I've noticed that Hostelworld.com is not only listing non-hostels in the default views, but it is sorting non-hostels above hostels.
The screenshot below is from London, where Hostelworld lists 94 hostels. Despite that large number of hostels in London, Hostelworld also lists 56 hotels, 18 B&Bs, and 20 apartments in the default view.
When I sort by rating, the #1 property is not a hostel.
#2, #3, and #4 are hostels.
#5 and #6 are hotels.
Etc.
Another example is in Dublin where HW lists 32 hostels at the moment. Instead of just listing those 32 hostels, they also list 58 B&Bs, 23 hotels, and 6 apartments. That means that a hostel isn't just competing with 31 other hostels, but with 118 other accommodation providers, most of which are not hostels. And this is on what is seen by many travelers as "the hostel booking site".
Hostels do a service to hostel booking sites by allocating beds, and the hostels made Hostelworld what it is today. Why should hostels now be competing at a disadvantage with non-hostels in their own niche? In my opinion, listing non-hostels above hostels should not be accepted by hostels. I think that hostels should always be vigilant that they are not being used by hostel booking sites as a tool primarily to upsell hotels.
Have you noticed this, and what do you think?
12 years
It makes me wonder if the hotels, B&Bs are paying any higher fees for that listing. If not, it is definitely a disservice to hostels who put them on the web map. Is there a similarly popular web site of hostel listings that may deserve a fuller attention? Has anyone approached the owners of Hostelworld to ask why the shake up?
12 years
The non-hostels don't pay higher fees, but the booking sites make a larger commission.
For example, if the commission is 10%, a booking site makes $2.50 on a $25 dorm bed, but $10 on a $100 hotel room. There is incentive for them to bait their visitors with hostels and then upsell to more-expensive hotels. The end result is that the hostels lose.
I've been mentioning this kind of problem in the forum for years. There was a time when hotels weren't listed in the default results if there were enough hostels in a city. Now the hotels are listed above hostels even when there are 90+ hostels in a city. It's going to keep getting worse if hostels don't speak up.
Hostels should only support hostel-friendly booking sites. Why should hostels link-to or recommend a "hostel website" that doesn't put hostels first? I think that this trend is very bad for hostels.
Hostelworld has done great things for hostels. Their booking system helped the expansion of hostels worldwide over the past 10+ years. But when the company starts listing hotels over the hostels, I think it becomes detrimental to hostels.
I've also mentioned a similar problem with Hostelling International and hotels and in several other places. There's a long thread about the definition of a hostel that goes into some of the issues.
12 years
I just saw one location on Hostelworld that has about 10 properties and only one hostel. The hostel is sometimes the last property listed on the default view. The hostel has the lowest rates, so Hostelworld makes the lowest commission on that property. Hostelworld has buried the hostel under cheap guesthouses. This is terrible.
If there are hostels in a destination, the hostels should always be listed first on a hostel website.
Also, when sorting by price, a guesthouse is above the hostel, because the private room is cheaper "per bed" than the actual hostel bed. So even though the cheapest place in town is the hostel, Hostelworld says that the guesthouse is cheaper, even though the prices on their advertised "cheapest" option is three times more than the hostel bed. This is very bad for hostels, and is not accurate advertising.
12 years
I figured that, but someone should say it, so I thought I would speak up. :)
If anyone reading this has private thoughts about the situation, here are some ways to contact me:
All private discussions will be kept confidential.
12 years
Definitely HW is not taking its long time partnership with hostels to serious.
The venture capital that bought them is more interested in making money than produce a long term relationship.
On the other hand when you list your hostel on a HOTEL OTA like Expedia, you will be on the top search (if you filter by price).
12 years
That is because Hostelworld prices private rooms "by the bed" which I think is not good for hostels or honest to customers. The total price of a private room should be listed along with the "price per bed". You can't buy one bed in a private room or 1/2 of a hotel room, so that is not the price. I think that it's fair to list the "price per bed" only if the total price is clearly listed next to it.
I think that Hostelworld's move to list non-hostels above hostels, where the private rooms are claimed to be cheaper than the dorms, is a direct attack on hostels and should be resisted. If a single hostel can't do it, then approach Hostelworld as a group. Let travelers know that Hostelworld.com is detrimentally exploiting hostels for profit. If hostels don't stop it now, it will keep getting worse.
Hostel booking websites that exploit hostels in order to sell hotels is one of the worst threats to genuine hostels.
The hostel industry is not the hotel industry...
12 years
I agree with the above comments. Hostelworld does have a filter box in which you can tick which type(s) of accommodation you want to consider. However, the box is not very obvious and can easily be missed; and the default is 'all properties'. If only 'hostels' were ticked as the default, our complaints would be less justified.
I do indeed sometimes use Hostelworld now when I am looking for a private room for 2; but even so, I agree that it would be better for a booking site to have only hostels, and a different site to have private-room accommodation. This trend to merge accommodations in the same lists is also apparent in the formerly backpacking guidebooks such as Lonely Planet, and it is at the expense of hostels: if there are 4 hostels and 30 guest houses in a place, they tend to show only 1 hostel and 10 guest houses, and this is a loss to those who want a choice of hostels (which includes almost all solo travellers).
12 years
Hostelworld claimed in their last conference that this is their intention - to compete with Booking.com and other websites for all properties and not only Hostels.
There is for sure a good reason to discuss it with them.
Josh - you can count me in for this discussion with them.
12 years
That's exactly what I told Josh; even I wasn't at the convention, that's their real intention.
A venture capital only buys a corporation if they see that things can be changed around and make more money, or do you guys think that they paid $458 Mi for WRI to make 10% out of $15 bed? Just to inform you HOTEL OTAS can take around 25-30% from the published rate. Be prepared SOON WRI will change the % .
I really don't think that discussing with them will change anything, the best solution is look for other partners, wehostels.com sounds like a good proposal, or maybe the other ones that already exist on the market for a while can make a big return.
What do you think?
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