USA Hostels Ocean Beach in San Diego won three prestigious titles in January as Hostelworld.com announced the 2017 HOSCARS. USA Hostels Ocean Beach was named the No. 1 hostel in the USA, the No. 2 hostel in North America and the No. 8 Medium Size Hostel worldwide based on guest-generated reviews and ratings. “To win one award is always an honor, to win three for one hostel is almost overwhelming, especially since we only purchased our Ocean Beach San Diego location two years ago,” said David Reuter, founder and president of USA Hostels. During 2016, USA Hostels Ocean Beach averaged a 95 percent rating by guests. Hostelworld.com’s HOSCAR awards recognize the best hostels in the world as rated by more than one million customers in 2016. Approximately 500 hostels in the United States and 30,000 hostels worldwide are listed on Hostelworld.com.
“We we purchased the Ocean Beach hostel in August of 2014 we set our right away on renovations,” Reuter said. “It was a lot of work and time, but clearly it’s paid off with a hostel that guests really seem to love. We tried hard thought to stay true to the spirit of Ocean Beach and did not change our iconic exterior, nor did we remove the famed peace sign on the roof.
“We also have all local staff, who bring their love of Ocean Beach to the job and share their enthusiasm with the guests,” Reuter said. “And, with being just two blocks to the beach, it really is an ideal combination of laid back hostel and a laid back, beach town environment. “We also try to help guests have great memories by providing local experiences such as weekly beach bonfires, and taking guests to the San Diego Zoo, La Jolla and hiking Cowles Mountain,” he said. “Today’s guests are really focused on having local experiences. They want to get out and explore and then have a fun time back at the hostel later. We provide for both these desires.” In addition to the daily activity offerings, the hostel provides guests with all they need for a day at the beach, including beach umbrellas, chairs, mats and even sunscreen. Low cost rentals for surfboards and body boards is also available. Guests may also sleep in USA Hostels’ exclusively-designed privacy pods. There’s also a free shuttle service with its sister hostel in downtown San Diego, taking guests to various tourist spots, the airport and downtown.
USA Hostels operates accommodations in Hollywood, downtown San Diego, Ocean Beach, and San Francisco. Founded in San Diego in 1994, USA Hostels offers a choice of shared dormitory rooms or private rooms to independent travelers from all over the globe. Each hostel in the chain provides a wide range of activities throughout each week, discounted tickets to area attractions, as well as free breakfast and free WiFi. USA Hostels was named the No. 1 Hostel Chain in the world by Hostelworld.com customers in 2013.