No hostels in Limerick?

mazzy maz

Stayed in a hostel in Cork last night after a gig and it came up in conversation that there are now no hostels in Limerick. Is this true?

If so, is it a case that there is no demand for this type of accommodation in Limerick? i.e. is Limerick *that* unattractive a destination for backpackers and the like - there seems to be loads of hostels in Cork and I'd imagine Galway isn't short a hostel or two.

Story? Is this a business opportunity going a begging?

The Snipe

There is indeed none, I met a few lads from Cork who were up for a stag last week, that I'd met randomly. And spent the entire day trying to find them a hotel, but none could take them as they were full.

Trying to find if there was a hostel, couldn't find any online or anything. So anyone that is looking to set up a new business, may want to think about it! :P

phog

I think there hasn't been a hostel in Limerick since the one in Broad St was turned into appartments.

Though I remember picking up two hitch hikers in the last couple of years and they said they stayed in a hotel as the hostel was about 20 min walk from the city centre, they had very poor english and couldnt tell me where it was. I assumed it may have been out by UL.

zuroph

The student accommodation down from Mary I on the dock road used to offer hostel like accommodation during summer months I believe. That'd be 20 minute walk from the party end of town.
I've heard rumours of one on the way...

Poxyshamrock

Wasnt the globe supposed to be turned into one?

Amazotheamazing

Like a lot of things in Limerick, it's chicken and egg, backpackers don't come because there's no hostel, there's no hostel because backpackers don't come.

I've stayed in better and worse cities around the world and imo, a good hostel would work well in Limerick but a good hostel is a labour of love. It's hard to describe what makes a good hostel or what makes a bad one (apart from the obvious things, clean sheets etc), but it's not quite as simple as throwing a few bunkbeds into a room.

Chucken

Barringtons was a hostel for a while many moons ago!
Opening a hostel is something I would love to have money to do

Kess73

Chucken wrote: »

Barringtons was a hostel for a while many moons ago!
Opening a hostel is something I would love to have money to do

It is not the most viable of ventures to be honest, and a hostel of any decent size (and decent facilities for that matter) is something that any investor would have to be prepared to stay in the red with for some time, or at the very least adopt a loss leader strategy with at first.


A number of people have looked at the idea of a good quality hostel in Limerick and the fact that plenty of people who have both business smarts and investment capital all walked away speaks volumes.


Amazo is spot on with his labour of love comment. There is a deceptive amount of work involved with the setting up and then running of a hostel, not to mention quite a lot of red tape. Unless the perfect location was available at the right price ( including costs) , I can think of a good number of ventures that I would choose to attempt at present in Limerick before a hostel to be honest.

Chucken

Unless I win the Euromillions, I wont have to contemplate it at the moment

I understand it's a huge undertaking but it's always been something that I think I could do and love

Must go get my ticket