Good Idea: Establishing a Hostel in Columbus
OSU student Mathew Dietrich wants a hostel in Columbus. And he wants Pepsi to kick in $50,000 to make it a reality. Mathew is taking part in the Pepsi Refresh Project where the popular beverage company is giving away $1.3 million each month to user-submitted “good ideas”.
“Columbus is one of the largest US cities without a youth hostel,” explains Mathew in his proposal. “Having a hostel here will not only be an excellent business opportunity, but it will open up the city to both international and domestic travelers who would otherwise not have the financial means to experience what Columbus has to offer.”
If his idea receives funding, Matthew says that the $50,000 grant would fund everything from building renovations to the purchasing of linens, mattresses, furnishings, and kitchen items.
Pepsi’s Refresh Project is seeking ideas from people, businesses and non-profits that will have a positive impact on communities around the globe. Only the Top 10 ideas each month will receive funding in the $50,000 bracket, and as of Noon today, Mathew’s idea is ranked #137th.
If you’d like to help bring a hostel to Columbus, you can log in and vote for the idea by clicking here. Votes can be cast every day, and voting ends on March 31st.
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Related Tags: Contests • Development • hostel • hotels • ideas • pepsi • vote
March 6th, 2010 at 12:22 pm
I think this was discussed before (I can’t get the CU search function to work properly). I stayed at the original campus one (now closed)several times. If you were not in your very early 20’s you probably would not have felt welcome there (it was near fraternity row).
I think while a ‘good idea’ in general terms, I wish there was more information posted on the proposal.
March 6th, 2010 at 7:53 pm
If you choose to vote, while you are at it check out the $250,000 category. There is an idea in that category for building a community recreation center in the Hilltop. Might as well try and give any good Columbus ideas a boost.
March 6th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
I agree, why not!
March 6th, 2010 at 8:56 pm
I think a hostel would be very beneficial for Columbus, if it were established just far enough away from campus. Put it in Vic Village. If you put it in Clintonville it will be all 20-yr-olds. Not that there’s anything wrong with a good hostel for those folks, too. But a mix of ages would probably be better for the city itself.
March 7th, 2010 at 9:42 am
cc Says: I think this was discussed before…
Yep. Here’s the old topic that Austin started about a year ago:
Hostels in Columbus. Help create a critical mass.
March 7th, 2010 at 10:24 am
There are 5 or 6 Columbus ideas and you are allowed 10 votes a day.
March 7th, 2010 at 10:30 pm
I must admit that at first I wasn’t too excited about the hostel idea. It’s going to be a challenge to build a market and awareness. But I think a concept along the lines of a Gershwin Hotel in NYC or Hotel Congress in Tucson has potential here. Criteria include: a mix of dorm beds and private rooms, high-quality design, a great bar/cafe/dining space that attracts visitors and locals, connection to local arts and community. With the last criterion for example, Gershwin has an artist in residence program and Hotel Congress has great live music.
March 8th, 2010 at 1:17 am
Gross. I wish there was an option to vote against it.
There are lots of cheap hotels in Columbus. A hostel is unsanitary, unsightly, and could be an attractive place for criminal/immoral activity.
March 8th, 2010 at 4:00 am
rightohio,
All I can say is that, from your comment, you have absolutely no idea what a hostel is nor have you ever actually been in an American hostel.
Modern hostels are clean, secure, and a major boost to the area property values and area businesses.
March 8th, 2010 at 8:14 am
Lots of cheap hotels in Columbus? Maybe out in the suburbs without access to public transportation…but if you’re a young, single traveler without someone to share the cost of the room, I would highly doubt that there’s anything realisticly “cheap.” Hostels definitely aren’t ideal for all people, but when they are low-priced and have access to public transportation they can certainly attract visitors that our city would otherwise not get.
March 8th, 2010 at 8:41 am
Would you expect anything less from Mr. “Ohio conservatism in exile”? Who cares what others can afford or the options they want, if I can’t/won’t use it, it’s no damn good.
This will be a great addition to Columbus. I haven’t stayed in any of the American Hostels but did People to People in grade school and our trip through the UK included a number of hostels. I’m sure I’d have a very different experience now but overall I don’t remember any glaring negatives. Other than the Scottish fireman nearly kicking our door down the one night.
March 8th, 2010 at 9:42 am
@lifeontwowheels- That quote is a spoof on Sean Hannity. Who said anything about not caring what others want? You are making things up.
@mdietr - I haven’t had the displeasure of staying in one, but I have seen one in Washington, D.C. where a few people tried to stay during a conference. It was a nightmare arrangement.
@HogRoaster- Public transportation too? Who are these people who travel to Columbus, count on the COTA bus service, and can’t afford a motel? Not only is campus one big giant hostel, but there are plenty of crummy looking places to stay in Columbus without building more.
Hostels are not nice and I don’t want to support one in Columbus. Am I not allowed to hold that opinion? Why is everything of a hippie, collectivist nature automatically good?
Ultimately this is Walker Evans’ guide to improving Columbus: Spend a lot of money on things that are inefficient/expensive/not interesting to most Columbus residents/unsanitary while raising taxes and run with them! Our hip, modern utopia awaits!
But we won’t see too many more updates at CU about this, as there is no one in Coleman’s office to arrange with Walker some payment via some PR astroturf campaign.
March 8th, 2010 at 10:10 am
Ugh.
Can we please not engage this assclown here? He has his own blog to spew his ridiculous stuff on, if anyone actually wants to read it, but let’s not encourage his stay here. After all, this is his opinion:
“I share Ben’s disdain for the ultra-trendy-young-urban-dope-smoking-Coleman-loving-long-haired-pick-nosers at the Columbus Underground”
-Matt Naugle (rightohio)
March 8th, 2010 at 10:54 am
Enough of all that, he is entitled to his opinion which I happen to believe is simply misinformed.
I just want to say that I am thankful for all the support you guys have given me in the past couple of days. I am closer now than ever to achieving this dream. I figured I’d also mention that I have set up a Facebook Group that you may join if you would like to follow this or ask questions: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/group.php?gid=323437319288
-Mat
March 8th, 2010 at 11:00 am
@core: +1.
But the blog is hilarious. (unintentionally I suspect)
March 8th, 2010 at 11:05 am
This is a great idea. I used to work at the old hostel. You would want it close to campus though. We used to get a large portion of our business from foreign OSU students that would come to Columbus early. I think that is why they put it on 12th ave to begin with.
March 8th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Wow, I knew that the old Columbus Council AYH was the organization that ran the cbus hostel, and I was looking for the story of the disaffiliation that resulted in the COP (Columbus Outdoor Pursuits).
There is a complete history of the org at the COP website.
Did you know that there used to be 9 hostels in the Col. area? Even a “rolling hostel” a hostel in a rail car that traveled between cities? Lots of good history on this page. Including the dirt on the breakup and how it ended the hostels in the city.
March 8th, 2010 at 1:53 pm
I agree that Columbus needs a hostel. It could be very successful. Too many people don’t understand the concept/purpose of a hostel–yeah, it’s meant for travellers to stay somewhere cheap, but also to avoid that feeling of seclusion you get in a hotel. Travellers (think backpackers) love staying in hostels because they can meet other travellers. Every hostel I have stayed in has been safe and relatively clean. Most have had a maximum number of days you are allowed to stay, and most don’t allow locals to stay. That keeps out anyone who might get too comfortable or any locals looking for a cheap bed.
The hostel should not be close to campus though–there are already enough places to stay. Most visitors to the campus area visit (and stay with) their friends who go to OSU.
March 8th, 2010 at 5:59 pm
an alternative to a hostel is couchsurfing.org
I would love to see a hostel here though!
March 8th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
lanned said
“Every hostel I have stayed in has been safe and relatively clean. Most have had a maximum number of days you are allowed to stay, and most don’t allow locals to stay. That keeps out anyone who might get too comfortable or any locals looking for a cheap bed.”
When I stayed, the Heart of Ohio Hostel also didn’t let you hang out there during the day. You left in morning and returned in the evening.
March 17th, 2010 at 5:41 pm
I had to create an account to say that is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. No one comes to Columbus for a travel destination unless they know someone here or are on business.
Although I guess a for-profit hostel in Columbus deserves $50k more than low income kids with cancer…
March 17th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Which rock are you living under here in Columbus?
March 18th, 2010 at 9:00 am
90% of the reason I dont travel is because lodging is so expensive. At 70 - 80 bucks a night (find me something cheaper in the city), if I were to stay for 4 days, with tax, I’m looking at nearly 350-400 bucks. Now add in travel expenses and I’m at around 500 bucks. I can’t afford that plus entertainment expenses when I get there. Give me an option for ultra cheap, safe, clean lodging and I’m in. This is an excellent idea.
March 18th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
There is a misconception that traveling is about going to über-famous places or going to the beach. The reality is that every city has a flavor, a rhythm, a groove. There are inspiring things going on everywhere, and traveling is about finding people and projects that inspire you to do something awesome. I think Columbus is inspiring. But we –Americans, Columbusites– have not made traveling meaningful or normal. A hostel doesn’t just bring people here. It helps us get out there!
Having a hostel is an important attraction for a city. Columbus has a lot to offer: art, cycling, universities, DIY, music, and more. There are neat projects, interesting spaces, motivated people.
I’m very excited to see more conversation around this. A year and a half ago, I was looking for a building or house to buy and build a hostel. Then I went to grad school. *Hehehe* We all know what happened next…
Go hosteling!
April 13th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
$50,000 from Pepsi to start another hostel is a nice promotional gesture. It does not begin to cover the start-up costs. Just to purchase a modest building and land, the renovations, furnishing, staffing, taxes, and insurance would easily top $500,000. It would need a full-time manager and support staff that is properly supervised by a board of directors. How would it pay for the annual cost of operation? Do they expect hostelers will help with the chores?
Others have noted issues of location, transportation and marketing. WIll the hostel merely provide accomodations or will it have an educational or cultural aspect? No one wants a repeat of the old AYH Hostel/rooming house and its problems.
OSU or another large institution with the resources and staff might have better success with a hostel.