Scottish Youth Hostels Association

Scottish Youth Hostels Association Comann Osdailean Òigridh na h-Alba
Abbreviation	SYHA (Hostelling Scotland)
Formation	1931 (1931)
Type	Voluntary sector
Legal status	Company limited by guarantee
Purpose/focus	Youth accommodation and education
Headquarters	Stirling, Stirlingshire
Location	Scotland
Region served	Scotland
Membership	Individuals and community groups
Official languages	English, Scots Gaelic
President	Paul Goldfinch
Affiliations	Hostelling International
Website	http://www.syha.org.uk

The Scottish Youth Hostels Association (Scottish Gaelic: Comann Osdailean Òigridh na h-Alba), also commonly known by the acronym SYHA and founded in 1931, is part of Hostelling International and provides youth hostel accommodation in Scotland. It claims over 30,000 current members, and is used by many visitors from outwith Scotland.

The principal objective of the Association is: 'To help all, but especially young people, to experience and appreciate the Scottish countryside and places of historic and cultural interest in Scotland, and to promote their health, recreation and education, particularly by providing low cost accommodation for them on their travels.'

The current handbook lists nearly 70 hostels; some independently owned such as those of the Gatliff Hebridean Hostel Trust. Hostels vary from modern purpose-built premises to historic buildings and country cottages, sited in major towns and cities and in rural locations, including remote islands. The atmosphere varies greatly from one hostel to another, affected as it is by factors such as the location (from the Highlands and Islands to the bustle of Edinburgh), and the personality of the manager.

Accommodation is generally dormitory-style but increasingly this is being subdivided into smaller units. For example, the most modern hostel, Edinburgh Central, has many single and twin-bedded rooms with ensuite facilities. All have a lounge/sitting room, shared bathrooms and self-catering kitchens. Many hostels provide meals at request.

The SYHA is run as a self-governing voluntary organisation, and as a not-for-profit business invests all surplus back into the organisation, both to develop the network and to improve older hostels. Today it faces strong competition from the more numerous independent hostels, and from rural hotels which provide bunkhouse accommodation. Changing demand and limited resources have led to the closure of hostels which had been failing to attract visitors, but hostels nowadays provide facilities undreamt of in the more spartan days of half a century or more ago. Hostels now provide comfortable, warm accomodation in both dorm and private rooms. The SYHA has made a point of maintaining excellent communal facilities in self catering kitchens and lounges while removing older rules such as chores and no-alcohol.

It has been claimed that it has left its roots as a working class movement to "provide accommodation to people of limited means" behind, and become too expensive. The SYHA's defenders, including Allan Wilson MSP, point out that hostellers today require higher levels of comfort than when the hostelling movement began .

See also

• Hostel

External links

• Scottish Youth Hostels Association official website
• Gatliff Trust official website