Should Hostel Staff Hook Up with Guests?

Most employees working at hostels aren't usually doing it for the money; even fewer are doing it for their extended career path, and even fewer are doing it in hopes of opening their own hostel one day. Despite all this, many hostel employees still genuinely love their jobs for the perks, which include helping their peers from other parts of the world experience their cities. They can take this role very seriously and are sometimes willing to go the extra mile to ensure the guest is happy. But should there be lines that the staff should not cross? Should hostel owners worry about fraternization?

A majority of hostels do not have any rules against fraternization with guests. Some even use it as part of an unofficial benefits package for their employees. There has been bragging among hostel staff about their conquests, and many hostel employees have been known to meet their true love on the job. However, is this okay? What message is the hostel sending to the guests?

For more insight, we can look at what our boring older sibling industry, the hotel industry, does. They pretty much do the exact opposite by having strict anti-fraternization policies at work. For many big hotel chains, a worker is expected to leave the premises when they are not on the clock. Workers have been known to get fired even if they have a pre-existing relationship with the guest they are fraternizing with. This also applies to major cruise ships, not just reception staff, but bar and wait staff too. See here for an example. Many hotels and cruise lines are multi-million dollar businesses with investors expecting returns. A bad experience with one staff member could diminish the long-term value of a loyal customer, not to mention the possibility of a lawsuit in those litigious countries. Many hotels choose to avoid the risk entirely.

But now we see the hostel industry peeking in maturity. There are multi-million dollar hostel brands, some with investors such as Generator, St. Christopher’s Inns, Nomads, and StayatBase. Should they have anti-fraternization policies in place? Should just about every hostel in a litigious country minimize the risk too? Through my experience, I suggest you have one in place. Staff should realize it is not okay. Enforcing the rules should be handled in a different manner. Consider the “out of sight, out of mind” approach. As long as your staff keeps it on the down low and no drama is produced, then it should be tolerated. But if there is drama and/or it is affecting their responsibilities, you then have grounds to correct their behavior as unbecoming or terminate them if the drama continues. This way, if you have investors or a legal team at your door, you can point to the policies and show you handled yourself professionally.

This applies to small hostels too, because a negative word-of-mouth review can travel fast, and it will take a long time for it to get buried. The rule also stands for employees building relationships with one another, especially in hostels that take “volunteers” as employees who spend a lot of time around one another. Overall, it is a good rule to have.

What are your thoughts? Should all hostels have an anti-fraternization policy? Please leave your comments below.