Interview with Nastasya Koroleva, Brand Manager

Tell us your story. How did NETIZEN Hotel | Hostel get started?

Between 2014 and early 2015, the idea to create a new concept in the hospitality industry was realised. We started with a feasibility study, brand foundation, business plan, and concept study.

In October 2015, the first NETIZEN Hotel | Hostel opened in Moscow. Within a year, NETIZEN became a leader in the local market by gaining trust and loyalty from its guests. NETIZEN also became the recipient of a Moscow government award and achieved a high Booking.com rating.

In 2017, NETIZEN’s second property opened in the heart of St. Petersburg, while NETIZEN’s newest development will be coming soon to Budapest, situated in a historical six-story building in the City Centre.

What makes NETIZEN Hotel | Hostel different from your competitors?

As we were pioneers in the Russian market, there was plenty of space for creativity and inventions. Our concept mixed the best from the European hostel industry together with new ideas. We consider not only backpackers as our target audience, but also students, freelancers and young urban professionals. Thus, each NETIZEN has a specially designed co-working zone to learn, work and share experiences. 

What is your favourite success story from your organisation?

Our team is the best example of the company’s thoughtful approach.

NETIZEN’s Moscow General Manager started working for our company two years ago as a front desk clerk. Within six months, she became a Front Office Manager and, in a year, gained enough trust to become General Manager. This story is not unique for our company. We work for the young audience and value not only the experienced personnel, but also the open-minded and enthusiastic ones.

What can we expect to see from NETIZEN Hotel | Hostel in the future?

At this stage, we are really excited about becoming an international company, with the opening of the NETIZEN Budapest Centre. Our future plans are connected with further expansion throughout Europe. Conceptually, we want to develop a more collaborative and creative approach with our guests.

Which trends do you see in educational and active youth travel?

There is definitely a tendency of volunteerism in hostels, which has developed rapidly over the last few years. We enjoy this kind of collaboration and think it is a very effective way to learn something new and improve our service. Our volunteers are working in guest relations, photography, events and often creative work.

The other trend we are seeing is stable growth in the number of freelance workers, who are choosing hostels not only as a place to rest, but also as a place to communicate and work.

How do you work to ensure the health and safety of young travellers involved with NETIZEN Hotel | Hostel?

First and foremost, the safety of our guests are our priority. Anyone staying in NETIZEN can be assured of fire safety and overall reliability, especially during engineering and construction works.

Although the lobby zone is open to all visitors, the living areas can only be reached with a personal electronic key card, provided at check-in. Security is on-duty 24/7. All cleaning chemicals and bed linens are hypoallergenic, and we use orthopaedic mattresses.

We always welcome guests with restricted abilities, and all special conditions for their comfort are provided.

A new city can seem a bit scary, thus our Front Desk staff are happy to help guests with tips on what to visit, what to avoid, and how to communicate effectively.

What was your motivation to join WYSE Travel Confederation?

We believe that NETIZEN shares the same enthusiastic attitude as WYSE Travel Confederation about promoting the youth travel industry.

Have you attended a WYSE Travel Confederation event? If so, what was your experience with the event?

Yes, our team visited STAY WYSE in Amsterdam in 2017 and 2018. We were impressed with the level of organisation and quality of the participants. We are also looking forward to participating in the World Youth and Student Travel Conference in Edinburgh this September.

What industry challenge is your organisation facing at this time?

In Russia, we have an issue with a lack of inner youth tourism. In our view, Moscow and St. Petersburg are deserving of much more visitors with their saturated history, dynamic rhythm, amazing food, and excellent people.

We expect the European market to be very dynamic and competitive, and we consider it as an opportunity to successfully develop our chain there.