Imagine a network of hostels in NC
The East-Coast Greenway and the Mountains-to-Sea Trail are becoming realities. NC Dept of Transportation's Bicycle and Pedestrian Program has mapped hundreds of miles of Bicycle-Friendly touring routes on scenic roads. Imagine what it would be like to find safe, friendly, low-cost accommodations along those routes. Perhaps you would imagine an historic farmhouse with an immense post oak shading the front yard where you could join other hikers or cyclists in a cook-your-own kitchen. Maybe you've stayed in the lighthouse hostel on the California coast ... or the treehouse hostel in Georgia ... or even a castle in Germany! How can we give North Carolina visitors a sense of who we are ... our farms and forests, our intensive biomedical research and production efforts, our mountains and our coasts?
Request for proposals
HI-NC is requesting proposals from nonprofit and governmental agencies interested in collaborating on hostel development in NC's major cities and the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. HI-USA currently operates several hostels on public lands including converted military barracks, lighthouse keepers' quarters and former ranger cabins. The National Park Service issued a national hostel policty statement that encouraged the development of hostels in National Parks. California, Pennsylvania and Ohio have developed hostels in State Parks. The Chamounix Mansion Hostel in Philadelphia is on the grounds of Fairmount Park, a municipal property. Left vacant, properties deteriorate. Administrative uses may add overhead without adding revenue. Buildings near popular travel destinations can be put in service as hostels on a self-supporting basis. The new wave of adventurers will arrive under their own steam ... meaning that you can add bike racks instead of parking lots. The Council has some funds to assist with renovations and we want to organize a "Friends of the Hostel" group in your area to insure that guests receive the best possible welcome.
Interested? Review these resources and evaluate your property using the Hostel Placement Analysis. If your score is at least 70%, please e-mail the Hostel Development Chairperson. Let's talk!
Hostel Placement Analysis.tif