The Circus Philosophy

At its core, the Circus philosophy is a simple one: to welcome travellers to our city in the way we would like to be welcomed when we travel ourselves. Travel at its best is a social activity that can benefit both the host and the visitor through new experiences, new friends, and exposure to difference. It was our own experiences of travelling on a budget through many different countries and continents that inspired the first Circus Hostel in 1997. In our travels both then and since we have stayed in any number of hostels, hotels, pensions and guesthouses, and it is through these experiences as well as the day-to-day running of hostels and the hotel in Berlin that we have developed our philosophy of travel and hospitality.

In an era when travel and tourism has become one of the largest economic activities on the planet, it is important to recognise the impact – both positive and negative – of what we are doing. Elsewhere on the website you can find out more by what we mean by “Sustainability”, but fundamentally it means that we take responsibility; for our colleagues and staff, for our guests, for our neighbourhood, and for society in the widest possible sense. We have implemented structures throughout the business designed to minimise the waste and unnecessary use of resources, as well as providing fair deals for both our staff and our partners. It has also influenced us when it comes to the fact that we have consciously chosen to operate in the “low budget” sector of the market as we believe that the use of resources needed to justify charging €2-300 for an overnight stay is based on a model of hospitality that is not only unacceptable on a social environmental level, but also results in an outrageous waste of resources – food, energy, water – that is unsustainable.

Those features of traditional hostelry – over-stocked breakfast buffets, mini-bars and air-conditioning units burning electricity 24 hours a day, the laundry costs of replacing bed sheets and towels on a daily basis – are the type of thing we have reacted against, but it is still worth asking the question: if this is what people expect and think of as normal, why should this be the case? To our mind it has much to do with the development of tourism as an industry, and an idea of society that has long defined “success” and “worth” on the basis of monetary cost.

Travel for leisure developed in the period between the end of the 19^th Century and the Second World War, and the hotels of this era – catering for the hyper-rich winners of industrialisation – were built to reflect ideas of aristocratic luxury that could be seen in every element of the business, from the architecture of the building, the layout and design of the lobby, the furniture selected for the rooms, and the uniforms and style of service expected from the staff. In the post-war period, as tourism opened up to the middle-classes, this model continued to be the standard, and to this day a visit to many 2 or 3 star hotels will offer echoes of these traditions. What needs to be recognised however is that these standard practises developed in a very different time than the one that we now live in, and that when we came to creating both the Hostel and Hotel it was important to us to develop our ideas based on the realities of what is important to both us, our guests and our surroundings now, rather than simply follow what has gone before because that has been the way things have always be done.

For example, connection to place is very important to us. When we selected the locations for our Hostels and then for The Circus Hotel, we were concerned that we placed ourselves in a position that was directly linked to the heart of the city, that would allow our guests to feel part of Berlin life for the time that they are with us. It influenced our architecture and design – it was important for us that both the Hostel and Hotel should reflect strongly the fact that we are in Berlin and that the city is very important to us. Connection to place is also the reason that we have chosen not to include classic hotel features such as an underground car park, a fitness studio or a swimming pool. Why bring a car when Berlin has such excellent public transport links? Why close yourself off in a hotel gym or swimming pool when there are great options in the neighbourhood? Do people really want to travel to another city simply to shut themselves off from their surroundings? We do not think so. When hotels developed with facilities such as these they did so in a time when the local surroundings could not provide for certain needs of the traveller. In Berlin in the 21^st Century, as with most places around the world, this is no longer the case.

Another aspect of traditional approaches to the hotel business that we believe does not reflect the desires of travellers such as our guests is that of social interaction. Travel as a social activity is important to many people. It is why travellers chose to stay in a dorm room at a hostel, even when they could afford to get a private room. It is why the public spaces in our Hostel and Hotel – the bar, cafe, restaurant and courtyard – are extremely important to us.

Another element of this is the relationship between the staff and guests, and again our approach can be seen as a reaction to the traditional approach to service in the hospitality industry. At The Circus we believe first and foremost that guests and hosts come together on an equal level, a social interaction based on mutual respect. This starts with a rejection of the classic “Master-Servant” relationship of traditional hospitality which is out of step with the realities of modern society. At the same time we recognise that as locals and hosts we have a responsibility that comes with being “at home” in a situation that for some guests – away from home and in a strange country – may be overwhelming. It is crucial, therefore, that we do everything we can to empower the guests by sharing our knowledge and experiences, or by helping them with whatever they may need. This philosophy informs us when it comes to choosing our staff members. Education and qualifications are of little importance – skills can be trained – but what is vital is that we have people in the Hostel and Hotel that are warm and open, that are interested in people, and that enjoy the communication that comes with a job such as this.

Ultimately the Circus philosophy comes down to the idea that we want to build places where people receive a warm welcome in a comfortable and clean environment, a place where they can meet both us and each other, and where service and hospitality are not defined by someone’s age, or how much money they have in their wallet. At the same time we want to have a positive impact on our surroundings, whilst minimising the negative impact of our activities in a situation where – in a globalised world – all our fates are interlinked. It is how The Circus aims to achieve this that defines what it is we mean by hospitality.

Our approach of course results in limitations – for example when it comes to the facilities we offer – but we do not view these limitations, consciously imposed by ourselves, as negative. Increasingly, and in ever greater numbers, people are not defining “success” in their life from a viewpoint of what they can afford and what status this gives them. In all aspects of life people make decisions and choices that may not be logical in purely economic terms but which add value to their quality of life. How people travel is part of this. At The Circus we believe in travel as an experience – of people and place – and in hospitality that is human and warm, whilst at the same time reasonable and responsible. We are proud of what we do at The Circus and are convinced as to how and why we do it.