Hostel Business Plan Swiss PDF

2011
Business Report

on Sustainable Development
of the Swiss Youth Hostels
Contents
03 Contents
05 Foreword
06
Key figures
09 Portrait
15
Our target achievement in 2011
19
Our guests
25
Our employees
29
Our relationship with the environment
33
Our commercial viability
38
Structure and corporate governance
43
Financial reporting
52
Outlook and priorities for 2012
For the sake of readability, the masculine form will be used throughout the business report on
the sustainable development of the Swiss Youth Hostels. Wherever appropriate, use of the female form is of course implicit.
Unless specifically mentioned, the published data and figures relate to the 45 lend/lease hostels
(excluding franchises) operated independently by the Swiss Youth Hostel Association.
Publishing details
Editorial staff: Fredi Gmr, Ren Dobler, Janine Bunte
Design: gut&schn
Layout: Jacqueline Roth
Printing: PROWEMA GmbH, Pfffikon
Photography: Susanne Vllm, Zrich
Translation: USG bersetzungs-Service AG, Ittigen
Paper: Offset Euroset matt, SK 3, 100 g/m2 (FSC-certified)
Circulation: 5,000 German, 800 French, 1,200 English
Publisher: Swiss Youth Hostels | Schaffhauserstrasse 14
P.O. Box | 8042 Zurich | Tel. +41 (0)44 360 14 31 | Fax +41 (0)44 360 14 25
geschaeftsleitung@youthhostel.ch | www.youthhostel.ch
2/3
Mai Leng from
SingaporE
and Halil from
CYPRUS
on a trip across
EUROPE
Foreword
For many years we have been able to achieve great successes,
which has positively influenced our development. Through innovation and quality, our product the Swiss Youth Hostels gained
major recognition in the traditional markets of Switzerland and
above all in the euro region. Even beyond the tourist industry, our
organisation evolved to become a model example of sustainable
action. A rising number of overnight stays, turnover growth and
positive annual results were almost a matter of course.
Despite investments and good work in the sector as a whole, the
price/performance ratio deteriorated considerably over the course
of the year under review. The unimaginable occurred: for a short
time the franc reached parity against the euro, and despite support from the Swiss National Bank, it remained too strong for pricecompetitive tourism in Switzerland. Over the past two years, Switzerland has become dramatically more expensive for visitors from
the euro, pound and US dollar areas. This has an inevitable impact
on demand, since around a third of our guests come from the countries affected by the currency changes. Global political changes,
the Arab Spring, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster and the economic crisis in Europe represented further inhibitory factors for the development of
tourism in Switzerland.
4/5
The modified and expanded hostel in St. Moritz officially opened at

the start of this year, and is enjoying strong demand; the new building situated right next to Interlaken Ost station is proceeding apace
towards the scheduled opening in early May 2012.
And we have been bestowed with two very special honours: the
2011 ZKB Sustainability Award for SMEs, for years of work in
the field of sustainability in the construction and operation of
youth hostels; in the Personalities/Institutions category, we were
awarded the 2011 Swiss Solar Prize for our comprehensive environmental management in construction and operation, and for our
pioneering role in environmentally compatible tourism.
Sustainability is an ongoing and unending process; sustainability
will only end for us only when we no longer exist. Sustainable thinking and behaviour must therefore be our inner attitude; this is the
only way to simultaneously fulfil the needs of nature, society, employees and the economy. The interaction between ecology, economy and social issues is crucial for success. Integrated thinking and
action is therefore indispensable if we are to ensure a future for
ourselves and for those who come after us.
And nevertheless: the Swiss Youth Hostels can look back on a successful 2011. Overnight stays fell by 1.1% in comparison to the
previous year, but turnover increased by 1% to 41.5 million francs.
Adjusted annual results after a return on equity of 1.5% paid to
the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism come to around CHF
610,000. At the end of the year, the association had a membership
of 101,085 (down 3.4% from the previous year).
Stephan Kurmann
President SYH
s.kurmann@youthhostel.ch
Fredi Gmr
CEO SYH
f.gmuer@youthhostel.ch
Ren Dobler
CEO SFST
r.dobler@youthhostel.ch
Janine Bunte
CFO SYH/SFST
j.bunte@youthhostel.ch
Key Figures
Our range of offers
Number of hostels
Number of beds
80
8000
70
7000
60
6000
50
5000
40
4000
30
3000
20
2000
10
1000
0
19921)
20003)
19962)
2004
2011
19921)
Franchise hostels
Own hostels
Total hostels
2008
19962)
Total hostels
20003)
2004
2008
2011
Franchise hostels
Own hostels
Our guests
Members
Overnight stays
120000
1000000
100000
800000
80000
600000
60000
400000
40000
200000
20000
0
19921)
20003)
19962)
Total
Juniors
2004
Seniors
2008
Families
2011
19921)
Groups
19962)
Total hostels
20003)
2004
Own hostels
2008
2011
Franchise hostels
Our employees
Number of employees
Full-time posts
300
500
250
400
200
300
150
200
100
100
0
50
19921)
19962)
20003)
2004
2011
Office
Hostels
Total
2008
19921)
19962)
Total
20003)
Hostels
2004
2008
2011
Office
Fluctuation rate
40%
30%
The relevant tables are listed at the end of the respective chapters.
20%
10%
First fiscal year following merger of 14 independent districts

Start of reorganisation
Launch implementation of strategic planning
4)
Before allocations and write-offs
n/c not collected
n/a not available
1)
2)
0%
3)
19921)
19962)
Fluctuation rate
10
20003)
2004
2008
2011
6/7
Electricity consumption
Water consumption
6 kWh
200
3 kWh
100
0 kWh
19921)
19962)
20003)
2004
2008
2011
19921)
Power consumption per overnight stay (kWh)
20003)
19962)
2004
2008
2011
Water consumption per overnight stay (litres)
Reduction in CO2 loading

40
Specific CO2 loading

(t/unit floor area)
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
19921)
19962)
20003)
Specific CO2 loading
2004
2008
2011
Target course

Operating revenue
Cash flow
50
12
10
40
30
6
20
4
10
0
19921)
19962)
Total
20003)
Accommodation
2004
Food & Beverage
2008
2011
19921)
20003)
19962)
2004
2008
2011
Cash flow in millions CHF 4)
Members
Productivity
Value added
200000
25000000
20000000
150000
15000000
10000000
100000
5000000
0
50000
19921)
19962)
20003)
Productivity per employee
2004
2008
2011
5000000
19921)
Total
19962)
20003)
Public sector
2004
Employees
2008
2011
Organisation
Elia
and Martin
from St. Erhard on
a visit to
St. Moritz
Portrait
8/9
We strive
to promote quality-oriented, socially
responsible and environmentally
sound tourism for young people and
families,
to focus on human relations,
to live up to the idea of partneroriented thinking at all levels,
to strengthen our image and standing
as the most important tourist organisation for young people and families,
to achieve appropriate business
results in order to ensure the ongoing
existence of our organisation.
Portrait
Three independent partner organisations stand for the Swiss

Youth Hostels:
The Swiss Youth Hostels Association is responsible for the
operation of the youth hostels in Switzerland and the Principality
of Liechtenstein;
The Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism is the proprietor of
27 youth hostels in Switzerland;
The Foundation for Youth Hostels in Switzerland provides financial support in the form of long-term loans for purchasing land
and for building, modifying, repairing and furnishing youth hostels.
For the first time now, a consolidated financial statement for
the Swiss Youth Hostels, the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism
and the Foundation for Youth Hostels in Switzerland was compiled
for 2011. From 18 June 2012, the consolidated financial statement
will be available from the following address:
Swiss Youth Hostels, Management, Schaffhauserstrasse 14,
P.O. Box, 8042 Zurich, Tel. +41 (0)44 360 14 31,
geschaeftsleitung@youthhostel.ch
Promoting responsible and sustainable behaviour is an important

objective for the Swiss Youth Hostels. Accordingly, our mission
statement laid the foundations already in 1994 for a balanced approach regarding our economic, social and ecological activities.
Our highest objective is the maintenance of inexpensive services. Nevertheless, we want to meet rising quality requirements.
We wish to offer a demand-conscious, innovative programme of
services for our guests which is attractive and offers real alternatives when compared to other forms of accommodation in other
words: to cultivate simplicity. We attach particular importance to
transparent structures, personal management of our hostels and
a pleasant atmosphere. The Swiss Youth Hostels are a politically
and denominationally neutral, non-profit organisation with ZEWO
certification, and as such are active in all parts of Switzerland and
in the Principality of Liechtenstein.
Network strategy
B locations Destinations with high demand from Switzerland and
the neighbouring euro area
Avenches | Baden | Bellinzona | Brienz | Brugg | Dachsen | Engelberg | Fiesch | Figino | Fribourg | Klosters | Kreuzlingen | Locarno |
Lugano | Pontresina | Schaffhausen | Scuol | Sion | Solothurn | St.
Gallen | Valbella
The network strategy pursued by the Swiss Youth Hostels is aimed

at setting up and maintaining a comprehensive network in the attractive tourist areas and destinations of Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein.
The network is divided up into A, B and C locations. The locations are defined not by the youth hostels themselves, but rather by
the destinations in which the hostels operate, in line with what they
have to offer and their marketing appeal.
C locations Other locations that serve to expand the diverse range

of offers, and with good coverage of the national network, or youth
hostels with historical significance
Beinwil am See | Le Bmont | Chteau dOex | Delmont | Fllanden |
Gersau | Leissigen | Mariastein-Rotberg | Rapperswil-Jona | Richterswil | Romanshorn | Seelisberg | Sils i.D. | Sta. Maria | Stein am
Rhein | Zofingen | Zug
A locations Internationally known tourism centres

Basel | Bern | Davos | Geneva | Grindelwald | Interlaken | Lausanne |
Lucerne | Montreux | Saanen | Schaan-Vaduz | St. Moritz | Zermatt |
Zurich
Schaffhausen
Dachsen
Network of Swiss Youth Hostels
Kreuzlingen
Stein am
Rhein
Basel
Baden
Brugg
Mariastein
Fllanden
Delmont
Le Bmont
Zofingen
Solothurn
Zurich
Beinwil
am See
Zug
Lucerne
Avenches
Lausanne
Chteau
-dOex
Rapperswil
-Jona
Schaan
-Vaduz
Richterswil
Gersau
Seelisberg
Bern
Interlaken
Fribourg
Romanshorn
St.Gallen
Engelberg
Brienz
Sils i.D.
Leissigen Grindelwald
Pontresina
St. Moritz
Saanen
Montreux
Fiesch
Geneva
Bellinzona
Sion
Locarno
Lugano
Zermatt
Figino
As of May 2012
Scuol
Klosters
Davos
Sta. Maria
Valbella
Portrait
Sustainability strategy
The Swiss Youth Hostels are committed to sustainability. Sustainability is an integral part of our organisation philosophy when dealing with stakeholder groups, designing our products and ensuring
environmental protection.
We believe that sustainability means taking into account
not only social and ethical issues, but also the sensible use of resources.
Economy
Although we are a non-profit organisation, the services offered
by the youth hostels are designed in such a way that sufficient
revenue remains to provide continuity for employees and further
development potential for the organisation.
Ecology
For all activities of the Swiss Youth Hostels be they new constructions or renovation work, the renewal of the vehicle fleet,
the determination of sourcing partners, the conception of IT support, etc. the subsequent energy consumption and any resulting emissions represent seminal indicators.
We attach great importance to both following and setting principles of sustainability also along the value-creation chain.
ZKB Sustainability
Award for SMEs
2011
On 17 January 2011, the Zrcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) awarded its
second ever sustainability award for SMEs. The jury took equal
consideration of economic, ecological and social aspects in their
assessment of sustainability performance. The Swiss Youth Hostels were the ultimate winners of the award. This top ranking is
a tribute to years of work in the field of sustainability in the construction and operation of hostels. In his presentation speech, Urs
Oberholzer, President of the ZKB Bank Council, stressed that the
Youth Hostels had identified sustainability as a corporate challenge, and had decided to view this as an opportunity. He pointed
out that implementation over recent years had been pursued step
by step and in a consistent manner.
10/11
Social aspects
Prices are set in such a way that services remain affordable
whilst guaranteeing good quality and fair wages.
Obstacle-free products and services are an important objective,
so that all people are able to visit a hostel.
For structural measures, attention is paid not only to the energy
consumption, comfort and environmental compatibility of the
applied materials, but also centrally to the potentially diverse
consequences for local residents.
Raising guests awareness of sustainability issues and their diverse facets is a potential and not unwanted side-effect of a stay
at a hostel.
Humans should be at the focus of publications on the subject
of sustainability, even though many other elements technical,
procedural and organisational play an important role as well.
The Swiss Youth Hostels aim to contribute towards achieving, in a
lasting way and within their own sphere, the objectives of sustainable development in accordance with the Federal Constitution and
as expressed at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.
At the same time, we are aware that the goals of sustainable
development cannot be achieved overnight. All decisions are harmonised with the goals of sustainable development and examined
with respect to their long-term practicality.
In attaining our objectives, we expect to lead by example and
motivate others throughout the tourism sector.
Portrait
Organisational values
As a basis for strategic planning, the executive board of the Swiss
Youth Hostels has defined our organisational values:
Equity capital
The equity financing ratio should be 40%.
Surplus appropriation
No surplus payments should be made to members.
Coverage/locations/network
A focus on centres for tourism in Switzerland and the Principality
of Liechtenstein.
Investment activity
Net profits must be reinvested.
Ownership
Hostels in locations of touristic relevance, which should be operated on their own account. Franchisees to complete the network,
but without creating competition situations.
Investment risk
The Swiss Youth Hostels Association must be able to carry the investments of the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism. Full cost
coverage must be ensured in the long term.
Innovativeness
Orientation towards exemplary services in our sector; moreover,
demand trends among young people and families in our core business of accommodation and food are to be quickly absorbed.
Turnover
growth Sector growth.
Relationship with decision-makers

Optimal lobbying towards the achievement of our ideal objectives.
Pricing
Bed price for multi-bed rooms: comparable to the price level of local competitors. Bed price for two-bed rooms: making full use of
local opportunities.
Achievement of social objectives

In accordance with the mission statement of the Swiss Youth Hostels and the mission of Hostelling International.
Offer
Predominantly multi-bed rooms.
Market performance quality
Better multi-bed rooms than competitors, at least meeting the requirements of the construction guide from the Swiss Foundation
for Social Tourism.
Consideration of employees interests

Social behaviour towards employees, and consideration of employee interests as far as is reasonable for the overall organisation.
Management style
Predominantly cooperative, on the basis of target agreement and
qualification processes.
Portrait
Distinctions and awards
12/13
1999
Event Master Schweiz | Winner in the category Public Events
2007
Milestone | Swiss tourism award for sustainability and the environment
2008

ICOMOS Award | Distinction for the Zurich Youth Hostel for its sensitive renovation of a
building from the 1960s
2008
Hans E. Moppert Prize | Distinction for the Scuol Youth Hostel for sustainable tourism in the Alps
2010

Award Marketing + Architecture | Distinction for the Scuol Youth Hostel,

special award Green Technology
2010

Award Marketing + Architecture | Distinction for the Scuol Youth Hostel,

category winner Hotels, Restaurants
2010
Award Marketing + Architecture | Distinction for Scuol Youth Hostel, main winner
2010
myclimate Award 2010 | Distinction for the best integration of CO2 compensation

2011
zkb
nachhaltigkeitspreis kmu

ZKB Sustainability Award for SMEs | Distinction for outstanding contribution

in the field of sustainable development
2011

Swiss Solar Prize | Award in category A, Personalities/Institutions, for comprehensive

environmental management and a pioneering role in environmentally compatible tourism
Anita and
Daniel
from Zofingen
on a cycling
tour
Target
achievement
in 2011
14/15
Our main aim is the maintenance of

value-for-money services. In spite of
that, we wish to respond to increasing quality requirements. We wish to
offer a demand-conscious, innovative
programme of services for our guests
which is attractive and offers real
alternatives when compared to other
forms of accommodation in other
words: to cultivate simplicity. We attach particular importance to transparent structures, personal management of our hostels and a pleasant
atmosphere.
Target achievement in 2011
Evaluation
No
All hostels are certified by Switzerland

Tourism and HI-Q
Information procurement and supplemen- Information is available on disabled actation of printed material and information cess for all hostels
on the Internet
Yes
Yes
Obstacle-free youth hostels
Employee training
Yes
Food & Beverage
Purchasing from contractual suppliers
No
Hygiene
Implementation of hygiene concept
No
Complaint management
Evaluation and definition of measures
No
Simple maintenance
Zero tolerance for defective parts and

graffiti
Yes
Facility management
Establishment, implementation and safe- Concepts, checklists and training

guarding of facility management
Yes
Distribution channels
Updating of Internet content
Daily updates
Yes
Promote interaction on intranet
40,000 newsletters ordered
Yes
Measures
Target value
Quality assurance and quality

improvement
Switzerland Tourism and HI-Q
quality seals
Ensuring of defined standards regarding

quality, work safety and the environment
Certification and recertification
At least 1 Q-audit per hostel
Employees are well trained in dealing

with disabled people and in the delivery
of specific information
100% purchasing from defined suppliers
No objections at monitoring
Daily evaluation and introduction of
measures
Regular and systematic monitoring
Need for
action
Target
achievement
Indicators for our guests
Reservation management
Available beds are allocated via E-commerce
100% bookability
Yes
Revenue and channel manager
Design and implementation
Functional and implemented
No
New technology
Ensure availability
100% availability on 365 days
No
Overnight stays
Sales activities
775,130
Yes
Membership base
Targeted membership recruitment
105,000
Yes
Yes
Evaluation
Need for
action
(31,634)
(737,827)
(101,085)
Membership revenue in CHF
Consistent selling of membership
2,063,250
Indicators for our employees

Measures
Target setting and qualifications Target setting, performance appraisal and

individual development plan
Further training
Attending internal or external basic/further training courses
Safety at the workplace
Training in security plans
Social counselling
Satisfaction
Information on infrastructure and facilities

Positively influence working environment
Target value
Target
achievement
(2,070,453)
Carry out with all employees
Yes
Participation in at least one course per

executive staff member
Every employee knows operational
security plans
Sensible use
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
Satisfaction index 95
(92)
Fluctuation rate
Positively influence working environment, Max. 9.5%

actively support staff
(9.3%)
Target value
Structural and operational measures
Reduction of at least 25% compared

with year 2000
Max. 4.5 kWh per overnight stay
Need for
action
Space heating, CO2 loading
Measures
Evaluation
Indicators for our relationship

with the environment
16/17
Target
achievement
Target achievement in 2011
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
(37.6%)
(4.6)
Water consumption
Max. 137 litres per overnight stay
(125)
CO2 compensation
Active sales
60% of guests agree to compensation
Conception and implementation
Indicators for our economic viability
Bed occupancy
Measures
Target value
Sales activities
51%
Need for
action
Create incentive system for guests to use

public transport to get to hostels
Evaluation
Mobility
Target
achievement
(63.1%)
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
(47.9%)
Turnover in million CHF
Sales activities
42.0
(42.5)
Incoming turnover in
million CHF
E-commerce turnover in million
CHF
Cross-selling turnover in million
CHF
Calculations
Sales activities
0.4
(0.55)
Sales activities
8.4
(7.6)
Sales activities
0.50
(0.23)
Observe minimum margins
72% kitchen
(73.4%)
55% drinks
(57.8%)
25% kiosk
(45.4%)
15% ticket sales
(12.3%)
Cash flow
Return on equity
Adapt investment activities to business

performance
Return on equity
40% of cash flow covers all

investments
2%
(27.3%)
(1.5%)
Productivity per employee
Flexible personnel planning adapted to

business performance
160,500
(154,373)
Class camp on
Rot-
berg
Our
guests
18/19
We bear a special responsibility towards our guests, since travel is of

extreme emotional and material importance to them and is associated
with a special need to feel confident,
safe and secure. We wish to respond
to the many and diverse expectations
of our guests in a creative way. We
treat our guests as people who have
a zest for life and are enthusiastic,
interested, contact-loving and ready
to take the natural environment and
their fellow travellers into consideration. We wish to respond to such
qualities and promote such attitudes.
Our guests
Our activities focus on our guests. Using management and quality

systems, we want to ensure that we can successfully provide our
products and services. The quality assurance systems Quality. Our
Passion by Switzerland Tourism and HI-Q by Hostelling International are integral components of our processes; the introduction
of the EU Eco-label and the Ibex Fairstay label (formerly Ibex label)
has added further tools that guarantee lasting quality.
Switzerland Tourisms quality seal and Hostelling Internationals HI-Q management system assure quality. All Swiss youth
hostels operate according to the specifications of these labels or
of equivalent quality assurance systems (e.g. ISO 9001, ISO 14001,
Valais Excellence) and have been certified accordingly.
We consider the long-term benefits of the Ibex Fairstay label
in the economic, social and ecological areas to be beyond dispute,
as well as tremendously valuable. Furthermore, this provides an
opportunity to meaningfully communicate the subject matter, and
to reach a clear positioning on the market. All of the hostels run
independently by the Swiss Youth Hostels that meet the requirements in construction terms are certified, or are in the process of
obtaining certification.
While the EU Eco-label distinguishes companies that reduce
energy, water and waste, and that use environmentally friendly materials, the Ibex Fairstay label certifies sustainable management
in the areas of business management, business administration,
environmental management, employees, regional value creation
and culture.
Certified companies
2009
2010
2011
EU Eco-label
20
34
40
in processing
12
12
Ibex-Fairstay Label
Bronze
13
20
17
Gold
12
20
Platinum
12
12
Q Quality Seal I
47*
50*
49*
Q Quality Seal II
Q Quality Seal III
HI-Q I
47*
46*
41*
HI-Q II
16*
Silver
in processing
Q Quality Seal
HI-Q
* including Zurich administrative office
It is gratifying that the youth hostels Baden, Locarno, Pontresina,

Schaan-Vaduz and Zurich improved their rating in recertification
and obtained the GOLD Ibex Fairstay label. The Basel and Scuol
youth hostels were awarded the PLATINUM Ibex Fairstay label; this
top-level award has only been achieved by six accommodation establishments in Switzerland.
Our range of offers

In 2011 there were 54 youth hostels in Switzerland, with a total of
6,342 beds. The Swiss Youth Hostels Association independently
operated 45 hostels on a lend/lease basis; nine youth hostels belonged to the network as franchisees. Again, enormous sums were
invested in renovations/improvements to our range of offers:
New Interlaken Youth Hostel
After the groundbreaking ceremony in January, the building envelope that will house the Jungfrau Raiffeisenbank and the youth
hostel was erected in a little more than six months. This sets the
stage for the May 2012 opening of an ultra-modern and spacious
hostel with 220 beds in a prime location in Interlaken. In the summer, following completion of the shell, we decided to incorporate
a public restaurant as well. All the details of the new restaurant
concept 3a were worked out in a very short period.
The construction project is the result of a collaboration between two different companies looking to emphasise their common ground under a single roof: the Jungfrau Raiffeisenbank and
the Swiss Youth Hostels share similar values; both companies are
committed to regionalism, to high-level architecture and to strong
partnerships. As a visible sign of these ideals, the building is being
constructed to the MINERGIE-P-ECO standard.
Controlled ventilation at Zurich Youth Hostel

The Zurich Youth Hostel was extensively renovated and expanded
from 2002 to 2004. Due to the wish to preserve the buildings historical foundations, it was not feasible to implement the exterior
insulation needed from a structural-physical perspective. It was
expected that the damp problem would be eliminated by reducing
the number of beds. But this hope was dashed by the strongly increased winter occupancy rate following the renovation. Thorough
analyses have shown that the problem can only be solved through
controlled ventilation. For the guests, there will be a very beneficial
side-effect: the air quality in the multi-bed rooms will be improved
a great deal. After a short planning period, construction began in
January and was completed on schedule in April.
New Fiesch Youth Hostel
Together with the Canton of Valais, the Holiday Village Fiesch cooperative purchased the former military hospital before converting it
into a very modern youth hostel with 92 beds.
Maintenance work
In the year under review, the owner, the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism, and the operator, the Swiss Youth Hostels Association, invested around 2.76 million francs in the youth hostels and
administrative office for regular maintenance and replacement for
buildings and equipment (excluding IT).
Our guests
20/21
Changes in the range of offers
In view of the opening of the new Interlaken Youth Hostel, the Bnigen Youth Hostel was closed at the end of October 2011 and sold by
the owner, the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism.
With effect from the end of 2011, the franchise relationships
with the youth hostels Hospental, Langnau i.E. and Rorschach
were terminated due to non-adherence to minimum standards
and/or lack of willingness to obtain the relevant quality and sustainability certificates.
Since 2008, we have been pursuing the goal of consistently expanding both infrastructure and the supply of services for people
with restrictions. In 2011, 25 youth hostels were partially suitable
or suitable for wheelchair users. The further training course working with disabled people was conducted twice for employees at
these hostels.
On our website, all obstacle-free hostels have been updated
and provided with an additional link for specific obstacle-free
services. Moreover, all hostels have been described in detail on
www.rollihotel.ch, the most important travel platform for people
with restrictions. Our cooperation with Rollihotel, My Handycap
and Pro Infirmis is multifaceted and broadly covers the Swiss market; unfortunately, there are a lack of partners abroad.
We recorded no complaints from individuals with restrictions
in the course of the year under review. We conclude from this encouraging trend that the expectations of this segment of guests
were largely met at the youth hostels.
Several projects entered the active planning stage in 2011.
Replacement buildings for Bnigen and Saanen will provide two

new obstacle-free hostels; alterations are also planned for the end
of 2012 to make the Avenches Youth Hostel obstacle-free.
New technology and distribution channels
The targeted use of modern technology is more important than
ever: administration and reservation software in the administrative
area, and online distribution channels for sales. Here, technologies
must be chosen that meet the highest security standards.
In the year under review, we invested CHF 405,560 in operations, safety and renovations. Our website was redesigned, lending
it greater clarity and ease of use. Furthermore, in the public areas
of the youth hostels, our guests can use the WiFi connection at no
cost.
A pilot project with the Basel and St. Moritz youth hostels on
the online booking platform booking.com demonstrated that external booking platforms can bring in new guest segments from the
hotel industry, and can above all open up new markets for the youth
hostels.
A revenue and channel manager has been introduced to help
the individual youth hostels increase the efficiency of quota management on the various external book platforms and on our own
website. Up to the end of 2012, the various digital channels are now
being gradually connected to the revenue and channel manager.
The objective is that by the end of 2012, all quotas can be managed
and maintained in one place, i.e. the revenue and channel manager.
This also creates the technical preconditions for implementing a
flexible and market-oriented pricing policy.
Electronic distribution channels

Visitors to www.youthhostel.ch
visitors per day
Number of pages opened
Number of bookings via online systems
Overnight stays resulting from online bookings
Turnover resulting from online bookings
1)
2009
2010
2011
1,208,885
1,235,261
1,345,093
3,310
3,381
3,682
11,295,145
10,271,212
5,730,9631)
41,743
43,462
47,729
152,797
158,391
172,141
6,405,344
6,739,845
7,633,415
The decrease in the number of web pages opened on www.youthhostel.ch is a positive consequence of the redesign;
visitors require fewer clicks to obtain the desired result.
Our customers and members

Every time they visit, guests are given the opportunity to rate their
stay. Around 12,000 visitors made use of this opportunity last year.
In terms of the overall rating, customer satisfaction remained unchanged in comparison to the previous year; the individual valuation areas were at the same level as in the previous year, or slightly
higher.
Customer satisfaction
Employees
Rooms
Shower/WC
Lounge
Meals
Cleanliness
Atmosphere
Comfort
Price/performance
Overall rating
2009
86
72
71
71
79
82
77
68
70
75
2010
87
73
72
73
81
84
79
69
72
77
Rating system: Very good (100 pts), Good (75 pts), Satisfied (50 pts),
Not satisfied (1 pt)
2011
88
75
73
75
81
84
79
70
71
77
Our guests
Guest diversity
The effects of the strong franc become apparent in the statistics
for overnight stays. While overnight stays declined by 2.8% for the
central market of Switzerland, the number of stays from Germany,
Switzerland
the most important euro market, dropped by 8.4%; on the other

hand, we recorded increased demand in the emerging markets:
there was an increase in overnight stays of 22% from China, and
19% from India.
2009 arrivals
% share
2010 arrivals
% share
2011 arrivals
% share
280,619
58.25%
277,922
58.00%
267,990
58.55%
13.20%
Germany
65,948
13.69%
65,446
13.75%
60,428
France
15,102
3.13%
15,946
3.35%
13,863
3.03%
USA
12,518
2.60%
11,922
2.51%
12,175
2.66%
Great Britain
11,380
2.36%
11,770
2.47%
10,244
2.24%
Spain
9,105
1.89%
8,979
1.89%
8,860
1.94%
Italy
Netherlands
China
8,682
8,231
5,007
1.80%
1.71%
1.04%
8,906
7,919
4,639
1.87%
1.66%
0.97%
8,850
6,646
5,977
1.93%
1.45%
1.31%
Japan
4,838
1.00%
4,342
0.91%
4,064
0.89%
Austria
4,421
0.92%
4,207
0.88%
3,710
0.81%
South Korea
2,583
0.54%
3,411
0.72%
3,667
0.80%
Canada
4,382
0.91%
3,951
0.83%
3,565
0.78%
Belgium
3,612
0.75%
3,509
0.74%
3,553
0.78%
Australia
4,145
0.86%
3,818
0.80%
3,545
0.77%
Czech Republic
3,038
0.63%
2,652
0.56%
3,126
0.68%
India
2,488
0.52%
2,198
0.46%
2,417
0.53%
Poland
1,680
0.35%
2,079
0.44%
2,307
0.50%
Brazil
2,034
0.42%
2,103
0.44%
2,123
0.46%
31,918
6.63%
30,169
6.34%
30,623
6.69%
Other countries
Average length of guests stay (days)
Switzerland
Members
2009
2010
2011
1.98
1.97
1.99
Germany
2.16
2.17
2.15
France
1.80
1.82
1.84
USA
1.70
2.23
1.67
Great Britain
2.30
1.77
2.32
Spain
1.82
1.91
2.19
Italy
1.87
1.84
Netherlands
1.88
China
1.52
Japan
1.65
1.67
1.75
Austria
2.04
1.99
1.82
South Korea
1.47
1.49
1.53
Canada
1.78
1.78
1.81
Belgium
2.14
1.89
2.02
Australia
1.83
1.85
2.04
Czech Republic
1.86
1.82
2.20
India
1.60
1.66
Poland
1.86
1.98
Brazil
1.72
Average
1.98
As of 31 December 2011, the Swiss Youth Hostels Association had

a membership of 101,085. This represents a decrease of 3.4% on
the previous year.
Junior members
2009
2010
2011
32,395
32,080
32,244
Senior members
46,182
47,598
45,354
1.93
Family members
19,869
19,700
18,193
1.93
1.86
Group members
1.57
1.49
Total
4,958
5,285
5,294
103,404
104,663
101,085
Age profile of members

2009
2010
2011
Up to 20 years
34%
34%
35%
1.81
20 to 25 years
7%
7%
5%
1.85
26 to 34 years
9%
9%
8%
1.94
1.85
35 to 44 years
20%
20%
19%
1.99
1.99
Over 45 years
30%
30%
33%
Our guests
22/23
Guest segments
Individual guests
2009
% share
2010
% share
2011
% share
451,094
47.21%
441,569
46.69%
410,651
44.97%
20.41%
Groups
184,865
19.35%
181,170
19.15%
186,333
Schools
128,083
13.40%
134,416
14.21%
137,092
15.01%
Families
191,508
20.04%
188,673
19.95%
179,018
19.61%
Total
955,550
100%
945,828
100%
913,094
100%
Key figures
19921)
19962)
20003)
2004
2008
2009
2010
2011
n/c
562,543
573,248
577,274
785,209
747,798
746,032
737,827
920,524
744,777
814,075
838,900
986,471
955,550
945,828
913,094
78,522
65,855
66,277
93,273
95,236
103,404
104,663
101,085
4)
n/c
n/c
n/c
n/c
75
75
77
77
Investments in maintenance and

replacement (SYH & SFST)
Investments in refurbishment and new
buildings (SFST)
n/c
1,024,134 1,725,384
1,769,011
2,580,701
2,352,727
2,599,830
2,756,282
1,224,345 13,393,294 11,753,036
9,017,519
9,439,124
8,672,821
Overnight stays, own hostels

Overnight stays including franchise hostels
Total members
Guest satisfaction
Rental costs
n/c
1,755,099
n/c
237,421 3,982,546
3,129,681 3,925,932 5,260,975

4)
Rating system: Very good (100 pts), Good (75 pts), Satisfied (50 pts), Not satisfied (1 pt)
n/c not collected
1)
2)
3)
9,521,501
8,861,886
Sandra from
Portugal
working in
Room
Service
Our
employees
24/25
We are aware that all the employees

of our organisation, which is based on
personal performance and relationships, play a vital role and we make
correspondingly high demands on
them. We pursue a progressive employee policy, especially with regard
to management style, working conditions, social security, equal opportunities, personal responsibility and
career advancement.
Our employees
Family and work

It is an important aspect of the social responsibility of an employer
that employees feel comfortable, and that they are able to combine
family and work in a satisfactory manner. Accordingly, we provide a
great deal of flexibility in the configuration of the workload. In the
year under review, there were 49 employees at the Zurich office for
the equivalent of 37 full-time posts; in the youth hostels, 231 fulltime posts were distributed across 448 employees.
Wage system
For years now, a wage system has been in place for the managers
of the youth hostels that is based on a wage and revenue-sharing
model. While the wage components are specified according to
uniform standards, revenue sharing is derived from the extent to
which the budget is complied with and to which objectives are met.
Employees are paid in accordance with the specifications of
the trade associations, and for many years now all employees have
received pay for a 13th month (in contrast to the provisions of the
collective employment agreement in the hotel and restaurant sectors). A bonus scheme for youth hostel employees has been introduced to additionally reward the achievements of our employees,
as recorded by our guests satisfaction concerning friendliness,
quality of food and cleanliness. This bonus is paid out in vouchers;
vouchers worth CHF 27,700 were awarded in the year under review.
Following the principle of equal pay for men and women, the
Swiss Youth Hostels pay both sexes according to same terms/rates.
Payroll in CHF
Social security contributions in CHF
Profit-sharing in CHF
2009
2010
14,299,898 14,844,585
2011
15,507,270
2,388,245
2,360,983
2,568,358
459,611
461,017
298,621
Target agreement
Based on the mission statement, the medium-term strategies of
the Swiss Youth Hostels are defined by the executive board and
then further specified by the management in terms of their content
and timing within the context of the annual operating goals.
The annual operating goals are derived for the different levels and operationalised with concrete target formulations as part
of the target formulation and agreement process. Following this
top-down process, both co-ordination and consolidation are done
bottom-up.
This systematic process provides all employees with the necessary understanding of the organisations objectives while establishing the relevant prerequisites for active participation.
Qualification system
Employee qualification is a regularly occurring, future-oriented
meeting between qualifying supervisor and employee to determine
the status quo. This interview is based on open dialogue, giving
employees the opportunity to present their concerns and expectations as well; in this way, employees can also qualify their supervisors. The qualification meeting is held with each employee before
the end of the probationary period and following this at least once
a year, and is appropriately documented.
The objectives of the qualification process are:
Recognition and promotion of performance and behaviour
Alignment of employees efforts to changing objectives and
tasks
Promotion of the development and motivation of employees

Reinforcement of mutual trust
Reinforcement of employees capacity for realistic self-assess ment
Training and further training
Further training represents a key element in our efforts to boost
quality for our guests and employees. In the year under review,
there were 34 further training courses with external and internal
speakers, two-day regional meetings and the three-day autumn
meeting, all of which were attended by a total of 535 participants.
As an organisation with Swiss/international activities, language skills are of paramount importance. Accordingly, qualified
language teachers are available to the employees of the administrative office on a weekly basis. A total of 418 lessons were provided for French and 202 lessons for English, in individual and group
tuition.
Employees who foresee spending their career with the Swiss
Youth Hostels can complete a promotional programme. Over the
course of one to two years, candidates work in different positions
and participate in project teams in order to acquire the skill set
required for a different/higher position in the future. By actively
supporting young talent, we are able to repeatedly recruit future
managers from within our own ranks, while simultaneously reducing the fluctuation rate.
External basic and further training is given financial support,
provided the knowledge that is gained will benefit the persons everyday work. A minimum term of employment is agreed by contract,
depending on the level of financial assistance.
In 2011, the Swiss Youth Hostels employed four apprentices
(business administration) and two trainees from professional tourism schools in the Zurich office. A total of nine apprentices/trainees worked at the youth hostels.
Further training courses offered

Number of participants
Total hours of further training within the
organisation
2009
31*
368
2010
34*
483
2011
34*
535
4,442 5,803 5,220
Number of persons in promotional programme

Number of apprentices and trainees
3
15
3
14
2
15
Number of persons involved in external basic/

further training
plus individual and group tuition in English and French
Special services
Employees, voluntary executive board members and delegates receive accommodation coupons allowing free usage of youth hostels for themselves and their family members every year. In 2011,
benefits worth CHF 99,451 were provided in this manner.
Case management and social counselling
Accidents and illnesses experienced by our employees are handled
in a professional manner in cooperation with an external business
partner, and all measures are taken to ensure the reintegration of
affected employees. An external social counselling service is also
available, free of charge, to all employees for personal, health-related, financial, legal or administrative matters.
Our employees
26/27
2009
2010
2011
15
25
27
0%
4%
0%
614 days
13%
12%
4%
1530 days
27%
36%
22%
3160 days
27%
20%
30%
6190 days
20%
8%
4%
91365 days
13%
20%
37%
over 365 days
0%
0%
3%
personal/family-related
health-related
work-related
financial
professional consultation
Case-management Assisted employees
Retirement assets in CHF
Inability to work
up to 5 days
2009
2010
2011
13,440,298
15,543,965
16,353,780
Available funds in CHF
840,326
910,544
1,043,082
Cover ratio
106.14%
105.77%
106.23%
390
431
412
23
25
26
Active insured persons

Pensioners
Occupational safety and health promotion

Ensuring optimum safety and health for our employees takes the
highest priority. This is safeguarded with special employee instruction/training on location, ongoing risk evaluation with corresponding
measures definition, and sporadic safety audits in the workplaces.
Concepts, information leaflets and checklists for workplace
safety and health promotion have been revised and published in
multiple languages for employees.
Social counselling questions/consultations
Persons performing civil service

Civil service is a substitute for military service for young men unable to perform military service on conscientious grounds. These
individuals can instead carry out their service in the social sector,
in nature park projects and in charitable organisations. The Swiss
Youth Hostels also offer opportunities for persons performing civil
service. In 2011, 192 persons carried out 6,538 days of service in
our organisation. Likewise, members of the German Volunteer Service carried numerous days of service.
Retirement planning
The Swiss Youth Hostels have their own retirement pension foundation. The whole of the pension fund investments are reinsured
through AXA Leben AG and there is no liability for any deductions
from the investments. As of 31 December 2011, the cover ratio was
106.23%. In view of the favourable financial position, in the year
under review the board of trustees was able once again to pay interest on the employees retirement credit balance at a rate that is
one percentage point higher than the minimum BVG rate stipulated
by the Federal Council. In addition, pension recipients were paid a
Christmas bonus in the form of a 13th pension payment.
The board of trustees is composed of four employee representatives and four employer representatives.
Employee representatives Granacher Bernhard | Knzli Martin |
Lutz Walter | Zollinger Markus (President)
Employer representatives Dobler Ren | Gmr Fredi (Vice President) | Hitz Ursula | Mller Christoph
Employee/employer relationship
The Employee Commission (see page 40) represents the interests
of employees vis--vis the executive board and management. Employee meetings were held on the occasion of the regional meetings and at the autumn conference. The quarterly discussions
between the Employee Commission, management and representatives of the executive board were extremely constructive and fostered mutual trust.
Key figures
19921)
19962)
20003)
2004
2008
2009
2010
2011
Employment
Employees, hostels
n/c
363
345
310
418
410
398
448
Full-time posts, hostels
n/c
175.7
163.0
176.4
225.0
219.2
223.9
231.4
Employees, administrative office
n/c
29
27
30
37
37
45
49
Full-time posts, administrative office
n/c
21.4
22.6
23.9
27.6
30.8
33.4
37.4
Employees, total
n/c
392
372
340
455
447
443
497
Full-time posts, total
n/c
197.1
185.6
200.3
252.6
250.0
257.3
268.9
Fluctuation rate
n/c
n/c
n/c
n/c
9.1%
9.5%
7.0%
9.3%
Satisfaction index
n/c
n/c
n/c
n/c
95
97
96
92
Average age
n/c
n/c
n/c
n/c
37.2
37.8
38.4
37.9
Overall percentage of women
n/c
n/c
n/c
n/c
66%
66%
67%
67%
Percentage of women in executive positions
n/c
n/c
n/c
n/c
55%
56%
58%
55%
Minimum gross wages
n/c
2,250
2,360
3,100
3,250
3,350
3,350
3,400
Ratio of highest wage to minimum wage (wage spread)
n/c
>3.92
>4.24
>4.03
>4.15
>4.03
>4.03
>3.97
Occupational accidents
n/c
n/c
n/c
n/c
21
16
16
16
Non-occupational accidents
n/c
n/c
n/c
n/c
25
36
31
38
Days of absence due to accident, illness or maternity
n/c
n/c
n/c
n/c
5,281
2,914
2,990
4,675
n/c
n/c
n/c
n/c
276,554
348,375
325,888
406,607
Staff profile
Wage spread
Accidents, days of absence
Direct cost of days of absence

1)
2)
3)
Launch implementation of strategic planning n/c) not collected
CHRISTIAN
from Konstanz
preparing his
CANOE
Our
relationship
with the
environment
28/29
We are aware that the local population and the natural environment in
the areas in which we operate are
crucially important both to us and to
our guests. We wish to take the interests of the local population into account as much as possible, to respect
their independence and culture, and
to make every effort to minimise our
impact on the environment. We aim
for our youth hostels and leisure activities to be environmentally friendly
and compatible with the countryside.
Thanks to a simple general offer (low floor space per bed), youth
hostels boast very high levels of environmental compatibility. In
terms of CO2 emissions, in principle the level of environmental
compatibility rises as the standard of accommodation becomes
simpler. However, this high environmental compatibility does not
mean that we do not achieve the best possible outcome. The youth
hostels fully adhere to the principle of Avoid, Reduce, Compen-
sate and indeed in that order.

In general, we pay close attention to the efficiency of measures. Aided by analyses, the largest reduction potentials are determined before appropriate measures are formulated. A comprehensive environmental management system for hostel construction
and operation has been created over many years.
Real estate
The course towards environmentally friendly operation is set during the construction of a hostel. Heating energy and electricity are
the principal environmental factors. For new buildings, the youth
hostels are committed to the Minergie and ECO standards. Minergie-certified buildings exhibit far lower energy consumption than
conventional buildings. This form of construction has been adopted by the Swiss Youth Hostels for new buildings and major renovations. Eco-Bau lays out the most ecologically efficient materials
and construction services.
We are even going a step further with the construction of the
Interlaken Youth Hostel: Here, the objective is known as MinergieP-ECO, which means that the buildings also actively contribute to
energy generation. Solar hot water production is economically at-
tractive (13 plants with a total of 501 m2). Under ideal conditions,
photovoltaic power generation systems can also be used (three
plants with a total of 1,238 m2).
Solar Prize for the Swiss Youth Hostels
In October 2011, the Swiss Youth Hostels Association was awarded
the 2011 Swiss Solar Prize in the Personalities/Institutions category for its comprehensive environmental management in construction and operation, and for its pioneering role in environmentally compatible tourism. Since 1990 the Swiss Solar Prize has been
awarded in a variety of categories: for buildings, solar systems, bestintegrated plants, as well as personalities, municipalities, cantons,
architects, engineers and companies dedicated to solar energy.
Operation
The Swiss Youth Hostels work with a comprehensive environmental management system. The highest standards and the best labels
serve as yardsticks, selected partners as indicators. In the near future, all youth hostels will be certified with the EU Eco-label and the
Ibex Fairstay label (cf. page 20).
CO2 emissions/CO2 compensation/exemption from CO2 levy
With climate warming, CO2 emissions have moved into the focus
alongside resource consumption. A masters thesis by Michael
Keller has outlined the CO2 emissions of the youth hostels and the
main emitters. Heat, electricity and external factors such as restaurant services are more or less equal contributors with about a
third each. Thanks to the purchase via certificates of 100% hydroelectric power, the CO2 emissions for electricity in the hostels have
been reduced to almost zero.
Through diverse measures, the Swiss Youth Hostels are continuously reducing their CO2 emissions. The specific CO2 emissions
for space heating have been reduced by 37.6% compared to the
year 2000. This means that the binding target value for 2011 (8.5%)
agreed with the Energy Agency for Industry EnAW was significantly
exceeded. Part of the overfulfilment of around 650 tonnes of CO2 was
sold to the Climate Cent Foundation. Compared to the baseline year,
CO2 intensity now amounts to just 62% per square metre of floor
space, meaning that less than two thirds of the quantities of CO2 are
being emitted compared to the year 2000. The targets agreed with
the Energy Agency for Industry EnAW for the period from 2008 to
2012, and the contractually agreed overfulfilment with the Climate
Cent Foundation, are with all certainty going to be achieved.
What the Swiss Youth Hostels have so far been unable to reduce or avoid, is to a large extent compensated for. The guests continue to distinguish themselves by their very high level of participation in the voluntary CO2 compensation scheme: 63.1% of guests
thus add their own personal commitment to the efforts of the youth
hostels, compensating their CO2 emissions by an average of 5.5 kg
per overnight stay. This results in annual compensation of around
3,000 tonnes of CO2. Half of this amount is utilised for the benefit of
projects from the myclimate foundation (currently for efficient stoves
in Peru), while the other half is fed into a climate fund for measures
at youth hostels. This is further augmented by the income generated
by the photovoltaic plant constructed in St. Moritz in 2010. Furthermore, the youth hostels compensate for the flights and car journeys
undertaken by the Zurich office employees.
Heat
At about 6,700 MWh per year, heating is the largest energy factor in
the youth hostels. Consumption is reduced through improvements
to the building envelopes and the heating systems. CO2 emissions
are further reduced by converting heating systems, whenever possible from fossil fuels to renewable energies. Connections to district heating networks, as well as operational optimisations, also
help to improve energy efficiency. The long-standing focus of energy-saving efforts on the area of heating is reflected in the great
success in reduction. Compared to the baseline year of 2000, the
specific energy consumption of 155 kWh per m2 was reduced to 98
kWh per m2. It should also be noted that the measures in this area
have a long-term impact (building envelope, etc.).
30/31
Electricity
Over 90% of electricity consumption can be influenced on the side
of the hostels, or through operational controls. For this reason, the
youth hostels deliberately refrain from harassing guests with reminders to save energy. At the same time, new and replacement
investments are subject to the highest energy requirements. Power
consumption has been significantly reduced by consistently purchasing the most efficient machinery and equipment (top ten
devices, heat recovery, etc.). Reduction is partially offset again as
a result of improvements to technical standards, or through the
Minergie standard (ventilation). Thanks to our intense saving efforts, average power consumption has nevertheless remained at
a stable level (4.6 kWh per overnight stay). With the use of hydropower certificates, since early 2009 we have covered the entire annual electricity requirement of 3,500 MWh from renewable Swiss
hydropower.
Consumption quantities
Coffee in kg
Fruit juice in litres
Sugar in kg
Tea in kg
Rice in kg
2009
6,234
108,240
2,810
102
4,880
2010
6,454
111,624
2,685
105
5,580
2011
6,375
112,428
2,645
145
5,260
Furthermore, in their choice of fresh foodstuffs the youth

hostels place high value on regional products. Exclusively environmentally friendly products are used in the area of cleaning/hygiene.
Compliance is ensured by clear product/supplier requirements with
quality specifications, and by the regular internal and external audits
stipulated by the Ibex Fairstay label.
Waste and disposal
We are committed to the comprehensive recycling of reusable materials. This is implemented at the Zurich administrative office as
well as in the hostels. In all hostels, guests are provided with recycling points for glass, paper, PET and aluminium; all other types of
waste are disposed of appropriately.
Water
Water is a significant environmental factor in accommodation establishments. Above all, a substantial portion of thermal energy is
used for hot water. The comprehensive water-saving measures in
recent years, which have been funded by the Climate Fund, have
shown a big impact. Despite continuous improvements to the standards for showers and toilets, there has been a further reduction of
the average consumption to 125 litres per overnight stay. Compared
to hotel industry benchmarks, these are outstanding values.
Mobility
Shuttle transport is of only secondary importance at the youth hostels. The administrative office is easily accessible by public transport, and the employees working in the hostels are above all locally
resident. At around one percent of CO2 emissions, business travel is
likewise a low contributor. The youth hostels compensate for all business travel, including business flights, at the myclimate foundation.
The environmental impact of transports (supplies) cannot be
straightforwardly determined. The youth hostels respond to this
by giving preference to local products, and by focusing on a small
number of suppliers carrying a broad range.
Tourism means travel, and travel means mobility. Guests
travel to the hostels represents a substantial environmental factor. At the youth hostels, the CO2 emissions associated with this
travel are comparable to an overnight stay (5.5 kg CO2/overnight
stay is equivalent to about 30 car-kilometres). The youth hostels
are aware of this fact, and therefore encourage the use of public
transport. Work was begun in the year under review on drawing up
a mobility concept; immediate measures are intended to achieve
short-term success.
Environmentally friendly products and materials

With regard to purchasing, the Swiss Youth Hostels give great
weight to environmental factors. As one of the largest providers
of accommodation in Switzerland, we are aware of the impact of
our demand criteria on suppliers. The environmentally friendly
choice of materials begins with construction that is in line with
ECO standards (environmentally friendly choice of materials, grey
energy, etc.). As a member of the WWF Climate Group, the Swiss
Youth Hostels undertake to select from top ten products when
purchasing household appliances, lamps and lighting equipment,
as well as IT equipment.
Since 1 December 2008, we have purchased products with
Max Havelaar Fair Trade seal of approval:
Ecological services
19921)
19962)
20003)
2004
2008
2009
2010
2011
Reduction in specific CO2 loading
n/c
n/c
0%
4.2%
28.3%
27.9%
37.1%
37.6%
Electricity consumption per overnight stay (kWh)
n/c
5.5
4.9
4.9
4.4
4.5
4.5
4.6
Energy consumption per m2 (kWh)
n/c
n/c
155
138
110
112
97
98
Water consumption per overnight stay (litres)
n/c
168
166
153
136
137
132
125
Percentage of compensated overnight stays
28.7%
57.2%
63.9%
63.1%
Compensation for overnight stays in CHF*
130,813
254,979
237,062
232,813
Own projects realised in CHF
33,287
13,454
213,128
1,959
Payment to myclimate through compensation by guests,

in CHF
68,406
127,490
118,531
116,406
Payment to myclimate as compensation for car and

air-kilometres
1,800
2,175
2,237
3,376
Resource consumption / emissions

Space heating (oil/gas):
CO2 compensation
1)
2)
* starting 1 December 2009: decrease in compensation from CHF 0.60 to CHF 0.50
3)
n/c) not collected
Selim
from Menziken
on CiVIlSERVICE
Our
commercial
viability
32/33
We strive to build true partnerships

with all of the people, enterprises and
institutions that are important to us.
We consider close personal relationships and mutual agreement on fair
conditions to be especially meaningful. We seek active co-operation
with all key tourist organisations both
at home and abroad. We promote
both inter- and intra-organisational
co-operation.
Market development
2011 was marked by an expansion of personnel in the sales department in the areas of products (preparation of offers), sales
promotions (events, trade shows, sales trips), distribution (incoming, sales partnerships) and digital sales (online sales platforms,
Internet, analysis and statistics).
First priority was given to the expansion of digital sales. This
included, on the one hand, improved presence of the individual
youth hostels range of offers on our own website, and on the other,
the expansion of sales through external booking platforms. The
inclusion of the youth hostels on booking.com and the resulting
additional bookings confirm the validity of this approach. Further
platforms will be added in a targeted manner up to the end of 2012.
Offers advertising supersedes image advertising
In recent years, we have invested heavily in image advertising. In
2011, we consistently engaged in offers advertising: increasing
emphasis was placed on marketing and selling the individual youth
hostels diverse offers in the various media.
National and international sales activities

In the year under review, selling key hostels above all the Interlaken
Youth Hostel was to the fore in canvassing the various markets. The
Swiss Youth Hostels concentrated their presence on public events
and holiday trade fairs in Switzerland, as well as trade fairs abroad:
Switzerland ST Travel Mart Geneva | Indian Sales Workshop Interlaken | Swiss holiday trade fairs Basel, Bern, St. Gallen, Geneva and
Zurich | Bike Days Solothurn |Young Stage Basel | Gurtenfestival
Bern | Ferienplausch Zurich
Germany ITB Berlin
England TNT Travel Show London
Spain WYSTC Barcelona
South Korea KOFTA Seoul
Czech Republic Sales Workshop Prague
Engagement and partnerships

We maintain very close relationships at the national and international levels with competitors, trade associations and partners
from government and business. As dictated by our sustainability
strategy, and also for the good of society as a whole, we aim to be a
role model and motivator for the tourism industry.
Regional partnerships
The social and economic integration of any youth hostel in the
region takes the highest priority; support for local/regional associations, affiliations with trade associations and tourism organisations, and the procurement and utilisation of local products are all
actively promoted.
At a number of locations, the most important partners are also
the owners/landlords of our youth hostels, who lease out the properties
on moderate, sometimes symbolic terms. As of 1 May 2012, these are:
Baden Municipality of Baden | Bern Municipal Building Department of Bern | Dachsen-Rhine Falls Canton of Zurich | Fribourg
Municipality of Fribourg | Klosters Political Municipality of Wallisellen | Kreuzlingen City of Kreuzlingen | Lausanne City of Lausanne |
Mariastein-Rotberg Jugendburg Rotberg Foundation | Pontresina
Municipality of Pontresina | Rapperswil-Jona City of RapperswilJona | Richterswil Canton of Zurich | Schaan-Vaduz Schaan-Vaduz
Youth Hostel Foundation | Schaffhausen Municipality of Schaffhausen | Sion City of Sion | Solothurn Municipality of Solothurn | St.
Gallen Political Municipality of St. Gallen | Sta. Maria Municipality of
Sta. Maria | Zofingen Municipality of Zofingen
National commitment
IG Parahotellerie Schweiz
Following intensive negotiations, in January 2011 the Swiss Youth
Hostels, Interhome AG, REKA, TCS Switzerland (camping), and Bed
& Breakfast Switzerland founded a simple company under Swiss
law with the name IG Parahotellerie Schweiz (non-hotel accommodation Switzerland syndicate). Fredi Gmr is serving as president
of this company. The purpose of the company is to strengthen nonhotel accommodation, and to bring about an associated increase
in overnight stays in Swiss tourism through quality-conscious action. Likewise, it is hoped to raise general awareness of non-hotel
accommodation and enhance its image. The joint representation of
the interests of non-hotel accommodation (visitors taxes, cold
beds, the second home problem, etc.) opposite third parties (political parties, associations, public authorities) is to be strengthened
through the exchange of experience and strategic cooperation. IG
Parahotellerie Schweiz also represents the interests of the quality-conscious Swiss non-hotel accommodation industry in matters
of tourism policy, and promotes these interests with targeted partnerships and activities. The partners have undertaken to ensure
Leadership through quality by implementing the direct definition and control of quality standards, as well as maintaining and
operating their own online booking platforms.
A strategic partnership of 3 years has been agreed with
Switzerland Tourism. IG Parahotellerie Schweiz is investing an annual sum of CHF 250,000 for the marketing partnership. Additional
funds were provided for the realisation of a short-term impulse
programme for 2011/2012 which had been initiated due to the
strong franc. The services provided by Switzerland Tourism include
permanent, market-focused non-hotel marketing. Switzerland
Tourism is supporting the positive image of non-hotel accommodation and the relevant accommodation areas with targeted marketing and communications measures. Likewise, in its global marketing efforts, Switzerland Tourism is taking account of the visual
presence of IG Parahotellerie Schweiz.
Cooperations
Cooperations are an important and effective means of reaching
new guest segments together with partners. Thereby, the youth
hostels enter into multi-annual national and international partnerships. The cooperation with Switzerland Tourism has been strongly
intensified, and new partnerships have been agreed with SBB, IKEA
and Coop Hello Family. Existing partnerships have been renewed
with Rent-a-Bike, CSS insurance and also with WWF and VCS.
34/35
Participation in expert groups and committees
We are happy to pass on our vast experience of sustainable management at no cost, be it in the form of consultation to individual service
providers, students, hotel groups, trade associations or through active participation in committees. Ren Dobler became a member of
working groups of the Swiss Hotel Association and the Swiss Tourism Association. Fredi Gmr is a member of the Tourism Council of
Switzerland Tourism, and member of the board of the Swiss Tourism
Association. In addition, the management members took the opportunity to present the Sustainable Swiss Youth Hostels formula for
success at universities, technical colleges, general meetings, workshops and conferences both in Switzerland and abroad.
International cooperation
Hostelling International
The Swiss Youth Hostels have been a member of Hostelling International since its founding in 1932. The objective of Hostelling International is to promote the education and upbringing of young
people from all nations, and in particular young people with limited financial resources. These individuals are encouraged to learn
extensively about as well as to love and cherish the natural
world, and to appreciate the cultural values of small and large cities all over the world. To support these objectives, Hostelling International coordinates the mutual recognition of membership,
develops/promotes national networks and associations, defines
quality standards, coordinates marketing activities and maintains
the booking portal www.hihostels.com. Hostelling Internationals
efforts are supported by the Swiss Youth Hostels in that the members of their Executive Committee are actively involved in a variety
of working groups.
Hostelling International in figures:
71 member associations
8 associated organisations
4,000 youth hostels
38 million overnight stays annually
350,000 beds
Active in 90 countries
3.7 million national members, plus one million guest members
13 million annual visits to hihostels.com
Estimated annual revenue in the HI network of 1 billion francs
Hostelling International Marketing GmbH
Hostelling International Marketing GmbH is headquartered in Zurich. The Swiss Youth Hostels and their Dutch counterpart each
own a 50% share. The managing directors of the organisation are
the two CEOs, Fredi Gmr (SYH) and Marijke Schreiner (Stayokay).
On behalf of Hostelling International, Hostelling International
Marketing GmbH trains, audits and certifies member associations
and hostels worldwide in the HI quality assurance system. The second phase began in 2011 after the successful completion of the
first phase, in which 80% of the worldwide key hostels were integrated into the quality programme. For the integration of smaller
hostels, project manager Jrgen Gross developed a HI-Q Light version, which was complemented by online tools. At the same time,
new contracts were negotiated for a second contract period with
Hostelling International.
Cooperation with national youth hostel associations
At the international level, the Swiss Youth Hostels are considered
to be a leading organisation in terms of construction, operation and

management. In the year under review, representatives of the Swiss
Youth Hostels participated in the Conference of German-speaking
CEOs in Salzburg (A), at the European Conference in Rouen (F) and
at the Hostelling International CEO Meeting in Lisbon (P). We engaged in an extremely intensive exchange of know-how, including
mutual visits, with the German Youth Hostel State Association of
Bavaria and with HI Canada.
Memberships
The Swiss Youth Hostels are a member of the ZEWO Foundation
(Swiss certification body for non-profit, donation-collecting organisations), Hostelling International, the World Youth Student &
Educational Travel Confederation, Switzerland Tourism, IG Parahotellerie Schweiz, the Swiss Hotel Association, GastroSuisse,
the Swiss Tourism Association, bu (Network for Sustainable Economic Activity), the Energy Agency for Industry EnAW and proFonds
(umbrella organisation for Swiss charitable foundations).
IG parahotellerie
Leadership through quality
Economic performance
Worldwide the tourism industry grew to record levels in 2011; international arrivals increased again, by 4.4%. National arrivals in
hotels grew by 0.2%, but the total overnight stays decreased by
2.0% to 35.5 million.
In 2011, the Swiss Youth Hostels recorded 737,827 overnight
stays, representing a year-on-year decline of 1.1%. This decline is
mainly attributable to the fact that the Zurich Youth Hostel was
partly closed for modification and renovation work. Taking this
limited availability into account, the number of overnight stays
reached the previous years level. Turnover was slightly increased
by 1% to 41.5 million francs.
Key figures
19921)
19962)
20003)
Operating revenue in million CHF
17.51
20.45
Bed revenue in CHF
2,319
2,560
2010
2011
40.53
41.11
41.50
8,254
7,935
7,948
2004
2008
2009
23.89
27.64
40.68
4,709
6,099
7,843
Revenue
Revenue per overnight stay in CHF

Occupancy rates (own hostels)
n/c
36.44
41.68
47.88
51.81
54.19
55.10
56.25
43.3%
38.2%
43.9%
44.8%
52.4%
52.7%
50.0%
47.9%
Result
1.78
2.00
4.28
5.89
10.45
10.58
9.87
9.93
174%
133%
98%
136%
112%
123%
132%
137%
Organisational capital
19%
1%
7%
34%
25%
32%
39%
41%
Return on equity in %
3%
3%
2%
1.5%
Return on equity in CHF
2,327,983
2,476,313
1,560,703
1,296,273
81,455
88,470
125,926
137,990
161,046
162,097
159,748
154,373
n/c 10,782,865 13,096,859
15,161,396
21,194,567
21,405,379
21,692,131
22,709,817
9,140,613 10,324,851 11,643,355
13,187,228
18,112,930
18,301,369
18,919,642
19,690,343
Cash flow in million CHF 4)

Liquidity ratio III
Productivity
Productivity per employee in CHF
Total value creation in CHF
Value creation for employees in CHF
Value creation for public sector in CHF
n/c
1,134,541
1,046,925
1,326,257
2,025,707
2,006,482
1,763,833
1,805,337
Value creation in the organisation in CHF
n/c
- 676,527
406,578
647,911
1,055,930
1,097,529
1,008,656
1,214,137

2)

3)

4)

1)

Before allocations and write-offs
n/c not collected
In Zurich
CHEF YU
pampers guests
from all over

the world
Structure &
corporate
governance
We wish to communicate our aims

and convictions at all times and to
keep the general public up to date
about developments in our field of
activities. We wish to maintain close
personal relationships with the authorities, with both public and private
institutions and with the media, to
stand up for improvements in the
most important basic conditions and
to support meaningful leisure activity
options.
Structure & corporate governance
Organisation chart
38/39
DELEGATES ASSEMBLY
Statutory Audits
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Finance Committee
Legal Committee
Management
Quality Assurance
and Ecology
Management
Assistants
Departments
PROJECTS
MARKETING & SALES
HOSTELS
FINANCE & CONTROLLING
TECHNOLOGY/DEVELOPMENT
OWN HOSTELS
EAST/CENTER/WEST-SOUTH
FRANCHISE
HOSTELS
MARKETING
FINANCE &
SALES
ACCOUNTING
Human
NEW
Resources
TECHNOLOGY
Managers
Strategic
marketing
Products
Finance accounting
Deputy Managers
Guest & member

service
Sales promotion
Creditors
Employees
Corporate design
Distribution
Debtors
Public relations
Digital marketing
Assets accounting
Promotion
Statistics
Partners
1st level support

reservation system
Contracts
Social insurance
Wages
Social counselling
Case management
Pension fund
Software &
Application
Development/
Intranet
Support/Controlling/
Training/Reservationsystem/E-Commerce/
Revue & ChannelManager
Security/Infrastructure
Coordination
2nd level services/
network/Internet/
hardware/server
Bodies of the association

Delegates
Term of office 2012 2015
Individual members (currently 101,085) select 20 80 delegates for
four years. Their powers include modification of the statutes, ratification of the business report, approval of the actions of the bodies,
election of executive board members, president and statutory auditors, and nomination of honorary members.
Aebischer Andreas, Manager SYH, Baden | Akermann Corinne, Marketing & Sales SYH, Zurich | Avesani Guerino, Pensioner, Melano |
Bianchin Patricia, Commercial Employee, Neuchtel | Bschlen
Ruth, Primary School Teacher, Bonstetten | Buschor Trudi, Teacher,
Moosseedorf | Dlze Emmanuel, Manager, Geneva | Dolanc Oswald
Marusa, Psychologist, Thun | Fuchs Edwin, Electrical Engineer, Zollikon | Furger Christine, Parish Secretary, Arlesheim | Giacomazzi
Fabio, Architect, Manno | Gisler Alfred, Managing Director, Lucerne |
Granacher Bernhard, Manager SYH, Kreuzlingen | Gruber Veronika, Commercial Employee, Gelterkinden | Haag-Lochmann Helen,
Housewife/Gardener, Hirzel | Haug-Kern Esther, Nurse, Zurich |
Haug Tobias, Draughtsman, Zurich | Kasser Rosmarie, Secondary
School Teacher, Ksnacht | Keller-Giovanon Helene, Cook/Farmer,
Ossingen | Lemberg Susanne, Design Engineer, Zofingen | Lutz Batrice, Pastor, Birsfelden | Mathies Andreas, Commercial Employee,
Ettingen | Meier Nicole, Tourism Professional, Zurich | Meyer Stefan,
SBB Secretary, Zuzwil | Mottier Andr, Pensioner, Ste-Croix | Mller
Karin, Movement Therapist, Bonstetten | Paliaga Marco, Pensioner,
Chur | Ramsperger Rolf, Secondary School Teacher/Headmaster,
Neuhausen am Rhein | Rettenmund Anne-Marie, Commercial Employee, Langnau i.E. | Sager Adrian, Manager SYH, Interlaken-Unterseen | Scherler Jolanda, Nurse, Schmitten | Schmid Theres, Occupa-
tional Therapist, Mnsingen | Schwyter-Faist Yolanda, Housewife/

Nurse, Zezikon TG | Stdler Bischof Esther, Chief Accountant, Wattwil | Steinmann Rolf, Registrar, Cham | Stiner Susanna, Businesswoman, Zurich | Strehler Ren, Architect, Zurich | Streuli Cornelia,
Steinhausen | Thut Tobias, Schnenberg | Uhlemann Luzia, Front Office Assistant PTT, Untervaz | Vogel Manon, Lawyer, Hinwil | ZulligerSenn Annemarie, Home Economics Manager/Housewife, Volketswil
Executive board
The executive board is the highest management body and is chosen by the assembly of delegates for a term of four years. The board
defines the strategic orientation and reviews the operative implementation.

Abegg Thomas, Businessman, Wilen bei Wollerau (since 17.04.2010)

Egloff Markus, Director, Zurich (since 08.03.2003)
Furrer Daniel, Tourism Professional, Lucerne (since 03.12.2004)
Gendre Stphane, Teacher, Geneva (since 01.10.2005)
Hitz Ursula, Housewife, Stein am Rhein (since 12.06.1999)
Jordan Amaury, Asset Manager, Thalwil (since 29.01.2003)
Kurmann Stephan, Management Consultant, Hirzel
(since 17.06.1995)
Ldi Heinz, Banking Expert, Effretikon (since 17.06.2000)
Martin Pierre, Chief Justice, Zurich (since 16.03.1996)
Mller Christoph, Jurist, Fllanden (since 17.06.1995)
Roffler Erwin, Bank Councillor, Davos-Platz (since 14.03.2009)
President / Vice President

Kurmann Stephan, President
Hitz Ursula, Vice President
Finance committee
Ldi Heinz, President
Egloff Markus
Roffler Erwin
Legal committee
Martin Pierre
Mller Christoph
Management
The management runs the operative business and is responsible
for implementing the business aspects. The management is granted all of the powers which are not expressly assigned to another
body by law, statutes or regulations issued by the executive board.
Gmr Fredi, CEO SYH (since 01.04.1996)
Dobler Ren, CEO SFST (since 01.05.1999)
Bunte Janine, CFO SYH/SFST (since 01.10.2010)
Employee committee
The employee committee represents the interests of all employees
to the management and the executive board.
Raimann Angela, Application Support Executive,
Zurich office (President)
Meier Daniel, Manager, Stein am Rhein Youth Hostel
Specht Andrea, Manager, Zurich Youth Hostel
Wettstein Tobias, Manager, Basel Youth Hostel
Auditing bodies
Bommer + Partner Treuhandgesellschaft, Bern
Honorary members
Kern Jack, Zurich
Ldi Heinz, Effretikon
Wlle Robert, Lucerne
Management teams
As of 1 May 2012
Avenches Edith & Mohamed Dhyaf | Baden Andreas & Adina
Aebischer | Basel Tobias Wettstein & Yves Senn | Beinwil am See
Mario Stadelmann | Bellinzona Chiara Sassi | Bern Daniel Fahrni &
Adrian Sager | Brienz Sabine Palme | Brugg Saba Krezdorn & Jara
Guldimann | Chteau-dOex Esther Hunziker | Dachsen Francielly
Gmr | Davos Michael Andr Behling & Sylvia Spring | Delmont
Peter & Ute Kgi | Engelberg Petra & Fredy Liem | Fllanden Martin Kser | Fiesch Claudio Rossetti | Figino Margarete Lenhardt
& Isabelle Meister | Fribourg Evie Sprecher | Geneva Emmanuel
Dlze | Gersau Dani & Ebi Angst | Grindelwald Esther Suter &
Romaine Bayard | Interlaken Ueli Zrcher & Particia Odermatt |
Klosters Myriam Niggl & David Busch | Kreuzlingen Bernhard Granacher | Lausanne Gaudenz Dorta & Jean-Marc Pochon | Le Bmont Andrea Duffort & Andrea Strohmeier | Leissigen Jos Jgers
& Andrea Jenni | Locarno Rosemarie Weyer & Carmen Gambetta |
Lugano Lotti & Roland Majek | Lucerne Evelyn Gomer & Ursula
Angele | Mariastein-Rotberg Thomas Krmer | Montreux Walter &
Christine Pfister | Pontresina Martin & Sabine Knzli | RapperswilJona Peter & Brigitte Keller | Richterswil Vacant | Romanshorn Josef & Doris Eichmann | Saanen Vacant | Schaan-Vaduz Ute Mller
| Schaffhausen Sirko Meinhardt & Stefanie Pircher | Scuol Vacant
| Seelisberg Daniela Truttmann-Burckhardt | Sils i.D. Erika Salzgeber | Sion Nicolas Witschi | Solothurn Pablo A. Bobrik de Boldva |
St. Gallen Milena Jung | St. Moritz Roland Fischer | Sta. Maria Rosmarie Tinner | Stein am Rhein Daniel & Susanna Meier | Valbella
Ursula Wilhelm & Stefanie Schmid | Zermatt Christoph Keel & Ilja
Ronsdorf | Zofingen Andrea Hafner | Zug Monika Krezdorn | Zurich
Andrea Specht & Lukas Bossard
Employees, administrative office

As of 1 May 2012
Akermann Corinne Marketing & Sales | Antony Muriel Trainee |
Bachmeier Iris Marketing & Sales | Bonaventure Sarah Non-Food,
Hygiene and Facility Management | Buffoni Aldo Head of Projects
SFST | Bunte Janine CFO SYH | SFST | Dalla Costa Flavia Apprentice |
Dllenbach Stephan Finance & Accounting | Diener Julia Head of
Sales | Dobler Ren CEO SFST | Fricke Marco Head of Finance &
Accounting | Friedrich Esther Human Resources | Gabrielpillai Sozanya Apprentice | Gmr Fredi CEO SYH | Grossenbacher Yvonne
Finance & Accounting | Gujan Brigitta Relief person | Gller Luzia
Head of Member Service | Hfeli Hans-Urs Director of Projects
& Maintenance SFST | Hefti Manuela Human Resources | Hilber
Petra Finance & Accounting | Hneisen Maya Editorial staff MyHostelNews | Imboden Ariana Marketing & Sales | Kaufmann Nic
Head of Marketing & Sales | Kirtskhalia Tatia Marketing & Sales |
Kunz Dennis Apprentice | Lang Andrea Quality Assurance & Ecology | Levy Ren Director of Operations Centre | Lips Barbara Guest
& Member Service | Lopez Diego Tournant | Lutz Walter Head of
Projects and Technology | Mnger Laura Assistant to the management | Nicotera Ralph SFST | Nyffeler Ursula Head West-South |
Raimann Angela New Technology | Roscic Katarina SFST | Roth
Jacqueline Corporate Design | Rdisli Anja Apprentice | Ryser Brigitta Quality Assurance & Ecology | Salzmann Patricia Marketing
& Sales | Schaufelberger Andrea Head of Guest Service | Schempp
Kurt Head of Projects & Development | Schenk Jorn Postal service,
property maintenance | Schindler Annika Guest & Member Service |
Schober Martin Head of New Technology | Schoch-Sutter Carmen
Assistant to the management | Sprri Matthias SFST | Steiner Mike
New Technology | Sturm Sandra Guest & Member Service | Stssi
Claudia Finance & Accounting | Wadowska Joanna Trainee | Weber
Kathrin Head of Operations East | Witzig Emilienne Nolle Finance
& Accounting | Zbinden Sylvia Guest & Member Service | Zollinger
Markus Head of Human Resources
Benefactors
Private Individuals
Anna Leuthold-Knapp, Scuol | Hans K. Wagner, Winterthur | Doris
und Stephan Lehner, Adliswil | Edouard Meyer-Desbaillets, Neu
St. Johann | Paul Egger, Gossau | Rolf Steinmann, Cham | Margrit
Eugster-Weidel, Lachen | Paul Zweifel, Zurich | Fam. R. Stckli,
Olten | H.B. Gamper-Hess, Zurich | Martin Schmidt, Zimmerwald |
Anton Muff, Emmenbrcke | Prof. Dr. med. Markus Mntener, Zu-
40/41
rich | Arno Lechthaler, Mstair | Ren Bergamin, Lenzerheide | Titus Giger, Murg | Dr. H.R. Tschopp, Sissach | Werner Faist, Zezikon |
Peter Gertsch, Grindelwald | Dr. Conrad Martin Ulrich | Dr. med.
Ulrich Weisskopf, Olten | Peter und Heidi Hanimann, Boltigen |
Martin Meier, Winterthur | Karl + Heidi Weiss-Baumann, Dietikon |
Dr. Richard Wengle, Richterswil | Norbert und Maria Kaufmann,
Schaan | Dr. med. Jrg Brunner, Flawil | H.A. Schmutz, Basel | Domenic Lingenhag, St. Moritz | Hans Elber, Steckborn | Hans Zulauf,
Brugg | P. + G. Cappelli, St. Gallen | Michael Gnter, Bren zum Hof
Companies
Applied Acoustics GmbH, Gelterkinden | Bckerei Mller AG, Solothurn | Basler Kantonalbank, Basel | Benz Hauswirth AG, Gstaad |
Binggeli Frres SA, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne | Brauerei Schtzengarten AG, St. Gallen | Emil Meier Baumeister, Eglisau | Filados
AG, Pratteln | Fleischhandel Danko AG, Aadorf | Haldi Bodenbelge
AG, Saanen | Heinz Kern AG, Stein am Rhein | Helmut Gmeiner Anstalt, Schaan | Herzog Bau AG, Menziken | Homegate AG, Adliswil |
K. Schwizer AG, Gossau | K.F. Objektmbel, Pery | Khler + Co.AG,

Schaffhausen | Mtzener + Wyss Bauingenieure AG, Unterseen |
Oekopack AG, Spiez | Pacovis AG, Stetten | Postauto Schweiz AG,
Bern | Prolux Licht AG, Schlieren | Prowema GmbH, Pfffikon |
Romande Energie Holding SA, Morges | Scana Lebensmittel AG,
Regensdorf | Solarspar, Sissach | Stricker AG, Grosshochstetten |
Sweet Dreams Collection AG, Reinach | Thymos AG, Lenzburg | Uffer
Holz AG, Savognin | Verkehrsladen im Bahnhof, Tecknau | Welatec
Beratende Ingenieure AG, Interlaken | Zahner Fischhandel AG,
Gommiswald | Adank Davos AG, Davos
Municipalities
Erlenbach ZH | Ksnacht ZH | La Tour-de-Peilz VD | Zurich ZH |
Schafisheim AG | Erlinsbach AG | Einsiedeln SZ | Speicher AR |
Oberrieden ZH | Horgen ZH | Ormalingen BL | Mosnang SG | Unteriberg SZ | Magden AG | Riehen BS | Gerzensee BE | Amriswil TG |
Cham ZG | Bottmingen BL | Meilen ZH | Weinfelden TG | Illnau-Effretikon ZH | Brugg AG
Corporate Governance
In their reporting the Swiss Youth Hostels adhere to the standards
of the Swiss Code of Best Practice. The following elements characterise our corporate governance: good relationships with our members, effective cooperation between the organisations management
and executive board, and a compensation system for employees and
managers that is success-oriented and modern.
Accounting by the Swiss Youth Hostels complies with the
Swiss GAAP FER professional recommendations and gives a true and
fair view of assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. The
2011 annual financial statement was prepared in accordance with
the Swiss GAAP FER 21 professional recommendations for charitable, social non-profit organisations.
Based on the corporate governance guidelines for non-profit
organisations in Switzerland, the Swiss NPO code, and the regulations for the ZEWO seal of approval for charitable organisations, the
members of the executive board provide their services free of charge

as a general principle. Any resulting actual expenses are reimbursed.
For their voluntary activities, the members of the executive board receive 14 accommodation coupons every year that allow free usage
of youth hostels. If particularly time-consuming tasks or projects are
assigned to one or several members of the executive board, compensation can be paid to them taking into account the non-profit nature
of the organisation and following the applicable guidelines provided
in the Swiss NPO code. Services may not be compensated until the
personal volunteer efforts exceed 150 hours per calendar year.
By way of compensation, delegates receive seven accommodation vouchers every year that allow free usage of youth hostels along
with reimbursement of their actual expenses for participation in the
delegate assemblies; they do not receive any cash payments.
Risk management
In cooperation with the management, the executive board has carried out a risk analysis at the organisational level. A risk inventory
was prepared that covers all of the business areas/relationships
and assesses the relevant risks, defines actions for minimising or
covering each risk, specifies responsibilities and verifies the ef-
fectiveness of the control mechanisms. At the operative level, risk

analyses were prepared by the managers and departmental supervisors using the same specifications, and were reviewed by the
organisations management.
Legal compliance
Punished legal violations
19921)
19962)
20003)
2004
2008
2009
2010
2011
n/c

2)
3)
n/c not collected
1)
42/42
Khan,
Fatima and
Gagandeeb
from Dehli
discovering
Switzer-
land
Financial
reporting
42/43
In spite of our idealistic aims, we

aim for commercial activities that
maximise our commercial viability
and thereby ensure the continued
existence of our enterprise. We strive
therefore to generate sufficient revenue, to maintain adequate liquidity, to
build reserves and to foster a sound
capital structure. For major investments such as new construction and
renovation projects, however, we are
reliant upon financial support from
the authorities.
Financial reporting
Balance sheet
as of 31 December
Notes
in annex
Assets
Current assets
Liquid assets
2011
in CHF
in %
2010
in CHF
in %
8,176,685.97
65.0
7,354,186.24
63.2
5.0
0.2
-0.6
4.6
459,388.22
141,719.17
-45,374.00
555,733.39
4.0
1.2
-0.4
4.8
Accounts receivable from third parties

Accounts receivable from related parties
Del credere
Accounts receivable trade
631,304.76
21,686.25
-74,403.00
578,588.01
Other accounts receivable
467,096.34
3.7
611,349.14
5.3
394,158.03
205,649.07
-119,964.00
479,843.10
3.1
1.6
-1.0
3.8
401,658.14
203,865.12
-121,105.00
484,418.26
3.5
1.8
-1.0
4.2
243,983.13
1.9
208,930.55
1.8
Current assets
9,946,196.55
79.1
9,214,617.58
79.2
Fixed assets
Vehicles
Equipment
Mobile tangible assets
Renovations
Immobile tangible assets
135,974.20
1,191,301.85
1,327,276.05
232,988.59
232,988.59
1.1
9.5
10.6
1.9
1.9
118,636.00
1,141,868.36
1,260,504.36
0.00
0.00
1.0
9.8
10.8
0.0
0.0
2.00
200.00
202.00
0.0
0.0
0.0
2.00
200.00
202.00
0.0
0.0
0.0
Free assets
1,560,466.64
12.4
1,260,706.36
10.8
Loan Valbella to related party

Loan Davos to related party
Earmarked loans to related parties
145,350.00
920,000.00
1,065,350.00
1.2
7.3
8.5
174,420.00
980,000.00
1,154,420.00
1.5
8.4
9.9
Merchandise in stock
Inventories heating material
Value adjustment inventories
Inventories
Active deferred charges
Holdings
Share certificates
Financial assets
Earmarked assets
Fixed assets
Assets
Liabilities
Outside capital
Accounts payable to third parties
Accounts payable to related parties
Accounts payable trade
Prepayments from guests
Miscellaneous short-term liabilities
Other liabilities
Deferrals, membership subscriptions
Other transitory deferrals
Deferrals
7
8
Short-term outside capital

Assurance of guarantee risks
Provisions
Long-term outside capital
10
1065,350.00
8.5
1,154,420.00
9.9
2,625,816.64
20.9
2,415,126.36
20.8
12,572,013.19
100.0
11,629,743.94
100.0
1,671,169.45
669,110.15
2,340,279.60
13.3
5.3
18.6
1,721,585.08
0.00
1,721,585.08
14.8
0.0
14.8
2,496,211.11
237,091.90
2,733,303.01
19.9
1.9
21.7
2,693,334.14
171,482.70
2,864,816.84
23.2
1.5
24.6
1,074,272.69
1,100,666.84
2,174,939.53
8.5
8.8
17.3
1,135,307.03
1,234,023.38
2,369,330.41
9.8
10.6
20.4
7,248,522.14
57.7
6,955,732.33
59.8
214,500.00
1.7
175,500.00
1.5
214,500.00
1.7
175,500.00
1.5
214,500.00
1.7
175,500.00
1.5
Outside capital
7,463,022.14
59.4
7,131,232.33
61.3
Capital as of 1 January 2003
Acquired free capital
Free funds
1,465,631.02
3,643,360.03
0.00
11.7
29.0
0.0
1,465,631.02
3,032,880.59
0.00
12.6
26.1
0.0
Liabilities
5,108,991.05
40.6
4,498,511.61
38.7
12,572,013.19
100.0
11,629,743.94
100.0
Financial reporting
Statement of accounts
from 1 January to 31 December
Operating revenue
Restaurant revenue
Merchandise revenue
Restaurant and merchandise revenue
Lodging revenue
Other service revenue
Service and lodging revenue
Annual membership subscriptions
Single-day membership subscriptions
Membership subscriptions
Benefactor contributions
Earmarked contributions
Free contributions
Benefactor contributions
Franchise fees
Administrative contribution, related parties
Miscellaneous operating revenue
Other operating revenue
Allowances
Commissions, credit cards and Reka
Reservation commissions
Losses from receivables
Decrease in earnings
Notes in
annex
11
12
13
14
Operating revenue
Operating expenses
Restaurant expenses
Merchandise expenses
Material expenses
Third-party services
Expenses for materials, merchandise and third-party
Wages
Social benefits
Other personnel expenses
Work performed, third-party
Personnel expenses
Rental and leasing expenses, third-party
Rental and leasing expenses, related party
Other facility expenses
Maintenance of buildings and installations
Employee contributions, lodging
Facility expenses
Maintenance, repairs, replacements and leasing
Vehicle and transport expenses
Property insurance and taxes
Energy and disposal expenses
Administrative expenses
Advertising expenses
Miscellaneous operating expenses
Other operating expenses
Depreciation
Operating expenses
44/45
2011
in CHF
in %
2010
in CHF
in %
13,958,822.80
1,255,944.27
15,214,767.07
22,834,529.08
737,559.82
23,572,088.90
2,070,453.28
872,810.95
2,943,264.23
38,260.00
235,313.36
70,255.95
343,829.31
157,414.68
82,000.00
26,345.55
265,760.23
-517,892.61
-210,615.01
-56,147.86
-50,447.00
-835,102.48
33.6
3.0
36.7
55.0
1.8
56.8
5.0
2.1
7.1
0.1
0.6
0.2
0.8
0.4
0.2
0.1
0.6
-1.2
-0.5
-0.1
-0.1
-2.0
13,921,151.80
1,316,340.50
15,237,492.30
22,465,803.35
584,731.45
23,050,534.80
2,092,371.67
814,227.35
2,906,599.02
48,609.55
237,060.99
10,000.00
295,670.54
181,778.85
78,000.00
37,700.60
297,479.45
-415,894.77
-206,924.78
-65,920.02
10,596.59
-678,142.98
33.9
3.2
37.1
54.6
1.4
56.1
5.1
2.0
7.1
0.1
0.6
0.0
0.7
0.4
0.2
0.1
0.7
-1.0
-0.5
-0.2
0.0
-1.6
41,504,607.26
100.0
41,109,633.13
100.0
-9.3
-3,957,076.94
-2.6 -1,095,286.27
-1.5
-605,119.21
-1.3
-574,379.53
-14.7 -6,231,861.95
-38.1 -15,305,602.30
-6.2 -2,360,982.90
-1.5
-533,196.83
-1.7
-719,860.35
-47.4 -18,919,642.38
-1.3
-480,846.72
-20.0
-8,522,008.15
-0.1
-36,993.15
-1.7
-615,210.65
1.4
586977.06
-21.6 -9,068,081.61
-2.0
-822,271.70
-0.4
-138,400.98
-0.8
-273,543.30
-4.0
-1,793,199.62
-3.5
-1,445,900.73
-2.5
-1,281,349.36
-0.4
-80,460.71
-13.6 -5,835,126.40
-9.6
-2.7
-1.5
-1.4
-15.2
-37.2
-5.7
-1.3
-1.8
-46.0
-1.2
-20.7
-0.1
-1.5
1.4
-22.1
-2.0
-0.3
-0.7
-4.4
-3.5
-3.1
-0.2
-14.2
-3,867,921.09
-1,058,452.65
-632,277.04
-530,417.52
15 -6,089,068.30
-15,805,891.35
-2,568,357.70
-603,736.23
-712,358.20
16 -19,690,343.48
-553,178.05
-8,282,915.65
-25,809.20
-698,190.64
577,766.75
17 -8,982,326.79
-815,943.96
-150,698.71
-323,850.49
-1,675,097.52
-1,457,345.97
-1,050,719.49
-153,355.43
-5,627,011.57
4
-603,657.37
18 -40,992,407.51
-589,287.59
-1.4
-98.8 -40,643,999.93
-1.5
-98.9
Operating result
512,199.75
1.2
465,633.20
1.1
Result due to disposal of tangible assets

Financial expense
Financial revenue
Financial result
21,572.45
-38,713.63
155,420.87
76,707.24
0.1
-0.1
0.3
0.2
2,006.85
-133,996.86
85,725.20
-48,271.66
0.0
-0.3
0.2
-0.1
Annual results before allocation of organisational capital

Allocation to acquired free capital
Annual result
610,479.44
1.5
419,368.39
1.0
-610,479.44
-1.5
-419,368.39
-1.0
0.00
0.0
0.00
0.0
Financial reporting
Cash flow statement

2011
in CHF
2010
in CHF
Allocation to acquired free capital
610,479.44
419,368.39
Depreciation
603,657.37
589,287.59
from 1 January to 31 December
Allowances for inventories
-1,141.00
-7,510.00
Allowances, earmarked loans to related parties
29,070.00
29,070.00
Creation/liquidation of provisions
39,000.00
0.00
Profits from sales of tangible assets
-21,572.45
0.00
Increase/decrease in accounts receivable trade
-22,854.62
-106,010.00
Increase/decrease in other receivables
144,252.80
-320,537.95
Increase/decrease in inventories
Increase/decrease in prepaid expenses
Increase/decrease in accounts payable trade
5,716.16
37,555.88
-35,052.58
31,529.03
618,694.52
-1,654,806.85
Increase/decrease in other liabilities
-131,513.83
-23,793.66
Increase/decrease in deferrals
-194,390.88
18,045.46
1,644,344.93
-987,802.11
-685,047.09
-819,273.80
40,505.65
5,407.50
21,572.45
0.00
Cash flow from operating activities

Investments in tangible assets
Disposals of tangible assets
Profits from sales of tangible assets
Investments in renovations
Investments in financial assets
Disposals of earmarked loans to related parties
Cash flow from investment activities
Change in liquid assets
Balance of liquid assets as of 1 January

Balance of liquid assets as of 31 December
Change in liquid assets
-258,876.21
0.00
0.00
-200.00
60000.00
60,000.00
-821,845.20
-754,066.30
822,499.73
-1,741,868.41
7,354,186.24
8,176,685.97
9,096,054.65
7,354,186.24
822,499.73
-1,741,868.41
Statement of variation in capital

Closing
balance
in CHF
Internal fund
transfers
in CHF
Use
in CHF
0.00
0.00
0.00
1,465,631.02
0.00
610,479.44
0.00
3,643,360.03
Opening
balance
in CHF
Allocation
in CHF
Capital as of 1 January 2003
1,465,631.02
Acquired free capital
3,032,880.59
Funds from equity financing
Free funds
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
Annual result
0.00
610,479.44
-610,479.44
0.00
0.00
4,498,511.61
610,479.44
0.00
0.00
5,108,991.05
Financial reporting
Annex to the annual financial

statement
46/47
General information
Accounting by the Swiss Youth Hostels complies with the Swiss GAAP FER professional recommendations and gives a true and fair view of
assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss.
The 2011 annual financial statement was prepared in accordance with the Swiss GAAP FER 21 professional recommendations for charitable, social non-profit organisations.
Related parties
The Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism, the Foundation for Youth Hostels in Switzerland and Hostelling International Marketing GmbH
are deemed to be related parties. All substantial transactions are disclosed in the annex to the annual financial statement.
For the first time now, a consolidated financial statement for the Swiss Youth Hostels, the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism and the
Foundation for Youth Hostels in Switzerland was compiled for 2011. Hostelling International Marketing GmbH has not been included in the
consolidation, as it was founded solely to provide services to the national youth hostel associations. From 18 June 2012, the consolidated
financial statement will be available from the following address:
Swiss Youth Hostels, Management, Schaffhauserstrasse 14, P.O. Box, 8042 Zurich, Phone +41 (0)44 360 14 31,
geschaeftsleitung@youthhostel.ch
No contractual relations of any sort exist with members of the executive board of the Swiss Youth Hostels, the trustees of the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism, the trustees of the Foundation for Youth Hostels in Switzerland and Hostelling International Marketing GmbH.
Valuation methods
Liquid assets
Liquid assets include cash on hand and postal cheque and bank account balances, all at their nominal values. Foreign currency balances
are converted using the end-of-year conversion rate of the Swiss Federal Tax Administration.
Receivables
Receivables for services provided to third parties are after discounting the necessary allowances for del credere risk.
Inventories
Inventories are valued at cost prices or lower market prices. The goods risk is taken into account with an allowance of 20% of the respective year-end balance.
Tangible assets
Valuation occurs at procurement costs minus any applicable business depreciation. Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis
with the following useful life:
Machines and equipment
8 years
Furniture 8 years
Small items
3 years
IT 3 years
Vehicles 5 years
Renovations
10 years
Explanatory notes on the balance sheet

1. Accounts receivable trade
In the del credere accounting, receivables that were older than 60 days on the balance sheet date were value-adjusted in full, while the
remaining receivables were adjusted at a flat rate of 5%.
Accounts receivable from related parties are predominantly made up of accounts receivable from Hostelling International Marketing GmbH.
2. Other accounts receivable
Other accounts receivable include CHF 200,831 of advance payments to suppliers. Suppliers invoices, which concern the period under
review of the following year, were paid in the current period under review.
3. Inventories
Risks associated with the storage of goods were valued in the amount of 20% of the goods inventory as of the end of the year were deferred
in full as an allowance.
Financial reporting
4. Tangible assets
In CHF
Book value
as of 01.01.
Acquisitions
Disposals
Depreciation
Book value
as of 31.12.
Vehicles
118,636.00
100,079.00
IT
225,166.35
96,870.65
40,505.65
42,235.15
135,974.20
0.00
156,634.85
165,402.15
319,774.71
Machines / equipment
253,153.81
141,604.40
0.00
74,983.50
Furniture
454,370.00
165,676.24
0.00
127,882.20
492,164.04
Small items
209,178.20
180,816.80
0.00
176,034.05
213,960.95
1,260,504.36
685,047.09
40,505.65
577,769.75
1,327,276.05
Renovations
0.00
258,876.21
0.00
25,887.62
232,988.59
Immobile tangible assets
0.00
258,876.21
0.00
25,887.62
232,988.59
Mobile tangible assets
5. Financial assets
In September 2006, Hostelling International Marketing GmbH was founded with its headquarters in Zug. The Dutch hostel association
Stichtig Stayokay and the Swiss Youth Hostels each hold a 50% share of this company. The nominal capital totals CHF 20,000, of which the
Swiss Youth Hostels have a share of CHF 10,000. This share is valued at CHF 1 and is included in the holdings of related parties.
Hostelling International Marketing GmbH is an organisation that is barred from full consolidation since it was founded exclusively for the
purpose of providing services to the national youth hostel associations.
6. Earmarked loans to related parties
In 2007, a loan earmarked for Valbella Youth Hostel was made to the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism. It is amortised yearly by CHF 29,070.
In 2008, a loan earmarked for the purchase of Davos Youth Hostel was made to the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism. Regular interest
is paid on this loan and it is amortised at annual instalments of CHF 60,000.
7. Accounts payable trade
Accounts payable to related parties include lease payment claims from the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism, which were paid in full
in 2012.
8. Miscellaneous short-term liabilities
Miscellaneous short-term liabilities are predominantly made up of liabilities to social security institutions and the Swiss Federal Tax
Administration (VAT).
9. Deferrals
The deferrals of membership subscriptions for the following year come into being owing to the rolling membership year.
10. Provisions
Value as
of 01.01.
Acquisitions
Disposals
Value as
of 31.12.
Sureties
175,500.00
39,000.00
0.00
214,500.00
Provisions
175,500.00
39,000.00
0.00
214,500.00
In CHF
The safeguarding of guarantee risks exists to safeguard contractual relationships.
Explanatory notes on the statement of accounts

11. Service and lodging revenue
In 2011, 369,952 guests were accommodated in our establishments. This resulted in 737,827 overnight stays.
12. Membership subscriptions
The number of members as of 31 December 2011 (cut-off date) was 101,085. Income from the previous year amounting to CHF 97,798 is
included in the one-day membership fees.
13. Benefactor contributions
The earmarked contributions include CHF 232,813 for voluntary CO2 compensation paid by lodging guests of the Swiss Youth Hostels. Half
of the contributions are transferred to the myclimate foundation for financing climate protection projects worldwide and half to the Swiss
Foundation for Social Tourism for climate projects of the Swiss Youth Hostels.
CHF 70,000 of prize money from the 2011 ZKB Sustainability Award is included in the free contributions.
Financial reporting
48/49
14. Decrease in earnings

The losses from accounts receivable include the increase in del credere risk, amounting to CHF 29,029.
15. Expenses for materials, merchandise and third-party services

The expenses for third-party services primarily include expenditures for external laundering and for management of the member database.
16. Personnel expenses
In 2011, 269 full-time workloads were distributed among 445 permanent positions. In addition, 52 temporary employees were employed
sporadically.
17. Facility expenses
The rental and leasing expenses to related parties include the rent payments to the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism (SFST). In 2011, a
variable rent payment amounting to 1.5% of the SFST equity capital invested (CHF 1,296,273) was taken into account.
Further information
18. Expense for the provision of services in accordance with Swiss GAAP FER 21
2011
in CHF
2010
in CHF
Operating expenses
Expenses for materials, merchandise and third-party services
-6,089,068.30
-6,231,861.95
Personnel expenses
-17,067,014.16
-16,685,309.33
Facility expenses
-8,604,917.94
-8,744,173.41
Other operating expenses
-4,687,110.80
-5,097,315.18
-428,774.80
-435,113.40
-36,876,886.00
-37,193,773.27
Personnel expenses, administration
-2,623,329.32
-2,234,333.05
Other administrative expenses
-1,317,309.62
-1,061,719.42
-174,882.57
-154,174.19
-4,115,521.51
-3,450,226.66
-40,992,407.51
-40,643,999.93
9.9%
8.4%
Fire insurance values of the tangible assets

Head office furnishings
2011
in CHF
614,000
2010
in CHF
500,000
IT, office systems technology, communication technology
961,050
833,550
16,039,000
16,870,000
2011
in CHF
2010
in CHF
Credit balance
Credit balance
Depreciation
Total operating expenses
Administrative expenses
Depreciation
Total administrative expenses
Total
Administrative expenses as % of operating revenue
The other tangible assets are insured within the context of a joint policy with
the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism for
Accounts payable to pension institutions

Occupational pension fund
Compensation to executive board members

In 2011, compensation consisting of fees and reimbursement of expenses was paid to executive board members in the amount of CHF
67,815. Of this sum, the President received CHF 63,653.
Expenditure for fundraising
In 2011, no expenditure was incurred for fundraising.
Risk assessment

The executive board and the management have instituted internal precautions in order to ensure conformity of the organisations annual
accounts with the applicable financial reporting requirements and to guarantee proper reporting. These precautions relate to modern accounting systems and procedures as well as the preparation of the annual accounts. During the past fiscal year, the executive board and
the management did not identify any risks which could lead to a lasting or substantial impairment of the organisations assets, liabilities,
financial position and profit or loss.
Report of the statutory auditor on the financial statements to the delegate meeting of Swiss Youth Hotels, Zurich
As statutory auditor, we have audited the accompanying financial statements of Swiss Youth Hostels, which comprise the balance
sheet, income statement, cash flow analysis, statement of changes in equity and notes for the year ended 31 December 2011. In
accordance with Swiss GAAP FER the information contained in the performance report is not subject to the regular audit requirement.
Board of Directors Responsibility
The Board of Directors is responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of Swiss
law and the companys articles of incorporation. This responsibility includes designing, implementing and maintaining an internal
control system relevant to the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or
error. The Board of Directors is further responsible for selecting and applying appropriate accounting policies and making accounting estimates that are reasonable in the circumstances.
Auditors Responsibility
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based on our audit. We conducted our audit in accordance
with Swiss law and Swiss Auditing Standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable
assurance whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement.
An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.
The procedures selected depend on the auditors judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the
financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers the internal control
system relevant to the entitys preparation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the
circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entitys internal control system. An audit
also includes evaluating the appropriateness of the accounting policies used and the reasonableness of accounting estimates
made, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.
Opinion
In our opinion, the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2011 give a true and fair view of the financial position, the
results of operations and the cash flows in accordance with Swiss GAAP FER. Furthermore, the accounting records and the financial statements comply with Swiss law and the company's articles of incorporation.
Report on Other Legal Requirements
We confirm that we meet the legal requirements on licensing according to the Auditor Oversight Act (AOA) and independence (article 728 CO and article 11 AOA) and that there are no circumstances incompatible with our independence.
In accordance with article 728a paragraph 1 item 3 CO and Swiss Auditing Standard 890, we confirm that an internal control system
exists, which has been designed for the preparation of financial statements according to the instructions of the Board of Directors.
We recommend that the financial statements submitted to you be approved.
We further confirm that the regulations of the ZEWO Foundation have been complied with.
BOMMER + PARTNER
Treuhandgesellschaft
Hugo Schmid
Audit Expert
Auditor in charge
Bern, 5. April 2012 / aw
Annemarie Wthrich
Audit expert
LIU from
Taiwan
on a visit to
Basel
Outlook &
priorities
for 2012
We wish to consciously promote innovative thought and action at all

levels within our organisation,
since future opportunities in our
fast-moving world can only be seized
through new ideas. We support practice-oriented, critical research into
tourism and view it as an important
vehicle for providing information that
will allow us to formulate an integrated and forward-looking policy for
the association.
Outlook & priorities for 2012
Economic outlook
Once more it has been confirmed that currency, weather and economic conditions heavily influence the development of tourism. All
of these are factors that we cannot control.
We assume that in the next 2 to 3 years, Swiss tourism will
have to live with a Swiss franc that is traded above its value, and
that will probably remain at its current level. We also believe that
52/53
the economic environment in Europe will not improve significantly
in the short term.
We will face this challenge in order to remain on the road to
success with these new realities. For us, price/performance remains critical, and providing good quality and top service is more
important than ever.
Network development
Over the past 10 years, the Swiss Youth Hostels have continually
made improvements in quality, and the organisation has invested
some 80 million francs in the further development of the network.
Here, we are now at a point of transition of investment from the A
locations to the B/C locations. This raises the central question of
whether and, if so, to what extent the clearly necessary cross-subsidising of the B/C locations should and can be deployed.
The executive board of the Swiss Youth Hostels Association
and the board of trustees of the Swiss Foundation for Social Tourism
have intensely dealt with these issues, and together with the management have developed the Strategic Planning Futura 2020 plan.
Cross-subsidies for youth hostels in B/C locations
In the coming years, there will be a need for renovation of youth
hostels mainly in B/C locations. As a result of the planned investments and the subsequent full-cost rental, it will be difficult to
cover costs in the operation of these hostels. Nevertheless, we
want to drive forward further development and support the hostels
at B/C locations by cross-subsidising them. This is done with the
awareness that this will not optimise economic viability; however,
we consider the maintenance of a nation-wide network, as well as
the preservation of unprofitable locations, to be an overarching objective of our non-profit organisation.
It is therefore no surprise that a whole range of projects enter
the crucial implementation phase already in 2012:
Saas-Fee project
A new youth hostel is intended to complement the existing Bielen
leisure centre, which the municipality of Saas-Fee is planning to
renovate. This will result in a new top-notch youth hostel directly at
the entrance to the village, as well as a modern, attractive leisure
centre with public wellness and fitness facilities, and a swimming
pool. This highly interesting project made significant progress in
2011: there was a positive referendum in November after specific
right-to-build contracts for the youth hostel and lease contracts
for the Bielen leisure centre had been jointly drawn up with the municipal executive board. Start of construction is now envisaged for
2013.
Saanen project
The project for a replacement building in Saanen was intensively
pushed ahead. A study involving regional architectural firms was
conducted for the youth hostel, and despite extremely tight design
specifications from the municipality, the jury was able to select an
undisputed winner from the six outstanding projects. Construction
is due to begin in 2012 already.
Burgdorf project
The project Public Burgdorf Castle emerged as the winner in the
competition from the City of Burgdorf for the redevelopment of the
local castle. The project is aimed at the preservation of the medieval castle complex, and its opening for the public. A new focal point
for regional planning is hoped to be created through the new yearround use of the complex. The preservation and revitalisation of
the castle complex is based on redevelopment into a youth hostel,
as well as a restaurant business and museums. The broadly based
user groups will create important synergies and ensure commercial viability. The project is expected to be concretised and funding
secured in 2012.
Further projects
The Pontresina Youth Hostel has long been in need of major renovation. A partial renovation of the rooms and restaurant is to be
carried out between April and June 2012. A preliminary project has
been drawn up for a partial renovation of the house in Avenches.
This is anticipated to be implemented in the winter of 2012/13. Unfortunately, the project for the new construction of a youth hostel in
Neuchtel continues to be blocked by objections from neighbours.
The forthcoming decision from the Federal Court will provide clarity
on a possible realisation. The project designs for new construction
and reconstruction in Bern and Figino will be concretised in 2012;
a second youth hostel in Geneva is to be established alongside the
franchise hostel. Diverse project ideas are being further developed
in a variety of locations, such as in Surselva (Disentis, Laax, Flims),
Appenzell and in the Bernese Seeland. Impending tenancy extensions are anticipated to secure the long-term futures of the locations Klosters, Kreuzlingen and Lausanne.
Target table 2012

For our guests
Field of action
We want to
Key performance indicator
Quality assurance and quality

improvement
Ensuring of defined standards regarding quality, work safety

and the environment
At least one Q-audit per hostel
Switzerland Tourism and HI-Q

quality seals
Certification and recertification
All hostels are certified by Switzerland

Tourism and HI-Q
Information procurement and supplementation of printed

material, as well as information on the Internet
Information is available on disabled access

for all hostels
Train employees
Employees are well trained in dealing with

disabled people and in the delivery of specific information
Food & Beverage
Purchasing from contractual suppliers
100% purchasing from defined suppliers
Hygiene
Introduce and implement new hygiene concept
No objections during monitoring
Hygiene
Implement hygiene training
Every manager and deputy participates in

training
Complaint management
Evaluate complaints and define measures
Daily evaluation and subsequently derived

measures for the attention of the head of
department and management
Simple maintenance
Define accountability in every hostel
Regular and systematic monitoring
Facility management
Expand, implement and safeguard facility management
Concepts, checklists and training
Keep Internet content up to date
Daily updates
Promote interaction on the Internet
50,000 newsletters ordered
Reservation management
Available beds are allocated at all times via E-commerce
100% bookability
Integrate all sales platforms in the revenue and channel

manager
E-commerce SYH and HI are integrated
Integrate dynamic price system in the revenue and channel

manager
Dynamic pricing
New technology
Ensure availability
100% availability on 365 days
Overnight stays
Plan sales activities
771,000
Membership base
Targeted advertising for members
105,000
Membership revenue in million

CHF
Consistent selling of memberships
2.1
Field of action
We want to
Introduction
Introduce every employee at the appropriate level
Introduction programme at the appropriate

level
Target agreement and qualifications
Carry out target agreement, performance appraisal and individual development plan with every employee
Target agreement, performance appraisal,

development plan for every employee
Further training
Active further training management at the appropriate level
At least one course per executive staff

member
Satisfaction
Positively influence working environment
Satisfaction index 90
Fluctuation rate
Positively influence working environment and actively support

employees
Max. 8%
For our employees
For our relationship to the environment

Field of action
We want to
Space heating, CO2 loading
Reduction in CO2 loading compared to year 2000
Min. 40%
Limitation on energy consumption per overnight stay
Max. 4.5 kWh
Water consumption
Limitation on water consumption per overnight stay
Max. 125 litres
CO2 compensation
Active selling of CO2 compensation
65% of guests compensate
Mobility
Create incentive system for guests to use public transport to get

to hostels
Conception and implementation
54/55
For our commercial viability
Field of action
We want to
Market development
Systematic cultivation of regular guests
Retain share of regular guests
Market development
Unlock new markets through improved distribution
Increase FITs for Switzerland and abroad

by 5%
Market development
Focus on schools, technical colleges, universities
Increase groups from Switzerland by 5%
Market development
Focus on sports groups and clubs in Germany, and TOs in Eastern

Europe
Increase groups from abroad by 5%
Accounting
Introduce quality assurance system in the Reporting area
Quality assurance system
Bed occupancy
Increase bed occupancy
53%
Turnover in million CHF
Increase turnover
44.1
Incoming turnover in million CHF
Maintain turnover in Incoming
0.45
E-commerce turnover in million

CHF
Increase E-commerce turnover
11.0
Cross-selling turnover in million

CHF
Active cross-selling
0.5
Calculations
Observe minimum margins
72% kitchen
55% drinks
25% kiosk
15% ticket sales
Cash flow
Adapt investment activities to business performance
40% of cash flow covers all investments
Return on equity
Return on equity
1%
Productivity per employee in CHF
Flexible personnel planning adapted to business performance
160,000
Risk management
Ongoing evaluation of risks in accordance with integrated quality

management system
Risk minimisation
Swiss Youth Hostels

Schaffhauserstrasse 14, 8042 Zurich. Phone +41 (0)
443601414.www.youthhostel.ch,www.facebook.com/
youthhostel.ch

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2011

Our target achievement in 2011

Our relationship with the environment

Our commercial viability

Structure and corporate governance

Outlook and priorities for 2012

Mai Leng from

The modified and expanded hostel in St. Moritz officially opened at

First fiscal year following merger of 14 independent districts

Power consumption per overnight stay (kWh)

Water consumption per overnight stay (litres)

Reduction in CO2 loading

Specific CO2 loading

Specific CO2 loading

Our commercial viability

Cash flow in millions CHF 4)

Productivity per employee

from St. Erhard on

Three independent partner organisations stand for the Swiss

Promoting responsible and sustainable behaviour is an important

The network strategy pursued by the Swiss Youth Hostels is aimed

C locations Other locations that serve to expand the diverse range

A locations Internationally known tourism centres

Network of Swiss Youth Hostels

Relationship with decision-makers

Achievement of social objectives

Consideration of employees interests

Distinctions and awards

Event Master Schweiz | Winner in the category Public Events

Milestone | Swiss tourism award for sustainability and the environment

Award Marketing + Architecture | Distinction for the Scuol Youth Hostel,

Award Marketing + Architecture | Distinction for the Scuol Youth Hostel,

ZKB Sustainability Award for SMEs | Distinction for outstanding contribution

Swiss Solar Prize | Award in category A, Personalities/Institutions, for comprehensive

Our main aim is the maintenance of

Target achievement in 2011

All hostels are certified by Switzerland

Obstacle-free youth hostels

Food & Beverage

Purchasing from contractual suppliers

Implementation of hygiene concept

Evaluation and definition of measures

Zero tolerance for defective parts and

Establishment, implementation and safe- Concepts, checklists and training

Updating of Internet content

Promote interaction on intranet

40,000 newsletters ordered

Quality assurance and quality

Ensuring of defined standards regarding

At least 1 Q-audit per hostel

Employees are well trained in dealing

Indicators for our guests

Available beds are allocated via E-commerce

Revenue and channel manager

Design and implementation

Functional and implemented

100% availability on 365 days

Targeted membership recruitment

Membership revenue in CHF

Consistent selling of membership

Indicators for our employees

Target setting and qualifications Target setting, performance appraisal and