Can we talk about the difference in hostel quality from 5 years ago vs now?

I stayed at a hostel in Berlin back in 2019 for 15 euros a night and it was fine, clean enough, free breakfast. Last month I paid 40 euros for the same chain in Prague and got a room with a broken locker, no wifi after 9pm, and a dirty shower. The staff told me they're short on funding because of inflation and travel boom, but man the value just isnt there anymore. I feel like hostels used to be a solid budget option and now you're paying hotel prices for worse service. Has anyone else noticed this decline or am I just picking bad spots?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_chen171mo ago

Oh come on, 15 euros was a steal even back then.

wright.taylor29d ago

I dunno, I think it really depends on the hostel and the city more than the year. I paid 12 bucks in 2018 for a place in Budapest that was basically a dungeon, and last month I paid 38 in Lisbon for a spot with a pool, AC, and legit tapas breakfast. Some of these newer hostels got flashier than hotels, so the pricing went up but so did the stuff you get. You just gotta read the fine print and skip the old chain joints that are coasting on their name.