The days of the old Howard Johnson building hosting non-Boston University boarders aren’t quite over.
The Eastern New England Council of Hostelling International will be using 575 Commonwealth Avenue, currently a Boston University dormitory, as a hostel over the summer.
People of all ages will be able to stay at the hostel for $35 a night, said ENECHI Executive Director Tim Westwig.
BU is leasing the property to Hostelling International to make money while BU students are not living in the dorm, according to BU spokesman Colin Riley. In the past, BU has leased Danielsen Hall on Beacon Street for the same purpose, he said.
“We have an operating budget of $1.3 billion,” Riley said. “This is an opportunity to generate income during a period when all our facilities are not in use.”
Most of the money will be put toward operating costs and maintenance of the BU campus, Riley said.
No changes need to be made to the property because hostels are set up much like dormitories, according to Westwig. Leasing buildings from colleges works well, he said because schools do not need buildings during the summer and ENECHI only needs them during the summer months.
“What happens is in the summer we have a much higher demand, so we look for additional housing,” Westwig said.
The Fenway Hostel, as it will be called during the summer, will not have televisions and telephones in the rooms, as most hotels do, but it will have its perks, Westwig said. The hostel will provide information about Boston entertainment and sightseeing options, as well as educational programs and tours, he said.
Katie de Groot, a College of Communication freshman, said she has stayed at hostels before and enjoyed the environment.
“When I was in Montreal, the entire track team from Williams College was there,” de Groot said. “Hostels are a great place to meet people.”
Jessica Armstrong, another COM freshman who has stayed in a hostel, said the cost of the Fenway Hostel is a bit expensive.
“I’ve stayed in a hostel in New England and it was $20,” she said. “The HoJo is a decent place though, so I’d probably stay there anyway. People live there all year long, so it must be decent.”
An additional hostel is a great idea, said COM freshman Jessica Palermo.
“Not everyone can afford to travel on a high budget, so it opens opportunities to people,” Palermo said.
Only one other Hostelling International facility exists in Boston, so the summer addition will be nice, Westwig said.
“We’re very, very excited about it, and the location works well,” Westwig said.
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