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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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zomac

11 years

It's interesting to reply to this thread again. In 2011 my position was a customer and now I'm a hostel owner with 150 dorm beds and 20 private rooms.

Frankly, as a hostel owner, I prefer these demanding standards set by a booking engine because it helps a new player like us catch up really fast.

My hostel was designed based on the criteria of these rating site. After the first three months, we got around 100 reviews with a rating of 94%, which gave us a tremendous help because the par of my city with more than 10 million people is 80% only. And at the 6th month, 85% city bookings went to my hostel.

In my country, competitiveness can be really low in some big cities with a high entry cost and big old players. The hostel market has been dominated by some early old birds who believe that they know the market better than you because they opened the hostel earlier than you. When guests ask for more, they whine that these people want to pay less for more. (It's always true). Their outdated mentality is a good news for new birds who are ready to catch up with the latest rules of game.

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