citizenM, Amsterdam
Back in the day, I stayed in hostels in London, Edinburgh, and New Orleans to name a few. While some experiences were better than others (I'll spare the details), a new trend is hosteling rests on making them more beautiful, useful and appealing. As Budget Travel writes, "these six new spots come with designer credits, private and shared rooms, restaurants, and some of the coolest furniture on the planet". You be the judge:
- AMSTERDAM: citizenM (Concrete)
- PARIS: Mama Shelter (Philippe Starck)
- ASCHAU IM CHIEMGAU, GERMANY: Berge (Nils Holger Moormann)
- LOS ANGELES: Stay (Catherine Coan)
- BANGKOK: Lub d (P49 Deesign)
- [bottom 3 images] LISBON: Lisbon Lounge Hostel (owned and operated by four design-minded friends: a painter, an architect, and two photographers)
Find the full article from Budget Travel here.
Images: Via Budget Travel
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Comments (5)
Is it still considered a hostel if they charge 189 Euros per night? Mama Shelter refers to itself as a hotel on the website.
Wow! Sure brings new meaning to the world of hostels. On Deer Isle, they still are "old school" (www.deerislehostel.com)
Katy
http://fengshuibyfishgirl.com
anyone else simply mesmorized by the walls in the last picture? Simply gorgeous!
These hostels/hotels look great - thanks to Budget Travel for publishing this article! The notion of designer/boutique hostels seems to be taking press publications by storm these days...these properties are lovely! Honestly, with the economy the way it is, this is the best option for accommodation...on a budget, without all of the unnecessary extras.
If you're traveling to Prague and want something like the ones in this article, try Miss Sophie’s (www.miss-sophies.com), a boutique hostel/hotel with chic, minimalist design, a cosy brick cellar lounge, massively comfy beds and super-soft pillows, gigantic rain-head showers, free wifi throughout the building, a knowledgeable and extremely helpful staff, garden and more. I've stayed here and I loved it. It's worth czeching;) out. Oh, and it was listed as one of Guardian UK's "Top 10 boutique hostels in Eastern Europe" http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/apr/16/hostels-budget-eastern-europe?page=all. Swanky and cool, modern design!
Cheers!
-M
The design of the rooms at Stay Hostel is awesome - unfortunately, it's located in Skid Row, next door to a flophouse (called the Cecil), has minimal security--and the trek from the rooms to the shared bathrooms is more or less unsafe at night. It sort of irks me when places marketing themselves as posh don't give adequate head-up about safety issues--especially when they're marketing to students, offering a student housing option, etc.