Interview With Palermo House on 19/09/08

 

 

 

Interview With Palermo House Hostel

Palermo House is celebrating a well-deserved sixth anniversary this year. Located within the heart of Palermo and only one block from Plaza Serrano, Palermo House is one of the hippest hostels in Buenos Aires that is also a bang for your buck. MiniHostels spoke with Manager Nacho Villasante about Palermo House’s success and the benefits of working for a popular hostel in a trendy city.

Nacho Villasante became interested in the Hostel business while traveling around Europe. Europe is full of amazing hostels available for every type of tourist. With the amount of tourists visiting Buenos Aires, starting a hostel is one of the best and newest businesses venues for Argentina, and for South America. There were many hostels in San Telmo and in the Centro when Palermo House started. Plaza Serrano turned out to be the perfect location. With beautiful tree lined streets and great, cheap, bars that are extremely popular at night, Plaza Serrano is the place to be in Palermo. This December, Palermo House will celebrate its sixth anniversary. In celebration, Palermo House is planning a party and a dinner for the New Year. This is only one of the events that Palermo House frequently plans for their visitors.

Other than a New Years celebration, Palermo House also offers Spanish classes for those that are interested in enhancing their visit to Argentina. Palermo House has a teacher who offers classes to those that have chosen to stay in the hostel. The friendly staff at Palermo House also offers their cooking services at least three times a week. This week one staff member was busy with taco night and the sound of plates clattering and people chatting were the only noises that filled the hostel. Next week, is an ‘asado’, or cookout. Lastly, guests are usually invited out to Plaza Serrano after dinner to enjoy some of the great bars and music in the area with a few fellow friends.

Palermo House does more for its visitors than just making sure they are well fed and entertained. One of the reasons why Palermo House is the perfect place for backpackers and travelers is because of their great services. Palermo House has a doctor on call available 24 hours in case any of their guests should become ill. They also provide many opportunities for lone travelers to socialize and become better acquainted with the area. The common room is especially designed to promote conversation and interaction between visitors. And the parilla, or grill, on the terrace is a great way to meet new people and have a good time. Palermo House offers a wealth of information for the curious traveler. From great places to tango to the best sites in the city, Palermo House can direct visitors to the best and most well known lugares in the city.

Nacho described Palermo House as a very tranquil, yet fun, place for all kinds of travelers. Though most of the visitors that arrive to Palermo House are between the ages of 20-28, the hostel is built for travelers of all sorts. The rules at Palermo House are very flexible and do not require that guests maintain a curfew. However, they do not lack on safety. A bell and camera monitor all visitors that enter the house at all hours. Most of the staff on duty speaks English in order to help guests feel more at ease and comfortable.

In Nacho’s words, “Every culture has its own stamp; every culture is different and has something to share with other cultures”. The best part of Palermo House is the contact and merge of cultures and the very relaxing atmosphere as though you are among friends.

Palermo House has thirteen rooms and eight that are shared. Shared dorms start at $10USD and privates begin at $20USD. Find great hostels like Palermo House at MiniHostels.com.