WEBVTT 00:00:00.699 --> 00:00:03.859 It just makes me happy when people like it. That's 00:00:03.859 --> 00:00:07.320 all I can say. It's just if they enjoy this and 00:00:07.320 --> 00:00:09.660 if this is a huge house, I mean, we live upstairs, 00:00:09.859 --> 00:00:13.519 we live above the hostel, but if I can share 00:00:13.519 --> 00:00:16.280 this beauty here and all the knowledge I have 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:19.660 from traveling with my guests and they appreciate 00:00:19.660 --> 00:00:22.300 it and they're happy that they found it and they 00:00:22.300 --> 00:00:25.179 tell me about it and they come back again, then 00:00:25.179 --> 00:00:27.780 that makes me, that's what I'm mostly proud of, 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:32.409 pretty much making this. little tiny hostel known 00:00:32.409 --> 00:00:36.280 and still running after 20 years. Hello, friends 00:00:36.280 --> 00:00:38.280 and travelers. Thanks for listening. You are 00:00:38.280 --> 00:00:40.619 riding along on the Hostile Road Trip Podcast. 00:00:40.979 --> 00:00:43.420 Our mission is to spread awareness of the true 00:00:43.420 --> 00:00:45.859 hostile experience in the Americas and share 00:00:45.859 --> 00:00:48.079 stories from the fascinating hosts who create 00:00:48.079 --> 00:00:50.640 those unique facilities. I'm your host, Jimmy 00:00:50.640 --> 00:00:53.020 Black, joined alongside co -founder of International 00:00:53.020 --> 00:00:56.140 Travelers House, Bobby Dyer. Each session, we 00:00:56.140 --> 00:00:59.020 sit down with hostile operators or travel influencers 00:00:59.020 --> 00:01:02.159 to hear about their road to success, discuss 00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:05.329 trending hostile topics. and close with tips 00:01:05.329 --> 00:01:07.790 for travelers who are seeking to have the ultimate 00:01:07.790 --> 00:01:10.790 experience when visiting each destination. You 00:01:10.790 --> 00:01:13.269 can't afford to miss this trip. Now fasten your 00:01:13.269 --> 00:01:20.530 seatbelts and let's hit the road. Welcome back 00:01:20.530 --> 00:01:23.650 to the Hostel Road Trip Podcast. I'm Bobby Dyer 00:01:23.650 --> 00:01:25.790 filling in for Jimmy Black as he's out today. 00:01:26.090 --> 00:01:29.469 But we are joined with Stephanie from the Cloudcroft 00:01:29.469 --> 00:01:32.909 Hostel in Cloudcroft, New Mexico. Welcome, Stephanie. 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:36.659 Hi, Bobby. Nice. Thanks so much for coming on. 00:01:36.780 --> 00:01:39.640 So, yeah, excited for our conversation today. 00:01:39.760 --> 00:01:42.219 I know we've met many times at hostel conferences 00:01:42.219 --> 00:01:45.140 and we've been connecting on WhatsApp about what's 00:01:45.140 --> 00:01:47.400 going on in the industry. But I'm excited to 00:01:47.400 --> 00:01:50.840 really dig into the story at your journey on 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:53.180 how you first got into hostels, as I know you've 00:01:53.180 --> 00:01:56.219 got quite a bit of experience. So, yeah, I'd 00:01:56.219 --> 00:01:58.780 love to kick it off and learn more about your 00:01:58.780 --> 00:02:02.120 personal journey. What was your story like to 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:06.799 get into hostels? Well, I mean, I grew up in 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:09.159 Germany and I'm born in Germany and hostels are 00:02:09.159 --> 00:02:12.819 there way more frequent. Every little town has 00:02:12.819 --> 00:02:17.560 one. And I grew up with it. My grandparents actually 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:21.199 had a hostel. So my dad grew up in it. So I heard 00:02:21.199 --> 00:02:23.319 all the stories. They didn't have a hostel anymore 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:27.780 when I was growing up. But I also stayed in a 00:02:27.780 --> 00:02:31.099 lot of hostels during school trips and traveling 00:02:31.099 --> 00:02:33.419 myself. And it was just a common thing. It was 00:02:33.419 --> 00:02:35.680 not even a question. Everybody knew what a hostel 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:40.259 was. So coming over here, I did. I hadn't lived 00:02:40.259 --> 00:02:43.460 here yet, but I took a cross -country trip on 00:02:43.460 --> 00:02:45.500 my motorcycle by myself from New York to Los 00:02:45.500 --> 00:02:49.509 Angeles. was looking for hostels and stayed in 00:02:49.509 --> 00:02:51.650 some hostels and figured out there are some states 00:02:51.650 --> 00:02:55.250 that don't have any hostels at all. And I did 00:02:55.250 --> 00:02:57.990 like the different, it was a different vibe, 00:02:58.210 --> 00:03:00.569 the hostels in the United States than the one 00:03:00.569 --> 00:03:04.909 in Europe at that time. It's like 1995, the first 00:03:04.909 --> 00:03:09.919 time, it's been a while. They were just different. 00:03:10.180 --> 00:03:13.099 And then on the second trip, I met my ex -husband 00:03:13.099 --> 00:03:15.699 on my second motorcycle trip. I took two of them, 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:21.639 like five years apart. Wow. And he was like, 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:26.919 he's older, and he was also ready for a change. 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:29.639 So I went back to Germany. He kind of followed 00:03:29.639 --> 00:03:31.639 me, and then we talked back and forth what to 00:03:31.639 --> 00:03:33.680 do because he didn't care for Germany. It's not 00:03:33.680 --> 00:03:38.099 his thing. And so, you know, talked about opening 00:03:38.099 --> 00:03:42.379 up a hostel. And I had fallen in love with New 00:03:42.379 --> 00:03:46.960 Mexico on my first trip. And so pretty much 1999, 00:03:47.900 --> 00:03:53.020 I decided to, no, 2000, end of 2000, I decided 00:03:53.020 --> 00:03:54.919 to give up my life over there, pack everything 00:03:54.919 --> 00:03:58.860 up, including my old cat. And moved over here 00:03:58.860 --> 00:04:01.819 and we actually moved on into a tent because 00:04:01.819 --> 00:04:04.699 he didn't have a house. And we were started somewhere 00:04:04.699 --> 00:04:07.780 in the northern part of New Mexico and looked 00:04:07.780 --> 00:04:11.199 all over for a property we wanted because I had 00:04:11.199 --> 00:04:15.379 a specific place in mind. I didn't want to be 00:04:15.379 --> 00:04:18.339 a city hostel. I did not want to be in a city. 00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:20.860 I want to be a country hostel, but I didn't want 00:04:20.860 --> 00:04:25.170 to be too far away from a city. or for anything 00:04:25.170 --> 00:04:26.949 where you can buy groceries and stuff like that. 00:04:27.089 --> 00:04:30.470 So we ended up finding this property, what was 00:04:30.470 --> 00:04:35.569 a complete pack of heaven. That's how I describe 00:04:35.569 --> 00:04:37.709 it. And when there was so much stuff on it, it 00:04:37.709 --> 00:04:41.209 was incredible. But anyway, so we had the idea. 00:04:41.290 --> 00:04:44.089 I have given up the life in Germany. We started, 00:04:44.250 --> 00:04:47.370 we lived in a trailer in Alamogordo and worked 00:04:47.370 --> 00:04:51.870 every day on this house. And then... Eventually, 00:04:51.889 --> 00:04:54.089 we went out of money, so I went back to work 00:04:54.089 --> 00:04:56.509 full -time working in those cruises as an architect. 00:04:56.709 --> 00:04:59.790 What is my training? I'm not licensed, but that's 00:04:59.790 --> 00:05:03.870 my training in architecture. And, yeah, so it 00:05:03.870 --> 00:05:06.730 took a little longer, but 2006, we finally opened 00:05:06.730 --> 00:05:10.100 up. So this year in September is 20 years. How 00:05:10.100 --> 00:05:13.199 many states were you motorcycling through? I'd 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:15.459 love to hear that's part of the motorcycle journey. 00:05:15.560 --> 00:05:17.160 Did you bring your bike over? Did you pick one 00:05:17.160 --> 00:05:19.079 up when you got to America or what? And then 00:05:19.079 --> 00:05:20.860 how long were you cruising around before you 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:23.639 rolled into New Mexico and was like, this is 00:05:23.639 --> 00:05:27.259 it? I took the first trip. I brought my motorcycle 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:30.459 over because it was actually, it was a bike I 00:05:30.459 --> 00:05:34.040 knew. It was reliable and renting one for three 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:35.860 months would have been really expensive. So it 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:37.680 took three months. Each of the trips were three 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:41.319 months. Only took as much as I can, blue highways, 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:45.439 the little highways, no interstates. And the 00:05:45.439 --> 00:05:51.240 first trip I started up north in the, like New 00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:53.680 Hampshire and all that and went down and then. 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:57.220 It was kind of in the fall, so it was a little 00:05:57.220 --> 00:05:59.899 late. I wanted to go across Montana, but it was 00:05:59.899 --> 00:06:02.040 too late. I didn't realize that, so I went down 00:06:02.040 --> 00:06:05.740 Kentucky, Tennessee, and then over to New Mexico, 00:06:06.040 --> 00:06:09.899 Arizona, and then California. Did you know you 00:06:09.899 --> 00:06:12.060 wanted to make a hostel the whole time, or you 00:06:12.060 --> 00:06:15.060 just explored? No, not the first trip. Not at 00:06:15.060 --> 00:06:17.860 all. The first trip was a different life. The 00:06:17.860 --> 00:06:20.709 second trip... I didn't know either yet that 00:06:20.709 --> 00:06:23.410 we wanted to open up a hostel until my ex kind 00:06:23.410 --> 00:06:27.209 of almost towards the end of the trip. And like 00:06:27.209 --> 00:06:29.850 I said, we were when he came to Germany and we 00:06:29.850 --> 00:06:33.069 talked about future where we want to live. I 00:06:33.069 --> 00:06:35.490 didn't thought about opening up a hostel. First, 00:06:35.509 --> 00:06:37.790 I was like, you know, a hostel. I didn't thought 00:06:37.790 --> 00:06:39.910 it was something special, you know, because I 00:06:39.910 --> 00:06:43.379 grew up with it. And it was. just something that 00:06:43.379 --> 00:06:46.100 everybody knew, but I never thought to be. I'm 00:06:46.100 --> 00:06:49.600 a designer. I'm in architecture and art and all 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:51.300 this stuff, so I never thought wanting a hostel, 00:06:51.420 --> 00:06:54.139 but talking more and more, and I thought it'd 00:06:54.139 --> 00:06:56.839 be actually kind of cool, and doing it in a mixture 00:06:56.839 --> 00:06:59.860 between European and American style, kind of. 00:07:00.220 --> 00:07:02.480 Was there a hostel you stayed at that you were 00:07:02.480 --> 00:07:05.420 inspired by, and you were like, I could do this, 00:07:05.439 --> 00:07:09.139 or that kind of moment when you guys thought 00:07:09.139 --> 00:07:13.550 that maybe we could do this? So he never stayed 00:07:13.550 --> 00:07:15.649 in hostels before. That was the interesting part. 00:07:15.850 --> 00:07:20.290 And then when we met and we were traveling in 00:07:20.290 --> 00:07:24.209 New Mexico, I really liked the Taos hostel. And 00:07:24.209 --> 00:07:26.250 they've been around since a long time. I think 00:07:26.250 --> 00:07:28.610 they're closed now or flipped it over to a more 00:07:28.610 --> 00:07:32.470 kind of mini hotel or something like that. And 00:07:32.470 --> 00:07:34.870 I think that's when he the first time kind of 00:07:34.870 --> 00:07:36.990 experienced what a hostel is, you know, like 00:07:36.990 --> 00:07:39.709 cooking together and meeting people and stuff 00:07:39.709 --> 00:07:44.730 like that. I like the Taurus Hostel. I also like 00:07:44.730 --> 00:07:47.110 the Albuquerque Hostel that doesn't exist anymore. 00:07:48.370 --> 00:07:51.240 There were some... Hostels, I don't even remember 00:07:51.240 --> 00:07:53.420 the name because they're not existing anymore. 00:07:53.860 --> 00:07:56.040 They were out in the middle of nowhere. There 00:07:56.040 --> 00:07:57.920 was like nobody there. It was just one little 00:07:57.920 --> 00:08:01.759 house where you stayed. But like I said, at that 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:04.819 time, I didn't thought about opening up a hostel. 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:07.560 It was just something common to me. But then 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:11.259 getting into it, it was definitely really cool 00:08:11.259 --> 00:08:14.740 to do. Nice. Yeah, that's awesome. And then, 00:08:14.839 --> 00:08:17.899 so let's talk about Cloudcroft. Paint the picture. 00:08:17.980 --> 00:08:21.579 What is Cloudcroft like? What's a nice day in 00:08:21.579 --> 00:08:24.339 Cloudcroft like? Well, we are not exactly in 00:08:24.339 --> 00:08:26.420 the town. I've just kind of adopted the name 00:08:26.420 --> 00:08:29.019 to it because I think we're kind of all feet 00:08:29.019 --> 00:08:31.040 off this little town. We're 10 minutes below 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:34.039 Cloudcroft. It's a tiny little mountain village, 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:37.559 9 ,000 feet high. So we are, this mountain range 00:08:37.559 --> 00:08:40.620 where we're in here is the last end part of the 00:08:40.620 --> 00:08:42.600 Rocky Mountains, pretty much, the last little. 00:08:43.549 --> 00:08:46.769 mountain range. So what is really special about 00:08:46.769 --> 00:08:49.230 here is that we are between two national parks. 00:08:49.450 --> 00:08:53.009 So the Hallsburg Cavern and what is about three 00:08:53.009 --> 00:08:55.190 hours away and then there's White Sands National 00:08:55.190 --> 00:09:00.009 Park, what is a half hour away. And the mountain 00:09:00.009 --> 00:09:03.169 range is really cool because within 20 minutes 00:09:03.169 --> 00:09:09.509 you go from 9 ,000 feet to 4 ,500 feet. And so 00:09:09.509 --> 00:09:13.789 you have this I read an article a long time ago. 00:09:13.870 --> 00:09:16.129 This road is called the downfall of New Mexico 00:09:16.129 --> 00:09:18.750 because you go through three different climate 00:09:18.750 --> 00:09:21.669 changes, temperature changes. In the summertime, 00:09:21.950 --> 00:09:24.330 you need a jacket sometimes in Klaukoff when 00:09:24.330 --> 00:09:27.090 the rainy season is, and then it's 100 degrees 00:09:27.090 --> 00:09:32.289 in Alamogordo. Wow. Yeah, it's a pretty interesting 00:09:32.289 --> 00:09:36.110 area landscape -wise. And White Sands National 00:09:36.110 --> 00:09:39.450 Park, it used to be a national monument when 00:09:39.450 --> 00:09:42.169 we opened up the hostel. And they made it a national 00:09:42.169 --> 00:09:44.070 park, I think, I believe, like three or four 00:09:44.070 --> 00:09:47.990 years ago. And that brings in, I realize, a lot 00:09:47.990 --> 00:09:50.169 more people. A lot more people know this area 00:09:50.169 --> 00:09:52.940 because it's a national park now. Yeah, that's 00:09:52.940 --> 00:09:54.879 great. Great advice. There are so many visitors 00:09:54.879 --> 00:09:57.039 for other hostel owners listening. Being close 00:09:57.039 --> 00:09:59.480 to a national park, that demand generator is 00:09:59.480 --> 00:10:02.500 huge. And, you know, really targeting the guests 00:10:02.500 --> 00:10:04.320 that are heading to that national park is hostels 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:06.139 are great options for so many of those kind of 00:10:06.139 --> 00:10:09.779 travelers. I mean, everything is pretty expensive 00:10:09.779 --> 00:10:11.980 here. I mean, you can get some really cheap Motel 00:10:11.980 --> 00:10:15.559 6 in Alamogordo, but it's not the nicest town. 00:10:16.500 --> 00:10:18.860 But up here in the mountains, we are the most 00:10:18.860 --> 00:10:23.200 affordable place to stay. Nice. So you found 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:25.659 the building, fixed it up. Tell us about day 00:10:25.659 --> 00:10:28.639 one, opening day. What was that like at Cloudcroft? 00:10:28.860 --> 00:10:31.480 It was actually not fixing up a building because 00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:33.820 it looked like a building. I don't know if you've 00:10:33.820 --> 00:10:36.179 seen. There are some pictures on the website, 00:10:36.419 --> 00:10:39.399 but we pretty much almost had to demolish everything. 00:10:39.600 --> 00:10:41.980 We could keep the basic structure and rebuild 00:10:41.980 --> 00:10:46.659 it. And then, yeah, I mean, the first day opening 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:48.960 up, the first guest, that was pretty exciting. 00:10:49.440 --> 00:10:52.019 It was pretty cool. But when I look back at those 00:10:52.019 --> 00:10:54.000 pictures and compare them with them now, I was 00:10:54.000 --> 00:10:55.740 like, oh, my God, it was kind of scary looking. 00:10:56.440 --> 00:11:00.179 Right. Yeah. I feel you there. How many beds 00:11:00.179 --> 00:11:04.000 do you have at Cloudcroft? We sleep up to 25 00:11:04.000 --> 00:11:07.759 people. So we have three private rooms with individual 00:11:07.759 --> 00:11:12.519 bed arrangements from two to four and two shared 00:11:12.519 --> 00:11:14.960 rooms. We don't have a co -ed room. We have one 00:11:14.960 --> 00:11:19.120 for women and one for men. Interesting. And have 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:22.320 you been open for so many years? I know we have 00:11:22.320 --> 00:11:24.820 a hostel in the mountains and you've got to kind 00:11:24.820 --> 00:11:27.559 of learn the market and figure out how to make 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:29.940 money. Being in a remote town, it can be difficult. 00:11:30.700 --> 00:11:33.759 Have you changed, like, focused on groups more 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:35.879 or changed the kind of setup of the property? 00:11:36.429 --> 00:11:38.610 through the years or what have you found has 00:11:38.610 --> 00:11:40.809 kind of worked best for you being in a you know 00:11:40.809 --> 00:11:43.049 a mountain town like well at the very beginning 00:11:43.049 --> 00:11:45.409 when we opened up we had only two private rooms 00:11:45.409 --> 00:11:50.370 and three bunk bedrooms and then um they didn't 00:11:50.370 --> 00:11:53.509 the bunk beds is the one that sells the least 00:11:53.509 --> 00:11:58.009 pretty much but i like to keep them because i 00:11:58.009 --> 00:12:01.450 rent them also as a private group room or i rent 00:12:01.450 --> 00:12:04.629 the whole hostel as groups and it's really hard 00:12:04.629 --> 00:12:09.149 to focus or change I mean if I would change get 00:12:09.149 --> 00:12:11.269 rid of the bunk bedrooms and make this all private 00:12:11.269 --> 00:12:15.029 rooms I probably make more but then it's not 00:12:15.029 --> 00:12:19.210 a hostel to me anymore for some reason and and 00:12:19.210 --> 00:12:21.669 we put so much work in remodeling the bunk bedrooms 00:12:21.669 --> 00:12:24.309 I don't want to just change them right now and 00:12:24.309 --> 00:12:27.250 I do like it because through the bunk bedrooms 00:12:27.250 --> 00:12:31.799 I can get more people in as a group Last year, 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:34.860 the groups were really helpful to kind of hold 00:12:34.860 --> 00:12:37.120 this up. This year, everything is out the window. 00:12:37.340 --> 00:12:40.759 So this year, I'm just going, trying to get through 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:43.620 this and see where things are going before I 00:12:43.620 --> 00:12:48.570 do some major changes. We had done... Over the 00:12:48.570 --> 00:12:51.190 years that we upgraded, mainly in a pandemic, 00:12:51.350 --> 00:12:53.509 we upgraded all the bunk bedrooms, all the private 00:12:53.509 --> 00:12:58.610 rooms. And then 2024, we remodeled the kitchen 00:12:58.610 --> 00:13:01.389 completely and doubled it in size, what people 00:13:01.389 --> 00:13:05.950 really, really like. So those are the main upgrades. 00:13:06.289 --> 00:13:08.470 And then it's just, you know, regular upgrades. 00:13:09.409 --> 00:13:12.330 Being with an architect background, is that the 00:13:12.330 --> 00:13:15.610 part that you really dig into and the design 00:13:15.610 --> 00:13:18.539 element of it? What have you found? Yeah, nice. 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:22.139 Tell us more about, I don't know, any advice 00:13:22.139 --> 00:13:25.679 on like the design side or anything you can think 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:28.659 of when you're putting together a hostel. The 00:13:28.659 --> 00:13:32.159 feedback I'm getting and what I like compared 00:13:32.159 --> 00:13:34.860 from because I took my ideas how to design is 00:13:34.860 --> 00:13:37.340 when it was limited on what I had, what space 00:13:37.340 --> 00:13:40.659 I have to work with. But I wanted a pretty clear 00:13:40.659 --> 00:13:43.360 and straightforward. I didn't want that people 00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:45.519 have to run through hallways and don't know where 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:48.600 to go. And people really appreciate it. That 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:50.580 it's just straightforward. I mean, it's basically 00:13:50.580 --> 00:13:52.700 a hallway and the rooms go off and then we have 00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:56.659 living room and kitchen. But it is all really 00:13:56.659 --> 00:13:59.480 clear to everybody how this works and how this 00:13:59.480 --> 00:14:02.240 functions. I get a lot of comments on the colors. 00:14:02.379 --> 00:14:07.519 I do love colors. And as you can tell, I love 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:11.700 colors and I don't see that. enough in places 00:14:11.700 --> 00:14:14.019 i see it more in hostels because they're a little 00:14:14.019 --> 00:14:18.120 bit more artsy than other places yeah the freedom 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:20.019 that's the cool thing about having a hostel you 00:14:20.019 --> 00:14:22.460 can really make it i always say make it it's 00:14:22.460 --> 00:14:25.460 like a sculpture you know and you're always fixing 00:14:25.460 --> 00:14:28.620 the sculpture repainting it readjusting it um 00:14:28.620 --> 00:14:32.389 it's a never -ending art piece Well, the cool 00:14:32.389 --> 00:14:35.149 thing is about hostels, what I learned over going 00:14:35.149 --> 00:14:37.649 to conferences and talking with hostel owners 00:14:37.649 --> 00:14:40.570 and websites and whatever, there is no rule how 00:14:40.570 --> 00:14:44.330 a hostel has to be. Sure, yeah. I mean, if people 00:14:44.330 --> 00:14:46.250 ask me, say, well, I would like to open up a 00:14:46.250 --> 00:14:48.330 hostel, the cool thing is you can do whatever 00:14:48.330 --> 00:14:51.539 you want. You can have all private rooms. You 00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:53.980 can have all bunk beds. You can have one room. 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:56.460 You can have two rooms. It doesn't matter because 00:14:56.460 --> 00:15:00.360 there is no rules how to have it. And I think 00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:02.980 the individuality, this is what I enjoy about 00:15:02.980 --> 00:15:05.539 the hostel, that I'm not in a hotel category 00:15:05.539 --> 00:15:10.100 because we can be different. And, you know, we 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:12.519 offer something completely different, what is 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:16.039 still, I mean, 50 % of my guests never stayed 00:15:16.039 --> 00:15:18.740 in the hostel. Right. Yeah, it's amazing how 00:15:18.740 --> 00:15:22.039 much, especially in the American market, it's 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:24.240 so much about educating them and breaking down 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:26.419 the barrier, letting them feel comfortable. Now, 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:28.879 you run the hostel, I believe you said, by yourself, 00:15:29.139 --> 00:15:31.840 a one -woman shop, or what is your operation 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:36.059 like? Pretty much by myself. I mean, I got divorced 00:15:36.059 --> 00:15:41.539 in 2014 and have a new partner in 2018, but he's 00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:45.350 more in the background. Big about the organization 00:15:45.350 --> 00:15:47.850 and all this stuff. He helps me a lot with maintenance 00:15:47.850 --> 00:15:51.070 if something breaks. But pretty much the cleaning, 00:15:51.289 --> 00:15:54.690 everything. I do the whole thing by myself. I 00:15:54.690 --> 00:15:58.250 have a cleaning help, if I'm lucky, someone at 00:15:58.250 --> 00:16:01.309 the weekends. Wow. But it's really hard to find 00:16:01.309 --> 00:16:04.549 people here to work. It is tough in the remote 00:16:04.549 --> 00:16:07.950 towns. We found that too. It's hard to... Yeah, 00:16:08.009 --> 00:16:11.129 just get the search there for people coming out. 00:16:11.750 --> 00:16:14.610 Is there a backpacker trail in New Mexico? Do 00:16:14.610 --> 00:16:18.009 people go like El Paso, New Mexico? Or where 00:16:18.009 --> 00:16:21.129 are most of your guests traveling from? Pretty 00:16:21.129 --> 00:16:24.909 much from all over. I mean, if someone flies 00:16:24.909 --> 00:16:27.830 in, then it's El Paso. That's the closest international 00:16:27.830 --> 00:16:31.629 airport. But I get mostly people who are on road 00:16:31.629 --> 00:16:34.830 trips and a lot of people who just do national 00:16:34.830 --> 00:16:38.340 parks. I'm trying to get every national parks 00:16:38.340 --> 00:16:43.679 and that's where they found me. I don't get backpackers 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:45.799 so much because there's no bus that goes up here. 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:47.639 There's no public transportation or anything. 00:16:48.220 --> 00:16:52.639 Nothing that goes to Alamogordo. I don't know 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:54.639 why everybody keeps calling me right now. I'm 00:16:54.639 --> 00:17:00.539 sorry. And so that is... That's a bit of a difficult 00:17:00.539 --> 00:17:02.759 thing for backpackers, so you do need to have 00:17:02.759 --> 00:17:05.059 a car here. I do get motorcycle groups. There 00:17:05.059 --> 00:17:08.779 is an off -road motorcycle trail kind of close 00:17:08.779 --> 00:17:12.279 by, but mostly people who come here in the summertime 00:17:12.279 --> 00:17:15.799 for hiking because it's cooler up here, enjoying 00:17:15.799 --> 00:17:18.680 the outdoors and, like I said, the national parks, 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:25.640 and enjoy CloudCraft. Nice. Looking back when 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:27.819 you first started, what have you learned about 00:17:27.819 --> 00:17:30.000 yourself now that you've been running a hostel 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:33.440 for 20 years that you're proud of or you've noticed? 00:17:35.640 --> 00:17:43.940 What I'm proud of? I'm proud of that it just 00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:46.299 makes me happy and people like it. That's all 00:17:46.299 --> 00:17:50.079 I can say is just if they enjoy this and if this 00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:52.380 is a huge house, I mean, we live upstairs, we 00:17:52.380 --> 00:17:56.099 live above the hostel, but if I can share this 00:17:56.099 --> 00:17:58.839 beauty here and all the knowledge I have from 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:02.000 traveling with my guests and they appreciate 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:04.640 it and they're happy that they found it and they 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:07.500 tell me about it and they come back again, then 00:18:07.500 --> 00:18:10.119 that makes me, that's what I'm mostly proud of, 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:13.990 pretty much making this. a little tiny hostel 00:18:13.990 --> 00:18:18.450 known and still running after 20 years. Right, 00:18:18.589 --> 00:18:20.650 yeah, I know that it's so delightful serving 00:18:20.650 --> 00:18:22.349 the guests and giving them a great vacation, 00:18:22.549 --> 00:18:24.630 just like I'm sure you had so many great, probably, 00:18:24.690 --> 00:18:27.970 hostel experiences cruising through America in 00:18:27.970 --> 00:18:31.349 the 90s on your motorcycle. Yeah, and I mean, 00:18:31.410 --> 00:18:34.670 it's like what I'm especially proud of, and it 00:18:34.670 --> 00:18:37.150 changed a lot when I traveled by myself as a 00:18:37.150 --> 00:18:40.250 woman. It was a lot different. I got a lot of 00:18:40.250 --> 00:18:42.869 comments from people. I mean, there was no social 00:18:42.869 --> 00:18:45.769 networking, no Google Maps, nothing like that. 00:18:45.829 --> 00:18:49.089 You have a paper map and you travel and you don't 00:18:49.089 --> 00:18:52.009 care. You just do the experience. But I got a 00:18:52.009 --> 00:18:54.109 lot of weird comments that a woman traveling 00:18:54.109 --> 00:18:57.509 by herself. Now, this changed a lot, but I still 00:18:57.509 --> 00:19:00.390 realize that women are still reluctant sometimes 00:19:00.390 --> 00:19:03.769 or afraid to travel by themselves. So advertising 00:19:03.769 --> 00:19:06.349 this or telling them so they didn't tell their 00:19:06.349 --> 00:19:10.000 friends. that this is a safe place. And it's 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:12.200 especially safe because we live upstairs. So 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:14.240 if even nobody else is in the hostel besides 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:18.380 one guy and one woman, they're safe because I'm 00:19:18.380 --> 00:19:21.059 always there. Yeah. Because I live there. And 00:19:21.059 --> 00:19:24.420 it gives them that because it's still a stigma 00:19:24.420 --> 00:19:27.160 to travel by yourself. Like I said, it changed 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:30.839 a lot. But as long as you have a place, and that's 00:19:30.839 --> 00:19:33.400 what I felt when I traveled by myself, staying 00:19:33.400 --> 00:19:38.680 in hostels is just – Even if nobody's there, 00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:41.759 you're still not that alone than when you're 00:19:41.759 --> 00:19:46.740 in a hotel. Yeah, you have the other guests, 00:19:46.839 --> 00:19:49.400 the host, the owners in your case. And so many 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:51.539 hostels have female -only dorms, which is so 00:19:51.539 --> 00:19:54.259 important. I recommend that to other hostel owners. 00:19:54.460 --> 00:19:57.900 Making a female -only dorm can really attract 00:19:57.900 --> 00:20:01.640 a lot more solo female travelers. So very important 00:20:01.640 --> 00:20:05.160 to have there. The co -ed room is something that, 00:20:05.180 --> 00:20:06.960 first of all, we don't have space for a third 00:20:06.960 --> 00:20:10.359 room. But I also realized that guys are not happy 00:20:10.359 --> 00:20:13.400 having women in their rooms. Because there were 00:20:13.400 --> 00:20:15.599 some occasions where I asked, I said, hey, can 00:20:15.599 --> 00:20:17.559 I put that woman in there? And they said, no, 00:20:17.660 --> 00:20:20.619 we don't feel comfortable with that. And so I 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:24.339 just kept it strictly male, female. And, you 00:20:24.339 --> 00:20:28.220 know, if there's different genders or transgender, 00:20:28.460 --> 00:20:30.039 whatever, you pick the one where you're most 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:35.079 comfortable. Gotcha. Nice. Talking about the 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:36.700 town, what do people do when they arrive at your 00:20:36.700 --> 00:20:38.880 hostel? Tell us a little bit more about experiences, 00:20:39.420 --> 00:20:42.710 activities. What can people expect? Well, like 00:20:42.710 --> 00:20:44.809 I said, most of it is hiking in white sands. 00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:47.730 So we do have maps from white sands. We have 00:20:47.730 --> 00:20:50.289 sleds because people would go, you have those 00:20:50.289 --> 00:20:52.130 little saucers and you slide down the dunes. 00:20:52.150 --> 00:20:54.390 It's a fun thing to do. So we have those for 00:20:54.390 --> 00:20:57.730 people can borrow. So I do give them a lot of 00:20:57.730 --> 00:21:00.630 tips for hiking. And I always ask him, you know, 00:21:00.650 --> 00:21:03.569 I don't have a handout. I always make, try to 00:21:03.569 --> 00:21:06.529 make it as personal as possible to ask him how 00:21:06.529 --> 00:21:08.789 much time you have and how experienced you are 00:21:08.789 --> 00:21:11.789 and stuff like that. Because hiking is, big thing 00:21:11.789 --> 00:21:15.690 here and then cloud craft is a nice town is it's 00:21:15.690 --> 00:21:18.089 not there's not a lot of restaurants and a lot 00:21:18.089 --> 00:21:19.950 of places to go out but we have a really good 00:21:19.950 --> 00:21:22.650 brewery so i'm trying to give them tips where 00:21:22.650 --> 00:21:25.549 to go eat and where to buy food and things like 00:21:25.549 --> 00:21:28.410 that so what they expect here is is pretty much 00:21:28.410 --> 00:21:31.849 outdoors everything is outdoorsy and uh it's 00:21:31.849 --> 00:21:34.950 experienced the mountains and wildlife we have 00:21:34.950 --> 00:21:37.730 elks coming on the property and occasionally 00:21:37.730 --> 00:21:42.410 a mountain lion passing by so Quite the base 00:21:42.410 --> 00:21:46.349 camp for adventure. It is. And most of the people, 00:21:46.410 --> 00:21:49.410 it really happens that people hang out here all 00:21:49.410 --> 00:21:52.210 day unless they stay longer and work here. But 00:21:52.210 --> 00:21:54.210 most times people are out the door in the morning 00:21:54.210 --> 00:21:57.190 and come back at night full of adventures and 00:21:57.190 --> 00:22:02.029 experiences and enjoying this area. Yeah. And 00:22:02.029 --> 00:22:04.630 do you have, does the Continental Divide Trail, 00:22:04.769 --> 00:22:06.369 as far as hikers, do they come through there? 00:22:07.160 --> 00:22:10.059 no that's a little too far off i think the the 00:22:10.059 --> 00:22:13.160 continental divide that's there we don't get 00:22:13.160 --> 00:22:16.240 many of them like i said we don't barely get 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:18.240 anybody without a car because you're kind of 00:22:18.240 --> 00:22:22.960 stuck here hiking trails from the hostel besides 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:25.359 that you can hike on the property if you want 00:22:25.359 --> 00:22:28.000 but that's kind of another trail trail is kind 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:30.759 of more wilderness hiking gotcha so is it like 00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:34.019 a seasonal um kind of different obviously different 00:22:34.019 --> 00:22:35.980 seasons you get different kinds of customers 00:22:35.980 --> 00:22:38.700 and have you i guess what has that been like 00:22:38.700 --> 00:22:41.779 and how have you tried to uh you know set yourself 00:22:41.779 --> 00:22:44.940 up to take advantage or you know you have the 00:22:44.940 --> 00:22:47.119 hostel do the best it can through the seasons 00:22:48.789 --> 00:22:50.670 Hosting in a mountain town, we know from experience, 00:22:50.769 --> 00:22:52.509 is tough, especially when it starts snowing. 00:22:52.529 --> 00:22:54.369 Some of the hardest hosting is when it's pounding 00:22:54.369 --> 00:22:57.430 snow outside and you've got to shovel the driveway. 00:22:57.589 --> 00:23:00.890 The guests are sliding around in the snow. This 00:23:00.890 --> 00:23:05.269 year we had a pretty bad winter. We had only 00:23:05.269 --> 00:23:10.009 one good snow. That is something we don't struggle 00:23:10.009 --> 00:23:12.210 with that much. We're really happy when it snows, 00:23:12.210 --> 00:23:18.299 pretty much. Our main season is summertime. It's 00:23:18.299 --> 00:23:21.539 Memorial Day to Labor Day. That's where we get 00:23:21.539 --> 00:23:24.859 most people because we used to get a lot of people 00:23:24.859 --> 00:23:27.900 also from El Paso. But this year, everything 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:30.859 kind of stopped and it has to do with immigration, 00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:34.039 I'm pretty sure. People don't travel that much. 00:23:34.960 --> 00:23:40.420 But it really is hard for me to say since that 00:23:40.420 --> 00:23:44.079 pandemic. what actually, what kind of people 00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:46.559 are coming and what kind of season is actually 00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:48.859 the best season because it's been varying so 00:23:48.859 --> 00:23:52.279 dramatically over those last six years. Right, 00:23:52.420 --> 00:23:55.759 yeah, definitely shook things up and resettling. 00:23:55.960 --> 00:23:58.460 Yeah, and I cannot really say that I'm catering 00:23:58.460 --> 00:24:01.480 to one group of people. I'm trying to be a hostel 00:24:01.480 --> 00:24:06.099 for all ages. So I do allow families with little 00:24:06.099 --> 00:24:09.420 kids. I really welcome older people. And I have 00:24:09.420 --> 00:24:11.799 people who are 70, 80, 90 years old who sometimes 00:24:11.799 --> 00:24:15.579 show up. My majority of group, I think, I would 00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:19.059 say is mid -20s to mid -30s and couples and stuff 00:24:19.059 --> 00:24:22.599 like that. But I'm not particularly catering 00:24:22.599 --> 00:24:26.200 to one group because I try. For me, it's a hostile 00:24:26.200 --> 00:24:28.200 is that you all sit down on the table and you 00:24:28.200 --> 00:24:30.980 all talk. to each other doesn't matter what age 00:24:30.980 --> 00:24:33.579 you are and i'm trying to still continue that 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:37.880 and it it works for the most part sure yeah the 00:24:37.880 --> 00:24:39.940 community the connection that's the beauty of 00:24:39.940 --> 00:24:43.279 hostels how you people come together and can 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:45.759 learn so much and just open their eyes to new 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:48.519 things and yeah great advice there allowing you 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:50.859 know allowing families every destination is different 00:24:50.859 --> 00:24:53.000 so you got to kind of know your your destination 00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:55.619 a little bit but yeah i agree we take families 00:24:55.619 --> 00:24:59.210 and um it can definitely help a lot Especially 00:24:59.210 --> 00:25:04.289 during the slower seasons. I always ask if I 00:25:04.289 --> 00:25:07.529 meet my guests, and I usually ask them, have 00:25:07.529 --> 00:25:10.750 you stayed in a hostel before? And like I said, 00:25:10.829 --> 00:25:15.069 50 % say no. And I said, let me explain it. My 00:25:15.069 --> 00:25:18.190 basic rules are respect each other, be nice to 00:25:18.190 --> 00:25:20.769 each other, and clean up after yourself. Those 00:25:20.769 --> 00:25:23.509 are my basic rules for a hostel. And they all 00:25:23.509 --> 00:25:26.309 usually smile because they're like, hey, be nice 00:25:26.309 --> 00:25:31.910 to each other. And I don't have any problems 00:25:31.910 --> 00:25:35.730 here. I mean, I don't allow any parties. I'm 00:25:35.730 --> 00:25:37.789 not a party hostel. There's other hostels who 00:25:37.789 --> 00:25:41.210 do that pretty well. And so everybody's really 00:25:41.210 --> 00:25:46.190 respectful of each other. And I think that is 00:25:46.190 --> 00:25:49.869 something that I think we're losing since the 00:25:49.869 --> 00:25:53.250 pandemic a little bit, in my opinion. Yeah, great 00:25:53.250 --> 00:25:56.680 points there. asking guests if they've ever stayed 00:25:56.680 --> 00:25:59.220 in a hostel before again being able to kind of 00:25:59.220 --> 00:26:02.539 cater the check -in based on their response there 00:26:02.539 --> 00:26:04.539 to make people feel comfortable because if someone's 00:26:04.539 --> 00:26:06.339 ever stayed in a hostel and you do a check -in 00:26:06.339 --> 00:26:08.000 thinking they've stayed in a hostel they can 00:26:08.000 --> 00:26:10.279 you know the guests can be completely lost or 00:26:10.279 --> 00:26:12.400 just not get it and then maybe check out and 00:26:12.400 --> 00:26:14.500 not even understand what's going on so being 00:26:14.500 --> 00:26:17.759 able to explain to them how a hostel works the 00:26:17.759 --> 00:26:20.200 shared spaces be respectful all the things you 00:26:20.200 --> 00:26:24.640 mentioned is is a great great tip of advice I 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:28.460 mean, I get people who call me and ask what a 00:26:28.460 --> 00:26:30.460 hostel is. And as soon as I say shared bathroom, 00:26:30.759 --> 00:26:34.500 they usually hang up. And that is, you know, 00:26:34.519 --> 00:26:39.440 I'm like, they're lost. But trying to and then 00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:42.299 getting the feedback from people who stayed here 00:26:42.299 --> 00:26:45.039 the first time and then actually really enjoyed 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:47.700 it and didn't have a problem sharing a bathroom 00:26:47.700 --> 00:26:49.880 with another woman. They're not mixed bathroom. 00:26:50.099 --> 00:26:54.259 They're separate by male and female. But that 00:26:54.259 --> 00:26:56.579 is, I think, in my opinion, it's an American 00:26:56.579 --> 00:26:59.359 thing, you know, the bathroom situation. And 00:26:59.359 --> 00:27:02.140 I know a lot of hostels change having more private 00:27:02.140 --> 00:27:04.920 bathrooms and stuff like that. But we cannot 00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:08.059 do this without completely gutting everything 00:27:08.059 --> 00:27:10.299 and starting over. And at this point, I'm not 00:27:10.299 --> 00:27:13.359 doing that. Yeah, no, it sounds like you got 00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:15.279 a very nice situation going on there with the 00:27:15.279 --> 00:27:17.519 organized bathrooms. And yeah, a lot of time, 00:27:17.539 --> 00:27:19.200 once you try it once, you realize how, you know, 00:27:19.240 --> 00:27:22.220 it's not bad at all. And it's such a great deal. 00:27:23.990 --> 00:27:26.150 Yeah, I think we'll see more and more Americans 00:27:26.150 --> 00:27:29.529 try it as time goes on. I think it's maybe coming 00:27:29.529 --> 00:27:32.829 back a little bit more. I think, I mean, I heard 00:27:32.829 --> 00:27:35.069 that a lot of hostels closed during the pandemic. 00:27:35.450 --> 00:27:37.730 I mean, when I opened up the hostel, I think 00:27:37.730 --> 00:27:41.390 there were 10 hostels in New Mexico. And as far 00:27:41.390 --> 00:27:44.509 as I know, we have two left. One is me and then 00:27:44.509 --> 00:27:48.599 the Santa Fe one. Yeah, I think a lot of hostels, 00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:49.920 I mean, there's many like some of the biggest 00:27:49.920 --> 00:27:52.339 brands like Selena. I mean, they had hundreds 00:27:52.339 --> 00:27:54.880 of hostels and they closed down. I think, you 00:27:54.880 --> 00:27:58.140 know, we've learned at ITH that, you know, we 00:27:58.140 --> 00:27:59.960 think the best hostels and the ones that are 00:27:59.960 --> 00:28:02.420 going to survive are like the exact kind of things 00:28:02.420 --> 00:28:04.859 like you're running. Owner operated, smaller, 00:28:05.039 --> 00:28:07.660 intimate hostel where you can, you know, keep 00:28:07.660 --> 00:28:11.099 the expenses low, be involved in the craft yourself 00:28:11.099 --> 00:28:14.140 and, you know, host the guests, show them the 00:28:14.140 --> 00:28:17.809 magical parts. uh of staying in hostels and that's 00:28:17.809 --> 00:28:20.089 kind of what that's kind of the secret sauce 00:28:20.089 --> 00:28:23.930 needed to stay open because uh we've seen through 00:28:23.930 --> 00:28:25.549 other hostels that have gone out of business 00:28:25.549 --> 00:28:28.309 that you know it's not a hotel you can't just 00:28:28.309 --> 00:28:31.289 build a big cookie cutter building and think 00:28:31.289 --> 00:28:33.150 it's going to work as a hostel with you know 00:28:33.150 --> 00:28:34.789 a bunch of bunk beds i mean depending on the 00:28:34.789 --> 00:28:39.549 destination you're in but The best backpacker 00:28:39.549 --> 00:28:41.549 hostels, the hostels where you get to really 00:28:41.549 --> 00:28:43.769 connect with the people are the smaller, more 00:28:43.769 --> 00:28:47.630 intimate ones, you know, from 20 to 60 people 00:28:47.630 --> 00:28:49.670 or so. You can still get to learn everyone's 00:28:49.670 --> 00:28:53.170 name and create that friendly vibe. Yeah, I think 00:28:53.170 --> 00:28:58.289 it's the smaller hostels are like a healthy mixture 00:28:58.289 --> 00:29:02.509 between an Airbnb and a big hotel. because it 00:29:02.509 --> 00:29:05.549 is personal but we're not that much in a business 00:29:05.549 --> 00:29:08.369 than you sometimes in a private house in an Airbnb 00:29:08.369 --> 00:29:11.670 so it's a little bit different but it is more 00:29:11.670 --> 00:29:15.369 personal and I mean for me personally I like 00:29:15.369 --> 00:29:17.529 to make it personal because I'm the owner and 00:29:17.529 --> 00:29:20.009 it's it's important to me to talk to my guests 00:29:20.009 --> 00:29:22.670 if I can sometimes I don't meet them sometimes 00:29:22.670 --> 00:29:24.490 they check themselves in and check themselves 00:29:24.490 --> 00:29:27.089 out and I don't meet them and it doesn't have 00:29:27.089 --> 00:29:31.079 to be and it's a lot of those A lot of fear is 00:29:31.079 --> 00:29:33.019 for me, and that's maybe old -fashioned, is on 00:29:33.019 --> 00:29:36.720 a trust basis, that I want to trust people. And 00:29:36.720 --> 00:29:40.140 they feel that, and I had never anything destroyed 00:29:40.140 --> 00:29:45.519 or anything bad happening. Maybe over the years, 00:29:45.619 --> 00:29:49.740 a few bad apples, but in general, people are 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:52.599 trying to, and I appreciate it. I think they 00:29:52.599 --> 00:29:55.140 see what you put in, and then I appreciate it. 00:29:55.960 --> 00:30:00.730 Definitely. Nice. Will you be heading to Naha, 00:30:00.970 --> 00:30:03.869 the conference coming up in Montreal? No, we 00:30:03.869 --> 00:30:08.190 don't. Because the time frame never works for 00:30:08.190 --> 00:30:11.509 me. That is the only time I close the hostel, 00:30:11.670 --> 00:30:15.029 is middle of April to middle of May to take a 00:30:15.029 --> 00:30:17.789 break. Okay, we'll miss you at the conference. 00:30:17.869 --> 00:30:20.710 But you bring up a good point of closing down 00:30:20.710 --> 00:30:22.349 the hostel and taking a break. Obviously, I'm 00:30:22.349 --> 00:30:24.910 guessing that's your slow season. That is my 00:30:24.910 --> 00:30:28.029 slow season. And I figured out that as I run 00:30:28.029 --> 00:30:30.450 this by myself and I don't have any feedback, 00:30:30.490 --> 00:30:33.170 I need a break because I work seven days a week 00:30:33.170 --> 00:30:37.170 and I need to fresh ideas. I need sometimes I 00:30:37.170 --> 00:30:39.269 use it for renovation. This year we're going 00:30:39.269 --> 00:30:42.849 on a big trip. So it's just a refresher pretty 00:30:42.849 --> 00:30:45.809 much to go into the summer season and take care 00:30:45.809 --> 00:30:49.690 of myself. That's actually very important for 00:30:49.690 --> 00:30:52.049 me. And as I don't have anybody to run it, that's 00:30:52.049 --> 00:30:55.119 when I just close it. Nice. No, that's again, 00:30:55.339 --> 00:30:57.119 that's great advice, especially for these smaller 00:30:57.119 --> 00:31:01.380 hostels. I know when we first started, you have 00:31:01.380 --> 00:31:03.420 that mindset of I'm going to be open every day. 00:31:03.440 --> 00:31:04.799 I'm going to get all these reservations that 00:31:04.799 --> 00:31:07.000 people are going to come high season, low season. 00:31:07.059 --> 00:31:10.259 And, you know, we personally learned the hard 00:31:10.259 --> 00:31:12.440 way that it's better just to make your money 00:31:12.440 --> 00:31:14.059 when it's there, run your business when it's 00:31:14.059 --> 00:31:16.380 busy. And that's a unique thing about a hostel. 00:31:16.460 --> 00:31:18.980 You know, if there's not demand. in the low season 00:31:18.980 --> 00:31:21.220 you can shut it down for a month give your staff 00:31:21.220 --> 00:31:23.480 a break give yourself a break go enjoy life and 00:31:23.480 --> 00:31:26.480 you know it really you'll end up making more 00:31:26.480 --> 00:31:29.119 money by closing down versus trying to stay open 00:31:29.119 --> 00:31:31.400 and pay all the bills and keep you know staying 00:31:31.400 --> 00:31:34.140 busy yourself and only having one guest a day 00:31:34.140 --> 00:31:36.579 or something like that you know so it's smart 00:31:36.579 --> 00:31:40.059 to shut it down take a break you know because 00:31:40.059 --> 00:31:43.039 the show is always running when the hostels open 00:31:43.039 --> 00:31:45.049 you know sometimes you can't you know fix stuff 00:31:45.049 --> 00:31:47.529 or do stuff or really get away because you know 00:31:47.529 --> 00:31:49.109 every day there's people coming people leaving 00:31:49.109 --> 00:31:53.569 so closing down turning off for a couple a month 00:31:53.569 --> 00:31:57.289 or so is a great great strategy and it's it's 00:31:57.289 --> 00:32:00.029 like some people say well don't you have anybody 00:32:00.029 --> 00:32:04.410 to run it i said not someone i trust 150 to say 00:32:04.410 --> 00:32:07.190 it like that and if i don't have anybody i completely 00:32:07.190 --> 00:32:10.500 trust then Me going away and someone running 00:32:10.500 --> 00:32:13.119 it and maybe creating bad reviews gives me more 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:15.880 stress than relaxation. So that's why I thought 00:32:15.880 --> 00:32:19.980 that I need to just close it down for a month. 00:32:20.220 --> 00:32:25.220 And it doesn't hurt the business at all. I don't 00:32:25.220 --> 00:32:27.339 get any complaints. It's just not available to 00:32:27.339 --> 00:32:31.240 book. And you have to take care of yourself because, 00:32:31.319 --> 00:32:34.319 as we all know, and nobody talks about this, 00:32:34.380 --> 00:32:38.150 working with the public is very straining. I 00:32:38.150 --> 00:32:41.289 mean, answering the phones and answering questions 00:32:41.289 --> 00:32:44.150 where you're like, oh, my God, really? I mean, 00:32:44.190 --> 00:32:47.210 or you get questions. If it's not snowing, I'm 00:32:47.210 --> 00:32:51.150 not booking. I'm like, okay. You know, there's 00:32:51.150 --> 00:32:53.569 all these little things that sound funny, but 00:32:53.569 --> 00:32:58.029 they add up to the stress. And you don't want 00:32:58.029 --> 00:33:00.049 to be stressed out when you deal with your guests. 00:33:00.790 --> 00:33:02.430 No, no, that's so funny you mentioned that. We 00:33:02.430 --> 00:33:04.309 get that call all the time. Will it be snowing 00:33:04.309 --> 00:33:06.630 in three weeks on Friday? And you're like, I 00:33:06.630 --> 00:33:10.950 have no idea. It always happens. But yeah, no, 00:33:11.009 --> 00:33:13.430 it starts with, you know, the hostel. It's all 00:33:13.430 --> 00:33:16.430 about the people and the host, the owner. You 00:33:16.430 --> 00:33:19.309 know, you got to be happy and delightful if people 00:33:19.309 --> 00:33:21.470 are going to be showing up at your door. So taking 00:33:21.470 --> 00:33:24.990 care of yourself first is definitely essential 00:33:24.990 --> 00:33:30.849 to survive and enjoy the hostel game. And then 00:33:30.849 --> 00:33:34.869 also for me, it is that I traveled a lot. And 00:33:34.869 --> 00:33:37.910 we still love to travel and also explore our 00:33:37.910 --> 00:33:40.450 state. So I can tell people about it and say, 00:33:40.589 --> 00:33:43.069 hey, this is a cool park I discovered. Or this 00:33:43.069 --> 00:33:45.609 is a great campground. Or this is where you can 00:33:45.609 --> 00:33:49.410 do dispersed camping. Or there's some great trails 00:33:49.410 --> 00:33:52.210 there. And, you know, exchange that. And they 00:33:52.210 --> 00:33:54.450 really like it. And I like the feedback from 00:33:54.450 --> 00:33:57.990 them on their experience. So that is something 00:33:57.990 --> 00:34:00.609 that they also appreciate what you don't get 00:34:00.609 --> 00:34:05.339 in a hotel. I cannot always provide it, but I 00:34:05.339 --> 00:34:09.519 try to provide it as much as I can. Yeah. Nice. 00:34:09.780 --> 00:34:14.380 In closing here, a person, a young, say, German 00:34:14.380 --> 00:34:17.480 girl looking to open a hostel, ready to explore, 00:34:17.579 --> 00:34:19.619 what advice would you give her or give them? 00:34:20.760 --> 00:34:23.420 The advice I give people who are asked to open 00:34:23.420 --> 00:34:29.059 up a hostel, I said, have an idea what you want 00:34:29.059 --> 00:34:31.860 first. You know, what kind of hostel you want. 00:34:32.300 --> 00:34:35.139 mixed party whatever what you want then have 00:34:35.139 --> 00:34:38.280 an idea where you want to be and then pick a 00:34:38.280 --> 00:34:41.480 place that is close to at least one attraction 00:34:41.480 --> 00:34:45.760 to something that attracts people to that area 00:34:45.760 --> 00:34:48.460 because otherwise you're just out there and nobody 00:34:48.460 --> 00:34:52.579 finds you and then if you can have a little bit 00:34:52.579 --> 00:34:54.860 money in the background or a second job you can 00:34:54.860 --> 00:35:00.849 do start small and then work up from there And 00:35:00.849 --> 00:35:03.449 when you start small, you can have your second 00:35:03.449 --> 00:35:07.289 job for a while and work it. I mean, I still 00:35:07.289 --> 00:35:09.909 work architecture, so I have basically two businesses, 00:35:09.909 --> 00:35:14.730 but I can juggle it. But be smart about what 00:35:14.730 --> 00:35:17.190 you're doing. You know, starting small, I think, 00:35:17.190 --> 00:35:20.269 is the biggest advice. If you want to do little 00:35:20.269 --> 00:35:23.429 cabins, start with one or two. You can always 00:35:23.429 --> 00:35:27.650 add on later. But I think what sometimes the 00:35:27.650 --> 00:35:31.210 mistake is. going too big because hostels are 00:35:31.210 --> 00:35:35.510 not that well known in the united states or be 00:35:35.510 --> 00:35:38.670 something unique in that area but i think the 00:35:38.670 --> 00:35:41.190 most important is be somewhere where people want 00:35:41.190 --> 00:35:44.389 to travel because we're based on traveling yeah 00:35:44.389 --> 00:35:46.769 no that's beautifully said there's some words 00:35:46.769 --> 00:35:50.949 of wisdom right there so um awesome well stephanie 00:35:50.949 --> 00:35:55.869 did i do all those no right nobody does but we 00:35:55.869 --> 00:36:00.019 try Awesome, Stephanie. Well, thank you so much 00:36:00.019 --> 00:36:01.840 for chatting. It's been awesome to learn more 00:36:01.840 --> 00:36:04.059 about you and CloudCraft. And for all the listeners 00:36:04.059 --> 00:36:06.280 passing through New Mexico, go visit Stephanie 00:36:06.280 --> 00:36:09.679 at CloudCraft and enjoy the mountains and a wonderful 00:36:09.679 --> 00:36:14.340 host experience. Thank you, Bobby. All right. 00:36:14.360 --> 00:36:16.000 Thank you so much. Have a good day, Stephanie. 00:36:16.260 --> 00:36:17.519 You too. Bye -bye.