Hostel Guest Experience

Under the thesis of China's international youth hostel, the author designed and conducted a two-staged qualitative research consisting of a first stage study of participant observation in two youth hostels in Yunnan and Guangdong by being engaged in non-permanent employment as front-desk for consecutive 6 months and a second stage study of in-depth interview and random conversation as a hosteller in several youth hostels in southwestern and eastern China in order to develop a comprehensive idea about the significance of social interaction in hostelling experience. Based on the analyses of qualitative research findings, the author tried to interpret the interactions in youth hostels in the frame of Erving Goffman's dramaturgy theories so as to get an insight into the hostelling experience.The paper is divided into five chapters. In Chapter One, the author gives a brief introduction about the practical and academic significance of such thesis and topic as well as the existing finding in such area, and therefore develops the theoretical framework and a research plan as well. Chapter Two focuses on the review of international youth hostel movement abroad and at home. In Chapter Three, the author gives relevant details and related issues in qualitative studies and generalizes the major findings in those two stages. Chapter Four is the major part in this paper, in which the author puts forward the results of analyses of previous findings. In Chapter Five, the author further gives conclusions of the whole study and the vision for future follow-up studies as well, serving as a sort of guidance over the development of China's youth hostels.Focused on the methodological and theoretical innovation, the author introduced ethnographical research method of participant observation in field study and Goffman's controversial dramaturgical theories into the study over subjective concepts such as hostellers' experience in order to give suggestions over the improvement of managerial skills and approaches of China's youth hostel owners.