A membership meeting for the Northeast Ohio Chapter of Hosteling International (HI-NOC) met on Tuesday, March 11 from seven to nine in the evening at the Boston Store located at Boston Mills Road, Peninsula (near the intersection of Stanford Road and Boston Mills). Invitations to all current members were mailed out, although all potential new members or simply interested guests were welcome to attend. At the meeting, the board presented several recommendations regarding the future of HI-NOC: particularly to transition HI-NOC to a new role to be determined by the members.

Hosteling International is a membership organization that involves a network of over four thousand hostels worldwide. By joining the group, individuals enjoy discounted trips and activities for travelers on a budget, and they are also often offered concessions on entertainment during travels like savings in retail outlets and reduced price admission to museums and cultural centers at home and overseas. Hostels benefit by joining the organization because it offers increased advertising and individual members who may stay at the hostel generally trust hostels that belong to the group more than those who do not because there are strict membership regulations and guidelines.

Hosteling International is particularly active with young travelers who may need a safe place to stay, but one which they can rely on to be comfortable and inexpensive without hidden fees or charges that may accumulate at other hostels along the way. Historically, hostels have played a key role if putting the culture of foreign countries within reach of young tourists. Therefore, it is important that they keep growing as they have done so far. This meeting was important because it marked an attempt to renovate such an esteemed and closely regulated organization of hostels. The future, in many ways, depends upon the new role that was determined by the attending members.