Loftstel shuttered by fire and zoning violations

Hostels aren't just for backpacking through Europe. Now they're in our own backyard.

Loftstel, a combination of "loft" and "hostel," is a house located at 46th and Spruce streets that provides temporary accommodations for guests - often students - who need a place to stay for anywhere from a night to six months. In addition to Philadelphia, it has locations in New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

But the University City Loftstel's future is uncertain: It was shuttered by the city last week due to fire violations and because it was not zoned for commercial use. On top of that, the house was robbed the first night it was empty.

Still, a little over a year since it first opened, Loftstel Philly has a lot going for it if it re-opens, which is the plan, according to its brainchild Jeff Pan, a Pennsylvania State University graduate and Philly native.

Loftstel guests, many of whom find out about the place through hostelbookers.com, are as diverse as their backgrounds and are frequently non-traditional students - everyone from international interns traveling cross-country to Penn students waiting for their leases to begin. The house has also hosted European families and even a group of women in their sixties.

"It's not just a place to sleep," said James Dougherty, manager of the Philadelphia house. "The vibe here was just exceptional - there were people coming out of their rooms and sharing cultures and ideas and food and music."

The four-story house holds a total of 30 guests in five bedrooms, one house manager and four residential advisers who live rent-free in exchange for working 40 hours per week.

Guests at Loftstel on 46th and Spruce streets have access to free wireless Internet, free cable and Wii on a flat-screen TV, free long-distance calling and free towels and linens. They can even play the beige Maplewood piano in the maroon-painted living room, a gift from a former resident.

In terms of affordability, Loftstel is a favorite among the young and the frugal. Rates in Philly start at $25 per night for students and $450 per month for those staying longer than two months.

The hostels are able to maintain their low prices due to the high volume of guests sharing the house and locations in "hip neighborhoods" that are not quite as pricey as places like Manhattan, Pan said.

Voted the number-one hostel in each of its outpost cities, Loftstel inhabits a unique niche in the hotel-hostel industry in that it offers short-term as well as extended stays. Coupled with the fact that it is one of just three hostels in the city and boasts many free amenities, it's no surprise to guests that Loftstel is so popular.

Linda Wang, a Wharton sophomore transfer student from Canada, discovered Loftstel after she was required to take Math 104 over the summer and wanted inexpensive housing that wasn't far from campus.

"[It was] my first time in a hostel and I expected a dirty, dingy little place," she said.

"But it's such a charming house -everyone is friends and we would climb onto the roof and just hang out," added Wang, who said she appreciated the interaction as a new student in an unfamiliar city.

Wang said she was surprised about the closing: "Of course it's likely it's going to fail a health inspection test but it's not supposed to be a hotel."

Currently, Pan and Dougherty are looking to sublease the house or sublet rooms within zoning regulations, though Pan said he will try to re-open the house within a month.

"It's unfortunate to see this place approach the pinnacle of what it could be and then have it shut down," said Dougherty. "Because we have other locations, this isn't the end of Loftstel or even the end of Loftstel Philly, but it's certainly a glitch."

Despite that hiccup, Pan is looking to expand Loftstel into Europe, beginning with London, Paris and Amsterdam.

"The main selling point is really not the amenities or low prices but the interaction you get," Pan said.

"You don't remember standing in front of a monument; your best memories are when you meet random people your age and become friends with them for the rest of your life, and we try to be as conducive to that as possible."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.