Tell us your story. How did YellowSquare get started?
YellowSquare started back in 1999 as a small hostel with only 25 beds. My brother and I started it as a way to pay for our studies.
It soon became a full time job and our love for travel and architecture led us to develop a completely new concept of hostel. Designed around travelers and local residents, we wanted to create a place where they could meet and exchange ideas, knowledge and love.
What makes YellowSquare different from your competitors?
YellowSquare has created a mix between travellers and locals, unique in its market. We have a hair salon, an escape room and a stage that hosts more than 200 live-bands per year. In Florence we are even developing a recording studio and rehearsal room available to locals and travellers.
What is your favourite success story from your organisation?
The biggest success in our company is the staff. Almost all the managers grew up in house, and their dedication and love for the job is the best thing we could achieve.
What can we expect to see from YellowSquare in the future?
YellowSquare is opening 2 new locations in 2020. One in Milan, of 150 beds, with a hair salon, concert stage and a real chapel converted into a club. The second in Florence, of 300 beds, with a concert stage and a recording studio; both of which stay true to our ethos of bringing together travellers and locals. We aim to become the main point of reference for travellers in Italy.
Which trends do you see in educational and youth travel?
Today’s travellers differ from what we have seen before, as they travel for longer periods of time and sometimes they are on perpetual trips as a way of life. It is therefore important to offer good accommodation options and services that facilitate this new way of living.
How do you work to ensure the health and safety of young travellers involved with The Yellow Hostel?
Here at YellowSquare we value the security of our customer a lot. Safety starts from the room, where we guarantee different kinds of options for gender specific or mixed dormitory. Each bed has its own safety box for valuables and all corridors and common areas are under 24h CCTV.
We require registration from local visitors to access the bar; in this way we can monitor and control who is at the bar at any time. We also run constant campaigns about the importance of respecting others; welcoming respect is a fundamental value of YellowSquare as we welcome people from all over the world.
What was your motivation to join WYSE Travel Confederation?
WYSE Travel Confederation is active in the promotion of the youth travel industry and provides a number of useful tools and opportunities for its members. We believe that joining is important as a way to participate and contribute to setting standards within the industry and to effectively advocate for the industry as a whole.
Have you attended a WYSE Travel Confederation event?
Yes, we have attended STAY WYSE Amsterdam three times and the first STAY WYSE Miami last year. All have been an amazing experience and an enjoyable opportunity to gather with other professionals within the hospitality field.
What is an industry challenge your organisation is facing currently?
One of the challenges we are currently facing involves replicating the genuine experience we currently offer in Rome in all the other locations we are opening. To this end, we are concentrating on the selection and recruitment of staff that share our vision and love for the hostel industry. This is requiring some extra effort as the expertise we seek in the hostel industry is less readily available compared to other more traditional forms of hospitality.