Hostels are more fun.
That’s our motto.
Whether you want to ski bum your way through winter, explore every major US city, or backpack from deserts to mountains to oceans to rivers: hostels make it more fun.
The Hostel Collective was founded in 2018 by two people who didn’t think they’d ever go into business together. Thea and Sydney met as competitors in Denver, Colorado when their hostels began operating just a few blocks from one another.
Sydney, a believer that rising tides float all ships, marched to Ember, requesting to speak to the manager, and asked if their properties could host events together, be buddies, and maybe help each other out, sharing their knowledge. Thea was skeptical, but welcomed Sydney in, because she believes in community, above all else. Skepticism faded with time and a few margarita get-togethers, and a friendship was born over their mutual love of people, travel, and hosteling. They founded The Hostel Collective in 2018 to share the incredible relationship they created with other Colorado Hostels, and it proved very successful. By 2022, they took the collective nation-wide, and they haven’t looked back since.
Thea D.
Thea has enthusiastically worked in the service and hospitality industries for more than 20-years, wearing a variety of hats. In 2015, she answered a Craigslist advert and found herself in #hostellife as the manager of a traditional backpackers hostel in Austin, TX.
Her extensive experience interfacing with guests and curating moments, while building teams and ensuring efficient systems lent well to managing the dynamic operations of a hostel. Currently, she operates a boutique hostel in Denver, CO. As a hostel manager, her days are filled with strange happenings, stereotypical guests, & nonsensical surprises.
Favorite Things: Tacos, Camping & Music
Favorite Destination (so far): Vernazza, Italy
Sydney M.
Sydney stepped into the hostel world accidentally. After accepting a job to rebrand and remodel her family’s Denver hostel, she realized this was the type of industry she’d like to stick around in. To satisfy her creative side, she freelanced as a social media manager and web designer while living the #hostellife.
A digital marketing guru by trade, she’s a firm believer in organic traffic, strong branding, and uncompromising business practices. Her experience in both front and back-end help her think creatively and holistically whenever she’s solving problems.
She’s a no-nonsense kind of gal, surprisingly nerdy, and constantly using her computer or phone dreaming up the next big caption or blog post.
Favorite Things: climbing, yoga, reading & nerdy history things
Favorite Destination (so far): France (je parle le francais)
Next Destination: Japan