I just read an online review of our hostel and we received a young backpacker’s comment stating that the only negative about our hostel is, “We don’t have a bar where you can meet other backpackers.”
That is easily the most fatuous comment we receive and we get it fairly often. Think about it.
IF we had a bar in the hostel:
1) The cost of a beer would be almost three times the price of going to a beer store any buying your own (which our backpackers all do at present).
2) No alcohol would be permitted to be bought in from outside of the hostel and consumed on the premises (by law.)
3) The bar (by law) must be open to the general public creating a security nightmare for our guests and their property. It also opens up the possiblity of attracting unsavoury characters. (At present, our common areas are reserved for the exclusive use of residents and their invited guests.)
4) A bar in a hostel in the middle of the downtown nightclub district in a major city (as we are) would necessitate the engagement of “doormen” (bouncers). Isn’t that a pleasant thought?
5) Since the hostel now becomes a “Licenced Premises” the consumption of any and all alcoholic beverages must cease after 2AM (by law).
It is a well-known statisitc among hostel operators that a “bar” in house usually accounts for as much as 45% of a hostel’s total earnings.
We have not opened a bar (and ignore the tremendous profit potential) because we understand that most backpacker’s have a limited budget. We also want this place to “Feel like home.” as our motto statres.
When you enjoy a drink with your friends at home, do you have uninvited guests and thuggish bouncers in your living room? Do you pay three times the price for drinks?
So to the young travelers who are critical of our lack of a public bar, be careful for what you wish for. Don’t give us any ideas that could end up costing you a lot of money.
