What's your hostel booking rate when first open?

Hi Grace,

In addition to the sites that you have already mentioned, you might also try Hostelsclub and Gomio. A Google adwords campaign is a good idea once your own site it up and running.

There are a lot of hostels in Singapore, so setting yourself apart will be a challenge for all of you. Here are some general suggestions.

• Photographs play a significant role in the hostel selection process, so make sure that you have plenty of beautiful enticing pictures that show what kind of experience a guest can expect in your hostel.

• Guest reviews are also a key component of the selection process. Focusing on the guests that you already have and making them happy is crucial. Every happy guest that leaves you a review will help you recruit the next one. There is no shame in letting guests know that the reviews are really important to you.
• Price is also important, but resist the urge to compete based on price. There are way too many hostels in your city to use this approach. As soon as you drop your rates someone else will do the same, and then another and another. Soon you will all be paying your guests to stay with you instead of the other way around.
• Are there any services you can propose that the other hostels in your city don’t currently offer? Social activities and events are good. Educational opportunities are good. Anything involving free or cheap food is usually appreciated (although you may need an additional license if you want to offer cooked food). These services could set you apart from the competition, and you may get some good word-of-mouth advertising as people talk about them after they leave.

I hope some of this helps you!