Bold idea receives support

New mini-hotel for travellers opens in Minsk
By Irina Byshevtseva

Student Ksenia Kurus has the idea of opening a hostel for 36 people in the city, charging $15 a night. Besides a bed, guests can use the Internet, have access to tea and coffee, and receive a towel and bed linen.

“I’ve travelled quite a lot worldwide — across Europe and Asia, always staying in hostels,” explains the young entrepreneur, sharing her inspiration. “I have a clear idea of what such places should offer, so decided to open something similar in Minsk. It’s taken a lot of work to calculate a business plan but the trickiest aspect was finding an investor. When I lost hope, I decided to join the Invest Weekend project in Grodno, seeing it as my last chance to show my plans. My idea was accepted, with a private investor agreeing to put up $50,000 to open the hostel.”

Ksenia thinks that Europeans and travellers from Moscow and St. Petersburg will be the most frequent guests and doesn’t see the remote location from the centre as a problem — since many hostels in Europe are on the outskirts (where prices are cheaper). Availability and quality of service are vital, alongside an atmosphere of youthful energy.
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