Hostelling International Canada unveils new brand and website

Apr 28, 2017

HI Canada new logo

Hostelling International Canada (HI Canada), the largest hostel network in the country, unveiled a new brand and website last week. The company said the transformation, symbolized by the introduction of a new logo and brand signature, celebrates the sense of community and consciousness that have long been pillars of this 84-year-old organization that provides budget accommodation for travellers at 58 hostels across the country.

“Our hostels have always been a unique social and community space that brings people together; and we offer an experience that is hard to find with any other accommodation option,” said Alistair McLean, Chair of the Council of Executive Directors for HI Canada. “In the same year Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, we are excited to launch a new brand and website that not only showcases our organization’s proud history and country but also helps us connect with a younger generation of global travellers that share our common values of open-mindedness, togetherness and mindfulness.”

The new brand and visual identity revive hihostels.ca with an image-rich and responsive website. Designed for travellers seeking affordable and memorable experiences, the website boasts inspirational photos, enhanced navigation, interactive map features and value-added, magazine-style content aimed at young millennials from across Canada and around the world.

The organization also unveiled a new logo. Straying from the traditional orange and blue logo shared by many other national Hostelling International associations around the world, HI Canada opted for a more Canadian red and white logo featuring the familiar tree and hut elements.

HI Canada got its start back in 1933 when two sisters decided to bring the relatively new concept of youth hostelling across the Atlantic from Germany, where it began 24 years earlier. HI Canada is a member-based, not-for-profit organization that oversees a network of 58 owned and affiliated hostels across the country.

Source: HI Canada Press Release, April 2017