Innovative accommodation company Generator has set the trend for posh hostels (“poshtels”), with design-led properties now in nine cities across Europe.
According to its website: “Each property takes influence from their unique surroundings. Sip your cocktail under the hanging lanterns of Generator Barcelona and experience exclusive art installations from some of the finest local artists at Generator Berlin Mitte.
“Generator Hamburg has its own piece of history, having once been used as a Beatles recording studio, and then there’s Venice, a converted grain house sitting on the waterfront of Giudecca with grand ceilings and authentic 16th century Palladio craftsmanship.”
A recent article in the April edition of Business Traveller revealed they are not just for backpackers. Grey-haired Marco Nijhof, chief executive officer of Yoo Hotels and Resorts, said: “My secretary told me I had to stay in a Generator hostel and I said: ‘How low do you want me to go?’ But I was blown away.
“They have created an experience that is fantastic – I walked in [to the London property] not knowing what to expect, but it was full. I thought with my grey hair I was going to be the oldest man walking around but that was not the case.”
By 2018, Generator hopes to have 12,500 beds spread across 15 properties. Each offers free wifi, as well as funky dorms and private double/twin bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, lively 24-hour lounges, bars, laundry facilities and events programmes.
Safestay is another brand to keep an eye out for, along with independents such as the Kex hostel in Reykjavik.