Feel Nostalgic with the Fam at Dorm-Style Hotels

Not quite hostels, dorm room accommodations gain steam in the ever-changing hotel trend landscape. Whether they’re in universities where affordable hotel space is at a premium and open during summers or just a design movement for those up for sharing the joys of travel (and a bathroom) with some new besties, there are a few more options in terms of where to stay and how.

Although the options are just ramping up in the United States, there’s a plethora of opportunities abroad thanks to University Rooms, a web-based consortium of dorm rooms free during summer and university holidays — meaning singles, baths and family suites are available for up to a third of the cost of a typical hotel room for the same timeframes. Take Oxford University’s Keble College, whose dining hall is a great doppelgänger for a scene straight out of Harry Potter. You’ll enjoy access (although you’re unlikely to spot any owls!).

Jo&Joe combines hostel and hotel formats, targeted toward millennials. Just moments from the beach in Hossegor, France, there are watersports, surfing and paddleboarding lessons available for bookings, yoga classes, a bar and outdoor dining areas — so even if you don’t adore your roomies, there’s still plenty of R&R to be had outside of the room. Dorm beds start at €25 a night. Other locations open in the coming 18 months in Budapest, Rio, London, Krakow and beyond.

The location alone is enough of a reason to book at Generator Hostel in Rome — near the Colosseum and Termini station — but the price point sure isn’t bad either. For a dorm room with up to four in one room, it’s just €15 a night. Each also features free WiFi, and there’s a female-only dorm option.

You’re not traveling to outer space, but ancient Greece — Mykonos gets its first hostel in the form of MyCocoon. Groups of four to six who are already friends can rent an entire room with one private bathroom, or those flying solo or who need cash to spare can opt for a 10-bed dormitory with a shared bathroom. All offer spaceship-style white pod beds. Beds are from €28, and a private room for four is €116 euros — so there’s no upcharge for privacy.

Billing itself as a “luxury hostel,” Steel House surely is a steal in wallet-unfriendly Copenhagen: dorm room accommodations start at just €14 (with some women-only). Industrial chic rooms with rustic interiors are available in four- and six-bed dorms. There’s also a gym and pool, nestled next to the hip Vesterbro neighborhood.

Plymouth State University in New Hampshire is taking mixed-use properties to a new level by using its brand-new, 96,000-square-foot dorm Merrill Place as housing during the school year, and as a conference center and hotel in the summertime. The university is near the Appalachian Trail, which has great hiking and cycling opportunities; until now, Plymouth only had one event facility with a capacity of 300 people.