Hostelling International USA

Hostelling International USA
The NYC HI hostel on Amsterdam avenue, formerly the Association Residence Nursing Home.
Formation	1934
Type	Youth organization
Legal status	Non-profit
Purpose/focus	Youth hostels offer inexpensive temporary accommodations around the world for travelers. Generally, rooms are dormitory style.
Parent organization	Hostelling International
Website	Official Site

Hostelling International USA, also known as American Youth Hostels, Inc., is a nonprofit that operates hostels and runs programs around those hostels. It is the official United States affiliate of Hostelling International, also known as the International Youth Hostel Federation. It is incorporated as a not-for-profit organization under New York law.

History

The first U.S. youth hostel was opened in Northfield, Massachusetts in 1934 by Isabel and Monroe Smith, and American Youth Hostels was born. Within a year, a network of more than 30 hostels was operating throughout New England.^[1] Josephine and Frank Duveneck opened Hidden Villa, California's first youth hostel in 1937 in a rural setting with hiking trails 35 miles south of San Francisco. ^[2]

Pre-war European political currents overshadowed much of the international movement in the late 1930s. During the war, parts of the European youth hostel system still continued to operate, as well as a small network of AYH hostels. Britain expanded its own hostel network, while Australia and New Zealand started their associations.

The end of the war brought a time of worldwide rebuilding and reflection. International youth travel was embraced by governments as a way of encouraging interaction and understanding, and avoiding future conflict.

In the 1960s and 1970's the movement prospered. Public awareness and hostel use increased as student travel became even more widespread. New hostel facility standards, management training and more consistent operating policies improved the quality of the hostel stay.

The 1980s marked a decade a growth for American Youth Hostels. Major association hostels were opened in Boston, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Seattle and Washington, DC. In 1986, AYH approved its first strategic plan which affirmed the importance of AYH hostels in major cities, as well as membership growth and hostel based programming. Both hostel overnights and membership grew throughout the decade.

The growth continued in hostel overnights throughout the 1990s, and hostel programming exploded as AYH councils and hostels expanded their program offerings.

IYHF positioned the international movement for growth in the mid 1990s with the adoption of a common name and logo, and new quality standards for its more than 4,500 hostels. As the U.S. affiliate of IYHF, AYH embraced "Hostelling International" and the blue triangle and adopted a more focused hostel quality program, becoming HI-USA.

By the early 2000s, HI-USA made quality a priority and steadily closed hostels over the next decade that didn’t meet the highest of standards. The number of hostels went from 136 in 2001 to 53 in 2012. However, hostel overnights have remained strong. In fact, in 2012, HI-USA hosted as many overnights across as its 53 hostels as it did in 2003 when it had 103 hostels.

During the slimming down of hostels, a new focus for HI-USA took hold. In 2008, the council model of governance - whereby 26 councils oversaw the majority of hostel operations - was questioned as the most effective model for moving forward. After several years of intensive research, debate, and discussion, the councils voted on June 11, 2011, to dissolve their entities into one unified, national organization, as a way to combine assets and resources to become a stronger organization.^[3]

By 2012, the process had begun and 14 councils became part of the unified organization by year’s end and HI-USA had 53 hostels in its network. The rest of the councils are expected to complete unification by the end of 2013, at which point HI-USA will have one national office, plus five regions; Northeast, Mid-Atlantic/Southeast, Central, Northwest, and Southwest.

Offices

American Youth Hostels, Inc. is incorporated in Albany, New York under New York's not-for-profit law. Its executive offices are in Silver Spring, Maryland.^{[citation needed]}

The flagship residence of the American Youth Hostels in the United States is in New York City, located in a landmark building designed by noted architect Richard Morris Hunt. This popular hostel occupies the entire east blockfront of Amsterdam Avenue between 103d and 104th Streets in Manhattan.^[4]

The second largest hostel operated by American Youth Hostels is in Chicago, Illinois. ^{[citation needed]}

Mission

The mission of HI-USA is "to help all, especially the young, understand the world and its people through hostelling."^[5]

According to the HI-USA web:

HI-USA operates a network of over 50 quality hostel accommodations throughout the United States that are inexpensive, safe and clean. Our hostels range from urban high-rise buildings with hundreds of beds to small more remote hostels in rural settings.

HI-USA, in cooperation with other national associations worldwide, belongs to the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF). This network, known as Hostelling International, offers more than 4,000 hostels in over 80 countries. Hostelling International USA and the blue triangle with the tree and hut are the trademark and seal of approval of the IYHF, assuring travelers quality, affordable accommodations that are routinely inspected and travel programs worldwide.

—HI-USA web site

See also

• Backpacking (travel)
• hostel

References

External links

• Official Site