Opening a youth hostel

I'm doing research on youth hostels and was hoping someone could help me out. What I'd basically like to know is: 1) Can anyone open a youth hostel? 2) Is there an accreditation process? 3) What would happen if someone opened a hostel without registering with Hostelling International? 4) What are the basic requirements for owning and operating a youth hostel? 5) If someone opened a youth hostel without the proper credentials, how quickly would they get shut down? Who would do it? Hostelling International? Thanks!