The rise of poshtels: Are they really worth it?

The premier poshtel brand, Generator landed in Paris on 1 February with this ‘micro-chic’, 916-bed whopper near trendy Canal St Martin. Its most notable perks number a restaurant serving traditional French meals, a basement bar stocked with French wines and a roof terrace with Sacre Coeur views.

Mostly, oui. Perfect for friends, these sharp four-person shared rooms cost from only £19 each. Snaffle one with an en-suite bathroom and, given the facilities and location, that’s sensational - even if breakfast is a little extra. An £88 starting price for private suites (double/twin) is, despite top-floor seclusion and private balconies, less spectacular. 

As might be expected in the home of fashion, Milan’s best hostel is chic, with colourful cushions and framed ancient maps lining walls. Guests receive a free arrival drink and daily Mediterranean breakfast – available all day, curiously – while hammocks decorate terraces, a trattoria does food, ping-pong tables and guitars await use, flea markets are held and the Duomo is just a short stroll away.

Certamente! Opt for an en-suite double room: given the above, £60 per night would be good value normally, but in Milan it’s positively criminal. Sleeping six, these relatively roomy en-suite dorms somehow cost from just £21 a night. 

Fancy staying inside a restored 19th century palace? Minimalist in look, this ultra-central Madrid haunt also affords a clean, shared kitchen, a chill-out area with leather sofas, a cinema room, indoor swings and, due this summer, a sunny roof terrace. While basic breakfasts of toast, ham and cheese are free, cups of Lavazza coffee cheekily cost €1 extra. Free city walking tours are also offered.

And then some! Including headboards with power sockets and custom-made mattresses, en-suite four-person rooms cost from just £16 a person, while en-suite double rooms begin at £16.50 per person. O to the M to the G! 

Well located, this former Swiss Ambassador’s residence mixes Scandinavian practicality with original Art Deco elements: chip-board bunk beds here, wrought-iron staircases there. Life revolves around the busy Decadente bar and restaurant, where bargain-priced buffets meet cocktails, local crowds and a ‘beer garden’. 

Just a bit! Sleeping 6-9, the 13 modern dorms boast private sitting areas and, while bathrooms are shared, entry rates of £9 per person, including breakfast, are gaspingly cheap. As are the luxy en-suite double rooms, which start at £60 a night for two.