Revolutionizing the Hostel Experience with Oliver Winter, Founder & CEO of a&o Hostels

Think back to your youthful days of travel, hostels along the way were a hub for forging connections with fellow wanderers and were part of the adventure. If you traveled in pre-Internet days, some 20-30 years ago, you didn’t always know what you were getting. The hostel you found in a guidebook could be off the beaten path and might have been not so “hospitable.” 

Today, the landscape of hostels has undergone a profound metamorphosis. What was once perceived as budget accommodations exclusively for backpackers has now emerged as a dynamic sector of the hospitality industry, attracting travelers seeking immersive experiences at affordable prices. 

Oliver Winter, Founder & CEO of a&o Hostels, was inspired by his travels and the desire to provide people, especially students and young adventurers, with professionally managed, affordable, and centrally located accommodation. Oliver embarked on a mission to revolutionize the hostel experience. Hear how a&o Hostels grew into the largest independently owned hostel chain. 

The “Distinguished” podcast is produced by Boston University School of Hospitality Administration. 

Host: Arun Upneja, Dean
Producer: Mara Littman, Executive Director of Strategic Operations and Corporate Relations
Research and Content Creation: Lu Lan
Editing: Isabella Laikin
Sound Engineer: Andrew Hallock

Music: “Airport Lounge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Transcript

Welcome & Guest Introduction: Oliver Winter and a&o Hostels

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Back in 1988, I left India on a trip around the world. Germany, France, Austria, US. But before I left, I was advised to purchase a youth hostel membership. I was able to stay inexpensively and met so many young people on the move. I still remember paying$8 per night for a shared room 50 yards from the Miami Beach. The thrill of adventure, meeting new people, navigating new cities. Hostels along the way made it possible for me to travel on my budget and see the world. They were part of the adventure, particularly in the pre-internet days and well before Airbnb. Today, the landscape of hostels has undergone a profound metamorphosis. What was once perceived as budget accommodations exclusively for backpackers has now emerged as a dynamic sector of the hospitality industry, attracting travelers seeking immersive experiences at affordable prices. Our guest today, Oliver Winter, is founder and CEO of AO Hostels. Originally intending to pursue a career in teaching, Oliver's life took a serendipitous turn during a study break in the mid-90s. Inspired by his travels and the desire to provide people, especially students and young adventurers, with professionally managed, affordable, and centrally located accommodations, Oliver embarked on a mission to revolutionize the hostel experience. Today, ANO Hostels stands as the largest independently owned hostel chain. I'm Arun Rupneja, Dean of Boston University School of Hospitality Administration. Oliver joins us from Germany. Oliver, welcome to the Distinguished Podcast.

What Hostels Were Like in the Mid-90s: Small, Non-Commercial, and Basic

SPEAKER_01 1:56

Thank you very much, Arun, to have me here. It's a pleasure.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

You created a new concept for hostels. Let's start with what hostels were like when you were traveling in the mid-90s.

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Yeah, in Germany, most hostels in this time have been non-commercial places, so non-private operations like YHA, YMCA. They've been a bit, I would say, old-fashioned, a bit boring. And um the private-owned uh hostels I I met in um yeah, in the US, in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and this time, it's been all very small, cozy places. And um in the 90s, um, in Berlin, two small private hostels exist. So there's 200 beds together. Today, just to give you a comparison, Berlin has 20,000 hostel beds. Yeah, so that was a time no web let's go Europe or lonely planet being our Bibles in this time to travel around. I traveled around around the planet, um, always in the direction to the east. So, first um, I was in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, um, then later on the west coast of the US and Canada, and and then Ireland and back to back to Europe. And we we my friend and I, we we used hostels say all five, six days, um, to um other all the other days we used our tent to save money. And the hostels being for us always a great place to with all the nice amenities to to use the laundry, have a kitchen, yeah, to make proper food, and and become in touch with all the other travelers and guests and get the best advice, the fresh advice is where to go, where to be.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

Now tell us about the early days of starting this company. What inspired you to change your career track to become an entrepreneur rather than become a teacher as you had originally planned?

What to Keep and What to Update: Building a New Hostel Concept

SPEAKER_01 3:50

See, I I grew up in the former communist part of Germany, the former GDR, that was the eastern part. And lucky wise, when I was 16, my world changed dramatically to the positive. So I could travel from one day to the other, what I did, and even I I could act as an entrepreneur, what I realized at this time. And then, driven by my quite brave parents, they motivated me. And and this um in this day I would call spirit of optimism in Berlin. I was brave enough to try my steps as a founder, and yeah, driven by the mission to provide affordable, safe, clean accommodation in an urban environment, um, I started uh my my own career.

SPEAKER_00 4:35

When I think of hostels, I immediately think about price. Young people on a budget are very price sensitive. Second, as a young or a solo traveler, and third, the communal aspect to it. You get to meet so many people. But hostels are not for everyone. So, what qualities of the hostel experience were you looking to maintain, and what parts needed to be updated to attract a new generation?

When Did the Concept Prove It Could Grow?

SPEAKER_01 5:02

You're absolutely right, surprises king. Um our focus for 23 years never changed here, so keeping costs down. Um every euro we are not spending, we do not have to charge to our clients. Um and to achieve low cost, we need scale, we need big boxes. I guess segment segmentation, yeah. So we figured out very quick that the focus to uh backpackers and um other single travelers is not enough to operate uh efficient big scale operations. So um we added very quick student groups as our I would say butter and bread business to our guest segments, later families, and with these upcoming low-cost carriers over the last years, we added city breakers as well. So couple small groups uh traveling much shorter, but but quite often, and um so to cover all the needs of this uh very different guest segments. We decided to have low entrance hurdles, so easy bookings with no restrictions, no design hurdles, for example, so not too posh, not too trendy, big common spaces, easy to meet, yeah, easy to come in touch with or in contact with uh other guests, uh, with a lot of different functions, so playful, working desks, kids areas, bar areas, all this stuff.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Um I think you're you're you've got it absolutely right. I think uh a lot of hotels try to go overboard and then you know costs balloon up. Like you said, every single dollar cost saved is something that you don't have to charge. I love that. So when did you realize you had a concept that you could grow and succeed?

Why Hostels Haven't Taken Off in the United States

SPEAKER_01 6:42

I think this this happened in steps. So we had very fast success um in the very beginning. So we uh I always say we we more distributed bets instead of selling them. Yeah, so there was much, much more demand than supply in in Berlin in the early days. Berlin was after reunification and becoming capital of this new enlarged uh Germany in the spotlight. Yeah, and it was easy to add more beds and fill them. And uh very fast after the first opening, we opened the second one in Berlin. It worked. And then we stepped out to Munich, the first proof of concept outside Berlin. And already five years after we uh opened our first bets in Berlin, we opened a hostel in Prague, what is Czech Republic. And this was for us the initial test if we can copy our business model outside Germany. And it worked very well. And I would say from this moment we saw entire Europe as our possible market to operate.

SPEAKER_00 7:41

So, you know, I have kind of two things in my mind. One is um youth hostels are not very popular in the United States. Um just the way our country is set up. I think Europe, it's much more closely integrated. There is trains, there is buses, you know, you can easily go from country to country. Young people are are on the move all the time. So one aspect is, of course, to to bring you know youth hostel to the to the youth of here in the United States. So let's talk about um what sets, other than the price, what sets a youth hostel apart about, you know, for example, the socialization aspect. How does that happen in a youth hostel?

SPEAKER_01 8:22

Yeah, our our focus if we if we design a hostel, if we do the layout, um so let's say we we don't overspend the rooms because the rooms are just for good um good sleep, but not to stay in the rooms during the daytime. And where we spend a lot of focus, resources, money in are these common areas, large lobbies, multifunction, um amenities like uh uh common laundry, uh common kitchen is always a place people laugh, yeah, to communicate, to interact, and and and of course to make their food. Yeah. And um I think these yeah, these social um um uh impact or the social factor that's crucial for the for the hostel idea. It's it's long before Facebook and and and um other other apps allowed us to interact with all our friends or or future friends um all every time. So you know in a hostel, you can really interact with others on uh with a very low hurdle.

SPEAKER_00 9:34

You know, some of the hotels now in the US have started exactly what you've mentioned. You started you know decades ago. They are um reducing the size of the rooms, they are investing in their public areas, but they still have that cost structure. So you have a big advantage there. Um obviously, when you started, were you taking bookings online, or was it on the phone, on email? How were you doing the bookings, or were people just showing up?

SPEAKER_01 10:00

Well, yeah, that's a good question. In 2000, um, that's the year we we started. Um, we had a at least we had a mail address. I think it was hostel at webte or something like this. Um so no website, no what we call the OTAs, yeah, these online booking channels. Um definitely the most bookings came in via fax and phone. Um, and we had a very high percentage of bookings, what we call walk-ins. So people showing up without any notice prior arrival. Um, I remember our second hostel was at Berlin Zoo Station, Aino Berlin Zoo. And we had 300 to 400 walk-ins per day during the season. They all showed up without any any booking uh before. So, and of course, this this then changed uh uh dramatically. So Web 2.0 uh with this would say self-informing, self-working customer, yeah, leads today into today. We have 90% online bookings, yeah, direct or OTAs like booking.com or Hostel World. And another boost was then these these uh rising up of the low-cost carriers, yeah. What even not exist in 2000 when we started, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Your average daily rates are much below hotel rate. So how do you keep up with the standards? Obviously, people want safety, they want cleanly cleanliness, they want location, and you still make a profit.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

It is a challenge, yeah. And um, as as you even mentioned, hotels are doing it even smarter these days, yeah, and becoming more hybrid. Yeah, they they even have these more cooler lobbies, yeah. They're not so boring anymore as before. So for us to keep costs low, I would say there's a three columns uh we're standing on. So first is size of our operations, big boxes, yeah, our average size, 800 beds. Um, standard standardization of our processes and hardware. Yeah, and the third one is really we love to adapt really early tech and automation. Yeah, what is even even quite important to drive or bring our or keep our costs on a low level. Um, what we are not skipping are services. Yeah, as you said, cleaning is crucial, yeah, safety. Um, we can't reduce anything of this. Um and even some services have to be better. Yeah, for example, I'm we we spend thousands of euros each month uh to have the fastest Wi-Fi in the industry, yeah, because that's so important for our guests.

SPEAKER_00 12:34

Can you sort of describe the structure of a hostel? So, what kind of rooms are there? Are there shared rooms, shared beds, are there bathrooms shared? So, how does so people who have never stayed in a youth hostel, they have no idea what a youth hostel is. So let's, you know, what is a youth hostel?

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Yeah, it's um we have we have different types of rooms, and what what makes us too hostile are all the rooms what what we care uh calling uh dormitories. Um they have more beds than just what you know from a hotel, like a single or twin bed, what we have as well, but the majority of our of our rooms are four-bedded, six-bedded, or eight up to eight-bedded rooms. Um and these four, six, and eight-bedded mostly have have bunk beds in. And the idea of a hostel is that that you just can pay a book and pay just for a single bed in these six-bedded or four-bedded dormitories. And this brings brings the price low, yeah, because you just pay a fourth of six of a room rate. Yeah, and all the services and everything you need you find in common spaces, yeah. Like I described before, if you if you need laundry to wash your clothes, or if you need, of course, the bar is centralized, if you need the kitchen to make your meal, you find all the things in the common spaces.

SPEAKER_00 14:00

Oliver, um, I don't know what's happening in Europe in terms of uh dormitories in the universities, but in the United States, the dormitories are becoming more like luxury hotel rooms with one or two beds, very, very rarely three beds, climbing walls, and you know, all kinds of different luxuries. So the young people, even who are in college, are not used to eight-bedded rooms unless they have done camping or so forth. So I don't know. It's gonna be a a big climb for you to convince Americans to to sort of you know adopt um the hostels. But how about in how about young people in Europe? Are they uh much more used to this idea of um of you know being in an eight-bedded room?

SPEAKER_01 14:49

Uh I I I think in general it's it's it's it's a different if you if you stay there for half a year, a year or longer. Of course, you may be looking for for a room with just one or or two roommates in. Um in a hostel, usually you stay for a few just for a few days, but what makes it easier to to share with more more personal room? And of course, people asking today for our guests asking for for more services. So, as I described, for example, uh proper Wi-Fi everywhere. Um the um max maxim maximum eight bedded. So, in the very beginning, I remember this hostel I mentioned at the Ano Zoo in Berlin. We operated 16 bedded dorms. Yeah, this would not work anymore. I remember that I stayed in a 36-bedded dorm in Vancouver Island, in Victoria. Every second the door opens, yeah, some some someone is going, you know, out. So I I I think we see yeah, the room is becoming smaller, but but um the our guests absolutely um accept uh four four or six-bedded or eight-bedded uh eight-bedded dorm, four stay from let's say Monday to Friday maximum. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:06

Well, I mean, if you have to stay with strangers in one room, then I guess there might be some safety numbers that it's better to have eight beds rather than two or three beds, and you don't know who your other occupant is going to be in, you know, it's in a two-bedroom, in a two-bed room, you don't know who the other occupant is going to be. Uh, but if you have eight beds, I guess there is some safety there, right?

SPEAKER_01 16:31

It yeah, uh at least it should be. And and maybe uh this is point of safety. But what I have to add, what we offer for our female guests are uh um uh female dorms. Um yeah, so what what even um high as the level of of safety all uh um our our female guests have this opportunity to or possibility um to book a female-only dorm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:58

Okay, so now um I know that you also have, we've talked about um the kinds of rooms. So you have two beds, four beds, six beds, eight beds, but you also now offer hotel-style rooms. I'm assuming those have built-in um bathrooms or toilets uh in the room. So you're trying to reach a larger audience than before. Um price-sensitive consumers, students, business groups, families, or even grandparents. So tell us about that side of the business.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

Yeah, um so you're right. And we we yeah, our claim says everyone can travel. Of course, not everyone can. Yeah, we uh you know this, but we try to reach out to as many guest segments as we can. Yeah, and with this fantastic wide portfolio we have on room times like this single twins, what are more hotel rooms with, of course, private bathrooms, and even these dormitories, these four-bedded, six-bedded, eight-bedded, they all have even private bathrooms, by the way. Yeah. Oh, okay. So this gives us a very flexible product. And um by the way, I would say today in the in the newer built assets, we have 50% of our rooms are twin rooms, yeah. And and the other 50% are these multi-bedded rooms. And what we did in 1819, we decided really to spend a lot of money, was about 40 million euros to to um invest in in a brand consistent look and like a better, better or look and feel. And um, this on the one hand to have a have a yeah, much nicer product, um, then we try really to uh um have no hurdles by uh easy access to to be uh to book us. Yeah, so we are easy to book, we are affordable, and um we try to be really reliable in our services or consistent so that that the guests in Venice exactly gets the same service like in Edinburgh, yeah, same amenities, same services, same breakfast buffet, for example. And this is helping us um yeah to attract more and more uh different uh yeah, different uh guest segments, like families, for example, it's really important. The families they love our four-bedded or six-bedded because as a family, yeah, you at least if you if you travel with younger kids, you don't like to have your kids next door. Yeah, um, you like to control your kids and have them with you in the same room, and that's perfect perfect example, for example, for mood use of this four-bedded rooms. Yeah, for a student group it works, uh for backpackers it works, and for family it works even.

SPEAKER_00 19:47

So even the four-bedded rooms have um uh bunk beds.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Um the four-bedded rooms, what we try if we have enough space, we have two single beds in and one bunk. And this gives us the full flexibility because then then the parents or grandparents can can uh sleep in this in the single single standing beds and the kids using the the bunk beds.

SPEAKER_00 20:15

You know, 20 years ago I went to uh Florence with my family, with two two kids, and um the the reception you know escorted me to the room and we walk in and there are four twin beds. And I looked at the receptionist and I said, Four twin beds? He said, Oh, of course. And he took two beds and combined them together, and I was just so excited with two boys with their own beds and me and my wife and one large bed. So it was amazing. Um I hope hotel owners are listening, hotel developers are listening, and they're gonna be more flexible in the US. Okay, so now let's um your locations are primarily in Europe. And you said that most of your guests come from within Europe, but I know that a lot of Americans are traveling, more of them have passports. Um in 1990, for example, only 5% of Americans had a passport. Today that number is 48%. So more Americans can travel abroad than any time in our history. Um there are now 160 million valid US passports. With this increase in American travelers, um, do you think there is a challenge to attracting American travelers? Because we don't have hostels here and we kind of don't have this tradition of these kind of rooms here.

SPEAKER_01 21:34

Yeah, that's an interesting question. So we have first, um, yes, um, we we see even today that we have much more American visitors um in Europe than 10 or 20 years ago. So, for example, last year I checked the number uh or have this in mind um from from last year, 4% of our overnights, what is uh 240,000 overnights in total um coming from the US. Yeah, so you see you. Even the yeah, the US guys um are open to use hosts at least in Europe. Yeah. Um, when I traveled around the world 25 years ago, I stayed even small hostels in Seattle, um, all around Washington State. Um, and 25 years ago, the situation was quite similar, like in Europe. So few small independent uh providers and and also a lot of non-commercial providers exist in this time. Yeah, and um my um nobody um started to roll out the US-wide hostile chain like like in Europe. Um, I just can guess, but um, I think two two things in my mind. So one is um I think there's a very different and and challenging situation about legal requirements for the operation. And um the other one, I think that US customers in general have higher requirements um uh in safety uh during their travels. Yeah, and I think for the US customers, it's it's really um it's more challenging to explain that a hostel product is is is really a safe, a great um alternative to stay in. Yeah, that's for a European customer, that's more obvious and and already learned, so to say. This lesson is already learned. This is this lesson is is not teached to the US guests today.

SPEAKER_00 23:32

So who do you see as your competition? I know that hotels continue to um add rooms at a more inexpensive price to your um, you know, Marriott has gone and Hilton and many other chains have really tried to add rooms at a more inexpensive level. So at some point they're competing. And then you also have Airbnb. So if you had a family of four or six or a group of friends, you now have the option of going into Airbnbs as well. Who do you think is your best is your competitors?

Is the Hostel Business Profitable for Developers?

SPEAKER_01 24:04

Yeah. Um, first of all, um I think that uh yeah, as you said, totally right that hotels become even more hybrid. Yeah. Um, but what we also can observe or monitor is that that the customers are doing the same. Yeah, the customer is much more hybrid today or more fluid. Yeah, so by by which brands using, which standards accepting. Um it's more the customer decides today by occasion, yeah, which which product customer he or she is using. Um and for this reason, I think we we all that that means what you mentioned, Airbnb, budget hotels, um, even for us, tent sites, yeah, we all fight for the for the same guests. Yeah, in Italy, for example, um it's it's it's very used that even the big cities like Florence, Venice, they have uh very uh quite central uh uh campsites. Yeah, and Italian families laugh laugh to to to travel with a tent. Even this is competition for us. But of course, even every budget hotel, every Airbnb guest, and it's more about the the purpose of travel. And uh what speaks for a hostel is easy to meet, yeah, um, get in contact with other guests easily and um different relation, for example, to Airbnb. This is 24 hours reception and 24 hours available service.

SPEAKER_00 25:29

So, in terms of developers, what kind of you know, is there is this a profitable business? Is there a lot of commensurate return on assets um as opposed to building a hotel?

Office Building Conversions: A Big Opportunity in the U.S.

Expansion Plans: 20 More European Cities Before Considering the U.S.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Yeah, that's that's a very tricky question, yeah, because um we are as becoming bigger here in Europe, we we even on this uh we on on this stage or on the on on the on the edge to uh to work more with developers than we did in the past, because a developer between your um yeah is is is is a middleman more uh in in in in your chain to to open a hostel, yeah. And um that's increasing costs, of course, yeah. Um but here and there we're working with with developers, and we have to work even more with developers even in the in the in the future if we like to cover more broad broad over Europe because we we are not firm and we can't can't uh on our own make uh control all the constructions in in Sweden and so then Italy or Spain. Yeah, and so um taking this and seeing what uh even how our peers are are working and operating, they're working much more with developers already since long time. So I would definitely say yes, um, a smart developer if if if if the if you find the right asset, it makes absolutely sense. Um the most hostels I see even from peers are conversions. Yeah, um, and call conversion means from office buildings or department house. And this kind of buildings, it's quite open. A developer always prefers to tear down something and and build something new from scratch. Yeah, that brings costs very high and and um increases costs. So if you find a developer who's happy for you, even to do for or run for you a conversion, it absolutely could could be a great opportunity. And I know, for example, that in the US you have what you call office crisis right now. Yeah, and this office crisis, of course, gives would even give developers a big opportunity to think about um conversions of this existing office buildings into hostels, and that could be absolutely profitable because the today the entrance um price to purchase in um in distressed office building is so low that it absolutely could make sense for developer to think about to convert something into a hostel.

SPEAKER_00 28:07

Right. And many cities are actually giving a lot of incentives to repurpose these office buildings that are not that are not in use. So um I know that you're expanding in Europe. What are your plans to expand in the United States? And is this a good time, like you said, office buildings are available at a very low price in the US?

SPEAKER_01 28:30

Yeah, I think by opportunities, it would be perfect time to go to the US. For us, on the other hand, we just identified 20 more cities we'd like to go in in Europe, and for us, it's let's say easier doors to open right now in Europe. So that's that's why we decided for the next five years at least, we're not looking to the US, even knowing that maybe we're missing a big opportunity. But we have a similar situation here, so we have a lot of distress opportunities even in Europe. And um, so I said easier doors to open right now. So we will first finish this uh for the next five years, and then maybe US is the next.

SPEAKER_00 29:12

So I hope the developers in the US that are listening come to you with very interesting propositions that can even leverage your company into expanding in the US. But I look forward to that time when you're expanding here. Um so a couple of things I want to ask you. One is uh our school strongly supports innovation and entrepreneurship. So, what's the best piece of advice that you would give or you often give to be helpful to the students and young professionals as they dream of founding a company or making their mark in the hospitality industry?

Speed Round: Favorite Travel Destination

SPEAKER_01 29:51

I think what you always need first, um, and what is quite obvious is you need passion and patience. Yeah. And what I found out, the your biggest enemy is not money, the biggest enemy is time. Yeah, because uh you can raise money or found money, but you're fighting always against time. Yeah, so everything needed needs much longer, every task, every needed license, or every hire, or yeah, every result. Um, but you need needs longer than than you expect. And so with this, I'm yeah, if you have an idea, um I would say uh take take care really that your idea is changing something, yeah, changing of course to the to the good. So make something better for the guests, yeah, easier. Uh the services may be better, or usability is better, or price is better. Yeah, so it has really to be something that makes a difference why why your future customers should use your product. Um I had in, I I remember 20 years ago, I I joined a conference where very successful entrepreneurs spoke. And he he said, if you have a business plan, calculate that it takes double time and uh to achieve it, and uh it would take double cost. And if it still works, go for it. Yeah, so very drastic, but um yeah, um, don't make too optimistic assumptions and be critical to yourself.

SPEAKER_00 31:24

Have a range of assumptions and make sure that you give it plenty of time and patience. Very good. So, Oliver, um, for a little fun at the end, we wrap up each episode with a speed round of questions. Um, so very quickly, what is your favorite travel destination?

Best Travel Tip: Start With a Compliment

SPEAKER_01 31:42

Um depends on on um the occasion, but um, so with my family, I would definitely say Mallorca, this famous Spanish island. Um and with uh if I travel with my older kids, I really love to do camping in Sweden, yeah, to um yeah, hiking and um um just go like in the old days with with a rucksack, with a backpack, and and um discover the nature.

SPEAKER_00 32:10

What's your best travel tip?

SPEAKER_01 32:13

Um I would say start start always uh with a compliment to the service crew, yeah. So uh even if it's the check-in, the ticket counter, what what whatever is it? So say something like this place was recommended to uh to me because of this brilliant service. Yeah, and um I'm quite sure by now to even from my own experience, this opens a lot of much doors, and this this little geisha will absolutely pay off.

SPEAKER_00 32:38

So I was gonna ask if you prefer the beach, mountains are cities, but you've already made your preference clear that you want to go backpacking. So it's mountains, it's hiking. Is that correct?

Why Stay in a Hostel Over a Luxury Hotel?

SPEAKER_01 32:48

That's correct, but uh I would even never say no to a nice beach.

SPEAKER_00 32:52

Okay. Okay. Um so and here is another um interesting question for you, which is that when you go to a hotel, particularly luxury hotels, four or five-star hotels, they have their qualities, you know, they have their luxuries. But why would someone stay in a hostel? Give me one, the the best reason that you can think of. Why would you stay at a hostel?

Closing Remarks & Credits

SPEAKER_01 33:17

It's much more easy to have fun and be connected to others.

SPEAKER_00 33:20

Oh, that's outstanding. That's what we all want to do. Well, thank you very much, Oliver. It was fantastic having you on the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 33:28

Thank you so much, Aaron, to give me this opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 33:31

Wonderful. And thank you all for listening today to our distinguished podcast. If you like what you're hearing, be sure to follow up and give us a five-star rating. If you want to join the conversation and share your thoughts and suggestions, email me at shaden at bu.edu. That's shawdean at bu.edu. Special thanks to the team who produced this podcast, Mara Littman, Andy Halleck, and the entire team at BU School of Hospitality Administration. To keep up with Distinguished Podcast, be sure to subscribe wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. You can also learn more about our undergraduate and graduate programs at BU School of Hospitality by visiting bu.edu slash hospitality. Have a wonderful day and thank you for listening.