behind the counter x Kirsty Henderson

A woman who dances to her own tunes, and a true inspiration to many, well that’s Kirsty for you! Her journey from a nomadic backpacker to a successful entrepreneur is exciting and refreshing. Kirsty and her partner Grant are the Founders of Jailhouse Accommodation, an award-winning hostel which has been an integral part of the hostel community. Her quirky business model reflects her distinctive personality while redefining the traditional hostel setup to an exciting ‘prison’(yes prison!) experience for visitors.

What is your story? What inspired you to start a hostel?

This goes way back, somewhere in the early nineties, I believe. Grant and I spent 5 years backpacking and travelling, a common practice for us ‘Kiwis’. It did cost us all our savings, but It was indeed the best years as we explored so many countries and immersed ourselves in different cultures!

When we returned home to New Zealand, we were in our mid-twenties, and ready to be more stable and secure in life. We decided to buy a cafe in a tourist-heavy locality which was our introduction to the hospitality industry. As the business grew, so did our family with our three beautiful children and of course our aspirations! It was organic in a way, to do something within the hospitality space. We understood this industry well. Grant and I had studied at University, but we chose not to go down the corporate way of our degrees. Our backpacking experience was a big guiding factor towards hospitality and freedom as well.

It was early 2006 when we saw a local ad- an impressive building for sale in Christchurch. It was the old prison constructed in 1874 which had been discontinued. It was an important cultural landmark designed by Benjamin Mountford, one of the most prominent architects from the 1800s.

I remember our family and friends were apprehensive about the idea of buying a prison. And many others called us crazy too. We also had people tell us they had seen the ad and nearly bought it. We purchased the prison anyway, and we’ve never looked back since! It’s quite a privilege to own a Benjamin Mountford design.

What’s unique about Jailhouse Accommodation?

The obvious choice then was to use this prison for accommodation because prison is, well, accommodation. While there are prisons around the world, there are very few which offer to lodge. Our approach was never to build just a hostel; it was always to create an authentic experience. Transforming it into a hostel has improved the local community and added value to the neighbourhood locality.

We believe in creating the right balance between a prison experience and a ‘prisoner’ experience. We want the guest to enjoy the authenticity without feeling trapped. Many people do complain about claustrophobia in prison hostels, and we wanted our hostel to be as comfortable as possible. We work hard to keep the space modern and open and ensure that Good showers, mattresses are provided and updated amenities.

What are the challenges that came up on the way?

The first challenge was the location- not being centrally located which travellers prefer. So we needed to push the prison angle a lot, to attract guests. We had to continually reinforce the fact that while it is away from the city, it is worth the experience!

Another challenge was renovating the building. As a heritage site, getting permissions for any modifications were difficult, as most of 2006 were spent renovating the dilapidated structure, which was vacant since 1999. Apart from the clean-up, we faced problems with squatters, occupying the space, and many health and safety measures needed to be upgraded.

I remember I sewed 50 curtains, and we painted every room. Further, we couldn’t reconstruct the structure. The concrete walls were extremely thick, so it was challenging to put ensuite bathrooms in each room. Grant and I were stressed about finances at this point as the bank had closed our loan. However, things were about to change soon when we welcomed our first guests — a family from New Zealand. It is an excellent memory because they made an event out of their stay! They came in from another town, and it was a ball for all of us! They wore striped prison uniforms. I guess that made our doubts disappear and it’s been onward and upward since then.

Recruiting and training staff can be challenging too sometimes. There is always constant maintenance to be done. And a lot of paperwork following government legislation and legal processes. Over time our minimum wage has also gone up, and staffing costs have increased. Employing permanent staff instead of the traditional casual work for accommodation is a government mandate now.

Have you seen a lot of change over the years?

The earthquakes in 2011, marked a significant change in the industry here in Christchurch. The city lost a lot of independent businesses, hostels included. Many independent hostels had no choice but to merge with the larger chains. Today, there is a constant trade-off between friends and competition and price-wars go on.

However, we do have a local support network and are part of groups with hostel owners from around New Zealand. There is a collaboration between us for our common rival — AirBnB.

Guest behavior has changed too over time, they have become more independent and tech-savvy, having endless choices at the tap of a button. So, there are fewer interactions at the front desk. There is a significant shift towards booking online as well through third parties channels, so we see fewer direct bookings. There is more demand for experiential travelling which we plan to cater to. I mean, everyone loves a good prison story, so we commissioned an artist to create panels depicting the stories of former prisoners.

Another significant change has been our user profile. It’s not just your ‘traditional’ 18–25-year-old backpackers anymore. Today, we get a wide range of age groups. We have families, children, and older adults. We have redefined our user from the traditional backpacker to anyone interested in the history of the prison.

The thing which hasn’t changed is people’s standards for cleanliness, and this pandemic is definitely going to increase their expectations.

How has the COVID-19 situation impacted the industry? and your business?

The pandemic has adversely affected some of the smaller hostels, cafes, and lodging in Christchurch, a lot of them had to shut down the business. On a positive note, though, the local and international hostel community is getting closer. We are all connecting more on Zoom calls, and it is great to be in touch with hostel owners around the world

Fortunately, for us, there are no more COVID-19 cases in the community. We still hope to regain old number’s when the pandemic situation eases worldwide though. However, all safety and hygiene standards are being followed as per government regulations. We are aware that we may get a second wave, so we are staying combat-ready.

If you were to reinvent your business, how would you do it?

While continuing to grow and reinvent the experience side of the business, Our focus is on the local New Zealander market. We are working on what we can do with the cultural history of the hostel. Ghost tours are being discussed for a while now.

The idea is to create a more immersive experience by getting our staff to start wearing prison uniforms, installing auditory simulations, and arranging meetups with former correctional officers.

Also, adopting technology in order to free up some of the mundane or repetitive stuff and create mental space for experiences and marketing. It is so important to strike a balance between the two.

What advice would you have for someone just starting out?

My first piece of advice would be to focus on your social skills to better interact with people. You can’t underestimate this aspect of the industry. If that’s not something you can relate to, you need to find someone who loves it. People are the most significant part of most days, and managing interactions is an important part of the job. Make sure you don’t get burnt out doing it.

The second thing I would tell someone is to immerse yourself hands-on into every role of your hostel. Work hard to understand each process. This will help set standards for what you expect from your staff. If you understand how to clean a room, you will know how you want it cleaned. And when you do step back from it all, you understand what’s happening without being physically present in the space.

What would you say you’ve learnt on a personal level.

Although life is unpredictable, you can get through everything.
We first had the earthquakes which impacted business. Last year we had mass shootings, with over fifty people dead. Today we have COVID-19. Guests have cancelled bookings because of tsunamis, volcanic eruptions or other emergencies. Over time, I have learnt to change my reaction to these disasters. Now I know they are a part of life and will continue to be.

Maybe during some disasters, the turnover of your business will be lower, but you as a person will survive. And in the grander scheme of things, business is just one aspect of life, isn’t it?