Why is a 5-star Award from Visit
Scotland important for Smart City Hostels?
It’s important to us because it shows
we offer
a certain level of product and service. There’s a general
misconception in the UK about what a Hostel is: poor quality, sharing with many
people and so on. We have a friendly, relaxed, up-beat vibe where
socialising and interaction with guests (in today’s world, this also means
social media interaction!) is at the centre of what we do. This is a
different feel to a ‘typical’ Hostel
We provide good value for money. We
will always be in line with what the budget accommodation sector in Edinburgh
offers to guests in terms of cost. We provide great service and a
brilliant product for a reasonable price, and overall we ordinarily exceed
guests’ expectations. Personal touches such as the new home from home
treats we are introducing for sale at reception soon (for example Australian
Tim tams, Korean Sae Wookkangs and New Zealand Pineapple lumps) add to a guests
experience
Why are all rooms ensuite?
Traveller expectations are now much
higher. You wouldn’t expect to stay away overnight and have fewer facilities
than in your own home. All of our rooms are en-suite, and our 8 bed dorms
have 2 toilets and 2 showers for the convenience of our guests. This
approach to providing what people need goes right through the facilities in the
Hostel from our guest kitchen with utensils and some cooking ingredients to our
free Wi-Fi throughout the building.
How do you keep your staff motivated to
provide such great customer service?
Our team are the life and soul of the
building. Given that our Hostel stay and experience is based on
interaction, it’s of great importance that our team are the epitome of the
values we hold as a brand. Generally, the team are fantastic at customer
service – they genuinely care about our guests and the experience they have
with us. We have brilliant team days out in Edinburgh so we bond as a
team and learn more about each other’s jobs and departments within the Hostel
that allow the building to function. We also take in great local
experiences, such as Camera Obscura, Can You Escape and the Edinburgh Dungeons,
so that these can be recommended to guests through personal experience. The
team thrive on getting positive feedback, when they’ve been involved in the
customer experience.
Who are your customers?
Our target audience in the main is between
18 – 35 years old. However, we do have regular guests up to the age of 75
and children too. International education groups stay with us throughout
the course of the year. At the weekends, we get lots of bookings from
groups of friends looking to explore bars, restaurants and night life. We
have local, national and international guests stay with us. We are very
careful of the in-house mix of people at Smart City Hostels and ensure the guest
experience is excellent. We have just been awarded a Gold Trusted
Merchant Award by Feefo (an independent review platform) for outstanding
customer service.
We are home to Bar 50. The
general public are welcome in Bar 50 and this bodes well with our guests /
travellers. The locals mix with our guests, who then get good tips and
gain some knowledge from the real professionals on Edinburgh – the locals.
What is your main challenge?
Our biggest challenge is ‘Why should
we stay with you when you’re selling at the same price as the budget hotel
round the corner?’ It’s simple: the experience! No matter your age,
you’ll have much better fun. Those who are young at heart will enjoy a Hostel
experience. If you’ve not stayed in Hostel before (or within the past 10
years!) you should come and visit us. I am sure you’ll be amazed!
Catch up with Jayne again on next
week’s blog when she gives us a great insight into why Edinburgh is such a
great place to visit
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