Celebrating Welsh Start-ups: Cwtsh Hostel

02/12/22

Situated in the heart of Swansea City Centre, Cwtsh Hostel provides a modern and unique base to explore the city and its surrounding areas catering to a diverse crowd of backpackers, families, school-groups and many more.

After completing his education and living in Swansea for four years, Llyr Roberts, an engineer turned entrepreneur began his search for the perfect property in Swansea, in May 2019, to bring his love for travelling and the city together to open his dream hostel! His first challenge was to find a building for the hostel which proved to take much longer than expected. A few months into the search, he found the perfect building overlooking the castle gardens for the hostel but that was only half the battle won. He still needed to secure permissions and funding to be able to use the property. Llyr approached Focus Carmarthen Enterprise Hub to seek business advice and help with funding. Networking at the Hub also helped him gain business contacts which was crucial during the business planning stage. In August 2020, he was awarded the Welsh Government Funding – Micro Small Business Fund to build and promote tourist destinations in Wales. Two months later Llyr also received the Town Centre Loan from Swansea council to help set up his business.

The construction finally began in January 2021, in the peak of the Covid lockdowns which caused multiple delays in procurement and other timelines.

After a strenuous time with construction, Cwtsh Hostel was all ready to be opened in November 2021 but having a pandemic opening impacted the number of people who booked the place.

After overcoming many challenges, Cwtsh Hostel is a renowned name in Swansea with excellent ratings and reviews. They have just opened Cwtsh Coffi and Crepes @CwtshCrepes to expand their offerings at the Hostel and have big plans in the future to offer more trips, packages, and experiences to their guests! Their aim is to be the best hostel in Wales!