BunkHaus Hostel is closing down after 2 years of business. (Photo: Mark Leger)
After just two years in business, a high-end hostel in uptown Saint John is closing its doors because of COVID-19.
The BunkHaus hostel hasn’t been able to survive the dry tourism season due to the pandemic.
But the whole business isn’t going under. The Uptowner café and taproom will be staying open along with the owner, Ingrid Woodhouse’s, new secret project.
“She [the BunkHaus general manager] had a really fantastic idea and we just decided to kind of run with that,” Woodhouse said.
“We did a bit of a business plan, did some research. It’s going to be somewhat multifaceted.”
She’s hoping to start part of the plan by early September and have it completely ready by the end of September.
Woodhouse originally opened BunkHaus in 2018 and a few months later, she opened Uptowner. Woodhouse’s plan was to have travellers interact with locals by combining a hostel and café.
The Uptowner Café and Taproom (Image: Submitted)
She said it’s been painful to watch COVID-19 take its toll on BunkHaus.
“There are no travellers. There are a few people around the province that are traveling from the Atlantic bubble, but ultimately, it’s quite quiet,” Woodhouse said.
They have a strict policy where nobody can stay at the BunkHaus until their 14-day quarantine is up. It’s impossible to be totally isolated in a hostel environment.
While Woodhouse is sad that BunkHaus is closing, she’s excited about the future of her business.
“We’re going to continue having the cafe and bar in the front area – that won’t change at all,” she said.
“It’ll just be the back area [that changes] and it’ll be something that will complement the front.”
Woodhouse has told some close family and friends her plans for the space, but for the most part, she’s keeping her secret under wraps.
Her family and friends have expressed their excitement about what’s to come.
But with the new plan, Woodhouse needs to prepare the space for renovations beginning mid-August.
They are selling mattresses that have been barely used, protective covers and all. She is even going to throw in beddings with the mattresses being sold.
Woodhouse posted the mattresses on Kijiji and marketplace.
“We’re kind of relying on mattress sales to really help fund the new plan,” she said.
While Woodhouse is sad for the closure of the BunkHaus, she expressed her utmost excitement for the new beginnings to come.
She addressed BunkHaus fans on their Facebook page.
“Thank you for two beautiful years of getting to host amazing people from all over the globe,” Woodhouse wrote on Facebook.
“I could write a book on all the wonderful experiences I’ve had.”
Hannah Rudderham is a reporter with Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
