THAT WAS THEN...

HILO BAY HOSTEL

DATELINE - Hilo, Hawaii, Date: Friday, March 14, 2003, 3:55pm HST, Pacific Business News

Hilo gets a hostel

Hilo Bay Hostel, offering a bed at $18 per person, officially opens for business Friday with a grand opening scheduled in the evening.
The hostel is located at the corner of Waianuenue and Keawe streets and can take in 50 people. Prices at the hostel start at $18 for a bed in a dorm to $38 for a private room for one and $48 for a private room for a two.
Hilo Bay began taking in guests the last couple of weeks and has seen occupancy range from 3 to 12 people a night.
"I thought Hilo could use a hotel, especially for young travelers or people coming for a weekend from Kona and the neighbor islands," said manager Scott Owens.
Already, the hostel is fully booked for a couple of days around the Merrie Monarch, starting April 23. The hostel has 32 double-beds and plans to increase that to 50 beds soon, Owens said.
His brother's company, Shelby Rose Ltd., owns the property, which was acquired three years ago and extensively renovated.
Owens, who joined the project last year, invested over $60,000 and worked on restoring the plantation-style interiors, remnants of the building's original existence as the Burns Hotel, which opened in 1911. Hilo Bay employs three part-time people.

Considering 8 years have past since this story was told, prices at the Hilo Bay Hostel are still very low.  The loving restoration of the Burns Hotel is on-going, there is always room for improvement.

Dorm beds are now 27.00, with private rooms at 67.00, still with tax included.

Thousands of people from all over the world have ascended the grand staircase of the hostel, with many thousands to come.

In a ever-changing world, the Hilo Bay Hostel has remained a constant, still ready to accommodate 'budget' minded travellers.