Hostel winter blues

The silly season is over and it's nice and quiet at the hostel. Too quiet maybe. Between the end of the winter holidays (if your on the northern half of planet earth) and the start of the spring/summer season a lot of hostels are as empty as hunted mansions with the occasional short term guest and a bunch of long termers bored out of their minds - especially, if they have been around for a while. Everyone is sitting on their laptops and smart phones, watching movies and talking nonsense. Apart from the weekend, where you maybe manage to almost fill the place and the occasional event (Six Nations Rugby in our case) you struggle to keep things interesting. So what can you do to keep your customers happy and the kids (aka the longtermers) busy?

Tourist board:
There are a number of events all year round in most cities, you just have to find them. Usually the local tourist board knows what's going on and put up events on their website. Just have a look every morning and put things that sounds cool on your notice board or print off the event's poster and put it in a place where everyone can see it.

Local magazines:
A lot of cities have magazines that keep you informed about the local cultural scene - the newest hottest bands, artists, galleries and gigs. Quite often they have a printed version but their websites are even more up to date and offer a bigger data base. And just like with the tourist board, check their events in the morning and pick something you think your guest might fancy and let them know about it. Who knows they might go and see someone in a small club that becomes the real deal a few months later...

Local pubs:
There are always events in your favourite pubs but quite often they don't make it onto the websites I've mentioned above, sometimes not even onto their own website. But their facebook or twitter pages might be better maintained. You can either like or follow them through your personal account or even better as your hostel's. That way you can easily share events and promotions. That does not only inform your guests about what's going on but also creates a positive relation ship with the venue and who knows, they might think about hostel discounts in the future, because let's face it, they are struggling too in the quiet season. Or simply pick up a flyer next time you're there..

Start your own events:
Of course there is the standard pub crawl almost every hostel has and it is an integral part of hostel life, because it is one of the easiest ways to bond. Getting buzzed and making out with total strangers from halfway around the world...
But there are endless options. How about a games night where you dig out your Monopoly, the old Chess board and the Poker cards and save them from disappearing all the way in a pile of dust. Or have a potluck where everyone contributes something. It can be themed as in everyone brings something from their home country or has to invent a disgusting name for their dish.
Dig up the old dress up box and have an impromptu party, chuck paper and pens on the table and let them draw and paint, especially for events like Valentines Day or Easter. They generally enjoy anything children enjoy... bubbles, lego, arts and crafts, sometimes even jig saw puzzles...

The important thing is to bring a little color into the cold and grey winter days and motivate your long and short term guests to do something beyond the same old same old every day. It creates a positive atmosphere that everyone will appreciate and keeps things fresh and exciting. And who knows, it might even influence your ratings on one of those booking websites...

And ..... here.... we.....go! (imagine me whispering this like Heath Ledger's Joker)

Yessss, I made it! I managed to walk up the Royal Mile, down Grassmarket and to the Underbelly tent at the university without getting a single flyer. I successfully dodged them all. And you might wonder why that is reason for applause. Because it is festival season in Edinburgh. What kind of festival? All of the festivals. Mainly the Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world (so they say on their website) and it's been running since 1947 and lasts for three weeks. It has become HUGE, like MOTHERFUCKING GINORMOUS. There are over 400 venues with over 3000 shows with anything from comedy, to burlesque, from kids shows to classical concerts, street art in all kinds of forms, arts and crafts markets, cabaret and stuff I have probably never heard of. 

But the festival season is more than just the Fringe. About two weeks before the Fringe kicks off, we already have the Blues and Jazz Festival with several venues and acts all over town. It gets you in the mood for the madness that is August in Edinburgh. A week after the Fringe starts we have the Edinburgh Book Festival, which lasts two weeks, has over 700 events and attracts all kinds of authors, this year we expect the guy who writes the Game of Thrones books. I am a little bit exited about that one actually! And around the same time the Book Festival takes off, the Edinburgh International Festival also takes place which was also founded in 1947 after WWII to promote performing arts from all over the world. Oh yeah and there is the Edinburgh Military Tattoo which shows Military Bands and performances from all over the world. And although I am not a fan of military, war, armies and all these things, I have to admit that it is an impressive show, including fireworks and army jets flying over the city. 

So as you can see, if you come to Edinburgh in August, there is no way you will be bored, unless you're locked inside your house and you don't know how to entertain yourself because you have no electricity (I still wouldn't be bored, I would just crochet...). You just have to step onto Rose Street, the Royal Mile or any other street in the city center and you will be overwhelmed by the choice of entertainment. It is impossible to really get an overview over all the things going on. You can just pick a few things you want to do or see, even if you are here the whole time. There are so many interesting things.

Sure some of these gigs are not cheap but there are hundreds, if not thousands of free shows. Most pubs have acts on and one part of the Royal Mile is one big stage and you just tip the artist if you liked them or you just move on to the next one. 

But even, if you manage to catch only free stuff, it is not the time of the year where you want to be traveling on a budget. Because everything is expensive. Take accommodation for example: In winter we charge between £10 and £15 per bed per night. Right now, in August, we charge around £30 per night. Why? Because we can! There is just such demand for beds, that people will pay anything. I think the number of people doubles or maybe even tipples in August here in Edinburgh. On a Saturday night we easily turn 10 - 20 people away, because we don't have space for them. It is only the very beginning and already all our weekends are fully booked and there are only a few beds during the week left. Locals have long since realised that, if you leave on a holiday, just rent out your flat and you can make a couple hundred pounds.
But not only accommodation becomes more expensive, pub and restaurants raise their prices and I wouldn't be surprised, if the main tourist attractions like the castle would do, too. But again, they can. There are just so many people in town. Not only the artist and tourists but also tour managers, caterers, builders, electricians, journalists and so on.

The streets in the city centre are so packed with tourists that I sometimes wish for two separate lanes on the side walk, one for tourists and one for locals, because it takes a lot longer to get to your local super market or the bus stop because of all the people. Pubs and clubs are open longer which means you have yelling people in the streets way after sunrise and the only time you can go for a walk or to the shop without bumping into people the entire time is at 7 in the morning.

But as exhausting as all this can be, it is still amazing that the entire world seems to come together in Edinburgh during the festival season. No matter where you go, you see art art art. You round a corner and you end up in the middle of a performance, your favourite pub suddenly has comedy, poetry and some weird acoustic singer/songwriter in one night. On your way back from the doctors you remember that lovely beer garden with the stage and it turns out that at 5pm there is this awesome ska band playing or while drinking you morning coffee someone gives you a free ticket to a show that turns out to be a play for kids, yet you go anyways just because...
You just have to take a deep breath and let it flow. Take your time and try not to get stressed and you might have the time of your life!