56-year-old Viennese hostel wins HOSCAR Europe
In 1968, the Vienna Hostel Ruthensteiner opened its doors as one of the first independent youth hostels. Located in a turn-of-the-century building in a side street in Vienna’s 15th district, with just over 100 beds, it is one of the medium-sized hostels that is primarily visited by young and young-at-heart adventurers and travelers. Its history goes back to the time of the Iron Curtain, when many students from Prague and other places in the East were the first to find accommodation there after fleeing.
In 2014, the hostel was taken over by the founding Ruthensteiner family under a new team of employees and has since then continuously distinguished itself as one of the best hostels in Vienna. After already winning the HOSCARs for best hostel in Austria in 2019 and 2020 and having taken first place in the hostel category in Tripadvisor for several years, three of the popular awards have been added this time: best hostel in Europe for solo travelers, best medium hostel and Finally placed 2nd in “Best Hostel in Europe”.
This is particularly surprising since, due to the relocation of the international train lines, the hostel is neither near the main train station nor directly in the center. In a city that backpackers tend to see as boring and historic, hostels in Milan and Lisbon have an automatic bonus. When asked about the recipe for success, Juan, Front Desk Manager, reveals: “We work together like a colorful family.” “The guests come from everywhere and we love nothing more than that they feel comfortable with us, can relax and we get to know each other. I came here from Colombia many years ago and didn’t have a home here, now I have one here My friends and we all work together. You can tell that as soon as you walk in.”
While many newer hostels rely on modernizations such as the “digital self check-in” or have concepts created by agencies, the Ruthensteiner Hostel was an organically grown project from the start, the values of which have remained consistent over the decades. When asked about the biggest challenges, operator Stefan Künz answers: “The culture in Vienna is very much geared towards peace and quiet. On a hot summer day it is difficult to keep our young guests inside from 10 a.m., especially because some of them are always smokers. We do our best but… There are some neighbors who would like us gone. They forget what our presence has done for the neighborhood. “A thriving local scene, more security, the elimination of street prostitution… over the decades we have and our guests contributed a lot, but that is not seen here.”
Nevertheless, he sees the future positively. “Things are changing.” On the other hand, as digitalization increases, human contact will become more important than ever before, the managing director is convinced. “A hostel is much more than a cheap bed in a sterile room.”
This extra is probably the reason why an old hostel in Vienna is winning prizes that have never gone to Austria before.