HostelSync

Anyway, we have to be aware that the bad guys with the deep pockets won´t let our niche undisturbed forever.

I think it's up to the hostels to keep the booking engines "honest" (not upsell hotels by using the word "hostel" at the expense of genuine hostels). The budget hotels can only get in to the industry if booking engines are able to call a hotel a "hostel" and include them in the hostel search results.

To keep hotels from taking over the hostel industry, I think hostels should be vigilant about:

• keeping the definition of hostel honest (hostel = shared accommodation)
• making sure booking engines aren't calling hotels and guesthouses "hostels", or even strongly implying it
• making sure that hostel booking engines don't prevent new hostels from signing up based on the booking engines' deciding that they already have enough properties (hotels) in a city (I heard about this in one city.)

Two reasons that I think the hostel booking engines should pay attention to hostels and not push hotels:

• The booking engines were created from the willingness of hostels to allocate their beds. To use the "hostel" name (especially through SEO) to then "bait & switch" people into booking hotels is a betrayal of the small businesses whose trust and generosity allowed the formation of the booking engines in the first place. Hostels control the beds...
• As more booking engines appear, and as mainstream hotel sites began selling hostels, the hostel booking engines are going to need to distinguish themselves, both to the travelers and to the hostels.