I’m not really that picky when it comes to choosing a hostel. But after almost 6 months on the road, I’ve stayed in enough hostels to notice little things that make the hostel experience better.

Here’s my list in no particular order:

1. Free towel

I travel with a tiny MSR Packtowl because I a full-sized towel just takes up too much space and I prefer to travel light. It works fine for me but if it’s just so much nicer to dry yourself with a real bath towel. It’s much faster and not having to use my own towel is one less thing for me to wash and dry later.

Almost all hostels I’ve stayed in include linen and pillow casing in the price. How much more work would it be for them to just provide a towel and just wash them together with the linen and pillow casing?

2. Big lockers

I’ve stayed in hostels where the locker is so tiny that’s it’s really only good for your passport, money, phone, and jewelry. A lot of travelers nowadays carry laptops/tablets and other expensive gadgets. At least make them big enough for laptops.

I love hostels that provide a really big locker where you can store your entire backpack. This makes the dorm rooms less messy as well as people can put stuff they won’t use for the duration of their stay in the lockers instead of leaving them lying all over the place.

3. Power outlet inside the lockers

I think I’ve only been in 2 hostels that do this, and one of them just probably did it by accident (they built the lockers in front of a wall that just happened to have an outlet and my locker just happened to be located at the spot where I could reach it).

What’s the big deal? Well, I’ve heard enough stories of expensive gadgets, usually smartphones, getting stolen while being charged in the dorm room. Having an outlet inside the locker will keep your gadgets safe and fully charged.

4. Reading light for each bed

I like to do some reading before I go to bed. Most of the time I just use my Android phone with the Kindle app, but I still prefer reading on my Kindle. A reading light by my bed lets me do this.

Another benefit of having a reading light for each bed is when someone arrives really late at night or needs to leave really early in the morning. They can just turn on their reading light instead of the main light to pack or unpack their stuff without disturbing everyone else. I usually have my phone handy to use as a flashlight but this makes it a lot easier.

5. A real pillow

A pillow is supposed to provide cushion support for your head so you can have a good sleep. Too many hostels don’t pay enough attention to pillows, however. There were a few occasions that my laptop sleeve would have provided better support.

I know a lot of hostels don’t have good beds and it could cost a lot of money to get better ones. But a small investment to get better pillows will help your guests sleep better.

6. Hooks in the bathroom

This is a must in shared bathrooms. About 4 hooks is a good number for your dirty clothes, change of clothes, and towel. I don’t want to leave my clothes on the floor because it’s probably dirty, it’s sometimes wet, and sometimes the bathroom is just too small to put anything anywhere.

I’ve used the door knob before to hang my clothes or bring a plastic bag with me to put them in before I hang them. But this is really annoying and a quick solution is just to put a few cheap hooks in the bathroom. Would probably cost less than a dollar and take less than a minute to do.

7. Hammocks

I love hammocks! I would choose a slightly more expensive hostel over another because of it. Especially if it’s located near the beach with a nice breeze where you can hear the sound of the ocean while lying in one. So relaxing!

8. Good showerhead and water pressure

I find it really annoying when taking a shower and the water pressure is just so low that after I finish I feel like there’s still soap stuck on my skin. There are also times when the shower has no showerhead that I had to keep turning my body to wash it.

9. Air freshener in rooms

One of the reasons I avoid dorm rooms with many beds is the smell. When you have 10-12 people in a dorm room the smell add up. Sure, you eventually get used to the smell after an hour or so but it’s a really nice feeling to be able to walk in the room and be welcomed with a nice smell.

10. Big trash cans

As soon as I check in, the first thing I usually do is throw away all the crap I’ve accumulated: city maps, receipts, plastic bottles, wrappers, etc. But a lot of times you just get this tiny trash can in your room and you share it with 3-7 other people. So when it’s full I have to walk around the hostel to find a bigger one (yes, I’m that lazy).