Youth hostel charity YHA is offloading nine of its 73 sites across England and Wales in an effort to “streamline” its business model after a “difficult” few years.
YHA is selling six hostels – Snowdon Ranger, Beer, Buttermere, Coniston Holly How, New Forest and Cambridge – which are listed for a combined guide price of £7.9m.
It is also not renewing the lease on its Broadhaven, Dartmoor and Chester Trafford Hall properties and is exploring opportunities for them to continue using YHA branding as externally operated hostels.
A spokesperson for YHA said: “The last few years have been difficult for YHA – pandemic shutdowns, the cost-of-living crisis and steep inflation have affected us like other charities and hospitality providers.
“The employer national insurance increases, loss of government funded programmes such as the NCS and the introduction of visa waiver charges for EU visitors over the last year have significantly increased the challenge and accelerated the need for us to streamline our operating model.
“YHA always reviews its network and operations to provide a secure financial footing to enable everyone, especially young people, to connect with people, nature and heritage through hostels in amazing places for many years to come.”
The charity relaunched its 10-year strategy to 2030 last year, which its spokesperson said “takes the steps necessary to secure YHA’s long term prosperity”.
YHA has more than 30 youth hostels as part of its network that are run by external operators, to whom it provides support.
In 2023, YHA put 21 hostels up for sale including its Youlgreave and Clun Mill sites, which were both sold to Colin Trigg, who continues to operate them under the charity’s branding.
