Safestay, the owner and operator of 18 hostels in 15 cities across 11 European countries, has announced several hostel reopenings, as restrictions lift across Europe and the UK. Travel PR agency Pilot PR discovers that Generation Z and Millennials are set to be the first to travel this summer as more than 70% of under 40s keen to travel by the end of the year*.
Generation Z will lead the charge when it comes to travel this summer. As the Covid-19 pandemic took hold, their gap year, university, internship and employment plans inevitably evaporated. Now they are itching to make up for lost time, pack their bags and explore. Safestay is perfectly placed to cater for this market: a demographic looking for local and genuinely-authentic experiences closer to home.
“According to trend forecasting agency Globetrender** our demographic is more risk tolerant, highly adventurous and value driven” says Safestay’s COO, Nuno Sacramento. “We want to show young travelers that we are doing everything possible to protect their safety, but also they can have fantastic travel experiences too. We have curated hyper-local itineraries for each of our hostels as they open to highlight the best activities nearby. So, it might not be a museum but it will be the best place to get a takeaway pizza and eat in the nearby square or park!”
Safestay’s network of stylish, friendly, hyper-local and, above all, safe hostels have proven to be a hit with this price-sensitive, experience-driven group. A recent spike in 2020/2021 bookings since Safestay started reopening show a renewed confidence in travel amongst young people.
As its name suggests, safety lies at the very heart of this brand. This makes it a hit with parents, who want to know their children are safe and secure, when flying the nest. Safestay has introduced new enhanced Covid-19 protocols across all hostels, which are already well-established in the now-opened properties in Berlin and Vienna. For more information on these measures please visit their information page.
“We have been really encouraged by both bookings, and also feedback from our guests staying in our European properties, that our safety measures are working,” says Nuno, “and this has galvanized us even further to reopen our UK properties as soon as we get the green light. We are also offering 50% discount pre-paid vouchers to help drive further interest and this has seen strong uptake.”
Safestay, which opened its first hostel in London in 2011, is synonymous with offering stylish, comfortable and affordable accommodation. Safestay also prides itself on its great city centre locations. Whilst Safestay welcomes a broad community of guests, from solo traveller and business travellers to families and school groups, currently Safestay holds the most appeal for Generation Z.
Safestay hostels are located in Athens, Barcelona (three hostels), Berlin, Bratislava, Brussels, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Lisbon, London (two hostels), Madrid, Pisa, Prague, Vienna, York and Warsaw. Further sites in Paris and Venice are under development.
Prices across all Safestay hostels start from an average rate of £20 / €20 per bed per night.
For more information visit: www.safestay.com
* More than 70% of the millennial market is keen to travel before the end of the year and is looking for experience-led outdoor product, according to research conducted by youth adventure operator Contiki revealed significant demand for travel in 2020