Hawaii Hostels Guide News Archives
Member Submitted News Articles
Have you heard some news about Hawaii, hostels, or budget travel, that you think our readers might find interesting? Are you the owner or manager of a hostel or other lisintg on Hawaii Hostels Guide, and have some news you want to share ? Now you can submit news articles for publishing on Hawaii Hostels Guide.
Article Posted By: Matt 2008-04-28 18:08:28
User Accounts
Hawaii Hostels Guide is currently in the process of making major upgrades to the site. You may have noticed the new Login link in the left navigation bar. This is the first in a whole series of changes and updates coming to Hawaii Hostels Guide.
Instating user accounts is the first step in a complete site upgrade that is currently in progress. Having user accounts will allow us to add many new features to the site, as well as improve our current features. In the coming weeks we will be overhauling the review system, to provide more detailed scoring of different aspects of our listings. When the new review system goes live all of the old reviews will no longer be compatible with the system. If you have posted reviews on Hawaii Hostels Guide, you will receive an Email from our editors inviting you to resubmit your review in the new format.
Some other exciting new features in the works include:
The ability for people who have posted listings to edit their listing directly without the need to contact and editor to request changes.
User forums to allow users of the site to communicate with eachother in a more open format than just posting reviews.
User Blogs and photo uploads, to enable you to use Hawaii Hostels Guide as a sort of travel journal for your adventures in Hawaii.
We hope that everyone is as excited about all the changes and new features that are coming soon. If you have any ideas or suggestions for features you would like to see on Hawaii Hostels Guide, please dont hesitate to Contact us about it.
Article Posted By: Matt 2008-04-25 15:36:57
Best of 2007
As we conclude our second year of publishing Hawaii Hostels Guide, we would like to thank all of the hostels, and other companies who have taken thier time to list with us. We would also like to thank our readers, whom without, there would be no reason for us to exsist. We would especially like to thank those of you who have come back to us after having stayed at, or having used the services of one of our listings, and posted a review. Good or bad your experiences posted here can go a long way to helping other travelers decide where to go, and what to avoid.
On that note we are happy to announce that we are currently in the process of tabulating traffic, popularity, and review scores to determine The Best of 2007.
The Best of 2007 results will be published here shortly. If your hostel, resturant, tour company etc. has been determined to be #1 we will contact you with our congratsulations, and also make available an award image that you may place on your website, to show your visitors that you were chosen as #1 by readers of Hawaii Hostels Guide
Article Posted By: Matt 2008-02-08 13:54:08
Waikiki Beachside Hostel Wins Top Hostel Honors
Waikiki Beachside Hostel has been awarded Hawaii Hostels Guides #1 Hostel for 2006. The winner of the award is determined by customer review ratings and popularity. Beachside Hostel dominated the competition in 2006 with a review rating of 4.9 out of 5 based on eight guest reviews. The Waikiki Beachside was also by far the most popular hostel on Hawaii Hostels Guide, with 3874 requests from visitors from July 1 2006 through December 31 2006.
For the year of 2006 Hawaii Hostels Guide will only be awarding one top ranking to hostels for all of Hawaii. We look forward to having more reviews in 2007 on which we can base awards for other categories, as well as the top rated listings for individual islands and cities. Be sure to post reviews for all your favorite places that you visit in Hawaii during 2007.
Article Posted By: Matt 2007-05-26 07:32:38
Beachside Hostel responds to Nancy Hall and KITV
This letter is in response to accusations made by Nancy Hall, alleging "disorderly conduct caused by drugs and excessive drinking", and the subsequent publishing of the story by KITV, Thehawaiichannel.com, and MSNBC.com. The management and staff of Beachside Hostel Waikiki are outraged at the slanderous remarks made by MS. Hall. Beyond the outrage we feel about Ms. Hall's statements is our utter sense of indignance, over the choice of reputable news sources to publish her false and egregious comments. These comments not only harm our good standing as a company, but also encourage persons wishing to engage in unacceptable activities to attempt to secure accommodation at our establishment, something which we have been fighting hard to prevent for many years. The recent news story from KITV, which has been reproduced on Thehawaiichannel.com, and MSNBC.com, cited the number of calls made to police from or about hostels on Lemon Road in 2006 however they neglected to mention that the majority of said calls to the police were placed by a single individual with a very personal agenda.
MS. Nancy Hall has engaged in a slanderous smear campaign targeting the hostels on Lemon Road ever since she found out that one of the hostels intended to purchase the building where she had been enjoying rent far below the mean for Waikiki. Ms. Hall who knowingly moved in next to a youth hostel less than 2 years ago, has relentlessly harassed, and complained about her preexisting neighbors almost since the day she arrived. The level of harassment from Ms. Hall even prompted consideration for obtaining a restraining order from the courts preventing MS. Hall from entering the property of or making phone calls to the Ohana Pacific Hostel. The hostel opted not to pursue the restraining order, after police confronted MS.Hall on their behalf, telling MS. Hall that her actions were inappropriate, and could potentially cause her legal troubles. Ms Hall was also seen by an employee of Beachside Hostel Waikiki in the Waikiki Post Office attempting to solicit support for her cause by means of asking people who do not live in the neighborhood, and have no knowledge of the situation, other than Ms. Halls inaccurate, slanderous, and outlandish accusations, to sign a petition that she had drafted. Ms. Hall seems to have a different definition of "disturbing the peace" and "disorderly conduct" than that of the law enforcement officers who have been forced by persistent calls, to repeatedly investigate what they call "bogus complaints" placed predominantly by Ms. Hall. The police who routinely respond to calls from residents have determined in nearly every case, that there is no violation of any law taking place. On a recent visit police officers said that they would appreciate it if the music would be turned down, so that the person who was complaining would stop calling them. When a member of our staff volunteered to turn down the music the officer replied "Thanks, we appreciate it, however it is five o'clock on a Friday afternoon, and the music isn't really that loud, so if you don't want to turn it down we are not going to make anything out of it." Many of the calls to police were also placed by hostel staff to remove guests who were violating hostel policies or Hawaii law. Calls to police are also sometimes placed by hostel guests to report incidents of loss or theft which occurred during their vacation. Most insurance companies, credit card companies, and banks require a police statement to validate a claim of theft or loss.
Many of the incidents cited by Ms. Hall such as loitering, drug use, and urinating in public, are committed by homeless or "street people" who use Lemon Road to travel between Waikiki Beach and Kapiolani Park. The presence of these persons is not desired by the operators, staff, or guests of our establishment any more than it is by residents or other business owners in the neighborhood. The management of Waikiki Beachside Hostel has taken numerous steps to live in harmony with the residents of Lemon Road including but not limited to removing a piano from our outdoor lounge, installing an expensive speaker system for the stereo and television in our lounge to provide directed sound which reduces the distance the sound carries, not allowing employees to play radios while they are working, strictly enforcing the 10pm quiet time dictated by city ordinance, and arranging pub crawls for our guests, to facilitate their drinking and partying off site at resturants bars and nightclubs in Waikiki, as not to disturb our neighbors. While we are aware that our guests do occasionally get loud, we do not allow it to persist at unacceptable levels, and as previously mentioned we do enforce the 10pm quiet time per city ordinance. In addition to the measures we have previously taken, we are currently looking into co-operating with the other hostels on the street to organize a neighborhood watch, and possibly contracting staff from an independent security company to patrol Lemon Road at night, as well as being on call to deal with any security issues which may arise at any of the hostels.
Beachside Hostel Waikiki Maintains a strict policy of checking the identification of anyone seen to be consuming alcohol on our premises in order to prevent underage drinking. First offenders have their drinks confiscated and dumped out, as well as having a permanent note attached to their guest profile in our computer database. second offense results in the guest being asked to leave immediately and not being allowed to return in the future. While We are not aware of any incidents of use or possession of any illegal substances occurring in our establishment, if such an incident were found to occur the person(s) in question would be forced to vacate the premises immediately, and would be reported to the Honolulu Police Department. Accusations that Beachside Hostel permits or encourages drug use among our guests or employees are baseless, and are considered to be slander and or libel. there has not been a single incident of drug arrests, under current management (since 2001), and we are not aware of any under previous management. As a result of what we view as MS Hall's intentional attempt to tarnish the reputation of, and cause damage to the livelihood of Beachside Hostel Waikiki, by means of publicly leveling fictitious accusations, Beachside Hostel Waikiki, and Hokondo Management Corp. are currently consulting with attorneys about bringing lawsuits for slander against MS. Hall. Libel suits against KITV, thehawaiichannel.com, and MSNBC.com are also being considered, in light of their decision to broadcast and or reproduce in print, Ms. Hall's unfounded and damaging comments.
Article Posted By: Matt 2007-01-05 21:01:31
Hostels becoming more popular with Hawaii travelers
Hostels in Hawaii have enjoyed steadily increasing popularity with travelers in the years since 2000. Established hostels have seen business increase while new hostels spring up, and some previously closed hostels reopen their doors. A portion of this increased demand for hostel beds is a reflection of the ever growing number of visitors to Hawaii. Hostels in Hawaii and particularly in the Honolulu area of Oahu have also benefited by increasing student populations, coupled with insufficient on-campus dormitory housing at local Honolulu colleges and universities such as University of Hawaii, Kapiolani Community College, and Hawaii Pacific University. Many students along with others moving to the Hawaiian Islands stay at various hostels while they search for more permanent housing opportunities in shared houses, condominiums or apartments.
The surge of guests booking stays at hostels in Hawaii may also be attributed in part to a larger trend in the world of hostels in general. In the past decade hostels have continued to transform into a new and modern type of accommodation industry, attracting far greater numbers of guests. Hostelworld.com says that in 2006 nearly 20,000 people book hostels every day, up remarkably from just about 1,000 reservations each day only five years ago.
Hostels have existed through the decades, in an ever changing variety of forms, from the early days of the “Youth Hostels” which offered supervised accommodation to young travelers, often with age restrictions, to cheap beds for adventurers along side of hiking and bicycle trails, to a philosophically oriented peace movement wherein the central theme is the idea of fostering world peace by creating a network of social lodging where young people from around the world could meet and learn about other cultures and countries from fellow travelers. All of these types of hostels exist today to varying degrees around the world.
With the emergence of greater numbers of hostels in the United States, a new form of hostel has begun to take hold, similar to the peace movement hostels, but with the social interaction more focused on fun and adventure. Most hostels in Hawaii and the U.S. are of this most recent type where the draw is largely based on the budget rates, good locations, and fun social interaction that one would not find at a more traditional hotel type accommodation. Checking into a hostel on your next trip or vaction could introduce you to a whole new world of traveling.
Article Posted By: Matt 2006-09-12 16:34:19
Hawaii burning up the list of Hot U.S. travel destinations
According to a survey conducted among 334 travel agencies across the United States, Hawaii is one of the most popular travel destinations among people traveling in the U.S. grabbing two of the top 5 cities where people booked accommodation in 2006. Honolulu and Maui placed third and fourth respectively just after Las Vegas and Orlando, and just ahead of New York.
Topping the list of reasons people sited (in a separate study) for choosing a vacation in Hawaii are, escape the cold winter weather, world famous beaches, surfing big waves/learning to surf, attending weddings/visiting family, famous attractions such as Pearl Harbor and Hawaii's volcanoes. Also among the allure of Hawaii is the wide variety of adventure travel activities available in Hawaii including, SCUBA diving/snorkeling, mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing, ocean kayaking, hang gliding, para-sailing, wind surfing, horseback riding, deep sea fishing , and more.
Another issue that may soon catapult Hawaii vacation destinations such as Honolulu even higher is the recent decision by the United States federal government, that all travel outside the country will require a passport. When this new law goes into effect U.S. citizens will be required to show a passport for all international travel including counties among favorite vacation destinations like Mexico, Jamaica, The Bahamas, and other Caribbean islands. This may not seem like such a big deal to Europeans for whom international travel is as common as visiting the next state for Americans, however in the U.S. international travel to countries currently requiring a passport is not so commonplace, and as such many American adults do not even hold a valid passport. After this policy becomes law many Americans may simply choose to visit the distant yet American, tropical island of Hawaii, Rather than dealing with the bureaucratic processes involved in acquiring a passport.
Article Posted By: Matt 2006-09-01 17:18:21
Updates 8-18-2006
Waikiki is... page added today with some interesting information about Waikiki, and links to our Honolulu listings which are located within the Waikiki District. The Nature listings have been consolidated within the Attractions, and a new category for Transportation has been added due to requests from Hawaii Hostels Guide users. Other updates which are live on the site as of today are mostly functional such as....
Availability for companies or websites to have thier listings customized to include more images, information, and links to specific locations within thier sites, thereby enhancing the user experience for our visitors, as well as exposure for websites and companies who are listed with us. Included in customization capabilities is the ability to add direct contact and booking links, so that our visitors can go directly to a booking page on a listings website, or contact listed sites or companies directly from Hawaii Hostels Guide, this is a great feature especially for companies without websites.
Article Posted By: Matt 2006-08-18 23:01:50
Increased security at Honolulu Airport
The attempted terror attack at Londons Heathrow aiport on August 9, 2006 promted airport officials at Honolulu International, and other Hawaii airports to tighten security measures. Airport officials have contacted major transportation providers in Honolulu, and around Oahu, to inform them of the new security policies. Transportation providers have in turn contacted Hotel and Hostel operators with the news.
What this means for travelers. With the rise of the National Threat Level to orange for Domestic Flights, and red for International Flights, airport security is on full alert, and at its highest level. Honolulu International officials have sent word that all passengers for Inter Island Flights should plan to arrive at the airport two hours in advance of thier scheduled flight time, while Mainland Domestic, and International Flight passengers should plan to arrive a full three hours prior to scheduled flight times. This marks an increse of 1 hour over the normal one and two hour advance arrivals respectively.
This will effect passengers with early morning flights more dramaticaly as passenger space on 24 hour, and early morning shuttles is limited. If you have an early morning flight planned it is suggested that you arrange airport transportation 48-72 hours in advance of your departure time.
Update: All liquid paste and gel items have been banned from carry on. exaples: drinks, cream, lotion, hairgel, aresol cans. It is best to leave such items behind when you head to the airport, if you must bring these items be sure to pack them in your checked bags.
Article Posted By: Matt 2006-08-15 22:20:54
Version 2.0 released
We are proud to announce the release of v2.0. This new version of the site marks a major overhaul. Everything has been improved, from the look of the site, and ease of navigation, to greater visitor interaction capabilities.
One of the more exciting new features is the Quick Search in the left navigation bar, allowing those who know what they are looking for to get right to it.
Also new in HHG.com V2.0 are user reviews, now anyone can post a review to let other visitors know what they thought of a particular place you may have been in Hawaii. If its not already listed you can easily submit a new listing.
We hope you will enjoy your visit to our new and improved Hawaii Hostel Guide.
Article Posted By: Matt 2006-08-07 22:38:48