They're back! Closed YH's back as bunkhouses

I was surprised but very pleased to see in the 'stop press' leaflet
with the handbook that some of the closed YH's are re-appearing as
bunkhouses, including Steps Bridge, Blackboys, Earby & Elmscott.

A news release on the website says they were auctioned off and the new
owners intend to keep running them as accomodation, with links to YHA.

This good news does seem to me to raise the question why they were sold
at all. If they can be run successfully on a commercial basis then why
sell them? And if they cannot, but support is available to run them on
a non-profit basis then why was that not done by YHA, the charity set
up to run exactly such facilities? And shouldn't their reappearence but
a bit more publicity than being tucked inside an easily-overlooked
leaflet and an obsecure press release on the www?

Jon

> I was surprised but very pleased to see in the 'stop press' leaflet
> with the handbook that some of the closed YH's are re-appearing as
> bunkhouses, including Steps Bridge, Blackboys, Earby & Elmscott.

Either I didn't see my copy of this leaflet or I didn't get one. What
the blinkin' flip is going on at Matlock? We have Earby, which is not
in the book, is in the stop press as a bunkhouse, and on the website as
a hostel; and we have the other three which aren't on the website at
all. Heck, it's not as if people are planning their holidays at this
time of year is it?

One of the things the operators of these franchise
hostels/bunkhouses/whatever-they-are are paying YHA for is to publicise
their places. Sure, I know, they must be really new to the scene if
they're prepared to pay more than 2p for YHA's publicity expertise, but
they have a right to expect some mention from the association.

> why they were sold
> at all. If they can be run successfully on a commercial basis then why
> sell them?

Well, there's a difference between paying staff to run a place, and
having somebody else run it as a small business - if you're running
your own business you don't have to pay yourself overtime, worry about
the working hours directive, etc. Furthermore it unlocks the capital
locked up in the building - YHA collects the cash, and it also gets
paid franchise fees by the new owner if they're run as an enterprise
hostel.

Chris Hunt wrote:
>
> Either I didn't see my copy of this leaflet or I didn't get one. What
> the blinkin' flip is going on at Matlock?

You probably did get it - it was the address label. As I was getting my
handbook, etc, out of the plastic bag it came in, I noticed that what
appeared to be a slip of paper with my address on felt a bit thick. It
turned out to be a folded A4 leaflet, not an A5 slip. The 'stop press'
with the info. re. the bunkhouses was on the inside. If I had not
noticed the double thickness and opened it up, I would probably have
dropped it in the recyc. bag.

Jon

> You probably did get it - it was the address label.

You're having a laugh! If I was running one of those places I'd be
livid!

You wondered how/whether other people could make a go of places when
YHA had failed. Well, take a look at Greenhead. It's flourishing (no
small thanks, I suspect, to being open for business all year rather
than shutting down in October), to such an extent that they're taking
on up to ten staff to help run it! See
http://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/busi...aspx?id=454229

On 20 Jan 2007 08:00:20 -0800, "Chris Hunt"
<chris@leicesteryha.org.uk> wrote:

>
>
>> why they were sold
>> at all. If they can be run successfully on a commercial basis then why
>> sell them?
>
>Well, there's a difference between paying staff to run a place, and
>having somebody else run it as a small business - if you're running
>your own business you don't have to pay yourself overtime, worry about
>the working hours directive, etc. Furthermore it unlocks the capital
>locked up in the building - YHA collects the cash, and it also gets
>paid franchise fees by the new owner if they're run as an enterprise
>hostel.

There are also a lot more grant awarding bodies that small businesses
can go to which are excluded to YHA as a large business and/or a
charity.

Nigel
replace SPAMHATER with n and t*sc*li with totalise

SPAMHATERepper@tiscali.co.uk wrote:
> On 20 Jan 2007 08:00:20 -0800, "Chris Hunt"
> <chris@leicesteryha.org.uk> wrote:
>
> The flyer doesn't describe Earby & Elsmcott as bunkhouses, Blackboys
> and Steps Bridge are now bunkhouses but the other two are most
> definitely hostels.
>
> Nigel

The press release simply said Elmscott has been sold and the new owner
was interested in offering accomodation. Earby has also been sold, but
the owner (the local council) has leased it back to YHA.

http://www.yha.org.uk/about-yha/yha-...n_network.aspx

Jon

On 22 Jan 2007 03:54:21 -0800, jonathan.gurney@wlc.ac.uk wrote:

>
>SPAMHATERepper@tiscali.co.uk wrote:
>> On 20 Jan 2007 08:00:20 -0800, "Chris Hunt"
>> <chris@leicesteryha.org.uk> wrote:
>>
>> The flyer doesn't describe Earby & Elsmcott as bunkhouses, Blackboys
>> and Steps Bridge are now bunkhouses but the other two are most
>> definitely hostels.
>>
>> Nigel
>
>
>The press release simply said Elmscott has been sold and the new owner
>was interested in offering accomodation. Earby has also been sold, but
>the owner (the local council) has leased it back to YHA.
>
>http://www.yha.org.uk/about-yha/yha-...n_network.aspx
>
>Jon
correct and they are back as hostels with hostel standards not as
bunkhouses which have a different set of standards

Nigel
replace SPAMHATER with n and t*sc*li with totalise

	#1
jonathan.gurney@wlc.ac.uk	They're back! Closed YH's back as bunkhouses I was surprised but very pleased to see in the 'stop press' leaflet with the handbook that some of the closed YH's are re-appearing as bunkhouses, including Steps Bridge, Blackboys, Earby & Elmscott. A news release on the website says they were auctioned off and the new owners intend to keep running them as accomodation, with links to YHA. This good news does seem to me to raise the question why they were sold at all. If they can be run successfully on a commercial basis then why sell them? And if they cannot, but support is available to run them on a non-profit basis then why was that not done by YHA, the charity set up to run exactly such facilities? And shouldn't their reappearence but a bit more publicity than being tucked inside an easily-overlooked leaflet and an obsecure press release on the www? Jon

	#2
Chris Hunt	Re: They're back! Closed YH's back as bunkhouses > I was surprised but very pleased to see in the 'stop press' leaflet > with the handbook that some of the closed YH's are re-appearing as > bunkhouses, including Steps Bridge, Blackboys, Earby & Elmscott. Either I didn't see my copy of this leaflet or I didn't get one. What the blinkin' flip is going on at Matlock? We have Earby, which is not in the book, is in the stop press as a bunkhouse, and on the website as a hostel; and we have the other three which aren't on the website at all. Heck, it's not as if people are planning their holidays at this time of year is it? One of the things the operators of these franchise hostels/bunkhouses/whatever-they-are are paying YHA for is to publicise their places. Sure, I know, they must be really new to the scene if they're prepared to pay more than 2p for YHA's publicity expertise, but they have a right to expect some mention from the association. > why they were sold > at all. If they can be run successfully on a commercial basis then why > sell them? Well, there's a difference between paying staff to run a place, and having somebody else run it as a small business - if you're running your own business you don't have to pay yourself overtime, worry about the working hours directive, etc. Furthermore it unlocks the capital locked up in the building - YHA collects the cash, and it also gets paid franchise fees by the new owner if they're run as an enterprise hostel.

	#5
SPAMHATERepper@tiscali.co.uk	Re: They're back! Closed YH's back as bunkhouses On 20 Jan 2007 08:00:20 -0800, "Chris Hunt" <chris@leicesteryha.org.uk> wrote: > > >> why they were sold >> at all. If they can be run successfully on a commercial basis then why >> sell them? > >Well, there's a difference between paying staff to run a place, and >having somebody else run it as a small business - if you're running >your own business you don't have to pay yourself overtime, worry about >the working hours directive, etc. Furthermore it unlocks the capital >locked up in the building - YHA collects the cash, and it also gets >paid franchise fees by the new owner if they're run as an enterprise >hostel. There are also a lot more grant awarding bodies that small businesses can go to which are excluded to YHA as a large business and/or a charity. Nigel replace SPAMHATER with n and tscli with totalise