During the Doors Open Milwaukee on September 28 and 29 we had the pleasure of touring Milwaukee's first hostel. It was so refreshing to meet local business owners Carolyn Weber and Wendy Mesich.
Before we dive into telling you all about our awesome experience at Cream City Hostel. You may be wondering what a hostel is. For those of you who have no idea what a hostel is let me explain. The idea of a hostel was conceived in Germany in 1909 by Richard Shirrman, a teacher in the industrial center of Germany. He was concerned about the effects of the industrial revolution on the health and welfare of his students.
On the weekends he took his students on field trips to the countryside for fresh air and expose them to nature. Each night the students unrolled their bedding in school buildings. Out of this, the idea of youth hostels was born.
Hostels flourished in Germany and hostels became a permanent fixture through the donations of hiking and recreation clubs, wealthy patrons and local communities. By 1932 hostels became firmly established in Germany and had spread to other Europen countries like Switzerland, the British Isles, and Norway.
Let us first explain to you exactly what a hostel is. A hostel is an accommodation that has both shared and private accommodations in dorm-style rooms and bathrooms. Unlike a traditional hotel, a hostel has common spaces, a self serve kitchen and dining area, free wifi and shared showers and bathrooms.
Carolyn Weber who is one of the owners of the hostel came here for college 13 years ago and fell in love with the city. She graduated from UWM with a degree in Library and Information Science Women's Studies. She decided to stay in Milwaukee and now teaches at Bryant and Stratton College as an adjunct instructor.
While in college hostels allowed her to travel on a budget in the United States and internationally. While working as a Pedicab driver after graduating from college many of her customers would ask her where a hostel was located in Milwaukee. Carolyn realized that Milwaukee did not have one,
Using her skills as a librarian she researched what it would take to open one. Nine years ago the idea was formed and the business plan was written. Shortly after this, the building was secured and Wendy came on as part owner two years ago after the building was secured.
Carolyn loves hostels travelers from all walks of life can come together can gather together over a simple meal or talk that even though we all have our differences that we all have a lot in common.
The hostel currently has six employees besides the owners. Jade handles the events and entertainment for the guests and is also in charge of housekeeping. Jess handles graphic design and guest experiences. Anna handles the art and handles suggestions for the guests. Tea is the tour guide and writer, and Thistle gives tours of the building.
Presently Cream City Hostel is a part of Hostelworld and make a reservation at the website and they plan to join the Hosten International organization soon.
The staff has many ideas that they want to implement as time goes on. Some of the ideas are more tours, yard events, and outings. they also have plans to implement some of the ideas from guest feedback.
To book directly on the Cream City Hostel website and check out the hostel go to their website at Cream City Hostel.
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