A Quiet Revolution in the Hospitality Industry?

There is a quiet revolution in the hostel industry. Safestay, a new brand of contemporary hostels, or `poshtels` as they have been coined, launched last year in London with a plan to open three or four more across the capital. With boldly designed interiors, Tom Dixon light fixtures and cool Brit Pop art on the walls, you would be forgiven for thinking you had walked into a boutique hotel rather than a hostel.

Housed in a beautiful 18th Century Georgian building, Safestay is shaking up preconceptions about hostels being last resort accommodation choices for the shoestring traveller. And they are not the only ones at it. A hostel in Wales has recently been awarded 5 stars – the first hostel in the UK to receive this accolade and if that is not enough, there is a new e-guide launching this Summer on Luxury Hostels Across Europe which spotlights 30 incredible hostels – all charging a fraction what a hotel costs, and they are often nicer, and certainly more connected to the community in which they are located. And that is not just a revolution but a revelation too.

Private twin rooms are available from £66 per room per night. For further information visit www.safestay.co.uk