Let's put this "Hostels vs. Youth-Hostels vs. Hostales" discussion to rest, eh? (okay. I doubt it can rest, but it's fun to debate)

Look what I JUST found from "Secretaría General de Turismo, María de Molina 50, 28006 Madrid, Spain"! It's a Spain fact sheet which includes a short description in English of the different kinds of lodging in Spain. Maybe this will clear up any confusion (MAYBE!).

They write....
Quote:
Accommodations
HOTELS & HOSTELS:
A variety of hotel-type accommodation is available including apartment-hotels, hotel-residencias and motels. The term residencia denotes an establishment where dining-room facilities are not provided, although there must be provisions for the serving of breakfast and a cafeteria. Detailed information is available from Federación Española de Hoteles, Orense 32, 28020 Madrid. Tel: (1) 556 7112. Fax: (1) 556 7361; or ZONTUR, Gremio Toneleros 24, Polígono San Castelló, 07009 Palma de Mallorca. Tel: (71) 430 483. Fax: (71) 759 155.

Grading: Most accommodation in Spain is provided in hotels, classified from 1 to 5 stars (the few exceptions have a Grande De Luxe category); or hostels or pensiones , classified from 1 to 3 stars.


In the last line, they are equating hostels with pensiones (even if the only difference is the number of rooms) and giving them both a range of 1-3 stars. Clearly, youth-hostels do not fall under the star-rating system. And if the General Secretary of Tourism of Spain translates the Spanish word "hostales" to the English word "hostels", that's good enough for me.

Aaahhh... In with the good. Out with the bad. hehehe...

Saludos, MadridMan
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