What is the Difference Between a Hostel and a Hotel?
Hotels and hostels both provide accommodations to travelers. While the two provide a dry place to stay, the similarities end there.
Hotels are considered more luxurious than hostels and, therefore, more expensive. At a hotel one can have his own room and bathroom as well as maid service and other amenities. A person staying at a hotel will have his bags carried to his room, fresh towels delivered and his bed made up daily.
Hostels are generally used by younger travelers with less money to spare. Those visiting a hostel will most likely be required to share a room as well as bath and shower rooms. In the past, rooms were set up dormitory fashion, with communal showers. Nowadays, some hostels offer single rooms and bathrooms, while shared, might accommodate only one guest at a time.
Hostels are most often associated with backpackers looking for inexpensive, temporary shelter as well as a place for a shower and a meal. Some hostels will include a hot meal or beverage in the accommodation price and most will provide a kitchen area where guests can cook their own food. During a hotel stay, one is on his own when it comes to finding places to eat, unless a meal is included in the package.
Some hostels will allow guests to work in exchange for a discount or even a night's stay. When staying at a hotel on the other hand, one best not attempt to check in without cash or a valid credit card. Also, hotel management may turn away guests who are less than clean. Hostel owners are used to backpackers and long distance bicycle riders showing up in dire need of a shower.
A hotel will provide guests with mini refrigerators, wet bars, cable television, wireless Internet service, telephones, irons and hair dryers. A hostel usually provides none of the above. The accommodations in a hostel, while minimal, are not unpleasant. If you're staying at a hostel, there's a good chance you'll meet like-minded people with some interesting tales to tell. In a hotel, you probably won't get to know the person staying in the room next to you. Hostels often provide a community room where guests can mingle and shoot pool or watch television. On a busy night, this can mean a crowded and noisy stay. A hotel room, on the other hand, offers privacy and quiet.
Some hostels don't supply linens which means guests are required to bring their own. In addition, many hostels, especially youth hostels, require their guests to abide by their rules, which include a curfew. This may also include no drinking or smoking. Since hostels are more communal, one might need to guard one's property. This may mean sleeping with cash and credit cards on one's person.
Both hotels and hostels offer a bed and roof to weary travelers. Extra amenities are up to the individual so, it's important to note, you usually do get what you pay for.
Written by Deborah Ng
