Hiker Hostel - Sold

[Longboysfan]

I was told that the Hiker Hostel owned by Josh & Leigh Saint in Dahlonega, GA has been sold.
New owners corporate take over in a few weeks.
They are, what I consider, the anchor and best place to start any NOBO hike.
I'll miss them.

[MuddyWaters]

Will be fun to watch it be run into ground....

I wouldnt support a corporate owned enterprise here if thats correct...well see

Josh and leigh were successful because they had ridiculously low price, and very high level of service. Raise prices and competition will suddenly appear . No secret they could have charged 2x, but maybe not doing so kept compeition out..

[TTT]

I've spent many hours memorizing the name of their dog "Maggie" for when I book into the hostel in 2018. Now all this is in vain. A fruitless expenditure of my brain cells. I wish they had given me fair warning that they were selling

[MuddyWaters]

They been on market for at least 5 yrs from what I recall....

[colorado_rob]

.... curmudgeonly blah, blah, blah, the usual MW stuff ....

Josh and leigh were successful because they had ridiculously low price, and very high level of service. Raise prices and competition will suddenly appear . No secret they could have charged 2x, but maybe not doing so kept compeition out..

Not sure how one defines "ridiculously low price", but we just stayed there 3 weeks ago. Fantastic stay, friendly folks, but it was apparent that the owners were a bit frazzled.

Back to the price: $85 per person for a 1.5 hour shuttle ride from Atlanta, a night in the hostel, a very modest breakfast and a ride to the trailhead. Similar hostels are about $25-30 for the bunk, call the breakfast $10 value, meaning a $50 per person shuttle ride, in a van (ancient ford) that held a dozen of us, I wouldn't personally call this a "ridiculously low price", but it seems fair. 2X that price would be ridiculously expensive.

I hope the place does well under the new owners and they continue to serve the AT community, but the fact they sold is not surprising.

[MuddyWaters]

Not sure how one defines "ridiculously low price", but we just stayed there 3 weeks ago. Fantastic stay, friendly folks, but it was apparent that the owners were a bit frazzled.

Back to the price: $85 per person for a 1.5 hour shuttle ride from Atlanta, a night in the hostel, a very modest breakfast and a ride to the trailhead. Similar hostels are about $25-30 for the bunk, call the breakfast $10 value, meaning a $50 per person shuttle ride, in a van (ancient ford) that held a dozen of us, I wouldn't personally call this a "ridiculously low price", but it seems fair. 2X that price would be ridiculously expensive.

I hope the place does well under the new owners and they continue to serve the AT community, but the fact they sold is not surprising.

When I was there it was $22 including breakfast...ridiculously cheap for such a spotless well run place. One of best on trail.

They prorate shuttles....my ride to springer was.....$7



Ridiculous

[rocketsocks]

When I was there it was $22 including breakfast...ridiculously cheap for such a spotless well run place. One of best on trail.

They prorate shuttles....my ride to springer was.....$7



Ridiculous

...and the van was much younger then

[MuddyWaters]

...and the van was much younger then

Van?
Old suburban

I think they had a van, I didnt ride in it

[TJ aka Teej]

Has this been confirmed?

[Longboysfan]

Has this been confirmed?

Yes.
I was there last week.

My prices were for pickup at MARTA / Shuttle to Town at night for food / Overnight stay / Breakfast / Shuttle to trail head - Neels gap. $91.
My second time around at then of trip. I finished my section hike a day early and texted then for room from trail.
Shuttle pick up / Shuttle to town for food / over night stay / Breakfast / Shuttle to town for food / overnight stay / breakfast / Shuttle to MARTA. $93.

If that's not an excellent price I do not know what is.

[Uncle Joe]

Those prices aren't bad. I recall a shuttler in Hiawasee telling me they used to shuttle people in the area to the airport in Atlanta for something like $175. These were not hikers, mind you, just people who didn't want to drive and leave their car.

[bigcranky]

Well, it's $85 per hiker for thru-hiker special, whether there is one hiker to pick up, or a dozen. I expect they lose money when it's only a few, and make money when the van is full. Same with the hostel bunks.

I've enjoyed the couple times we stayed there, and we have another stay coming up.

[TJ aka Teej]

When I asked "Has this been confirmed?"

Yes.
I was there last week. My prices were for pickup...

in a thread titled "Hiker Hostel- Sold," I was asking if "Sold" had been confirmed.

[lwhikerchris]

I love this place. It was a great place to start my hike, folks are super friendly, they picked me up from Gainesville, took me to resupply at walmart, and dropped me off at Springer the morning after. Great breakfast, fine folks, the sense of a real beginning to a great journey was had here. Not only that but 2 of their caretakers were working at the hostel in Millenocket at the end of my hike and remembered making breakfast for me. We joked that that breakfast was the reason I made it to Maine.

It'll be interesting to see what comes of it.

[Uncle Joe]

Well, it's $85 per hiker for thru-hiker special, whether there is one hiker to pick up, or a dozen. I expect they lose money when it's only a few, and make money when the van is full. Same with the hostel bunks.

I've enjoyed the couple times we stayed there, and we have another stay coming up.

Good point.

[MuddyWaters]

Anyway you look at it, $85 from atlanta, overnight in super clean place, great breakfast, and shuttle to springer or amicalola is a screaming deal. These arent short distances.

The shuttle alone is about 85 miles and could be fairly price at $150

[lkmi]

When I asked "Has this been confirmed?"

in a thread titled "Hiker Hostel- Sold," I was asking if "Sold" had been confirmed.

https://www.coldwellbankerhomes.com/.../pid_12130913/

[tflaris]

I'm happy for Josh and Leigh and hope that HH will continue their great service.


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[Dogwood]

Yes.
I was there last week.

My prices were for pickup at MARTA / Shuttle to Town at night for food / Overnight stay / Breakfast / Shuttle to trail head - Neels gap. $91.
My second time around at then of trip. I finished my section hike a day early and texted then for room from trail.
Shuttle pick up / Shuttle to town for food / over night stay / Breakfast / Shuttle to town for food / overnight stay / breakfast / Shuttle to MARTA. $93.

If that's not an excellent price I do not know what is.

For $85 the Hiker Hostel Thru-hiker Special was just that a GREAT DEAL! A 2.5hr RT 100+ mile RT from Dahlonega to N. Springs MARTA shuttle for the owners IF traffic is cooperating, a well run clean hostel stay with very good hostel amenities, modest b-fast, great insider AT hiker info, and a shuttle to Amicalola Falls SP or Springer Mt parking lot.

Josh and Leigh will be sorely missed by many including this person.

[Trillium]

Josh & Leigh gave excellent, excellent service. I stayed with them 3 times. Once I was in the shower and Leigh shouted through the door that they were going into town and asked if I wanted anything picked up. I asked for a quart of chocolate milk. Next day Leigh told her assistant who was checking me out to charge me for the chocolate milk but not include until after the other charges since she had personally paid for it. The woman forgot to charge me. I realized it after they dropped me off at Woody Gap to continue on. When I got to Neels Gap, I mailed the money to Leigh along with a thank you note. Vaya Con Dios Leigh & Josh!