The Youth Hostel Association is returning to Newcastle following an eight-year gap after it bought a city centre property.
YHA (England & Wales) has bought a hostel in the city’s Carliol Square, along with a second site in Liverpool. Both properties have been bought from Euro Hostels.
The association has not had a presence in Newcastle since 2011 following the closure of a small site in Jesmond. YHA Newcastle Central offers 236 beds across 52 rooms, including doubles, twins and family rooms.
Meanwhile, YHA Liverpool Central, on the city’s Mathew Street, is a 244-bed hostel and will be operated in addition to the charity’s 160-bed site at Albert Dock. Both hostels are fully en suite and every room boasts WiFi.
James Blake, chief executive of YHA (England & Wales), said: “We are delighted to once again have a presence in Newcastle. We have long been searching for the right property in the right location and the Carliol Square hostel absolutely ticks all the boxes.
“With the addition of Newcastle, we now have a strong portfolio of affordable, high quality, accommodation which allows everyone access to heritage, urban culture and the arts.
“Together the two hostels will increase the number of young people staying with us every year by 7%. Both sites will ensure that thousands more young people will be able to learn, meet new people and improve their wellbeing and life skills as part of our operations in Liverpool and Newcastle.
“It’s a very exciting time for YHA as we enter our 90th year.”
The new properties bring YHA’s total number of youth hostels in England and Wales to 153, with 23 of them being in city centres.
Acquiring city centre hostels is part of YHA’s ongoing investment strategy to provide affordable accommodation to enable young people as well as supporting smaller rural youth hostels.
Since 2011, the charity has invested more than £37m in its property portfolio, with that sum including the acquisition of hostel at The Sill in Northumberland.
