From Single Hostel to Hub: How One Entrepreneur is Reshaping Santiago's Budget Travel Scene

When Catalina Rojas opened her first modest 12-room hostel on Lastarria Street in 2019, few in Santiago's tourism establishment took notice. Seven years later, her "Casa Viajera" network operates five properties across the city's most coveted neighbourhoods—Lastarria, Bellavista, and the emerging Yungay district—and has fundamentally shifted how budget-conscious travellers experience the capital.

The numbers tell a remarkable story. Casa Viajera welcomed over 18,000 guests last year, generating an estimated $2.8 million in direct revenue while employing 47 local staff members. More significantly, Rojas has deliberately kept her properties small—no single location exceeds 30 beds—bucking the industry trend toward mega-hostels that critics argue homogenize Santiago's character.

"I wanted visitors to actually meet Santiago, not just pass through it," Rojas explained during a recent expansion announcement. Her strategy includes mandatory kitchen facilities in every property, curated local art installations, and partnerships with neighbourhood restaurants and artisan markets. The model has proven so successful that occupancy rates average 78 percent year-round, well above the city's 63 percent baseline.

What distinguishes Casa Viajera from competitors is its hyper-local approach. Rather than generic tourism packages, Rojas's team connects guests with neighbourhood guides—often local university students and artists—who conduct walking tours through galleries along Merced Street, introduce visitors to family-run empanada shops in Yungay, and facilitate visits to smaller museums typically overlooked by conventional tour operators.

The ripple effects have been substantial. A recent study by the Santiago Chamber of Commerce found that Casa Viajera guests spent an average of 4.2 additional days in the city compared to chain hotel visitors, and directed 34 percent of their spending to small independent businesses rather than corporate chains.

Rojas's next phase involves launching a digital platform connecting independent accommodations across Chile's central region—a move that could extend her model's influence beyond Santiago's boundaries. She is also developing training programmes for emerging hospitality entrepreneurs, positioning herself as both operator and mentor.

As Santiago competes with Buenos Aires and Lima for South American tourism market share, entrepreneurs like Rojas offer a compelling counterargument to standardization: that the most profitable path forward may be the one most deeply rooted in local character. With two new properties opening in Ñuñoa and Providencia next spring, her experiment shows no signs of slowing.

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