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Are Hostel Reviews Systems Creating Unrealistic Expectations of Hostels?

Hostel Reviews, Booking Engines, and Directories

Josh started this discussion 14 years 9 months ago

Sometimes when comparing hostel reviews to the hostels, the ratings and reviews don't make sense.

I can think of a specific example. The hostel is extremely clean and the managers pay attention to little details to make sure that the hostel is a pleasant place to stay. The hostel has only 75% rating on Hostelworld even though it's a perfect place to stay in that location. I think it doesn't get "top ratings" (like 95%) because the owner doesn't provide guests with things like free daily activities or even speak enough English to have long conversations. It's just a really great place to stay while you explore the area.

I think that the current hostel review systems don't accurately reflect the high quality of this place. I really like this hostel, and it was even embarrassing to read the negative things that some travelers were writing in the reviews.

I wonder if hostel review systems create expectations for guests that the hostels are going to provide them with entertainment -- the hostel staff are supposed to do a tap dance, jump through a flaming hoop, and must cook the guests dinner or they are sub-standard hostels. :)

Whatever happened to the destination providing the entertainment, and a hostel being a clean well run place where you can meet fellow travelers and sleep for cheap?

I really think that hostel review systems should be modernized like I mentioned here and here. With a system like that, a hostel like the example I mentioned above would be rated at least 95% for people who are looking for what the hostel offers -- a very well-managed, extremely clean, cheap place to sleep in a "paradise" destination. If you are looking for the hostel staff to jump through a flaming hoop for you, that's not the point and it's not going to happen, so just deal with it :)

What do you think? Are hostel reviews systems creating unrealistic expectations of hostels? Are travelers forgetting what travel is supposed to be about? Do you think that a different kind of hostel review system could change that?

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Scotch Argus

14 years

I can't say I really blame booking engines for the constant increase in customer expectations. Over the years standards have in general been driven up, and people now expect things that years ago they wouldn't have. I first worked in ahostel that was really just a large hut with 2 16 bed dorms. It had a very basic kitchen /common room, and very limited hot water. I think most people who went there liked it however, as it offered a unique experience. It was also very cheap. When hostels were mostly YHA hostels people knew what to expect. Basic accommodation, with rules such as chores, and having to hire own bed linen. All these things were helpful in keeping costs down, but made them very basic.

As the years have gone on what people expect has been changed by the increase in standards, largely driven by the good independent hostels. Now people will often expect en-suite bathrooms, breakfast included, parties organised by the hostel, free wifi and possibly internet, towels and linen included, full central heating (or A/C). The thing is that these things all cost money, and one of the things that people really want from a hostel is that it's cheap. If your drive to increase all facilities makes you too expensive then it can be dterimental in my opinion. The secret is to do things that aren't too expensive, but add to the guests experience. This might be different in differing countries. e.g. labor intensive activities might make sense in countries with low labor costs.

The funny thing is that people almost expect more of a hostel than a hotel. I stayed at a holiday inn a few months ago, and they charged $10 per hour for wifi. If I charged for wifi in the hostel, many negative reviews would follow - I've seen them on places that do charge, even if it's a nominal fee. In a hotel all you really get is a room. In a hostel you should get a common room, kitchen and a real social environment that you can never get in a hotel. I don't really think that review sites are responsible for these increases in expectations, they merely reflect them.

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hosteltraveler

14 years

HostelManagement is taking a survey this month, advertised in their newsletter, about whether hostels are cheating on their online reviews. For more perspective on this topic, see: Fake User Reviews – Do They Really Hurt Your B&B Hotel Business?
It's written for the B&B audience, but the concepts are the same.

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flaviopezzini

14 years

Customers with expectations above reality are everywhere. Guests want to pay 10 euros and get 80 euros room :)

I believe what you can do is to work on the experience they have to be the best one. That way even if you don't have the perfect facilities, if they have a cool experience they will like the hostel.

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europegrad

13 years

Review systems work very good for the costumers, in the sense they raise the bar quickly after market leaders - but that is something that is much bigger than hostel industries and has to do with Internet information dissemination all across service industry.

30 years ago, guide books (or even some office at the local airport/train station) would be the only sources of information about hostels. They had limited space (few lines) for reviews, and no consolidated table about, in 1986, which hostels in Bruxelles had showers with or without hard doors of which of Roma's hostels turned off heating late at night. At most you'd find size of dorms and curfew/lockout info, and that was it.

Now, it is much easier to get plenty of info beforehand, with or without user reviews on Hostelworld. Some hostels (talking again about European market) started offering computers with internet around 1998-2000, usually against payment and woefully slow - is just helped check air flights or sent an email (never mind of photos!) home. Around 2005, a hostel without on-site computers (or an easy accessible cybercafe nearby) would be penalized by guests. Now, this is happening with free WiFi.

Sometimes I like to read reviews on HostelWorld if only to observe some market trends when I'm idle at University. I'm noticing how guests are increasingly complaining about lack of power sockets in some hostels. When people had film cameras, they'd buy replacement batteries. Now, they have rechargeable smartphones, netbooks, cameras, MP3 players etc., and that twin socket once in a while a folk would use to recharge an electric razor is now not nearly enough to accommodate 6 guests eager to have their stuff recharged overnight! (I carry an extensor myself so that I can kindly ask a fellow traveler to share the source, but that is not usually the case and even so you can't plug 3 iPhones, 2 notebooks and 1 video camera on one socket with extensions only or you'll overheat it).

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santa klaus

13 years

The funny thing is that people almost expect more of a hostel than a hotel.

Because hotels suck! More and more people realize this. This is good news for us, not bad news!

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gordo

13 years

Because hotels suck! More and more people realize this. This is good news for us, not bad news!

well, its good provided that people see hostels as a better alternative to hostels rather than a cheaper version - that distinction is the important factor and something we all need to promote.

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matt70

12 years

Sometimes when comparing hostel reviews to the hostels, the ratings and reviews don't make sense.

I can think of a specific example. The hostel is extremely clean and the managers pay attention to little details to make sure that the hostel is a pleasant place to stay. The hostel has only 75% rating on Hostelworld even though it's a perfect place to stay in that location. I think it doesn't get "top ratings" (like 95%) because the owner doesn't provide guests with things like free daily activities or even speak enough English to have long conversations. It's just a really great place to stay while you explore the area.

I think that the current hostel review systems don't accurately reflect the high quality of this place. I really like this hostel, and it was even embarrassing to read the negative things that some travelers were writing in the reviews.

I wonder if hostel review systems create expectations for guests that the hostels are going to provide them with entertainment -- the hostel staff are supposed to do a tap dance, jump through a flaming hoop, and must cook the guests dinner or they are sub-standard hostels. Smile

Whatever happened to the destination providing the entertainment, and a hostel being a clean well run place where you can meet fellow travelers and sleep for cheap?

I really think that hostel review systems should be modernized like I mentioned here and here. With a system like that, a hostel like the example I mentioned above would be rated at least 95% for people who are looking for what the hostel offers -- a very well-managed, extremely clean, cheap place to sleep in a "paradise" destination. If you are looking for the hostel staff to jump through a flaming hoop for you, that's not the point and it's not going to happen, so just deal with it Smile

What do you think? Are hostel reviews systems creating unrealistic expectations of hostels? Are travelers forgetting what travel is supposed to be about? Do you think that a different kind of hostel review system could change that?

I fully agree and undersign this text, since I have worked in "type 75 %" hostels my whole life, partially owned one and represent that group of hostels. They are the traditional and classical ones. Everything else is corporate incursion in our world (read : reign of darkness and fear).

But I'm going to run a hostel booking website and want to make it popular among travelers, I really wouldn't give a damn to those complaints from an owner. When they have a pool of customers, they can do whatever they want.

100 % true. That is why hostels, hostel owners and hostel staff are always UNDERDOGS, and enjoy zero respect among customers. Online booking engines and their reviews have made VICTIMS out of us.

As a guest, i found most ratings reliable and realistic. If it's lower than 70%, it's always bad - not much exception has been seen. If it's 90+%, the hostel is good and a good time is nearly guaranteed. As an owner, I couldn't agree more with the OP and certain websites have now pushed the standard to be unrealistic high.

I do not agree with you, but this is very good example of high and unrealistic expectations guests have, and brutal exploitation attitude among customers nurtured by online booking engines.

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zomac

11 years

As a guest, i found most ratings reliable and realistic. If it's lower than 70%, it's always bad - not much exception has been seen. If it's 90+%, the hostel is good and a good time is nearly guaranteed. As an owner, I couldn't agree more with the OP and certain websites have now pushed the standard to be unrealistic high.

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marorzel

11 years

As a hostel owner, I found ratings also vary from nationalities . Usually people from USA give better ratings than Latin Americans. This must be for sure based on how their educational system work. In US for example most people get an A and to critic a student is not well seeing. This can be why you get this difference in my experience. What do you think?

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karel_mondt

11 years

I share your view on this issue.
I often argued with the large booking sites on the need of categories for hostel feedback.
I give one example: It makes no sense to evaluate f.i. smaller places based on the same criteria as the larger ones.
Very often, guests choose one above another based on their mood. Sometimes they are looking for bigger places, enabling more the "fun" site, and sometime they prefer more quite, "familiar"-type places to chill out, relax, and meet other travellers.
This choice also influences expectations and , hence, should also be evaluated based on pertinent evalutation criteria.

Introducing hostel categories would have the great advantage to better illustrate the specific strengths in each category.

Karel

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