1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 Hello everyone and welcome back to the Hostel Road Trip Podcast. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:08,000 The podcast that literally takes its show on the road. 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Listen in as James Black and Bobby Dyer, owners of International Travelers House Hostels, 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:19,000 travel around the country to learn about these great locations and incredible people 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:24,000 that come together to provide a unique and exciting experience for travelers from all over the world. 6 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:33,000 Welcome back to the Hostel Road Trip Podcast Special Edition American Hostel Conference Annual Number 2. 7 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:39,000 We are here and we're a bit blushing because we are in the presence of a Oscar winner. 8 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:45,000 Kind of a big deal. Mr. Weinstein from the Auberg Hostel in New Orleans. 9 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,000 Thank you for being with us. 10 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,000 Thank you guys for having me. I'm so excited. I heard it's your first season. 11 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:57,000 I've joined as always with my co-founder Robert Dyer and a shout out to Ham Bone Mark Needham. 12 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,000 Oh! He does his pose. 13 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:03,000 So, first question. What is auberg? 14 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:10,000 Everybody asks that. It means like hostel or inn in French. 15 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:13,000 Of course I was just in a taxi cab with the chair just moved on me. 16 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,000 And with the door open, she was like, exactly. I'm like, just stop. We're going to leave it at that. 17 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,000 We're going to say it does. 18 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:25,000 Well, it just went down. Maybe my leg touched it. 19 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:29,000 In Canada, like Quebec, there's a lot of auberges and stuff like that. 20 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:37,000 So a cousin of mine when I was doing this said, you know this name, blah blah blah. 21 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:42,000 I was like, hell, it's an A. In the old days, we used to pick A's for the phone books. 22 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,000 Right? Yes, yeah. 23 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:48,000 And so I guess that's where the name came from. 24 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,000 The French connection to New Orleans. 25 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,000 Yeah! Okay, this all makes sense. 26 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,000 Although it's not. It was only six years ago. 27 00:01:56,000 --> 00:02:00,000 Yeah, okay. So six years ago, how did you get into the industry? 28 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Before, so my mother had a little motel outside of Yellowstone. 29 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:06,000 So family and the hospital. 30 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:09,000 Right, exactly. She was a teacher. She's retired, sold everything. 31 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:14,000 Moved up to Cook City, Montana, right outside of Yellowstone. Bought this little motel. 32 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,000 It was a beautiful place. I moved there. She ended up selling it. 33 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:20,000 I stayed and ran it for the new owners for several years. 34 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,000 And then at some point, wanted to come back. 35 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,000 I mean, it's what I did, you know? 36 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:29,000 And so I knew then I could do like a bed and breakfast or a hostel. 37 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,000 What should I do? 38 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,000 And I would always travel for about a month into off season there. 39 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,000 And you know, staying in hostels and stuff like that. 40 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,000 And you know, I don't remember the exact moment, but I'm glad I did. 41 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:44,000 This demographic is just so, this group of people that we deal with is just a happy. 42 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:45,000 Yeah, well, that too. 43 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,000 But I mean, I just love the people, you know? 44 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:48,000 Yeah, okay. 45 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,000 As opposed to like, nothing wrong with the motel crowd and stuff. 46 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:54,000 But it's just a different level of happiness, a different right. Exactly. 47 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:56,000 Okay, that's cool. Now, this was the way to go. 48 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,000 Why did you choose New Orleans? 49 00:02:58,000 --> 00:02:59,000 I'm from there. 50 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:00,000 You're from there? 51 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,000 That's where I was before I went to Montana and then I came back. 52 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:03,000 So I have family there. 53 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:07,000 Now, what is the market looking like down there now? How many hostels we got? 54 00:03:07,000 --> 00:03:08,000 11 or 12. 55 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:09,000 It's growing, right? 56 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,000 Yeah, when I opened, I think there was like six of us. 57 00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:13,000 So it's doubled in your time. 58 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:14,000 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 59 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:16,000 And it's very competitive down there. 60 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,000 It is, but like, for instance, HI, who, you know, they're here, they're, she mentioned today, 61 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:25,000 she's popping, they're building several more properties, more homes there. 62 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,000 I'm sure it's going to be pretty new and nice. It's going to be great. 63 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,000 Something like 200 beds, you know? 64 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:30,000 Okay, so we're talking big boys. 65 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:32,000 Yeah, yeah. 66 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:38,000 But another large one did just close and I think a couple of small ones might be on the way out too. 67 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:39,000 So I think that'll negate it. 68 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:45,000 And other than that, I feel like New Orleans hasn't been saturated yet. 69 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,000 I mean, like, I feel like, I mean, whatever, I'm not worried about it. 70 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:49,000 Oh, well, it's a great city. 71 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:50,000 Yeah. 72 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,000 What is the guest experience like at your place? 73 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:59,000 I would say like, we don't say like party hostel in the name, 74 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:04,000 but if you were to look at our Instagram feed or the Facebook, you know, any social stuff, it's party every day. 75 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,000 Yeah, I mean, that's what you were talking about, like the hostels and stuff. 76 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:08,000 Yeah. 77 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:13,000 I think that that's what sets it apart is the atmosphere that the guests have there for sure. 78 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:14,000 It's a fun city. 79 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:15,000 We do events every night. 80 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:16,000 It's a fun city, yeah. 81 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:17,000 Every night, you know? 82 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:23,000 And other hostels don't do every single night, like events where there's a party every night going on, you know what I mean? 83 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,000 Now, how many beds do we have in there? 84 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:26,000 40. 85 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,000 So that's that perfect sweet spot we're talking about. 86 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:29,000 Yeah, you were mentioning that earlier. 87 00:04:29,000 --> 00:04:32,000 You know, just you can have an intimate connection with the guests. 88 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:33,000 You can throw those events. 89 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:34,000 Yeah. 90 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,000 Now, how about advice for operators out there? 91 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:37,000 You're in a party city. 92 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,000 You're a party hostel. 93 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:40,000 You're rocking and rolling. 94 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,000 How do you, the operator, not get burned out? 95 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:44,000 So I don't do it anymore. 96 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,000 Ah, you've stepped aside. 97 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:46,000 Yeah, I've stepped aside. 98 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:47,000 I don't do it anymore. 99 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:51,000 I've got wonderful people who come and help me with that. 100 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:52,000 OK. 101 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,000 Yeah, I guess we talk about it. 102 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:55,000 Yeah, yeah. 103 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:57,000 But, you know, like you get your World Packers guy. 104 00:04:57,000 --> 00:04:58,000 Yeah, yeah. 105 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:00,000 I get a lot of those people who really help with the atmosphere. 106 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,000 OK. 107 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:03,000 And they'll do like leading events, stuff like that, you know. 108 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:04,000 That's important for operators out there. 109 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:07,000 You don't have to do it every night yourself because it's not possible. 110 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,000 No, I did when I first started. 111 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:11,000 When you first started. 112 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:12,000 Yeah, yeah. 113 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:13,000 And I don't know about you guys, I'm 36 now. 114 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,000 Oh, yeah, same age, yeah. 115 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,000 And these guys are 21. 116 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:18,000 The guests are 21. 117 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:19,000 I can't physically do it. 118 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:20,000 Yeah, yeah. 119 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:21,000 And then work the next day. 120 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:22,000 Yeah, yeah. 121 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,000 So, yeah, I don't even do it anymore. 122 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,000 But, I mean, I might go out every now and then to socialize, 123 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:27,000 or I might go to the little pregame. 124 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,000 Yeah, start it off. 125 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:30,000 I mean, I'm still there. 126 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,000 I still live there. 127 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:32,000 So, you're still on site. 128 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,000 Yeah, but more, which is changing very soon. 129 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:36,000 Yeah. 130 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,000 Just because of construction and stuff we have going on, 131 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,000 and it'd be nice to see life change. 132 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:42,000 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 133 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:44,000 But, I mean, I'll still live in New Orleans. 134 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,000 But, I forget what we were saying. 135 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:49,000 Oh, so I think now more, I mean, I'm still there. 136 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:50,000 I'm heavily involved. 137 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,000 But it's more like just during the daytime talking with people. 138 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:54,000 Yeah. 139 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:55,000 I mean, I love that more than anything. 140 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:56,000 Yeah. 141 00:05:56,000 --> 00:06:00,000 You know, just talking more than the business or the maintenance side 142 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,000 or whatever. 143 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:02,000 Sure, sure. 144 00:06:02,000 --> 00:06:03,000 I like to talk to the people, help them have a good trip, 145 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:04,000 help them have a good time. 146 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:06,000 Now, a lot of people have party hostels. 147 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:10,000 But I know, just from experience, you don't win a Oscar just because of party. 148 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,000 So what is some of your special sauce you think you can share with other operators 149 00:06:13,000 --> 00:06:17,000 of being a two-time Oscar winner at your age? 150 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:18,000 That's pretty impressive. 151 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:22,000 I think, I mean, I really do think that it's just, you know, as the owner, 152 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:23,000 and I don't know if you guys are this way, too, 153 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,000 but you're probably your own worst critic. 154 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:26,000 I don't know. 155 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:31,000 And so I look at all this stuff and it's like, you know, I see all my negatives. 156 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:32,000 Sure. 157 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:33,000 You know what I mean? 158 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:34,000 And I see like, God, I wish those things were better. 159 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:37,000 And it's like, we just, we were redoing some rooms right now 160 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,000 and I'm building these wonderful custom beds and stuff, you know, 161 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:42,000 but because I look at my old beds and I'm like, they're all metal and stuff. 162 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:43,000 You're on wood? 163 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:44,000 They are wood, yeah. 164 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:45,000 We built them that way. 165 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,000 I mean, I can't weld or anything, but yeah, they're wood and we built them. 166 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:52,000 But I mean, whatever, I've never had an issue with bed bugs. 167 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:55,000 No, no, I mean, I think we're past that as an industry. 168 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Yeah, yeah. 169 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,000 That has to do with keeping a certain crowd. 170 00:06:58,000 --> 00:06:59,000 Yeah, yeah, yeah. 171 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:01,000 I think, you know, you can always get unlucky. 172 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:02,000 I believe that, too. 173 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:11,000 But what I was getting at was those things that I might see as like a few negatives, 174 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:12,000 they're definitely forgiven. 175 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:18,000 And so again, I do think for us, two things work in our favor for those awards. 176 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:19,000 New Orleans. 177 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:22,000 If you look at New Orleans, the hostels are hostile world. 178 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:28,000 If you look at just all the hostels in that city are ranked well, 179 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:30,000 as opposed to like if you look at other big cities, 180 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:33,000 a nine in like New York is like probably the best one or something. 181 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:34,000 It's really high. 182 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:40,000 Whereas like even some of the not best ones in New Orleans are, 183 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:42,000 it could be a 9.2 or 9.0 or an 8.9. 184 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:46,000 Yeah, because I think that's New Orleans alone making people have that good experience. 185 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:47,000 So that does help for sure. 186 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:48,000 I think that plays a big role. 187 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:52,000 And then other than that, it is just the atmosphere, like I said, 188 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,000 doing the events and having a staff that's like really attentive and caring and engaging. 189 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:56,000 Yeah. 190 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:57,000 And all that. 191 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:58,000 So I mean, I think that is it. 192 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:02,000 Like I said, like some of the rooms that, you know, 193 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:05,000 we're not filled with all these custom beds and everything. 194 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,000 And I do have like outlets by almost all the beds and things like that. 195 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,000 And everything you would expect in a lot of rooms now have a light and an outlet. 196 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,000 But, you know, it's still a basic bed. 197 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:17,000 Yeah. 198 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:18,000 So you're keeping it simple. 199 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:19,000 You know what it is too? 200 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:22,000 Like we do have, I mean, coming from that background before, 201 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:26,000 you guys don't have to come by one day and maybe you want to see what I'm not seeing. 202 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:27,000 Yeah. 203 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:30,000 But like there is the things like we leave out, 204 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:33,000 this came from doing the motel and stuff. 205 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:34,000 Yeah. 206 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:38,000 We leave out, like I have fresh towels, not just the towels for them on their bed, 207 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,000 but like hand towels and washcloths and stuff in the bathrooms. 208 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:43,000 Little touches. 209 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,000 The cleanliness is like, is like, is key. 210 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:46,000 You're dialed in. 211 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:47,000 Yeah, dialed in. 212 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:52,000 Lotions and soaps and different things like by every sink and stuff like that. 213 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:56,000 So that stuff is, I think they do see that and appreciate that. 214 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:57,000 There's another little thing. 215 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:58,000 More than the average Oscar. 216 00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,000 I think that's encouraging for us out there. 217 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:02,000 You don't need to extend your way to that Oscar. 218 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:04,000 You can be creative and you can look at the details. 219 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:05,000 Yeah, I don't know that you could. 220 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:06,000 I don't really know. 221 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:07,000 They don't really tell you how. 222 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:11,000 I just know that we get good reviews and that's what gets you there. 223 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:12,000 Yeah. 224 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:17,000 They won't ever say, but it's like somebody said it today. 225 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:18,000 I think it was Darren. 226 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:19,000 The algorithms. 227 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:20,000 It's like the BCS factory. 228 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:21,000 Yeah. 229 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:22,000 Right. 230 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:23,000 We don't know how the hell that happens. 231 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:25,000 But it's not that happens. 232 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:26,000 Yeah. 233 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:32,000 Now with you having that type of success, do you think that you want to expand into other 234 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:33,000 cities, into other properties? 235 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:34,000 I am right now. 236 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:35,000 Okay. 237 00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:36,000 We're currently building another second location. 238 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:37,000 In New Orleans. 239 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:38,000 No. 240 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:39,000 Can you read Die-Vulge where? 241 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:40,000 Yeah, sure. 242 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,000 I think. 243 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:45,000 Where is it? 244 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:46,000 Clarksdale, Mississippi. 245 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:47,000 I love it. 246 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:48,000 Do you know? 247 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:49,000 No, I just love Mississippi. 248 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:50,000 I'm like a hostel. 249 00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:51,000 Yeah. 250 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:52,000 Right. 251 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:53,000 Mississippi's got no hostels. 252 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:54,000 Yeah. 253 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:55,000 So you're putting the first one in. 254 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:56,000 That's right. 255 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:57,000 Yeah. 256 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:58,000 Fucking A. Good for you. 257 00:09:58,000 --> 00:09:59,000 You'll have to Google it. 258 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:00,000 Yeah. 259 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,000 Yeah. 260 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:02,000 It's about an hour south of Memphis. 261 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:03,000 It's the home of the blues. 262 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:04,000 Oh, bitch. 263 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:06,000 I don't know if you ever make music fans here. 264 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,000 John Coltrane type of thing. 265 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,000 Yeah, I'm like Robert Johnson. 266 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:11,000 Oh, like Crossroads. 267 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:12,000 And Led Zeppelin influences. 268 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:13,000 Right. 269 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,000 Yes, yes. 270 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:15,000 Eric Clapton and all. 271 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:16,000 Yeah. 272 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:19,000 Eric Clapton has an album like something like the Crossroads. 273 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:20,000 Yeah. 274 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:21,000 Yeah. 275 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:22,000 That's all that. 276 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:28,000 So anyway, I ended up there because a guest, do you want me to tell the story? 277 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:29,000 Yeah. 278 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:30,000 Okay. 279 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:35,000 A guest left a key fob to this place called the Shack Up Inn. 280 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,000 And it's not a hostel, but it's a really cool place. 281 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,000 It's called, on the key fob it said the world's first B&B bed and beer. 282 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,000 And it's a really cool place. 283 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:48,000 They take like, the first place took a barn and the rest of it's these like grain silos. 284 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:52,000 And they have, they started with six units, they have 42 now, so they're doing good. 285 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:53,000 Anyway, I went to that. 286 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:54,000 I wanted to see that. 287 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:57,000 And I was just driving around on a road trip or something. 288 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:58,000 I went to that. 289 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:02,000 And during that trip, I realized, well, God, this town, there's live music every night 290 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:03,000 of the year. 291 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,000 And there was nothing but all these like foreign people around. 292 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:08,000 These are like my market. 293 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,000 And they don't like a hostel, you know? 294 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,000 So anyway, so that's what got me doing that. 295 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:14,000 So I purchased a building there. 296 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:15,000 Awesome. 297 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:17,000 Fucking A. That's great news, man. 298 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:18,000 So good to hear that. 299 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:23,000 Now, another question I have is we heard so many great things about you from Byron Bunda. 300 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:24,000 Okay. 301 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:29,000 And we were doing a podcast with him during season one. 302 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:30,000 Yeah. 303 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:34,000 And he spoke very highly of you and his time down there with you. 304 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:42,000 What are your thoughts on the need for and how an association for hostels in America could develop? 305 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:47,000 Yeah, no, I mean, I think I've talked with him about this for probably since we first met. 306 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:48,000 Yeah. 307 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:58,000 And to me, my main push to him then was, I don't know why, maybe it's from my perspective or whatever, 308 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:03,000 it wasn't so much some of the, I don't even know what to say, but like some of the little website things, 309 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:09,000 but it was definitely that unity and that voice that it could give us smaller operators, 310 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:15,000 especially when it comes to knowing having to deal with like localities and municipalities and all that stuff, 311 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:21,000 giving them a voice, giving them like he's trying to do with the letter that he's talking about with the Airbnb issue. 312 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:26,000 And to me, that was like a lobbying voice type thing. 313 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:28,000 Yes, very much so. 314 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,000 And that's what I kind of stressed to him then. 315 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:37,000 And I think he is kind of stirring the whole thing in that I think you probably didn't just hear that from me. 316 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,000 I think he's heard from a lot of people. 317 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:40,000 There's nothing out there like that. 318 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:42,000 Right. And I feel like we do need it. 319 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:43,000 We do need it. 320 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,000 And it's happened in other places. 321 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,000 Yes. So we have a model we can replicate. 322 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:52,000 Right. And we can, I mean, we can negotiate things with different communities or OTAs or whatever it might be. 323 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,000 I mean, there's power and we're not all HI. 324 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,000 We're not all generator. 325 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:57,000 Yeah. 326 00:12:57,000 --> 00:13:00,000 So, but yet we still have power if we are together. 327 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:01,000 If we're combined. 328 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:02,000 Yeah. 329 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:06,000 And we have I don't know how many thousands of visitors, whatever it is, we're still like we're an economic force then. 330 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:12,000 Yes. Now the new location in Mississippi, will it be that same boutique size? 331 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:13,000 How many beds are we talking about? 332 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:20,000 It's going to be, the idea was like 22 dorms, like six rooms, 22 dorm rooms, beds, sorry, beds. 333 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:21,000 Okay. 334 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:25,000 And three privates, probably like a mixture of like four, you know, four or three. 335 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,000 So similar. 336 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:27,000 Something like that. 337 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,000 Similar. Yeah. A little bit smaller, a little bit smaller, but real nice. 338 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,000 See, it's a big, it's a great building. 339 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:33,000 Like I could do more down the road. 340 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:34,000 This is exciting. 341 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:35,000 Huge building. 342 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,000 And another episode to be added to our golf season. 343 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:38,000 There you go. 344 00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:39,000 Golf states. 345 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,000 Yeah, the golf states when we come through. 346 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:45,000 But we thank you so much for taking the quick time to meeting with us. 347 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,000 Two time Oscar winner. 348 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:49,000 So very excited to have you with us. 349 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:50,000 Thank you. 350 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:52,000 I'm looking forward to doing full episodes at both your locations. 351 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,000 Yeah, for sure. 352 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,000 In season five, the golf states. 353 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:59,000 Stay tuned for more great episodes on the Hostel Road Trip podcast. 354 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:21,000 Thanks so much for listening.