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What is Lleras Park Hostel all about?
Here, we are taking an open-minded approach. We have only been open for about a month and a half and I think that our identity will develop itself by our first guests and become what people want it to be. We have a smaller hostel with a more homely feel so we have been getting all kinds of travelers. Everyone so far has had a great experience and I think It has a lot to do with our friendly service and the fact that we are located where your going to spend most of your time while visiting Medellin.
How did you get started?
Well, my partner actually grew up in this house. It wasn’t until the past 5 or 6 years that the Parque Lleras turned into the best nightlife with the best clubs and restaurants in the city. With a few upgrades and renovations to the house, it has become a home away from home for everyone who visits. And, with the growing appeal to visit Colombia and especially Medellin, it was a no-brainer for us to jump on the opportunity.
How is Lleras Park Hostal different from other hostels?
Our location is one of our largest appeals to travelers. We are 30 min from the airport, 10 min from both the bus stations and the metro, that will take you anywhere in the city. Along with our night manager, we have 24/7 security at the entrance. We are the safest hostel in the city and a lot of our backpackers really value that. Our hostel is above a bank and a liquor store, as part of the building, which is next door to the best bars and clubs in the city, everything you will ever need on your trip, is literally minutes away, if not seconds. Along with our rooftop bar and terrace that overlooks the great nightlife below, that serves the best mojitos in the whole city, you won’t find a better place to stay.
Who is your hostel targeted at?
Our target market is anyone traveling to Medellin looking to have a great time. We offer toured guides, free breakfast, Spanish lessons, and are very knowledgeable about the whole city. We have a rooftop bar that’s packed on the weekends but we also make sure people are considerate of the people who are sleeping and might have to wake up early. We’ve had families stay with us in our private rooms with great experiences, but the majority of our guests have been groups of 2-4 backpackers looking for the perfect spot in the city.
Why Medellin?
Well, my partner actually grew up in this house. It wasn’t until the past 5 or 6 years that the Parque Lleras turned into the hot spot that it is now. And with the growing appeal to visit Colombia and especially Medellin, it was a no-brainer for us to jump on the opportunity.
What have been some of the challenges of opening a new Hostel?
Wow, Where to start. We were worried about not having the new bathrooms ready, we had to build the bar upstairs on the patio, and make sure the common room was comfortable. We opened the day before the largest festival of the year, the Feria de la Flores, and we were putting the sign up as people walked in. We truly had a great first opening ceremony. Other than being prepared for the grand opening, we haven’t had any major problems that any other hostel has had to go through.
How do people usually find out about Lleras Park Hostal?
We have had a lot of people find out about us through the major hostel sites, Hostelworld.com, hostelbookers.com, etc... But honestly I think the foot traffic going by our front door has been our biggest source of visitors. We’ve only been open for a few weeks, but everyone who comes in says the same thing, “Wow, why am I staying 15 minutes away,(down hill) from The Park, when I could be staying here”.
How are you using Social Media such as Facebook?
We had an idea, after the first couple of weeks, to try and start a hostel community on our website, where we could share the latest news and info about our hostel, and the city of Medellin, with other top rated hostels in South and Central America. Any new feeds and updates they have about here hostels, we share with our guests. Through our Facebook page, Twitter, and Linked In, we have built a vast network of hostels that we have partnered up with who promote each other. We only promote hostels that we have either visited, or have had highly recommended to us by veteran travelers because we know that we deserve to be in the same class of hostels
What have you got planned for the Lleras Park Hostel in the future?
We actually have some very big plans for the whole house over the next couple years. We plan on opening a Hostel Lounge/Bar, with a full bar, pool table, air hockey, foosball, flat screen TV’s and couches for our guests as well as the locals with separate entrances for each. We also plan on developing a first story patio terrace, and also a 5th floor tiki bar with Bbq pit and Jacuzzi. We have bold ideas but realistic. Our goal is to be the number one hostel in Medellin, and we will be.
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About us
