Hostel Survival Guide – Memories

2014 has been an incredible year. Lots of things have happened, and I have had the good fortune of meeting tonnes of people from all over the world as well.

One thing led to another, and I ended up working hosting at a well-known hostel in Singapore for a few months. Certainly, it was one of the most interesting couple of months I have ever had. While there’s really too much that I can share here, I have come up with a few that came with pictures!

 

The Doctor-To-Be

One of the dudes was on his way from Australia to Cambodia for a medical volunteering trip (he’s American), and thus had a little stopover at Singapore. We had time to chit-chit a little as he was interested in learning more about Singapore. I mentioned my personal experiences as a medic to him and guess what? He whipped out his bag, looked inside it, and gave this to me. Ha!

 

The Generous “Auntie”

There was this friendly Indonesian lady who wanted to thank us for our hospitality – never mind that we’re really just a no-frills hostel. Figured they had too much food with them and so, gave the entire bag to me. Great for those hunger pangs!

 

Postcards To Thailand

Many hostels provide postcards sending services because you know, sometimes it isn’t easy to locate a post-box or post-office. A group of giggly Thai girls handed this stack of postcards to send back home while they were holidaying here in sunny Singapore.

 

Postcards to Singapore

Then again, we have (many) guests staying here who aren’t on a holiday. This lady is a long-term stayer who has been staying at the hostel while settling accommodation issues and waiting for her apartment to be ready. One fine day, it was finally time for her to leave and she left a sweet message for all of us.

 

Food, Food .. Food!

Yep, more food. Many times, I am surprised by the generosity of guests. Sometimes, all it takes is a friendly greeting or a warm smile to make someone’s day a better one. I don’t particularly recall this group of guests except for a short chat with them, when I mentioned I’m a big fan of Taiwan and visits almost biennially.

 

OMG I’m On TripAdvisor

Truth be told, I have been to absolutely fantastic, mind-blowing destinations and properties. One thing that I truly believe in is that no matter where you are, the level of service is the only variable that one can truly control, and one is truly responsible for. If your service sucks, there is no one, and nothing that you blame, except yourself.

So what if we’re a hostel? So what if we offer really affordable and competitive rates? I try to make their holiday/stay as enjoyable as possible, because these are memories that they will bring home with them, and possibly remember for the rest of their lives. If I’m in their shoes, I would want to be treated the same way.

I hoped I have made a difference.