The two owners working at the reception. The exterior
It is no surprise that backpackers are fond of Once Again Hostel, thanks to its historic location and genuine hospitality. What makes this old building-turned-modern hostel stand out from the others, however, is its focus to strengthen the surrounding local communities.
Mahakan Fort community is one of the neighbourhoods that Once Again Hostel and its partners are actively working with. The community is currently in conflict with City Hall’s plan to expropriate the land and turn it into a public park. While the locals are seeking a way to stay, the eviction deadline is fast approaching.
The 102-bed hostel is located on Rattanakosin Island — cluttered with tourist attractions like The Grand Palace and other revered temples. The hostel embraces Thai elements in a creative way. In reference to the local handicraft industry, monk’s bowl lids cover one whole wall and form part of its unique decoration. In some of the rooms, each bed features a Thai-style old-fashioned slide door to provide privacy to its guests.
Architect co-founder Pattakorn Thanasanaksorn’s family owns this abandoned building. He wants to use “Thainess” as a theme for the hostel in order to provide a picture of Bangkok in a new way and introduce the guests to the local way of life. In reality, however, things did not always follow Pattakorn’s expectations.
Pattakorn Thanasanaksorn, left, and Sanon Wangsrangboon.
He teamed up with Sanon Wangsrangboon, his fellow co-founder who has extensive experience in social enterprises, and is also familiar with the surrounding communities. Today, much of the original district has vanished leaving only the original street name in the original form.
In setting up the hostel, the two co-founders, both 26, initially thought to name it 2324 (B.E.) after the year that Rattanakosin Kingdom was founded. However, as the real charm of Rattanakosin is fading, they instead opted for Once Again Hostel to reflect their efforts to relive the cultural heritage of old Bangkok.
“We want to bring those charms back ‘once again’,” said Pattakorn. “So we started to think on how our guests and the hostel can help support these local communities.”
Sanon added that Thainess is not only about decoration, temples and old architecture, but also about people’s way of life.
The business partners have applied an inclusive business approach, by letting people from the communities work within the hostel. People in Wang Krom Community who embroider monks’ robes, for instance, earn extra income by doing laundry for the hostel.
“Guests who stay at our hostel automatically support people in the community,” explained Sanon.
The hostel has been unofficially operating since December, and there have already been positive signs that the surrounding neighbourhoods are improving. Some restaurants have begun to put up signs in English, add more variety of food to their menu and renovate their restaurants.
“A grocer told us that since we opened we have helped urge the community to make changes in a better way. Another direct impact we are aiming for is to create a significant social impact. For example, by organising a community tour,” said Sanon.
Back in the day, Rattanakosin was divided into Inner and Outer precincts. The Inner was reserved for government buildings, temples and The Grand Palace, while the Outer consisted of different local communities that produced goods such as monks’ bowls, birdcages, and dinsor pong (white clay filler) to supply Inner Rattanakosin.
“It is these local communities that are at the authentic root of Thailand,” remarked Pattakorn.
It is for these reasons that Pattakorn and Sanon are seeking ways to revive these communities. Working with different partners, they have come up with three phases.
To revive and rehabilitate is the first important step, as most communities in the old town of Bangkok are fighting cultural extinction.
The second step is to bring in designers to work with local craftsmen in order to come up with a more modern design to reach wider targets.
The final step is to sustain. Once the community settles with the process, the team will withdraw and let the locals continue the community-based projects by themselves.
“To improve the community doesn’t only mean to earn more money, but it also means to enhance their life quality in other aspects like their foreign language skills and disciplines,” added Sanon.
For strangers to the community like Sanon and other partners, they realise that change won’t happen overnight. They have come up with a “loose” plan, therefore, leaving space for the locals to come together and make their own communal decision.
Ban Baat is one of the communities Once Again Hostel is involved with. The area is known for handmade monks’ bowls, but the locals are currently facing competition from industrially-manufactured counterparts.
Pattakorn and Sanon, along with other partners have visited the community and talked with the locals many times in order to understand the community and encourage them as well as suggesting ways to expand their products with other designs, such as making small monks’ bowls for souvenirs or making premium ones with unique designs to differentiate their products from the market.
The exterior of the hostel.
The Mahakan Fort community has been in the news recently over Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s plans to relocate many of the residents to make way for a public park. The Once Again Hostel project, therefore, also attempts to create a model that locals cannot only maintain their roots, but also develop the city.
“We’re creating a master plan to point out that city development can also go some way in preserving these old communities. If this succeeds, we believe that it could also be applied to other communities that might have to deal with similar issues.
“Even though we don’t have the same power as the government who could determine the future of this city, what we can do is to speak out and communicate with the public and government. We believe that there is a better way where every party can benefit from better decisions,” said Sanon.
Once Again Hostel has made huge leaps since it began operations. It is no longer just a hostel, as it has become a driving force to help support the local communities.
Asked why they think the local community is so important, Sanon answered: “I think it is the people that make the city come to life. People and communities have played several important roles ever since the city was formed. So local people should be one of the first priorities when it comes to city development.”
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.