13 years
Many people don't think twice about posting detailed public information online anymore. The Facebook/Twitter connect could be optional, and they could check a box to give permission to publicly attach their accounts to their reviews.
Good idea. "Connect with Twitter or Facebook" would be so easy, and make the reviews better.
Exactly. Something like this will have to be included soon as other sites have caught on. At Internet speed and the backpacker rate of early technology adoption, a social network tie in could be an igniter for site popularity. One easy step away from a trusted social network based hostel review system is a trusted social network based hostel booking system.
As was earlier stated it will be the implementation that serves to be the controversial next steps. This following blurb about this change and current implentation steps was taken from their year end newsletter to hostels.
"New Review Categories for 2012
In response to customer demand and to ensure our customer reviews remain relevant to global travellers and hostels alike, we are revising our review categories in 2012. Currently our customers rate your hostels on the following 6 categories: Fun, Character, Staff, Security, Cleanliness, and Location. We are changing Fun to Atmosphere and adding 2 new criteria for the first 6 months of 2012: Value for Money and Facilities. After a significant cross-over period while we collect results, we will remove Character and our final 7 categories will be: ATMOSPHERE, STAFF, SECURITY, CLEANLINESS, LOCATION, VALUE FOR MONEY, and FACILITIES."
It seems like a sensible approach but why not integrate a trusted social networking link/verification system (Like Twitter/Facebook) simutaneously to save time and maintain market share? Other sites are springing up that have this built in their sites from the ground up. These sites are also bringing to the Hostel/Backpackers market new types of, and very unique accommodation choices.
Take for instance the earlier mentioned airbnb.com and couchsurfing etc. These accommodations are in houses, apartments, farms, etc etc and have already far more communities/regions with value based accommodations where hostels have not penetrated. The reason why this is working is that these sites have guest profiles that are accessible to all, bookers and hosts alike. People with a spare bedroom are now competing against HW etc for the value traveler market because the can trust the guests based on reviews of the guests too. The guests can also make sounder decisions on the hosts based on the hosts profils and the profiles of previous guests that have chosen the host! Some travelers are not staying in hostels/hotels or motels anymore as a result of this relatively new, social network based and designed system for booking accommodations.
The trust/reputation a host has on these sites and the trust/reputation a guest gets from this will bring many new non-hostel accommodation providers into the market. Neighbors will notice and jump on the bandwagon. Look what B&B's did to the motel/hotel industry. Look how B&B's compete in a market.
These sites like airbnb.com, couchsurfing etc are a result of already in place properties brand new to the industry getting immediate market share. The business model is easily underdstood by all stakeholders it is complete with a transaction security and quality assurance model springing not from the current web based booking engine, (or even traditional advertising) but from a trusted social networking system. Most are using their own system as the basis but look for the big social networking guys to aquire them soon as "real money" is being transacted here. Supply of properties is limitless and the market is vibrant and ready for the next new thing.
It will definitely help hostels for the booking engines to have a strong focused, social networking structured/based hostel review system for consistency, user demographics and market positioning and definition. If it is somehow tied strongly to Facebook/Twitter the hostel industry will grow as an entity by introducing reach into new customers for hostel at a very quick rate with little capital outlay. Status updates, timelines, wall postings, tweets, photos, tags, and Likes are 1st person information that function in many ways like a mini-review. Exploit these by tying them into the hostel review systems. The booking engines need to focus on penetrating into new customers now. Resume the leadership role into new technologies they used to have. Get the social networking thing happening by working with hostels to develop it, sustain it and grow it.
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