Who uses our hostels
SYHA hostels are suitable for visitors of all ages, nationalities and cultures.  Individuals, couples, families, small and large groups are all welcome, and it is this mix of visitors which makes youth hostelling such a unique and interesting experience. 

Some of our guests are experienced hostellers while others are only just discovering the freedom and excitement of hostelling – the pleasure of staying somewhere a little out-of-the-ordinary, meeting interesting people from around the world and enjoying a holiday which will be remembered for years to come.

Some of our hostels are better suited to particular types of travellers than others – take a look at the Holiday Ideas section to find out which hostels would be best for you.

Youth hostels are generally quite sociable places – if you want peace and quiet you will be able to find it, but there are also plenty of opportunities to talk to others, compare travel stories, and get tips on what the local area has to offer.

Our hostel managers and staff are also valuable sources of local information, and will be happy to discuss your travel plans and offer useful advice if required.

What to expect
SYHA hostels are all graded by the VisitScotland quality assurance scheme. This means that you can get an idea of the level of facilities available at each hostel from its star grading – a 5-star hostel will have better facilities than a 2-star hostel.  However, a 2-star hostel may be in a more remote, idyllic setting, where the location is more important than the hostel’s facilities.

In some youth hostels you can request a private room for you and those you are travelling with. This is particularly suitable for families and mixed-sex groups. If you don’t want a private room, our standard accommodation is generally bunk-beds in small dormitories. These are more like bedrooms than old-style large dorms, often with only 6, 8 or 10 beds in the room (3, 4 or 5 bunks). Unless you book a private room, you may be sharing with people you haven’t met before, although wherever possible we will also try to keep people travelling together in the same room.  Traditionally, our dormitories are single-sex. 

Some of our hostels have en-suite bathrooms, but others have toilet and shower facilities shared between a number of rooms. The facilities available will be reflected in the star-rating of the hostel.

The bedrooms and dormitories are usually quite simply furnished, with bunk beds and generally some storage space for each guest.

Most of our hostels have laundry and drying facilities – check out the relevant page for each hostel to find out what is available. Most have a quiet room, lounge or TV room (there are no TVs in the bedrooms), a self-catering kitchen and dining room.  Many of the hostels also have a small shop, selling basic toiletries, food items and (in locations where it is necessary) the essential midge repellent!

Catering
Catering is provided in some hostels, and this varies from a coffee-shop service to a licensed restaurant, depending on the location. All hostels have self-catering facilities as well, so you can choose that option if you want to keep costs down or have fussy eaters to feed!

What to bring
Bedlinen is provided, usually in the form of sheets (or a sheet sleeping-bag), duvet and pillow. You may wish to bring a sheet sleeping bag with you, but this is not necessary except at Loch Ossian and Glen Affric hostels, where you will need to bring your own. Remember that you may be sharing a dorm with strangers, so for the sake of decency, don’t forget your pyjamas!

Towels are available to hire, or you can bring your own with you. You will also need your own toiletries – we don’t provide little bottles of shampoo in the showers!

You might also want to bring a small padlock with you. Hostels are generally very safe environments, but where storage is available you may choose to use a padlock for extra security.

Most of the items you will need are available to hire or buy from the hostel, so don’t worry too much if you forget something.

Rules of the House
We try not to have too many rules and regulations, and generally expect hostellers to rely on common-sense and consideration for their fellow guests. 

Some hostels will have a doors-closed time at night, so that sleeping guests are not disturbed by others returning late at night, but our city hostels are normally open 24 hours. 

The smaller hostels close during the day to allow the staff to get on with cleaning, as often there is only one person running the hostel. Reception normally opens at 5pm.  Check individual hostel pages for more information on reception opening times.

There are, of course, various formal stipulations relating to booking a hostel, and behaviour of those staying in the hostel. It is worth taking a look at these – in the Terms and Conditions section.

Please note that we do not accept stag or hen parties at any of our hostels.

Hostelling International
SYHA is part of the International Youth Hostelling Federation (IYHF) – a collective of youth hostelling organisations from over 60 countries around the world. This is another part of what makes SYHA youth hostels, as opposed to independent hostels, special.  IYHF hostels are branded internationally as HI-Hostels.

As a member of SYHA, your membership is valid at around 4500 IYHF youth hostels around the world. All are checked against international Hi-Hostels quality standards, so you can be assured of a clean and comfortable stay wherever you travel.

RentaHostel
As well as being open to individual, family and group travellers, some of our hostels are also available as a RentaHostel, where you can take over the whole hostel. Full details are given in the RentaHostel section. This is ideal for birthday parties, walking group holidays or family gatherings. 

Weddings
Some of our hostels, most notably Loch Lomond and Carbisdale Castle, are also great venues for weddings – giving you the opportunity to have a grand house-party style wedding with up to 150 guests staying under the same roof and a wonderful, dramatic backdrop for your wedding photos. Take a look at the Weddings page for more information.

Conferences and Corporate Use
Some of our hostels also provide excellent conference facilities for groups of up to 150. You can either hire the conference room on its own, or take over the whole hostel as a RentaHostel which will allow you to accommodate all your staff as well.  Where conference facilities are available, we can provide all standard audio-visual equipment as part of the package. Our conference hostels have full catering facilities, and the menu can be tailored to suit your particular requirements and schedule.

Hostels are also particularly well-suited to hosting training events – for desk-based, seminar or lecture style, or outdoor activity training. Again, you can choose to take over just the conference room, or the whole hostel and grounds. Our hostel managers will help you to find local activity providers if required, and we have a mix of remote and city-based hostels for you to choose from. 

For more information, go to the Corporate Use page.

Volunteers
While most of our hostels have full-time managers and staff, we rely on volunteers to help us run some of our smallest hostels, and to take part in maintenance and grounds development projects throughout the year. As a charity, this volunteer involvement is very important to us, not only in a financial sense, but also because it enables members to play an active part in the running of the SYHA network.

Various opportunities are available for volunteers to get involved – the Volunteers page has more details.

Download: Hostel Guide 2009 PDF