Our plans for reopening
Following the government announcement on 22nd February, we are delighted to be reopening our hostels.
- 29th April – we will open small hostels suitable for single households to hire on an exclusive hire basis
- 17th May – we will begin to open hostels with private rooms, hostels suitable for two households to hire on an exclusive hire basis, and some of our amazing camping and cabin facilities
- 21st June – we will open more hostels
We expect demand to be high and will be regularly updating availability on our website.
Welsh hostels
It is not yet fully clear when we will be able to open our hostels in Wales. We will either open the hostels in Wales at the same time as those in England if we are allowed to, or at a later date if the Welsh Government’s roadmap is later than the UK Government’s roadmap.
Hostel availability
We are phasing our hostel reopening. Some will be opening weekends only, some on Exclusive Hire, some with camping and cabins products only, and some will be fully open.
This is due to a combination of:
- the limitations placed on us by the government
- the uncertainty that still exists in the demand across England and Wales
- our need as a charity to manage our costs and ensure financial sustainability.
We will monitor this constantly and will be regularly updating availability on our website. Our COVID-19 Flexibility Guarantee ensures you can continue to book with confidence.
We will monitor the government’s roadmap reviews and update this information as new guidance emerges.
Existing bookings
All bookings made directly with YHA are covered by our COVID-19 Flexibility Guarantee.
Our team are currently working to contact guests with an arrival date up to 16th May 2021 to offer a transfer or refund. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to contact guests this affects as soon as possible. Please follow the instructions to transfer or cancel your booking.
If you have an Exclusive Hire booking in this period, our advisors will contact you to make arrangements to transfer your booking or provide a refund.
Ways to support YHA
Thank you for your continued support throughout this difficult period. While many of our hostels are closed, find out how to support our charity in other ways.
Throughout this challenging period many of our hostel buildings have been used by charities and local government as part of the nation’s relief effort. We will continue to seek opportunities to repurpose our closed hostels throughout winter. If you have an opportunity to use our hostels over this period, please contact us to discuss your requirement.
Read more about the work we’re doing on re-purposing hostels and our “Project 90” funded places for key workers through winter.
Updated 18th March 2021
The duty of care we have to our supporters, guests, beneficiaries, staff and partners compels us to progress during this period with caution and careful consideration in the best interests of the charity and those it serves.
Our hostels in England and Wales will only open in line with the respective government guidance, and meeting the criteria and standards we have set for ourselves. These criteria include that we are confident we can open safely; that the public and our partners in the communities we are located in are supportive; and that we can do so viably in a way that safeguards our charity for the future.
As we welcome guests back to our hostels, our focus is on making sure everyone feels safe in our spaces. We have introduced Covid-19 secure enhanced cleaning and safety procedures at every hostel. We will keep guest rooms and public areas such as corridors and receptions at the highest standard of cleanliness throughout your stay. We’ve introduced new measures to ensure social distancing guidance is easy to follow, and we’ve made many of our services contact free.
Guest safety measures include:
Social distancing
Stay physically distant from other hostel users in line with government guidelines – signs are in place to remind both staff and guests
Enhanced cleaning
Staff have been trained to deliver frequent Covid-19 secure cleaning and disinfecting protocols throughout the hostel
Hand sanitizer
Hand sanitiser stations are positioned throughout the hostel, with signs reminding guests of the importance of frequent hand cleaning
Contactless payments
Please pay with contactless mobile or card payments wherever possible, or with a payment card, to avoid cash transactions
Book with confidence
Our Covid-19 Flexibility Guarantee provides the reassurance you need to book your next stay with YHA.
In addition, we have:
- Introduced new internal signage to provide clear guidance to guests
- Installed protective screens at reception
- Initiated new operating procedures that ensure once you have checked in, your bedroom or Exclusive Hire property won’t be entered by a team member for housekeeping, other than for essential maintenance
- Kept communal spaces such as self-catering kitchens closed, although we are opening some of our dining areas, laundry facilities, locker rooms, drying rooms and lounges where we can; this does not affect Exclusive Hire properties
- Removed non-essential and difficult-to-clean items from rooms and public areas, including seating and most storage lockers in bedrooms
- Introduced a food and drink takeaway service at many of our catered hostels where we are unable to offer dining and bar facilities