· Freehand Miami (link: https://freehandhotels.com/miami/) – This is arguably the most successful hostel in the U.S. It is in Miami where a lot of successful hostels in the U.S. are located, likely because of the reliable flow of international travelers and relatively affordable real estate compared to other cities in the U.S. There is another Freehand in Chicago and the owners are renovating the George Washington Hotel in Gramercy Park to open a location in NYC in early 2018 (https://freehandhotels.com/new-york/). The Freehand is owned by the Sydell Group (http://www.sydellgroup.com/), which also owns the Nomad and the Line hotels amongst a few other boutiques. However, there has been some internal conflict between owners (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-26/billionaire-burkle-sued-by-hotel-partner-over-alleged-coup).
· Hostels in NYC – Only two are in Brooklyn. Most are owned by non-profits (not eager to expand), deficient in cleanliness, or poorly designed (not attractive to young millennial travelers). No European hostel chain has announced a hostel in New York yet. Generator will soon become the first European chain to “jump the pond” when their Miami Beach location opens later this year. Generator, A&O, Meininger, and other players may open in New York in the future.
· https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/05/realestate/commercial/hostel-business-wants-to-make-a-push-back-into-new-york.html?mcubz=1&_r=0 – Good NYT article summarizing the reasons for the dearth of hostels in NYC and those who are trying to change that.
· https://skift.com/2017/09/12/interview-designing-for-millennials-and-the-future-of-hotels/?utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=56206288&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8OQBUqalOjgwleNZG5RAhQQuZR2SMQi9DCZwy9-RUd2Wm5XeVKYlMhq7Rm5afFB2JN0-PPYOwEenNRj6L2k93r8imkVw&_hsmi=56206288 – Article about designing hotels for millennials. The NYC hotel mentioned here has some “quad” dormitory style rooms but is not being marketed as a hostel.
