Austin's Green Hostel

Hostels, done right, are some of my favorite places to stay. They aren’t always awesome (see Abominable Snow Mansion), but the ones that have their act together are great places to meet people, live (and eat!) for cheap, and generally get the most out of whatever town you’re passing through.

I’d heard that the Austin hostel was one of the good ones, and as I read more about it, I decided it was definitely worth visiting. I didn’t need a place to stay, thanks to my friend Rhoda Hell’s generous housesitting offer; instead, I just walked down to Town Lake to check the place out. And I’m happy to say that not only is it an excellent hostel, it’s also a great example of a green business. In fact, it’s been designated as a Sustainable Living Center by Hostelling International.

The manager, Alexandra Pharmakidis, met me at the front desk and gave me a little tour of the place, which I found totally charming of her. Turns out, she’s got a lot of pride in the place, because she’s put a lot of work into it.

Alexandra has a personal interest in the sustainability movement: her degree is in Environmental Science. She personally pushed for greener practices here, and it’s paid off: the hostel is always booked, and hasn’t had an electric bill in three years!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The first thing you want to check out in any hostel is the dorm rooms! Nobody wants to check into a place and find stained mattresses and odd odors in the room, right? Right.

For those unfamiliar with the whole hostel concept: some hostels have private rooms available, but all hostels are based around dorm-style lodging with lots of beds, shared bathrooms and public hangout areas. By giving up a little privacy, you can stay in a hostel for somewhere between $10 and $30 a night. There’s usually a lights-out time so everybody can sleep, and some hostels require you to leave during the day so the cleaning crew can work. One way or another, dorms can make or break a hostel. Nobody wants to find stained mattresses and odd odors. So have a look at the rooms before you check in!

These ones are clean and cute, with newish beds and fresh paint (note: the newer paint jobs in this hostel are all VOC-free). There are 42 beds in this hostel, divided between male and female dorms. During the summer weekends, the beds all fill up (book ahead!). Mid-week, you might be able to squeeze in at the last minute, but don’t bank on it.

Aside from the dorms, this hostel’s got excellent shared areas: a big, high-ceilinged reading room with a traveler’s library (take a book, leave a book); free wi-fi and phone; TV room with comfy chairs; full kitchen; and a back yard with a grill and river access.

Used to be, you could check out a canoe and go play around on the river. Those days are over, but the dock remains. Get your own boat, or just sit here in the shade and ponder the Colorado River.

The kitchen’s great, too: you can store and cook your own food here, and help yourself to some of the free stuff. Central Market donates their day-old breads, and anything grown in the hostel’s garden is up for grabs.

But the coolest thing about this hostel is their dedication to sustainability. Everything possible goes into the recycling, of course, but there’s much more than recycling going on. A solar array on the roof generates all the power this building needs. Power needs are reduced, too, with the use of compact fluorescents and Energy Star appliances. All the paper used here is recycled, no disposable dishes or silverware are provided, and the cleaning supplies are natural and non-toxic. Food waste goes into a big compost bin, which feeds a food garden out back. When I visited, the eggplant and tomato plants were heavy with fruit; peppers were just starting to poke out.

 

The idea to grow food for guests is a great one, and rare in my experience. Some of the hotels and hostels I’ve visited provide food, but not a one has served up garden-grown cherry tomatoes–especially not at $20 a night. But the garden probably costs this hostel next to nothing, and pays for itself in satisfied customers. Too, the hostel’s operating costs are lower thanks to their energy innovations. This makes it possible to provide perks like free internet and phone services. Happy customers, repeat business, full beds, less wasted energy, more profit. It’s a more holistic approach to running a business, one that is just a tiny bit ahead of its time.

In fact, the International Youth Hostel Federation has started to nudge all of its members toward a more sustainable approach. A new set of environmental objectives has been laid out for all hostels to follow; these begin as objectives, but will eventually become mandatory. The Austin hostel was working to meet those same objectives before they were laid out, which makes it an excellent example of how most hostels should look in the coming years.