Another year is drawing to a close, and what a year it has been! With 65 years on my shoulders, I've experienced a lot, but 2024 has particularly moved and shaped me.
Some people have 'back issues', others have 'hip issues'. We had 'builders' who spent almost a quarter of a year moving walls, building bathrooms, and making a lot of noise.
That's why we can now joyfully announce that we have opened our doors even wider in 2024 – in the truest sense of the word.
We have created new rooms: larger, comfortable rooms with private bathrooms, where you can find space for two or three people. Also, two apartments – small oases in the middle of the vibrant big city – are now ready.
Perfect if you want to experience London in a familiar, cozy setting in your own small apartment.
For over 50 years, we have always been a home away from home. We are living up to that a little more again.
Why hospitality is sacred to us
In Christianity, 'hosting people' has a deeply rooted, almost sacred meaning. It is far more than providing a bed or offering a roof over one's head.
It is the opening of the heart – an invitation into one's own world, in the hope that a guest not only stays, but leaves strengthened and enriched.
Hospitality is a silent act of love that needs no grand words, but speaks through small gestures:
A friendly smile at the door, a cup of tea after a long journey, a place where someone can lay down all their worries for a moment. It is this invisible thread that connects us, that turns strangers into friends and shapes memories from encounters.
"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me."
These words from the Gospel of Matthew are like an anchor for me. They remind me that hospitality is not conditional.
It is an attitude that assumes every person – no matter where they come from or where they are going – carries a soul within them that seeks love and acceptance.
The Challenge of Hospitality
Hospitality is not always easy. Sometimes it requires patience, sometimes forgiveness, and sometimes the strength to put one's own comfort aside. But again and again, it reminds me that we do not live for ourselves.
Opening the doors means preparing one's soul for the unknown. And that is what enriches our lives: encountering others, sharing our humanity, finding peace together – even if only for a few nights.
Our hostel is, first and foremost, a place with beds and bathrooms, with rooms and apartments.
But for me, it is much more: a space where people can find hope, where they can breathe, find peace, and perhaps experience a piece of healing.
It is a place where the soul can feel at home.
What makes us special
It's not a marble lounge that brings you to us, no chandeliers, no room service.
What brings you to us is curiosity and love. You see that we know this in everything we do. That's why our name embodies a sense of security and comfort.
Christmas: A Time for Connection
Christmas is the time when these values shine in their purest form. It is the time when we remember that Mary and Joseph once sought shelter, that the Savior of the world was born in a simple lodging.
It is the time when we recognize that everyone we host can be a gift to us – an angel in disguise, as the Bible so beautifully puts it.
Hospitality is more than an act. It is a way of life. It challenges us to grow beyond ourselves and rewards us with an abundance that words can hardly describe.
I sincerely wish you a blessed Christmas. May these days be filled with peace, joy, and the deep knowledge that you are not alone.
Whether you visit us or are far away – you are a part of this large family that we have built together over the years.
Warmly,
ANTHONY PERERA
GENERAL MANAGER
