While there are already quite a few hostels in Canada, there isn’t any reason that another one will not be just as successful as the ones that are there right now. After all, hostels are becoming more mainstream while offering the comforts of home without the high price tag, and many travelers are choosing them over hotels.
Here are 9 steps to assist you in opening a successful hostel in Canada:
Determine the Size of Your Initial Investment
You may think that your initial investment will only need to cover the cost of the building you purchase, but it will also need to cover the cost of permits, furniture, linens, kitchen items, and the marketing to promote your new business.
Choose a Location
You may think that you can put your hostel anywhere that you want, but realistically you are going to want it to be in a location where a lot of budget travelers go. You will need a spot that can be accessed easily and preferably nearby numerous local attractions and restaurants.
Get Necessary Permits
You may need one permit or several permits to open your hostel, but you are the one who is responsible for getting them before you begin any of the work.
Start Working on Your Floor Plans
Once you have successfully secured your permits, it will be time to determine what your floor plans will look like. You will need a common area, kitchen, dining area, reception area, as well as the bedroom areas with bathrooms.
Purchase Your Furniture and Linens
You obviously know that you need beds for your guests, but make sure that you do not forget about couches and chairs for the common area and even the outdoor furniture for those guests who enjoy sitting out under the stars in the evening.
Purchase and Install Lockers
Every guest should have a locker for their personal belongings. You will want to ensure that you purchase lockers that are large enough to fit a backpack inside. Make sure that you purchase some locks for them too, as your guests may not bring one with them.
Set up Bathrooms
Each bathroom in your hostel should have a light switch on the inside of the bathroom, so no other guests are woken up when one of them needs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. You will want to create a storage area inside the bathroom when possible, even if it is only large enough to store a few rolls of extra toilet paper and paper towels. Hooks should be placed on the walls so that no guest needs to place any of their personal items on the floor. You may want to place a plunger in each bathroom as well, so that everyone can take care of their own issues. Ensure drains are setup with easy to clean hair traps, with more activity in bathroom means more hair.
Set up the Kitchen
All your guests might want to keep some food or drinks inside the refrigerator in the kitchen and many of them will cook their meals there as well. Therefore, you will want to make sure that you purchase appliances that are large enough for the number of guests your hostel will be hosting. The appliances might be the most important part, but so are the pots, pans, utensils, and dishes that you stock the kitchen with. Too few of any item will turn any guest’s experience into a nightmare and that news is guaranteed to spread quickly.
Hire a Professional Cleaning Service
You may think that you can keep your hostel spotless all on your own, but have you ever lived with thirty or forty people before? The list of necessary chores is going to continue to grow each day and there is no way that you can tackle them all while also giving your guests the attention that they deserve. A professional cleaning service may cost you a little more money, but every penny of it will be worth the comfort each one of your guests will experience in your clean hostel.
As you are going through this process, you will want to keep in mind that you need to make sure that you purchase furniture that will withstand the use of dozens of people and not get damaged quickly. You will also want to purchase flooring and other materials that are easy to keep clean. After all, you will have multiple people using every square inch of your hostel, and while they will hopefully pick up after themselves, things will still get dirty.
When you are purchasing your linens, please consider those that are higher quality, as they will last longer and make your guests feel more comfortable. You may be tempted to skimp on the material of your towels, since those seem to disappear on occasion, but your guests will not be happy if the towels are rough or don’t absorb any water.
As you are in the beginning stages of preparing to open your hostel, you may want to consider visiting some of the best hostels that Canada has to offer. Those visits will give you a good idea of what works and what doesn’t, and you can incorporate your results into the hostel of your dreams.
