The hostel operator A&O reports a demand that comes close to the volume of 2019. This is not only evident from the booking figures, but also from calls to the hotline and visits to the company's own website.
In June 2022, a group-wide occupancy rate of 85 percent was recorded. Overall, the first half of 2022 is said to have been surprisingly positive. Europe's largest hostel chain is seeing double-digit growth, especially for group and family bookings, compared to 2019. Oliver Winter, who founded A&P in Berlin 140 years ago, estimates that sales will probably be between 160 million and 22 million euros this year. Provided that "Corona does not give us any significant restrictions next autumn and winter". But he doesn't assume that's the case: "Corona will keep us busy, but we have also found ways to deal successfully with this challenge."
With Warsaw, Budapest, Copenhagen, Edinburgh and Rotterdam, A&O has opened five more hotels since 2020, offering a total of 40 hostels in 25 cities and nine European countries. These include five hostels in Austria, specifically in Graz and two each in Vienna and Salzburg.
Great Britain, Italy, Benelux and the DACH region are high on the expansion list; Berlin also has Ireland and France in mind, as well as Rome and Athens. In Austria, the main focus is on Linz and Innsbruck. Oliver Winter: "More than ever, we are focusing on takeovers and, last but not least, significantly extending the lifespan of real estate." The company's goal is to reduce CO2-to become neutral.