Hostelling International New England
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Fact Sheets and Collateral

Hostelling International USA, Eastern New England Council (ENEC)

A nonprofit educational and charitable organization founded in 1934 to promote global awareness through education and travel, ENEC supports a network of nearly 80 hostels in the United States and is part of an international network of about 4,000 hostels spanning 60 countries. 

The Eastern New England Council is one of 29 regional groups chartered by Hostelling International USA.  ENEC manages 6 hostels in the region, including 2 facilities in Boston and 4 on Cape Cod and the Islands.

From bustling city centers to tranquil seashores, modern skylines to historic landscapes, the Council’s hostel network is unmatched anywhere in the United States, and hosts travelers of all ages, cultures and backgrounds, including individuals, families and groups.

As a nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization, ENEC is dedicated to promoting intercultural understanding, environmental stewardship and world peace through travel. 

Travel’s Best-Kept Secret

HI-USA’s blue triangle logo is associated with exceptional service, cleanliness and security.  Providing affordable accommodations for up to 560 guests per day, ENEC hostels welcome more than 38,600 visitors to the region per year.

Everyone Likes a Good Deal

Hostels contribute nearly $1.4 billion to annual tourism revenue worldwide.  The low cost of HI-USA hostels make Boston and the region accessible to all visitors.

More Than a Good Night’s Sleep at a Great Price

Hostelling provides travelers an opportunity for personal growth and a better understanding of the world and its people.  Hostellers engage the global community as they travel and see the world.  ENEC hostels provide daily programming and activities to bring people together, promote intercultural exchange and encourage community service. 

ENEC’s award-winning community programs include:

  • Cultural Kitchen, a youth after-school program, uses cooking to foster intercultural awareness and exchange
  • Alternative Spring Break brings teams of college students to Boston to perform community service
  • Expand Your World Film Series showcases films by independent thinkers who tell the world’s untold stories
  • YOUTH offers a variety of cultural education programs and travel opportunities to inner-city youth
  • Travel Scholars provides a curriculum to youth groups promoting intercultural understanding and community service
  • World Travel 101 workshops prepare local college students for travel abroad
  • Sally Whitcher Travel Award grants $500 to support a college student’s study abroad through hostelling
  • Girl Scout Programs promote intercultural awareness and world travel through hostel use

Hostelling Promotes Sustainable Tourism

Hostels provide clean, safe and affordable travel to millions of people from all walks of life, facilitating youth travel and civic engagement.  ENEC demonstrates a commitment to environmental stewardship by employing sound environmental practices in all hostels.

Hostelling International USA (HI-USA)

Hostelling International USA (HI-USA) is the trading name for the legal name American Youth Hostels Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization based in Silver Spring, MD. HI-USA is an affiliate of the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF). The IYHF has a network of nearly 4,000 hostels in over 70 countries around the world and is known as Hostelling International (HI). HI-USA members have access to all hostels in the worldwide HI network.

  • HI-USA operates a network of nearly 80 hostels in the U.S. These hostels must meet or surpass international quality standards set by the IYHF.
  • An HI-USA membership is valid for a full 12 months from the date of issue and provides HI-USA members with a variety of benefits, including the member rate at HI hostels, free publications, basic travel insurance and thousands of discounts worldwide.

    Membership is free to all youths under the age of 18, $28 for Adults (18-54 years), and $18 for Seniors over (55+ Yrs). Lifetime memberships are $250. Memberships for non-profit groups of 10 or more are free. There are currently about 80,000 HI-USA members in the United States, with over 7,000 of them holding lifetime status. Throughout the world, there are about 3.2 million Hostelling International members.
  • There is a common misconception that hostelling is only for the young. The fact is, hostelling is for people of all ages. While roughly 60% of our members are between the ages of 20 and 34, nearly 15% of our members are seniors aged 55 and older.
  • There are currently 31 local HI-USA councils in the U.S. working to carry out the HI-USA mission at the community level. These councils offer programs, activities and other services to assist local members. Currently, there are nearly 5,000 programs and activities that bring travelers and community members together to promote the discovery of local communities, cultures and the world.
  • HI-USA is committed to sound environment practices, with hostels in numerous states certified as "Sustainable Living Centers," teaching everyday energy and resource conservation.
  • HI-USA's Web site, found at www.hiusa.org, allows members and non-members the same access to a wide variety of information and services covering HI-USA's entire network of hostels. The site currently averages between 7 and 9 million hits and about 50,000 unique visitors a month.