Party hostels have all of the same facilities as other hostels. The difference is that much of the social aspect of the hostel experience is based around partying. The crowd at a party hostel tends to skew quite a bit younger than in normal hostels. They also tend to be at a cheaper price point.

Unlike hotels, many hostels have curfews; if you arrive after curfew, you will be locked out for the night. This is done as a common courtesy to other guests and to the staff. Hostels keep prices low by using a shared room instead of individual, private ones, and only providing the most basic amenities.

A hostess club is a type of night club found primarily in Japan which employs primarily female staff and caters to men seeking drinks and attentive conversation. The modern host club is a similar type of establishment where primarily male staff attend to women.

Many hostels are just for young people, "youth hostels," since they usually can't afford regular hotel rooms. A dormitory is a building on the campuses of colleges and universities where the students live. Usually there are many rooms and two students share one room.