The Manifesto
When we were in the early stages of buying the hostel back in 2015, even before we wrote a the business plan for the bank, we wrote a list of how we wanted the place to feel, sort of a manifesto for our new type of hostel. As neither of us had ever stayed in a hostel before, we weren’t limited by what other places had done, but we had a vision about somewhere that we would like to go ourselves, that would be great for families as well as groups and solo travellers. The original document has long since gone, but a lot of what was on there has become what, and how we are as a hostel, it was things like:
Books not TV
Free, fast WIFI everywhere,
Hearty, generous food, perfect after a long day outside.
Friendly and welcoming, make it nice for people travelling alone.
A place to enjoy a good meal with a good book
Good, local beers.
A really, really good stew.
Vegetarians and vegans will not be left behind.
Comforting puddings from childhood.
Allergens will be in mind when designing the menu, no nuts in the kitchen.
Wood burning stove with plentiful free logs
and,
really good music, all the time……..


Really good music, all the time……..
Often when guests are checking out they tell us how much they enjoyed the music at dinner, or over breakfast, even if they don’t necessarily recognise anything, but it was nice to have something interesting on in the background.
We understand that people are on holiday when they are here, we like to have some foreign language tracks on our lists to add a sense of being away from home, although people often come as close as Leeds or Manchester to stay here, it all helps to make it a proper holiday when feeling away from it all!
I would like to think that maybe someone could find a new favourite song, or artist or maybe bring people together a little. A shared enjoyment of a piece of music lessens the distance between us and in a world where we are asked to be distant from each other it might be the best thing for us all.
The music is from a very wide range of genres and eras, from modern Japanese pop to vintage Mexican, some Fado, some Michael Nyman, Rzewski, Elvis. Whenever we are out of the country, we love to hear what music is being played, it all makes for a richer experience of travelling to pay attention to these things, I hope that some people feel the same way about what they hear whilst they are here.
One of the categories of songs that always justifies a spot on a playlist is:
’Inarguably, one of the greatest songs ever written’
This is not a category that everyone can completely agree on, if you have any suggestions please email, tweet/instagram us @thekettlewell and we will enjoy seeing what you come up with!
The Jazz playlists are organised slightly different to the regular evening and morning lists, they are always whole albums, one after another, just as the artist intended, all of the playlists are around 2 hours, so there are a few albums back to back.
In truth, the music is quite quiet so people can talk to each other over dinner, but when travelling alone, or if you are interested in music, it all makes life just a little bit more interesting doesn’t it?
And lastly, If you don’t like one particular song, don’t worry there will be another along on a minute or two!
Have a listen...
Morning Spotify Playlist: Open In Spotify
Evening Spotify Playlist: Open In Spotify