a&o Hostels, founded in 1999, has been operating 39 hostels in 23 cities and eight countries (Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Denmark and Italy) since 2000. a&o Hostels is currently Europe's largest independent hostel chain. The a&o Group offers travellers around 28,000 beds, recording more than 5 million overnight stays and generated a turnover of around EUR 165 million in 2019. The chain is currently experiencing growth of over 15 percent p.a., and plans to open more establishments. a&o is a combination of hostel and hotel under one roof. Meeting rooms, breakfast buffet, lobby and bars are available in both categories. The a&o guest mix is varied: backpackers are just as much a part of it as are single travelers, families, school groups and sports clubs. The number of business travelers and senior citizens is also increasing. The company offers vocational training at all its locations. a&o has been awarded 4 stars by QMJ, meets the TÜV "Youth Hostel Quality Standard", and has been awarded the youth travel quality label by Germany's Reisenetz (Association of Youth Travel). For the second year in a row, the a&o Group received the Double A rating by TREUGAST Solutions Group. The chain is actively committed to sports and education, and has been supporting SOS Children's Villages since 2004, the youth teams of 1st FC Union Berlin since 2010, and the youth teams of SK Sturm Graz since 2014.