Hi guys, do you have any suggestions what to do about unfair competition i.e. hostel owners / managers making bookings in their own hostel via Hostel World or asking their family members to do so in order to boost their ratings? Of course they give themselves top 100% rating!
Unfortunately Hostel World doesn't seem to care as they're still getting the fee & 10% of each booking.
14 years
I made an anonymous survey here:
http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/hostels/cheating-on-hostel-reviews/
Do you think hostels' cheating on reviews is a widespread problem? Does it even matter to you? Please take the survey and let me know what you think.
I'll publish the results here in the Forum anonymously, not mentioning any peoples' names or hostels' names.
14 years
TIf I were a backpacker and a hostel manager who I only knew through staying at their hostel for a few days asked me to waste my time making a fake review and putting several dollars charge on my credit card, I wouldn't do it.
If I were a backpacker who stayed at a hostel that was so much fun that I met the manager and got to know him well enough that he felt comfortable asking me to make fake reviews, he wouldn't even have to ask me for a fake review. I would probably give 100% without even asking. Once the guest feels like they are friends with the staff, they are more likely to give 100%.
If some hostels are cheating, it seems unlikely that this is the method.
My point exactly! If you work hard and give guest what he/she need, you will not have to ask them for review ... it will come alone :)
It is (for me) waisting of energy talking about fake reviews, doing this witchcraft hunting on people and hostels that does that.
If we work good, we will be awarded. If we don't there is not menu fake reviews that will make that place better.
Review is a just few words on the peace of paper (or part of the screen). What our guests talk about us when they leave is much more important than the rating on any booking site.
14 years
It would be very interresting to know how many guest searching under the issue of the reviews
14 years
Well, as from my experience, most of the guests take reviews as one of important components when the book a hostel. Not the most important but they read them.
Well, last night one couple bump in my hostel sayin', we were on the train and we see your hostel have a good rating so we decide to come here!
So, guests do look at reviews, that is a fact.
14 years
Yes it is clear, but the percentage would be interresting.
Of course it much depend on the price aswell.
Not only high rating but the difference from the others.
14 years
Well, as I look them how they make reservation for other places from here, most of them do it in next way:
1.price range
2.location
and after that from selected properties they look at comments and ratings :)
14 years
Well, as I look them how they make reservation for other places from here, most of them do it in next way:
1.price range
2.location
and after that from selected properties they look at comments and ratings :)
That's very interesting. I'm going to make a survey to try to find out how different travelers search for hostels:
http://www.hostelmanagement.com/forums/backpacker-survey-questions.html
13 years
You can translate from hungarian to english with translate.google.com:
http://kocsma.blog.hu/2010/08/10/grandio_bar
11 years
Well, the new method now is offering free night in exchange for a 100%.
I had 2 guests sent by another hostel to stay here (they booked at the same day and rated at the same day. Surprise, surprise, they both gave me 60%. Soon after I got the top on my city.
I wrote to Hostelworld with all the evidences but they ignored. The only thing they did was to let me reply.
Hostelworld now is a big joke. The reviews aren't reliable but they still get our 10% commission, don't they?
I'm going to another website and cut Hostelworld as I disagree with their method to put a comment on line. They don't bother to check if it's true or not. They want money, that's all.
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