In 2007, Marc and Ines set out in a small RV in search of the perfect city for their dream hostel: a place where people of all cultures and backgrounds could find community — and a clean, safe space to rest their heads.

They landed in the heart of Philadelphia.

By the time the Canadian and German couple took over the old Bank Street Hostel in 2008, the building had fallen into disrepair. They poured everything they had into transforming the hostel into award-winning lodging for international travelers.

The street itself had a progressive legacy that the new Apple Hostels meant to uphold. During the American Revolution, the land on which our hostel now stands was home to the Fountain and White Horse Inn, a favorite resting place and watering hole for American patriots. Two centuries later, the buildings that would eventually become our hostel held a bustling collection of artist studios, restaurants, and nightclubs that were notable at the time for their multiculturalism.

After nearly a decade on Bank Street, Apple Hostels was thriving. But just across the way stood a cluster of abandoned buildings that had become impossible to ignore. With their hazardous wiring and rotting window frames, the four old buildings stood as dilapidated monuments to the nightlife scene that had made a name for the block in decades past.

Marc and Ines imagined a vibrant future for Bank Street: one befitting the street’s revolutionary spirit. So, they decided the time was right to expand, and in 2017, after nearly 2 years of renovations, the former nightclubs reopened as the East Side of the hostel that you know today.

Our goal from the beginning has been to provide the best customer service possible for travelers from around the world. As we approach our 20^th anniversary, our minds are on the revolutionaries who once rested at the inn here, and the artists, entertainers, and working people who crossed cultural divides to maintain a tradition of joy and inclusion in these spaces. We hope to continue their legacy by fostering an open-minded, diverse community of travelers for years to come.