Hostels provide accommodation where guests can rent a bed, sometimes a bunk bed in a dormitory and share a bathroom, kitchen and lounge. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms are increasingly common in all types of hostels. All hostels are generally cheaper for both the operator and the occupant; many hostels employ their long-term residents as desk clerks in exchange for free accommodation.
An effort should be made to distinguish between establishments that provide longer term accommodation (often to specific classes of clientèle such as nurses, students, drug addicts, arrested persons subsequently bailed to await trial and homeless people where the hostels are sometimes run by Housing Associations and charities) and those offering short term accommodation to travellers or backpackers.
Within the 'traveller' category another distinction can be drawn between hostels that are members of Hostelling International (HI), a non-profit organization encouraging outdoor activities and cultural exchange for the young, and commercial independent hostels. Hostels for travellers are sometimes called backpackers' hostels, particularly in Australia and New Zealand (often abbreviated to just backpackers).

Disadvantages
The traditional hostel format involved dormitory style accommodation. Some newer hostels include en-suite accommodation with single, double or quad occupancy rooms. In recent years the numbers of independent and backpackers' hostels has increased greatly to cater for the greater numbers of overland, multi-destination travellers (such as gap-year travellers, railtrippers, those on sabbaticals etc.)
The quality of such places has also improved dramatically. Whilst some hostels do still insist on a curfew, daytime lockouts, and/or require occupants to do chores, this is becoming the exception rather than the rule, as hostels adapt to meet the changing expectations of guests.

Travellers Hostels
In 1912 in Altena Castle in Germany, Richard Schirrmann created the first permanent Jugendherberge or 'Youth Hostel' (now a trademark of the former International Youth Hostel Federation or IYHF). These first Youth Hostels were an exponent of the ideology of the German Youth Movement to let poor, city youngsters breathe fresh air outdoors. The youths were supposed to manage the hostel themselves as much as possible and do chores to keep the costs down and build character as well as being physically active outdoors. Because of this, many Youth Hostels closed (and still close) during the middle part of the day.
The idea rapidly spread overseas and eventually resulted in Hostelling International (HI), a non-profit organisation composed of more than 90 different Youth Hostel associations representing over 4500 Youth Hostels in over 80 countries.
Some HI Youth Hostels cater more to school-aged children (sometimes through school trips) and parents with their children, whereas others are more for travellers intent on learning new cultures. However, while the exploration of different cultures and places is emphasized in many hostels, particularly in cities or popular tourist destinations, there are still many hostels providing accommodation for outdoor pursuits such as hillwalking, climbing and bicycle touring and these are often small friendly hostels that retain much of the original vision and often provide valuable access to more remote regions.
Despite their name, in most countries membership is not limited to youth.

Independent travellers' or Backpackers' hostels
The Salvation Army is one of the largest and best known operators of long stay hostels not intended for travellers. [1]