Seeking Change: The Hostel Concept That’s Captured the Imagination of Israeli Travelers and International Tourists

Between you and me, what’s the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the word “vacation?” Most of you will probably say things like “a huge swimming pool,” “a luxury hotel room,” or “great food and lots of it.”

But what if we tell you that you can get all those things, along with a unique experience unlike that provided by any other hotel you’ve ever stayed in?

Sound strange? That’s exactly the idea that’s been promoted for the past decade by Abraham Group, better known as Abraham Hostels – an Israeli hostel and tour chain that’s managed to disrupt the tourism world within just a short amount of time. Just like that.

Less than ten years since its founding, the chain has transformed independent tourism from a fringe phenomenon into a leading concept planted firmly on the Israeli tourism map. Or, as the chain puts it, they’ve “translated Abraham the Patriarch’s hospitality culture into 21st century language.”

In order to realize their dreams and turn their vision into a reality, the group has deployed hotels/hostels that are completely different from each other, with a supreme emphasis on a collaborative ambience and on a welcoming atmosphere for guests as an integral part of how these establishments operate throughout the year. At present, the chain has four branches – in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Eilat, and Nazareth – with plans to extend its reach to the Dead Sea in the near future. The group has gained recognition overseas as well, thanks to efforts that have recently borne fruit in the Philippines – but this, shall we say, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Collaboration as a supreme value
Abraham Group is clearly breathing new life into the hospitality and tourism experience as we’ve known it. The model: devoting significant attention and resources to meaningful content and enrichment that integrate well with community-inspired activities. A social-cultural mingling emerges between guests and the local scene, at more affordable prices than those demanded by the other hospitality options available on the market.

“Abraham’s core activity isn’t the room. We do invest in a very high room standard, but the focus was and remains on the public spaces and on the experiential and enrichment activities offered in those spaces,” explains Abraham Group CEO Gilad Shauloff, in reference to the sustainable-tourism values championed by the group, along with the aspiration to connect people and to present different narratives that harmonize with the multicultural ideal.

“Our hostels are by definition agenda-promoting establishments focused on advancing collaborative, social, and cultural tourism, primarily in our common spaces, through activities meant to provide unmediated encounters between our guests and local residents. This includes the possibility of using the knowledge and creativity of businesses and residents to illuminate the local culture for people thirsty for something new.”

Alternative tourism, nationwide
A little history. Abraham Group’s first hostel was launched back in 2010, in Jerusalem, with 300 beds organized on a dorm model in which 4-10 people could be accommodated in a single room, at prices ranging from 150-180 shekels a night. The hostel was explicitly Jerusalem-themed, with an understated, warm-colored design language and a regular roster of compelling tours throughout the Holy City and its environs. The aim was for visitors to get to know those who actually inhabit the space, including the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) population and the communities of East Jerusalem and other areas. This was followed by the establishment, in 2016, of Abraham Hostel Tel Aviv (420 beds), which provides an urban experience befitting “the city that never sleeps.”Abraham Hostel Tel Aviv offers no fewer than three bars, a roof space that exemplifies “green” values and serves as a kind of environmental research station, and other common spaces designated for sports, leisure, artistic, and cultural activities of all kinds.

The chain’s newest branch operates in Eilat, with 500 beds and a huge, all-inclusive complex where guests can enjoy a classic beten-gav or “leisurely sunbathing” vacation in Israel’s southern resort city, along with first-class artistic content. For instance, you’ll find there a kinetic sculpture that flies in the air, an unprecedented variety of workshops and lectures, as well as guided multi-day tours to Petra, diving, and joint attractions with the local community and the regional councils of the Arava. The point is for guests to experience Eilat’s different layers – sea, desert, and all types of local businesses and communities.

Abraham Group has also gained a major foothold in the Arab sector, thanks to its Fauzi Azar hostel in Nazareth, located in the heart of Nazareth’s old city in an early-19th-century Arab house that boasts ceiling murals and spectacular arches – part of an authentic experience featuring unique Middle-Eastern narratives. This was the first hostel ever established in Nazareth that honored the local community, including Arab women, and was a harbinger of the dozens of other hostels that appeared over the past two decades.

Content is key
A cornerstone of the mission that Abraham Group set for itself early on is the provision of unique tours that combine pleasure with enrichment – content that frequently offers a sophisticated look at the complexities of the Middle East and of Israeli society. Not only that, but the tours offer first-hand contact with the local community, while raising controversial issues and allowing participants to grapple with them. For instance, tours are offered from time to time in the West Bank and the Gaza Perimeter, as well as to the Jordanian sites of Petra and Wadi Rum.

“The tours place a premium on unmediated interaction with the people; at the end of the day, they’re the ones who add a dimension of uniqueness to the place they’re in. The tours basically put faces and names to special and fascinating places.”

Other tours in high demand among Israeli vacationers include food- and entrepreneurship-oriented tours in Nazareth, with a focus on social entrepreneurship and social processes, culinary and cultural experiences, and more.

And what of the future? Toward the end of Q1 2024, Abraham Dead Sea is set to open – a first-of-its-kind “glamping” site, in cooperation with the Dead Sea Economic Company in the Ein Bokek hotel compound. The site will feature 32 luxury tents for families and couples, food trucks to serve beach-goers, and a solarium complex with a focus on the connection between desert and nature. The group is also expected to bring tourist groups to Masada and the Dead Sea, along with new enrichment tours and the creation of a cultural-communal hub inspired by the lowest place on Earth.

Shauloff has more to say about the unique outlook that the group strives to realize on a daily basis. “We have a clear vision focused on maintaining our status as a leading and significant tourism group that also works to generate positive change within the community and the environment in which it’s active. It’s not for nothing that we see ourselves as an impactful company that champions corporate responsibility – toward our guests, our employees, our suppliers, and our stakeholders. We believe that businesses should take responsibility and not be afraid to make their voices and opinions heard.

“As companies become more active and take responsibility, they’ll generate wider and more significant ‘ripples’ and will create meaning and positive change in society, producing an environment that’s good for everyone. That’s the essence of Abraham Group, a fundamental outlook that will be maintained for years to come.”

To the site >>> Abraham Group

In cooperation with Abraham Group