Great strides have been made in the last couple of years to crack the seemingly tough nut of providing hotel quality accommodation at hostel prices, with a proliferation of “design hostels” popping up in major cities. An investment banker certainly has the skills to make the numbers add up, and after a gap year volunteering in developing countries one Spanish money man spotted the way to make it happen and before you could say fiscal responsibility, U Hostels was born in Madrid.
One area that didn’t pay the price to make the books balance is U Hostel’s design and layout. Custom made bunk-beds fit unobtrusively into the cool white dormitories, and the terraced seating area of the cinema is a cleverly comfy place to watch Vincent and Mia do their thing at Jack Rabbit Slim’s. The other communal areas are good-looking too. We don’t advocate guests making off with hotel property at the end of their stay – someone pays for those towels eventually – but if we had a big enough bag and the proportional strength of an ant, one of those leather armchairs would be coming home with us.
U Hostels also has a social conscience, working with charities in Africa and India helping out with education and healthcare projects, so guests can sleep easy, and in considerable style and comfort, during their budget trip to the Spanish capital.
