Since we opened our doors to the public in 2016, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting some incredible people, creating amazing memories and relationships. One way we have documented our journey as a hostel is through our guest books!
These are full of extracts from all the wonderful visitors who come through our doors and collectively build the story of our little hostel. Everybody is encouraged to write, draw or create anything they please in the pages. We want people to express their experiences in the hostel with their own creative freedom.
The guest books have given us the chance to understand how our Art Hostel touches people in the simplest ways, from giving people a renewed energy for travelling, creating the opportunity for new friendships and encouraging creativity.
Here, our lovely duty supervisor, Jess, takes a look at what some of our guests have had to say!
A school group from France
Our hostel often hosts larger groups, who might come to Leeds for a variety of reasons, such as work trips, school trips, sports events, birthday gatherings, conferences or arts festivals.
During last year, we had the pleasure of hosting a group of French school students, who filled our hostel with an enthusiastic, youthful energy and so much joy! They took their chance to fill up one of the pages of our guest book, one-by-one, with their lovely words. Here’s what a few of them said…
“You’re all amazing, we love you.”
“Beautiful hostel for French students, we love you.”
“Amazing places, thanks for everything you’re all so nice! (Nice voices too).”
“There’s everything that you need in this place, I love it. The main room is really beautiful.”
“The rooms were amazing and incredibly pretty.”
“Just perfect, the rooms are great, the atmosphere too.”
“A great time in a hostel with a good atmosphere.”
“Thank you for this great time in Art Hostel.”
We thought they were pretty amazing too! We would love for them to visit us again one day.
Iguasi from Barcelona
We are blessed with amazing guests and volunteers, many of whom bring a very special light and atmosphere into our home. Iguasi from Barcelona was one of them…
“This is, probably, the best hostel I’ve been. It’s a pity just to spend one night in Leeds because of this hostel. The atmosphere is incredible, people and staff are so friendly. The decoration, furniture, the art concept, the facilities, clean toilets… everything is perfect. Hope to come back to Leeds and book in at the Art Hostel! Thanks for everything, you rock!”
We are so grateful for his amazing words, and the spirit he brought with him along his travels.
One of our main goals at the hostel, is to make our guests feel as comfortable in our home as they do in their own. We love being a home away from home for many of our travellers who get a little bit homesick on their journeys.
Bree from Australia
We were very fortunate to meet an amazing girl named Bree, who had travelled all the way from Australia and fit in perfectly with our little family at the hostel. We got to share some great memories with Bree, and were so glad to give her a place where she felt comfortable and at home during her time in Leeds. Before she continued her travels, she took some time to write in our guest book…
“Thank you to everyone at the Art Hostel for being so helpful and making my time enjoyable. Special thank you to Rhiannon, who saw that I was anxious and upset, for helping me find a doctor, helped me do my laundry and invited me out with her to the Pride festival, because if she didn’t, I would have been anxious and crying in my room. You all are amazing and made me feel welcome and at home when I felt like I was alone on the other side of the world. I will be recommending to any of my friends from Australia who are coming to Leeds.”
We hope Bree is turning new places into new found homes across her travels in Europe.
Sarah from Germany
Our volunteers are an integral part of how the hostel runs, and impact on the atmosphere and the experiences travellers have here. In two years, we have hosted volunteers from over 21 different countries across the globe. These volunteers, more than often, become family with each other and create a bond which they take with them along their travels, and even when they return home from the hostel.
One of our dearly missed volunteers, Sarah from Germany, is just one example of how close the volunteers become with each other during their stay at the hostel. Before her departure she wrote…
“Art Hostel – to all the beautiful people who made my stay here the best time I’ve ever had in my life. I don’t even know where to begin, because no words could ever express how I feel about all of you and about this place. Coming here was the best decision I ever made and I didn’t regret it for one second. Thank you for the night shifts (my all time favorites) and the company during them, thank you for evenings filled with loads of wine, food and good conversations, thank you for all the hugs I didn’t even know I needed, thank you for giving me the opportunity to meet so many people from all over the world, thank you for new friendships, thank you for being my family and for finally giving me a place that feels like home-something i’ve never felt before. I’m terrible at goodbyes, but please know that I’m leaving my heart here with you and I’ll be back very soon! You won’t get rid of me that easily. I love you all very much and I’ll see you soon! -Oh and Rhian, please don’t be sad when reading this, you are one of the most badass women I know!”
Sarah, we miss you so much too! And we agree, Rhian, our general manager, is totally badass!
Shaun and Rachel from New Zealand
Our hostel has hosted many artists from all over the globe, in various ways. We have had artists commissioned to design our amazing rooms, student artists and emerging artists partake in exhibitions in our project space, and even hosted worldwide artists while they have interacted with the arts community in Leeds.
Our guest books often gets blessed with the talents of our guests, creating elaborate and beautiful art pieces on the pages. One of our favourite art pieces to date was created by a lovely couple from New Zealand, Shaun and Rachel. Here is a snapshot of the lovely illustration they gifted to us…
Through all the ways we have interacted with guests, volunteers and artists over the last two and a half years, we are so glad that we have had a chance to archive these experiences in our guest books and can look back on all the fun we’ve had.
We can’t wait to host many more wonderful people and experiences in the future!