definition
strict definition
youth hostel
Informal lodging space with shared facilities and low emphasis on services.
Pictured: DANHOSTEL Copenhagen City
A youth hostel is a lodging space with shared facilities, catering to recreational travelers who often belong to organizations promoting inexpensive international tourism.
Shared facilities are part of the lodging arrangement. The guests are recreational travelers, and membership in a travel organization is common without being a universal requirement.
The shared arrangement differs from the greater independence of a private residential apartment. A hostel remains short-stay hospitality even when guests share sleeping or service spaces.
