
> http://www.hostels.com/index.php
>

Ta!

--
Arthur Clune

 

[[email protected]]

Indeed, the YHA could learn a lot from the independent hostels -
flexibility, checking in times, informal atmosphere, facilities that
people want, better marketing, etc. In Scotland I've stayed in some
excellent, good value for money independent hostels, which tend to show
up the YHA, in my opinion (and to a lesser extent, SYHA). There's
definitely a demand for hostels, but the YHA has to make its product
more attractive.

 

[Dan Gregory]

mark wrote:
> "Arthur Clune" wrote ...
>
>>One of the main problems I have with bunkhouses, independant hostels
>>etc is just finding a (semi-)complete list of them so I can plan.
>>
>>Is there a book (or better a website) that lists some non-trival
>>subset of them?
>>
>>Arthur
>
>
> http://www.hostels.com/index.php

I checked this site & it didn't have one I know but this does have it
& others
http://www.independenthostelguide.co.uk/Detail.asp?ID=65
All the best
Dan Gregory

 

[Tony Raven]

Arthur Clune wrote:
> Tony Raven wrote:
>
>>> Are they having a laugh? Bakewell not a popular destination? And
>>> closing Ivinghoe? Llangollen? Matlock? SANDOWN? LYNTON? I don't
>> Ah an aficionado of the "The Customers Just Don't Get It" school of
>> marketing excuses.
>
> Has this become /.? Did anyone read TFA? Or indeed my earlier post
> where I quoted bits of it.
>

Why on earth would we do that?

> Some of these are to be replaced with new hostels in the same location.
>

But you clipped the bit of the quote I was referring to:

> I don't
> dispute that YHA finds few people staying there, but that's a
> reflection on the errant stupidity of modern youth - these are all
> great places! I visited all of them in my youth. Bah! Youth today!
> Where's my cardigan?


So my comments related to Guy's nostalgia on the passing of string back
driving gloves and starter handles ;-)


--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

 

[Alan J. Wylie]

On 3 Feb 2006 10:27:22 GMT, [email protected] (Arthur Clune) said:

> One of the main problems I have with bunkhouses, independant hostels
> etc is just finding a (semi-)complete list of them so I can plan.

> Is there a book (or better a website) that lists some non-trival
> subset of them?

http://www.independenthostelguide.co.uk/

--
Alan J. Wylie http://www.wylie.me.uk/
"Perfection [in design] is achieved not when there is nothing left to add,
but rather when there is nothing left to take away."
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

 

[Simon Geller]

[email protected] wrote:
> Crazy that they are closing Bakewell and Matlock. Mid Derbyshire is a
> hive of outdoor activity, one of the busiest areas in the country; rock
> climbing, canoeing, sailing, caving, cycling, walking, hang gliding
> etc. The YHA obviously haven't noticed this.
>
> cheers
> Jacob
>
As Matlock is where the YHA's head office is located they probably have :-~

What I think they've missed is that no-one wants to sleep in a
multi-bedded room full of snoring strangers any more. Many foreign
hostels I've stayed in, e.g. Paris, have offered single or twin rooms
with en-suite modular bathrooms that have been great value. Instead of
closing these hostels they should be investing in bringing them up to
modern standards and competing with the over-priced B&B & pub market IMO.

Simon